I have officially stopped losing weight since October of 2011. I also still have almost 20 pounds to lose before July of this year. I am enlisting in the United States Navy and I would like to be able to drop these 20 pounds before I leave to basic training. Ive tried everything and nothing is working for me. Any suggestions on how to get past this?

What are you calories, how are you tracking them (weighing vs measuring vs eyeballing)?

What kind of exercise are you doing?

How have your measurements changed in this time?

I mainly look at carbohydrates. I've been eating less then before. Ive been eating green veggies like broccoli, asparagus, etc, zero sugar/carb jello, and poultry(usually baked). Even when I have a couple to a few days of eating a lot of carbohydrates like pasta, bread, etc. I stay in the same weight area, never going down.

My exercise has decreased from what it was before. I jog a few times a week. I also do some weight lifting and other forms of cardio like walking and Zumba on the Xbox 360 Kinect.

My measurements are also staying in the same area, not changing a bit.

Do you have any idea how many calories you're eating?

F.

I do, and its usually a low amount(not too low). I would range around 1100-1400, depending on what exactly I eat that day.

You need to track calories or go on a more restrictive plan.

If you've been at the same weight as long as you have without any changes in weight or measurements you could all it a plateau or another way to put it would be you're maintaining.

If you don't want to accurately track your calories than I would suggest you look into strict paleo.

At the end of the day calories dictate fat loss or gain. If you're truly only consuming 1100-1400 calories daily than it is high time for you to go see an endocronologist. Be prepared for them to highly doubt your consumption levels. If you start tracking everything on a website like Fitday you can easily print out your food log.

Goodluck

Without counting your calories (not that you necessarily should), it's very easy for calories to sneak into your day. Too easy. A second helping here, a snack there, and the next thing you know you're at your maintenance level and won't be able to lose. Even when I calorie-count everything I eat, I'm amazed at how easily I exceed my hoped-for total for the day.

<<Even when I calorie-count everything I eat, I'm amazed at how easily I exceed my hoped-for total for the day.>>

I agree. When I was losing weight last year, I believed I was on a 1,200-calorie plan. It's only in hindsight that I realize I never counted my glass of wine and milk with my coffees, which added at least 250 calories to my daily total. I still managed to shed the weight, but only at a rate of 5 pounds a month, which was slower than I'd expected.

Freelance

Congrats on your progress so far! Don't be discouraged. A weight loss plateau is normal. No matter how diligent you are in following your good health regimen, it happens. Some experts suggest zig-zagging, or calorie cycling as a way to break plateaus; it basically means varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. For example, instead of getting precisely 1800 calories each day - you can mix it up and have 1500 calories one day, and 2100 calories the next. It just keeps your body guessing.

Varying your calories can be helpful for a variety of reasons but not for the reason you're suggesting.

I apologize if this sounds harsh but our bodies don't get confused.

Congrats on enlisting and thank you for volunteering
I know you want to lose weight before you go, but you will definitely lose in bootcamp, if it's anything it used to be.. I also was in.
But, I totally agree with all that John is saying. You have lost a good amount of weight already, maybe you have to become more stringent with your diet. Good luck!

I've been plateaued since Thanksgiving. A 37-lb loss that took 2 years to accomplish and then...Thanksgiving came & went & I was 155 lb & bouncing around the same 2-3 lbs... gain 2, lose 1, gain 1, lose 2, gain 3, lose 1, etc... so never got below 155 in December, January or February.

So I finally decided I needed to make a more profound calorie deficit. I cut another 250 from my diet, and for 2 weeks, lost nothing. Then I got a very fast, very energetic little dog that I walk (run!) with 2x a day for about 20-30 minutes. Now I'm down another pound. Not as fast as I'd prefer, but losing is losing.