Best way to calculate calorie needs

[mudmonkey]

Hi all.

I was just wondering the best way to calculate my calorie needs? I have used a number of different online calculators and they all give me completely different results. They range between 1600 and 2100 a day. That is a big difference so I'm not really sure what I should be aiming for. I'm looking to lose weight and bodyfat so I really need to get this right. I'm a 25year old female, 1.50cm tall and 55kg. I'm currently on relatively light exercise only due to illness.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

the NZBB one seems to be pretty reliable

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[Australeanne]

Agree with the above poster, but I'd like to add that in terms of tools, MyFitnessPal is really useful for tracking.

It's free, available for iPhone and Android, and works pretty well. It even has a cute bar code scanner, so you can scan the foods you're eating for their calorie content.

I'd have to say it's the best tracking system available for free. There might be better paid ones out there, but if there are, I'm not aware of them.

[jimmybro1]

Can be applied to cutting as well