I'm stuck and I don't know why. I have been on plan faithfully since 10/28/12. I've had a good deal of success (20 + pounds), but now I'm stagnant. I really don't want to believe that I've plateaued this early in my journey, but I can't think of anything else...

I eat about 1300-1400 calories a day, and my exercise is chasing after toddlers. I do not belong to a gym, and frankly I don't want to walk around my neighborhood.

So other than increasing exercise, is there another way to break a plateau?
Really I'm just mentally frustrated, so I guess I'm looking for encouragement more than strategies?

thanks in advance!

Maybe calorie cycling will get you kick started again.

I agree, I'd try calorie cycling, that means total up the calories you'd eat in a week and break it up like 1200 one day and then 1800, instead of 1500 a day for example. Also I definitely think you should exercise, even if that means doing some bodyweight stuff at first in your living room, push ups, squats, what about a fitness DVD?

Don't quit, keep going and try new things.
You've done amazing but if you stop now you may regret it in a few months, a year, or more you could be looking back and thinking "look at all the time I wasted that I could have been losing weight"

that's the way I see it anyway, hope this motivates you. Maybe try exercising once or twice a week by going for a walk/run in nature if you live around any.

Goodluck Mozzy, I have faith in you.

What do you mean by "stuck"? The scale hasn't budged in days? A week? Weeks? Months? I can recommend calorie cycling - I do see better losses and I also have an easier time when I give myself treats now and then.

stuck between 219.5 and 222

So is the scale going down really slowly or do you keep fluctuating up and down? If the scale is going down really slowly, while annoying, it's not technically a plateau.

I agree calorie cycling could help. I wouldn't necessarily say you need to increase your exercise but what if you upped the intensity a little bit? Maybe while your kids are napping you could throw in some bodyweight training. 20 - 30 minutes could really make a difference. What if you picked 3 or 4 circuits that you did every other day?

For example:
15 bodyweight squats
15 pushups (on knees or incline if necessary)
1 minute of jogging on the spot OR walking with high knees OR shadow boxing

15 lunges (per leg)
15 mountain climbers
1 minute of jogging on the spot OR walking with high knees OR shadow boxing

It's actually really easy to make up. Just pick one upper body exercise, one lower body exercise and 1 minute of "cardio" to keep your heart rate up. Do each circuit twice and you're good. What's really important is maintaining your muscle mass on a weight loss program (and tough). A little bit of resistance training really makes a big difference with that.

At the risk of sounding harsh, as yourself this; you haven't added exercise to your plan, and you haven't changed your diet... why would your weight change?

I'm all for encouragement but I'm also pretty blunt. You said you aren't really looking for recommendations but rather encouragement... that's not going to help you. I can tell you all day long how great you are doing but will that help you to continue to lose weight? Not hardly.

If you DO care to keep losing weight, you need to make some changes. They don't have to be huge, but without additional stimulus your body eventually reaches homeostatis. Obviously weight loss is not a simple thing. You can't find a formula that will work all the time without adjustment. As you lose weight, your body's needs change. You need to adjust your calories up or down, your exercise type/duration/intensity/etc. Your body is incredibly efficient and adapts easily. If you don't change what you are doing with it, your body has no reason to change it's shape.

You said you hit a plateau but then said your weight averages between 219-222 -- Perhaps it's not a coincidence considering your calories are an 'average' as well?

Simply put, you DO need to increase your activity (even if it's just moving more) or decrease your calories a bit/tweak your macronutrient ratios/etc. Experiement with it! Just know that when you stop making changes your body does as well.