Plateaued & need some encouragement!

I've lost 47 lbs so far. There were weeks and even whole months that passed and the darn scale wouldn't budge. You just gotta keep going. Eventually your body will realize you're not staying there anymore and it's time to move. Eat, drink water, lift weights, sleep, repeat

I got stuck bouncing 1/2lb around since January... then last week I dropped 4.2lbs without changing anything. I did the same thing before xmas so I think this is just how my body plans on screwing with me now! LOL

ETA: the reason you should continue is because your hard work will be lost! Look at your pictures... you look amazing!

Over 40 pounds lost is amazing! When I hit a sticking point, I try to remind myself how hard I worked to get to the point I am at and how much better I am feeling than where I was. You will definitely get things moving again soon. I think weight loss is just not linear, and sometimes we just hang out for a bit and need to make an adjustment or two.
I don't know if this would help, but one of my favorite fitness pros posted a 3 part blog about busting through plateaus.
http://mollygalbraith.com/blog/weekly-reader-question-8-bust-through-your-fat-loss-plateau-part-1/

I feel your pain. I am wondering if some people plateau quicker than others. I kinda fell off the wagon Valentine's because my husband and I went to my favorite restaurant. Then I was off for 5 days so I was pretty bad for about 3 days. But, I got back on my saddle, hot and heavy and have been doing better since. If I've gone over my calories, it's been less than 100 cals, I've been exercising 4x/week, and I've done a better with my water (but not as good as I should be doing) and I'm barely losing anything, if at all. I seem to be retaining a good bit of fluid and bouncing between 0-1.5lbs.

My question is...could I be at a plateau? Am I going to have to decrease my calorie intake to see more results at this point? I'm at 9lbs lost, but I, like I said, I've been retaining fluid, so I think I'm closer to 10lb. I won't put it in my progress until I actually SEE it on the scale, though, so MFP hasn't changed my caloric intake requirements.

Any suggestions and/or motivation would be appreciated! I've got 17lbs more to go.:)

First of all - Congratulations of losing 43 pounds! That's fantastic! We all hit plateaus and get discouraged. Tell yourself that life is full of bumps in the road and you have to push through them. If you are exercising, you may have to increase your exercise time and intensity. Your body gets used to the same day in and day out.

Keep up the great work and hang in there!

The closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose weight.

No one likes to hear that there is no way to guarantee consistent weight loss, but it is not an exact science.

This is the part where you have to start having faith that you are doing all the right things.

right things =

consistently raising the bar for yourself

consistently raising the level of difficulty in your workouts, responsibly

consistently visiting your NUTRITIONAL INTAKE (not necessarily calories - but what nutrients you are giving your body to fuel those steadily harder workouts instead of just picking a calorie goal and staying with that forever)

consistently taking the time to teach yourself and raise your comprehension level for what you are doing to your body

sticking with your plan to prove your self-discipline and mental strength. (to prove it to yourself)

fully understanding that the number on the scale is the worst sign of progress and the fastest way to derail your motivation.* see footnote

believing in the power of your own hard work.

be actively patient.

*footnote: embrace the other ways of proving that you are changing and making a difference. make a monthly ritual you look forward to, if necessary. take a whole day for yourself, take all of your measurements regularly, take progress pictures (even if they never see the light of day), scan events for walks and 5Ks for charity, track your time for a route - even walking - and try to get a little faster each time. write down all the weights you start with and see what you are able to lift by the end of the month. Can you stay on the elliptical for 30 minutes? try upping the intensity and staying on for the same 30 - or REALLY upping it and going for 20. These are the things that will change your body. And when people say that they want to get down to a certain weight - they also hope to look better and see what they will look like at that weight. Aiming for a lower number on the scale will not change your body into that body. Balancing your workouts equally between cardio, flexibility and weight training (meaning stuff that weighs more than your purse - not something you can easily do 20 reps of) WILL.

I wish you all the very best of luck.

(You can do it)
(but only if you noticed that the magic word here is consistency)

I have been stuck now for several months also. I just did a detox for 2 weeks to break through the plateau. Also, switching up the workout routine to include more weightlifting.

I have lost 45 lbs and 30-40 to go. Just keep doing the activities to progress to your goal. We will get there!