Lost 24lbs so far

Hi Guys,

I have had a few different accounts over the years and mostly just moaned and asked questions so thought I would share a bit of success finally.
I have lost 24lbs since last July, obviously this is not as much as some people but I am really pleased as I had a baby last April so its been a tough time.
I am a 36 year old 5,9 female who started at 202lbs after losing some baby weight that just came off naturally. Although it was tempting to really cut my calories, I lost the weight at an average of about 1850 calories a day and walking.
Then I went off the rails in November and gained a few lbs and got back on the case in December again. I decided to eat a bit more, so pushed up to 2000 calories a day just to check what my TDEE was, but ended up having a plateau that lasted 4 weeks and has been really demotivating. I rfound this confusing as I assumed looking at my stats I would at least lose half a pound a week. I had also started some weightlifting from home so thought this may be the reason. But sure enough I got the on the scale this morning and lost 2lbs finally!!
So I guess what I have learnt is that I can eat a little more than the TDEE calculators say, or I am more active than I think. The data gathered on MFP is so useful for being able to see where you are going wrong. Although I generally eat healthy, I do eat chocolate, and lasagna etc on a regular basis and still lose! 4 week plateaus are definitely a thing and it doesn't necessarily mean you are not logging properly.
Good luck to everyone on their journeys, really hope I can get to my goal x