These calorie calculators are making me nuts..

[kingfish]

I'm trying to lose weight before bulking, and have seen several different caloric requirement calculators on the Net (including the one on this forums' link) but I haven't got a consistent number from any of them. The spread has been 2700-3400cal to maintain my current weight, but I'd like to lose 25lb.

The fact that I'm counting cals at all is amazing to me, as I've said I'd never do it, but I've hit a wall and have to do something different to lose weight. I've started doing cardio in the AM before eating (the *other* thing I said I'd never do), but I don't want to sabotage my efforts with a diet that's all wrong. I'm 40, 6' 252 and do 40 minutes of cardio M-F and work out 3 or 4 nights a week to maintain mass.

Any thoughts on where my calorie intake should be? I can't figure out how these calcs can be so far out of sync.

[InsaneInTheMembrane]

Take the average btwn the highrest and lowest, which would be roughly 3000 kcals and subtract 500 kcals for cutting. You'd have to go by feel from there... the formulas are different because they often use different variables for approximation

[kingfish]

Thanks. As long as I end up at 2500+/- daily, is there any benefit (as far as losing weight) to doing daily cardio? i.e. 3000cal minus the 500 burnt or just take in 2500 without cardio. Would the weight come off faster either way?