I'm 5-10 185, I was eating at 1800 for a while and this is actually when I lost a little bit of muscle. I am upset that I lost the muscle, I increased my intake to 2000. For someone like you with so little to lose, slowest is best, the faster the more unhealthy. Try 1900 for at least 2 weeks and see what happens.
Bodyweight x11 for fat loss, is a good general number. And for maintenance bodyweight x15.
If you are hitting the gym and are interested in squats here is a great free program based on squats:
StrongLifts 5x5: The Ultimate Strength and Muscle Program | StrongLifts.com
It also might change your thinking about dieting and exercise. Honestly I think your body fat would drop to what you want it to be by just gaining some lean mass, and that doesn't mean becoming a bulky meat head. If you add some muscle and the fat stays the same your overall body fat decreases.