Am i doing it right? :S

Hi all, first post! Hope it's the right section.

I joined MFP 30 days ago, being fed up with my weight. I gave up soft drink, started drinking a lot more water and exercised a lot more.

MFP first recommended a daily calorie goal of 1600 cal. In about a week I lost 5 kg! the next 3 weeks - nothing. I'm starting to think that perhaps I am doing something wrong. I read the thread "**READ THIS** Figuring out your calorie goals" (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/567092--read-this-figuring-out-your-calorie-goals)

At fat2fit, I input my details as follows:

21 year old male
69.9 inches tall
weighing 220 pounds.
goal 176 lbs
body fat percentage of 31.4%

And got the following:

Harris-Benedict Formula 2182 calories
Katch-McArdle Formula 1853 calories
Sedentary 2288 calories
(Lightly active might be pushing it! I'm a student, so not much physical activity. I do try to exercise 3-5 times a week for about 20mins though)

Earlier today I resolved to up the exercise and calorie intake (to 2200). Then I got to thinking: should I eat back exercise calories? So I did some searching. A link here, a link there and many hours later I am utterly confused! There are so many conflicting articles and opinions! Of course, every body is different so finding the right advice is a nightmare (for me anyway!).

In short, I am EXTREMELY puzzled:explode: :explode: How much should I eat per day? How much exercise should I do? Do I eat back exercise calories? Please help!