Any Tips for Breaking a Plateau??? Please Help!!

Also, about two weeks before my TOM, I hold the same weight, then get back to losing once it's over. Hormones cause me to hold water. I just patiently wait out those two weeks, and all is good again.

I've definitely been logging in 1200-1500 calories up until today, so I will add some of my exercise calories into my diary and see how that goes. I think I was very confused by the fact that apparently you are supposed to burn more than you consume. So I didn't really understand why I was supposed to eat back my exercise calories. But looking at it now, with all the exercise that I'm doing (ellipitcal, cycling, treadmill, strength training), it's almost like I haven't really eaten anything for the day. Thank you all for the helpful information. I am such a newbie when it comes to weight loss, so I still don't have a grasp on this yet, but it's nice to have such great support here.

MFP already figures the deficit for your weight loss goal into your calories for the day. For example, if by your BMR you should be eating 2000 to maintain, and want a 1 pound per week loss, MFP will give you a calorie goal of 1500 (500 x 7 = 3500 = 1 pound per week). You should be eating back your exercise calories to maintain that same deficit or thereabouts.

kgepp posted this earlier, it's really interesting.

http://www.activepassivediet.com/files/active_passive_chapter_1.pdf

Ok...I'm going to put this out there, not because it's the way you SHOULD break your plateau, but because it's the way I broke MY plateau that lasted 6 weeks.

First, I fasted for two days straight. I didn't choose this, I was violently ill with a stomach virus lol. The third day, I ate a crapload of junk food in order to get some calories in (I was under a possibly false assumption regarding maintenance of muscle...I needed calories!), and hadn't been to the grocery store in a week (had been taking care of my sick children for the week prior). I had been eating clean for over 3 months straight...I mean, clean. No junk food, nothing to drink but water. This broke THAT streak. Next...because of the enforced breakage of my clean eating 7 day zig zag plan...I started a 3 day zig zag...2 days low (1300-1500), 1 day high (2100+). I ate like crap for two weeks...mostly Taco Bell...drank soft drinks...the whole deal. I also didn't exercise a day for over two weeks.

I lost 8lbs, 4" on my waist, and gained 1/4" on my biceps, in that time.

I was honestly SCARED to start working out again lol...because I knew I'd put back on 3-5lbs of water weight (which I did). I still haven't got my diet completely back on track...partly because I changed to another form of intake (Eat, Stop, Eat) which closely matched what happened to make me break through my plateau in the first place. It's working perfectly...total, in three weeks since being sick...I've lost 11lbs, and my workouts are more intense than ever.

Cris

If I had to guess, I would say that you are still losing fat, but are gaining muscle! It sounds like you are doing an incredible job with your workouts.

There is an odd period when you begin to build muscle where things kind of stay even for a while, but it will break. I think you should be eating more in the 1300-1400 range daily and don't feel guilty eating back some of your exercise calories.

Keep up the good work!