how can i break this plateau/is it even possible??

Hi everyone,
    So I have been using calorie count since March to track my weight and food habits, but haven't really used all of calorie counts features, so I decided to post something to try and get some advice.
    When I went to my doctor in March, she had me use the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer to see where I was at and how much I needed to lose. I was 5'5 144lbs, and an approx. fat of 36%, and a BMI of 25. It also said I needed to cut my calories back to 1345 per day in order to lose weight and reach my predicted healthy body weight of 122lbs.
    Now, in the first month I started to gain weight on my weekly weigh-in days until finally getting back to the weight from when I started. From that week on, I slowly started to lose a little bit of weight, but not the 1-2 lbs that I should have been losing since I had been following the correct calorie intake and trying to workout a few times a week.
    During June I studied abroad so I really had no control of my caloric intake or my weight, but I tried to do simple things like no soda's, and to eat cereal for breakfast instead of croissaints and stuff like that. I weighed myself while abroad and I had reached 132lbs by the end of my time in Europe. I have been back in the US since the 4th of July, and have been counting my calories again ever since. But, I seem to have reached the worst plateau so far!!!
    I have only lost one pound in the past month and I have been eating along with my calorie needs, and getting a decent amount of sleep, and even trying to exercise when I can.
    I don't know what to do. I am at 131.4lbs (as of Weds. Aug. 1st, my weigh in day for the week) and I am still a good 11-12lbs away from where I would like to be. Is it even possible for me to break this weight loss plateau, and if it is, what can i do?!
    please help, I am trying to not give up, but it is really discouraging because I feel like my efforts haven't paid off. Also, even though I have lost weight, my stomach and love handles are  still really flabby, does anyone have any reccommendations to battle that?
    Any advice would be great!!!
--Laura

I am on the 9th week of my plateau!!! Have you tried increasing exercise, increasing cals for a couple of days, stop exercising for a couple of days, zig-zag your cals, lets see, have a huge cheat days and then get right back on track...there is sooo many things you can try but nothing is a sure thing. I have tried all of the above plus some and still nothing yet. Just hang in there and remember that this is for life, not just temporary. Things will fall into place. GoodLuck! 

I've been at a 300# plate-O (I won't even give it the respect to spell it correctly) for 3 months!!! I workout every day, ride my bike, now am trying C-C. I've been a professional fat man most of my life and have lost 40+ lbs in the last year. on the 27th of July I decided to start tracking my calorie intake and activities, it's very interesting. My diet is far more healthfull than I gave myself credit for before. I exercise and lift pretty vigerously so I may really be starving myself into this rut. One thing I can say for certian, I can run now where I couldn't run at all 2 months ago. My clothes fit better most are loose and people are noticing a change in my appearance... Maybe my friends at the Y are messing with the scale, ha! All I know is that as soon as I give up hope and just keep going to the Y and eating right my body shifts. I can't control it.

Best wishes and thanks to the developers of this terrific site!

First,  realize that a great many women on this website  would like to have only 11 to 12 pounds to lose... they're not feeling very sympathetic with your plight. :-)

Because you are so close to your goal, you are also likely very close to your natural maintenence level.  As a result your deficit could be small.  So if you are undercounting a little at the same time you are having a water weight increase, it might not seem like you are losing much.  At this point you just have to have faith in the math... most women will lose on 1200, though it might be slow. Get as precise with calories as you can be. Move as much as possible, it will happen.  If you cheat a bit here and there, that small amount might be enough to stall your weight loss. It's about being super consistent over the long run.

Kristinedaqueen- I actually found that I've been loosing more weight not exercising. Now, I know that I should be exercising, but until I can find the best exercises to tone my mid-section, I am cutting back on it. I still get decent speed walks in because I have to walk to class each way carrying my heavy books, and since I am normally worried about being late, i tend to power walk. haha. I have been trying to have cheat days, I think I just need to make sure and record EVERY calorie so I can make sure, it's just hard when I go to restaurants that don't have nutritional guides, normally I just find something on cc with a similar description. and I think now I am more concerned with toning, since my body seems to not want to drop anymore weight... hmm, but thanks! and good luck to you. hopefully we can break these plateaus!

oakum- CC is really amazing. I started on here because my doctor told me to keep track of my calories and I googled to try and find an easy way to keep track of it online. It's actually easier than I thought, even thou some days i find myself a little too overwhelmed to plug in my food and activities. I'm at an awkward stage where my old clothes are baggy but I am just a little too big to go the next size down. Hopefully I can tone up before my goal date in October, so I can buy a new outfit for my birthday. good luck to you also!

shiptona- I know, I am not trying to complain, although I know it seems that way. I am just more frustrated than anything. I feel like I try so hard with little reward, while some of my friends don't have to do anything, and their weight only drops. but thats life haha. I am going to try to hit the amount of calories each day, or at least balance it out throughout the week. my sleeping in on the weekends messes me up sometimes though because I won't eat till like 1 or 2 pm and then stay up later. when you eat after midnight do you record it as the next day? i never know which I should do.

Also, just a general question. I know I have read the FAQs about the weight tracker, but is the weight listed next to your recorded weight what you are really at? I was unsure about that. BEcause it is always higher than what i record off of the scale. I was just a little confused. and even thou I may weigh myself more often than once a week, I try to use just my Weds. weigh in to calculate my amount lost, because I saw from many people on cc that it usually is more accurate, since my weight flucuates by about 1-4lbs per day.

Thanks to you all! and good luck, I think this has got me ready to start posting more and getting more involved on cc so maybe this motivation can get me more into fighting this darn plateau! haha
--Laura

36% body fat is pretty high...if that's accurate then I would think exercise to increase your lean body mass (free weights, lady!!) would be the way to go...and shift more of your calories to protein.  Good luck! :)

Here are some great tips!

Breaking a Plateau