This form allows you to quickly calculate your daily points level.  You must do this before you can start putting your meals together.  Starting from the top you’ll notice the button marked “Female”.  If you are a woman leave this alone.  If you are a man click on it and it will change to male.

Next, fill in your current height, weight, and age.  Now click on your current activity level.  For most people this will be the first level – marked, “normal”.  As soon as you click on a level your points are automatically calculated.  Let’s take a look at a few of the boxes.  Notice the box marked, “Daily Maintenance Calories”.  This is how many calories you will burn in a day.  Now look at the box marked, “Fat Loss/Wk”.  This is how much fat you will lose each week.  Your actual weight loss will be twice your fat loss on the average, for the first 4 weeks of your diet.  Actual weight loss is shown in the box to the right of the box marked, “Fat Loss/wk”. 

Look to the right, at the box marked, “Diet Cals/Day”.  This is how many calories you will eat each day to get the rate of weight loss you have chosen.   Now look lower and to the middle, at the box marked, “Your Points”.  This is the most important box.  It tells you how many points you get to eat each day.

See the slider bar below the Points box?  Click on it towards the left and see your points adjust.  The more you move it to the left, the faster you will lose weight, but the fewer points you will get to eat each day.  Most people are comfortable with about 12 points per day if they keep their efficiency high when they plan their meals.

Here’s the fun part:  Adjust the slider so you are losing about 2 lbs of weight (1 lb. Fat) per week.  Now go up to the place where you adjust your activity level and click the next more intense level than the one you originally chose.  Now look at your weight loss and points.  Your weight loss increased, as you would imagine, because you are exercising more.  But here is the surprising part: Your points per day increased. YOU LOST MORE WEIGHT ON MORE FOOD!  I guess the value of exercise is self-explanatory.  When you exercise more you can eat more and still lose weight faster!  Isn’t that cool?

When your done click back on your actual activity level and then click on “Accept >” to write record the points you have chosen and you can begin to put meals together.

Now you are presented with the Meal Builder: