I maintained a 1500 calorie diet for a year a few years ago. I'd pretty much just skip lunch every other day, and on the days I ate i'd go to chipotle and get hardshell tacos with just the fajita peppers, lettuce, and the mild salsa. By skipping the cheese, meat, and beans the calorie count is VERY low.

Eventually I lost 30 pounds. It's not the crazy amounts some people lost, but it was significant for me. Today though, 1500 seems to be my normal. If I go much above it, I start to gain. I think that's the risk of doing it this way. Your body seems to get used to the reduced count for some reason.