Hello everyone! Just as a sort of intro to what I'm going to ask, here it goes. I just joined, am young and in a perpetual state of yoyo dieting. I will work hard and count calories but then I proceed to become happy and then lose myself again in the chaos of weight. Currently I am trying to find an accurate calculator for the amount of calories I should eat in a day. There are many out there but I was wondering if anyone has a preffered one that has guided them well. Also, if there's a better way to determine activity level. This is what I do: dance at a studio twice a week for 2 or more hours, abs/push ups/leg work every night. What would that be considered? Low, moderate, high?

If knowing exactly (or really close) what you burn is important think about getting a bodybugg (it is more than just a pedometer). I have one and I really like it. You put in all your information (height, weight, HR, BMI, %body fat, etc), wear the arm band, and at the end of the day you know what you have burned so you know how much you should be eating. It helped me to actually find out what I was burning each day instead of having a website guess what I am burning. If you think it is too expensive think about sharing one with some one (sounds weird I know). My husband and I share one and it works fine (just change the personal settings). I figured out what I burn on days that are very sednetary and days I go to the gym so I really don't have to wear it every day. Plus it comes with a program to keep track of your calories so one program takes care of everything.

This calculator has worked well for me and I have seen it recommended quite a bit.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
It will also give you a zigzag schedule that you can follow if you wish

Day 7 for me and no craving to binge, this is great! I feel so much healthier.