How do you know which weight maintenance calculator is correct?

Basically, I am 5 7 and 206, and the CC calc tells me that at light activity I will burn approximately 2400 calories per day. However, other calculators fluctuate between 2100-2300, so I'm not really sure which to follow.

I'm taking baby steps here...I want to slowly lose weight and not try to start a diet I know I will fail. So if this calculator is correct, I want to stay at about 1900-2000 calories per day, and start swimming a few times a week. My exercise is limited as I currently have a bad knee.

So the question is, does everyone here rely on the burn meter to be accurate?

The eat meter is more important for me; I use the Burn Meter to log my exercise.  If needed, I up my calories for that day to make sure I do not go below a 1000 calorie deficit.  

You expend energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. Thus your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day - a tempting idea for some.

The burn meter is as accurate as a generic tool can be.  It uses a formula to calculate your BMR plus the activity factor.  The sedentary activity factor is 20%.

Hope this helps.

I have wondered this myself.  For one thing, I'm not sure whether to count myself as moderately active or lightly active.

In my case, the short answer is no.  I base my intake on my BMR (which you can figure out here http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ ) and try to stay active, and so far it seems to work.  On days or weeks when I have worked particularly hard, I up my calorie intake a little.  If you use your BMR as your minimum and are lightly active or sedentary, you're unlikely to lose weight too quickly.

A good general rule for your burn is:

Sedentary: BMR x 1.2

Lightly Active: BMR x 1.375

This is from that BMR calculator website I was using.  I have used those values myself and it seems to work.

So I have another question - when you calculate your BMR, do you put in the weight you are at now or the weight you want to be? 

Because I'm at 125, looking to get down to 110.  I haven't lost anything for a few months, and in the BMR I put 125 (my current weight) to try and figure out what my BMR is, so I know how many calories to eat...

Basically what I'm wondering is, what weight do you put in the BMR calculator - current weight or goal weight?  And if you're pretty close to your goal weight - should it just be the goal weight in there to figure it out?