Plateau questions!

Hi! I started here at the end of April at 5'6 and 174 pounds. I kept track of my calories really well and I was exercising a lot so I lost 20 pounds pretty quickly. My calories really zig-zagged (some days I would be eating 1200, some days I would be eating 1800) but it seemed to work. I got stuck between 152-154 for FOREVER. I suspected it was from not eating enough, so I kept up the exercise and really upped my calories in August, and didn't lose a pound. In September, I was on vacation for three weeks (on a cruise ship... you can only imagine what I was eating ) and basically stuffed my face and didn't exercise the entire time. I was STILL at 152 when I got home! Last month I was really diligent about counting calories, and I got down to 148. However, the past two weeks, I've begun to exercise again (starting out slowly) and I've been really, really good about not only logging my calories but eating very healthy. Of course... I've been hovering around 150. I don't know what to do! I feel like I've tried every recommendation out there and I'm miserably stuck. Thanks for reading this, any advice you have is GREATLY appreciated!!

150lbs is a pretty healthy weight for someone 5'6", although admittedly at the upper end of the scale.   Once you're in that healthy zone it does become more difficult to lose more weight.   You have to be very consistent with your calorie-intake and exercise programme and, even then, it takes a lot of time.  Every two or three weeks have a day where you get your full 2000 cals (or whatever your total burn is) and then resume on 700 less than that number the next day.

But don't be miserable.  You've lost 24lbs and I'm sure you're in much better shape as a result.

Thanks for your advice! I'm not going to stress too much about it because you're right, I am in much better shape :)