I've hit a plateau and need help.

- Did you recalculate your calories per day? You should update your information after each 10-15 pounds.
- You cannot spot reduce. You will lose fat overall, but you cannot target your belly. Yes doing the exercise will tone the muscle there, but it won't show until you have lost the fat over it - which will happen when it happens based on your calorie deficit.

As you get closer to your goal weight it gets harder and harder to lose pounds. You're about my weight and 4 inches taller and I'm lucky if I can lose a half pound per week. I can actually always see my ribs, even at 10 pounds more than I weigh now; I have a big rib cage.

A food scale is a very good idea. From this point on, if you really want to lose those last 5 pounds, you're going to need to be more precise in your food logging. From your original post it doesn't sound like you have been up to this point.

Honestly, I think you're at the point where you should be worrying less about a scale goal and more about simply building muscle and getting that bit of stomach flab to go. You seem to be leaning that way already which is great. You'll definitely need to up your protein if you want the strength work you're doing to have any effect. Protein powder is good but you'll also want to add other sources of protein (meat, etc.) to help increase it. You should be aiming for .5 to 1.0 gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass so shoot for at least 65 grams per day, optimally 90-100.

Bony is not a good look. Grab a tape measure and start tracking inches and just use the scale occasionally to validate that you're eating the right amount of calories.

Reading your post I think the reason is revealed; you've gone off track on several occasions and you are also low on protein. Don't drop your calories, but stick to your plan carefully and get lots of protein.

I know this is not the answer you are looking for but i think firstly you don't need to lose any more weight. You are skinny now. I know this because i am shorter than you, my goal was 132 and i was close to getting there. And in the not so distant past i've been quite a bit lower than this anyway.

I think you are being perfectionistic and are hitting the point where you goals are becoming less than sustainable.

that said, of course you can lose more weight and i agree with the others. You are currently not eating at a deficit.

Whether or not its the way you are measuring your food or just eating too many i don't know. I know that if you are measuring a level cup and using level proper measuring spoons, this should not be the cause of your over eating.

I haven't looked at your diary just yet but will take a peak a bit later.

You've lost a lot of weight this year and that's a great achievement. It is bound to be much noticeably slower at this end. And of course as you are trying to build some muscle now, this will slow your weight loss even more but not necessarily your fat loss.

I also think if you really do insist on being less then, allowing the loss to happen over a bit more time might not be a bad thing.

Have you thought much about how you are going to maintain this low weight into the long distant future. i know some people can do this indefinitely - like Jane Fonda and the like but is that achievable for you?

If you want to achieve it, then i think you are going to have to commit to eating near perfectly for ever. It would be easier to explain this verbally. I suppose the easiest way i can explain it is to refer to my own situation which is of course not the same as yours. I'm prone to overeating and weight gain. I have never naturally been a skinny person. My sister on the other hand is naturally leaner than me. She exercises a ton all the time and has done this forever. She eats pretty well all the time too but to be as skinny as she has been for the last few years has taken a great deal of effort and luckily she has found a way to make this her lifestyle and even to incorporate some major life changes - such as changing countries, jobs and available hours for exercise.

For me, I know from enough past experience that i can not keep up a lifestyle that rigorous and demanding and finally at my great age of 51, i have accepted that skinniness per se is not the best goal for me to aim for. Oh yea, i'd like to be able to maintain a steady 60kg for the rest of my life. I'd even like to be a skinnier than that but i know how hard it is to maintain with and without exercise.

But my main aim is not to get overweight again. I have recognised that the easiest and most achievable way for me to do this is to virtually eliminate the foods that cause me to lose control and lead to bad dietary practices. For me personally that is refined sugar. It also means being assiduous with regards to my intake of fruit, vegetables and protein. I have to work at eating right and as i enjoy these foods i am willing to make the effort on a regular basis. Like you i've been doing this weight loss thing for almost a year. It can get boring. I've recently stopped with the calorie counting and even food logging as i've reached dieters fatigue. It will probably happen for you at some point and you have to know what to do when that happens.

Never stop weighing yourself.
Don't allow yourself to get depressed and resort to over eating because of slight weight gains. Keep the bigger picture in mind. Maintain a positive attitude towards your healthy weight even if its not your ideal weight.
Commit to a lifetime of healthy eating. Keep sweets and high calorie eating events to a minimum. I'd say not more than once a month on average. Binge on fruit if anything at all. Its a much slower way to regain weight and is unlikely to lead to you falling off the wagon.
Be kind to yourself.
Keep your food tasty. Enjoy your cooking. Be organised in the kitchen and although you may have a busy life, it will be worth it to always have access to prepared healthy foods and fresh fruit and veg.

With regard to your food diary i would suggest the following:

Reduce your carbs and increase your fat. Read a book or two about low carb. Its pretty technical but try the art and science of low carb. I'm not suggesting you follow a strict low carb diet. But i am suggesting you would benefit from understanding more about the problem of low fat diets and how fat is not your enemy.

Second. you don't need to count sugars. You do need to keep refined sugar to a minimum but you don't need to count that in mfp. You should be counting fibre on the other hand and increasing your intake significantly. Watch this show on youtube: Catalyst - gut reaction, part 1 and part 2. Its about the importance of fibre and i guarantee you are not aware of the information you will discover in this tv show which has been put together by a reputable science show in Australia but based on a scientific project going on in America.

Your protein intake looks about right in terms of totals.

you need to eat more fruit vegetables and i'd suggest more dairy. I don't think your food looks very appetising either. If your food is not interesting and tasty you will find it hard to sustain over the long haul. You need to work at least as hard if not harder on your improving your daily meals as you are currently on your body building stuff. Honestly and seriously, i mean that.

Low carb is not necessary for weight loss or overall health.