No idea how many calories I should be eating?

LRH94

Ive recently lost alot of weight by eating around 1200-1500 calories per day, however I broke my diet ALOT ( at least 1 or 2 times per week due to social life, where I would get through alot of calories due to alcohol consumption, or through eating burgers at resteraunts.)
I ate this much as I was aiming to loose a little weight, but also I began to eat healthier food. I now realize that this amount is far too low, and I would be cranky and miserable on these days, then binge eat other days as I felt deprived.

However, I was not a high weight before and, through dieting, have essentially forgotten how many calories I used to eat per day. Part of me thinks perhaps I should go back to eating how I originally used to, but I've simply forgot. I think I have quite a high metabolism: I'm 5"8, 20 years old, swim 3 times per week and aim to go to the gym at least twice per week. I also walk alot to the bus stop and back. I'm currently 9 stone 2. (128 pounds)
Last year I was essentially inactive and weighed 10 stone 7 (147 pounds). Thinking back, some days I must have easily consumed over 3000 calories, and I regularly drank lager with my huge dinners (I did skip breakfast though, and sometimes lunch) and ate a considerable amount of takeaway burgers and pizza. I always weighed quite alot for my size though due to muscle mass, I was a UK dress size 8, which is an American 4. Now I'm a UK 6, or an American 2.
I feel I don't want to loose any more weight, and would like to go back to eating similarly to how I used to, but with more exersize and healthier food than greasy takeaways, pies and other rubbish.. So, essentially what I'm asking is, should I be eating over 2000 calories per day? I'm not the average height, and am young and fairly Active, so perhaps I should be eating more around 2500 per day? Any advice?

Francl27

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

sijomial

So to summarise.... You don't know how many calories you have been eating but you want to now maintain.

Either choose to follow the MFP "eat back exercise calories" method in which case enter your details into settings/goals and choose maintain current weight.

Or follow the TDEE method (exercise calories already estimated and included) and use a TDEE calculator (such as link provided above) and eat that amount every day.

Whatever you do log your food accurately for about a month and adjust the numbers depending on your results.

Simples!

sunshyncatra

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html