DIET HELP. I have been stuck for months

I never ate back any of my workout calories while losing weight. That is the point of burning the calories off in the first place. To burn the calories, not put them back in. I ate a 1200 cal diet, ate very clean, worked out 6 days a week, lost 20 pounds in less than 2 months, uped my calorie intake to 1530 to maintain (I'm a petite woman),and still work out 6 days a week. Its now been almost a year and I have stayed at my current weight. Whatever calorie intake works for you, make sure you account for every little thing that goes in your mouth. You may think that bite of a chocolate bar or a handful of chips don't count, but it all adds up, and they do. I am also a firm believer that it is the quality of food you are consuming, not just the quantity. Maybe try eating clean for a while. Cut out your white sugars and crappy carbs. Up your lean proteins. Different things work for different people, so my suggestions may help and they may not. Good luck

I never ate back any of my workout calories while losing weight. That is the point of burning the calories off in the first place. To burn the calories, not put them back in. I ate a 1200 cal diet, ate very clean, worked out 6 days a week, lost 20 pounds in less than 2 months, uped my calorie intake to 1530 to maintain (I'm a petite woman),and still work out 6 days a week. Its now been almost a year and I have stayed at my current weight. Whatever calorie intake works for you, make sure you account for every little thing that goes in your mouth. You may think that bite of a chocolate bar or a handful of chips don't count, but it all adds up, and they do. I am also a firm believer that it is the quality of food you are consuming, not just the quantity. Maybe try eating clean for a while. Cut out your white sugars and crappy carbs. Up your lean proteins. Different things work for different people, so my suggestions may help and they may not. Good luck

Whoa. No. MFP is already designed with a deficit, so 1200 is already aggressive without exercise. The point of exercise is for fitness. Weight loss is all diet. Eating back exercise to net calories is to ensure your deficit doesn't become too aggressive. How petite are you? I'm 5'3.5" and lose 1 lb a week at 1650. OP just needs to weigh and measure her food and log consistently, not worry about trivial non sense of "clean" food. While I think it's important to get proper nutrients, there's nothing wrong with any food. It's function in your diet is what determines whether or not it is healthy or not.

We have a winner.