Help! Trying SO hard, haven't lost in 8 months!!

Hey friends. I need advice. Lots of info, so I'll try my best to be as brief as I can.

January 2011, began weightloss journey at 204 lbs, size 18. Im 5'4", 30 year old mother of two young kids. Lost 50 lbs in 8 months. Hit 60 lbs (and a size 10) by 11 months. Then stopped. Completely stopped losing. I had an ultimate goal of 138 lbs, but never got past 144 when I stalled. I tried many things to jump start the process. Upping calories, lowering calories, changing foods, taking foods away, changing workouts, etc. In the past 19 months, Ive gone from eas(ier) work out DVD's in the living room, to running, to p90x, more running, Insanity, now Im doing a p90x/Insanity hybrid to work out. All of this really hard, very diligent, day after day work...and Ive *gained* back up to about 152. I simply DO NOT understand. I feel like there is no logical reason for it. Yes, I am putting on muscle, but the fat is not going anywhere. I wouldnt care about the number on the scale if I thought I were getting smaller over all. I would think that if I were gaining muscle, but losing fat, A). the number on the scale would at least stay the same, and . my size would go down and I'd show a reduction in measurements. Im still a very solid size 10.
I eat clean (with occasional exceptions). I try to eat according to my workouts.
Don't get me wrong, I am VERY proud of my accomplishments. Ive worked hard for the body I have. But I never reached that ultimate goal. I do have the extra pounds to lose and they simply are not budging. For 8 months, Ive stayed the same. I just don't know what else to do.

How many calories are you eating?

Hey friends. I need advice. Lots of info, so I'll try my best to be as brief as I can.

January 2011, began weightloss journey at 204 lbs, size 18. Im 5'4", 30 year old mother of two young kids. Lost 50 lbs in 8 months. Hit 60 lbs (and a size 10) by 11 months. Then stopped. Completely stopped losing. I had an ultimate goal of 138 lbs, but never got past 144 when I stalled. I tried many things to jump start the process. Upping calories, lowering calories, changing foods, taking foods away, changing workouts, etc. In the past 19 months, Ive gone from eas(ier) work out DVD's in the living room, to running, to p90x, more running, Insanity, now Im doing a p90x/Insanity hybrid to work out. All of this really hard, very diligent, day after day work...and Ive *gained* back up to about 152. I simply DO NOT understand. I feel like there is no logical reason for it. Yes, I am putting on muscle, but the fat is not going anywhere. I wouldnt care about the number on the scale if I thought I were getting smaller over all. I would think that if I were gaining muscle, but losing fat, A). the number on the scale would at least stay the same, and . my size would go down and I'd show a reduction in measurements. Im still a very solid size 10.
I eat clean (with occasional exceptions). I try to eat according to my workouts.
Don't get me wrong, I am VERY proud of my accomplishments. Ive worked hard for the body I have. But I never reached that ultimate goal. I do have the extra pounds to lose and they simply are not budging. For 8 months, Ive stayed the same. I just don't know what else to do.

You talked a lot about your workouts. But, IMO, losing the last bit of weight boils down to do your diet-- and by this I mean primarily calories in and not necessarily just "eating clean." However, the workouts could come into play if you are overestimating your calories burned and "eating back" exercise calories. This is especially important when you are closer to your goal weight since you have less room for error. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1) Did you readjust your daily calorie goals to account for your weight loss? Losing weight will lower your TDEE (what you need to eat daily to maintain your current weight). Recalculate your BMR and TDEE and try setting your calories at your TDEE- 20%.

2) Do you use a food scale? Again, since you were closer to your goal weight, you need to be more careful with your tracking. Even using measuring cups/spoons will often lead to underestimating calories consumed.

3) Have you been logging every single thing and every single day? This might be the most important part-- being honest with yourself. It's easy, and common, to let your diet go a bit when you get close to your goal weight. Although I cannot make this observation with you (your diary is not open), I've often seen people posting about not losing/losing too slowly with 2-3 out of 7 days per week unlogged (the weekend, usually). If you do omit days, you may find it easier to stay on track (and see where you may have gone wrong) with consistent logging.

4) Do you "eat back" exercise calories? If so, note that estimates of calories burned are typically exaggerations. Try eating back no more than 3/4 of exercise calories. If you are on such a plan, you should have your activity level at sedentary (unless maybe you have a job where you are on your feet all the time) so you do not "double count" exercise calories.

5) Do you eat out often? If so, note that the calories given can be off by a considerable amount. Try cutting back on restaurants. And if you do eat out, to account for some of the mis-estimation, try eating 3/4 of the meal and logging the entire portion OR eating the entire thing and logging 1 1/4 portion.

6) Do none of the above apply? Then maybe it's time to talk to your doctor. You might also consider going on a break for a month or 2 and then trying to eat at a deficit again.

This is probably going to stir up the hotbed of debate, but I'll throw it out there - starvation mode? You lost a lot of weight very quickly, and say you were eating around 1200 cals and exercising at the time (unless I'm misreading). We can't see your diary, but how many calories does MFP say you should eat according to your current lifestyle/weight, losing one lb a week? Are you netting that after exercise?

I learned early on in my journey that if I don't eat enough, I go into long plateaus.

This is just something to look at, but not an accusation or a definitive. My sister lost A LOT of weight and her period stopped, her doctor told her to gain weight, her hair starting falling out, etc. But to look at her you'd never guess that she was dangerously low on weight. She was around 145 pounds and 5'7". But because her skin had stretched so much she looked bigger and seemed like she still had a lot of fat on her. Is it possible that your skin has just not snapped back and you are thinking it is fat when it is actually sagging skin?

And I agree with lmelangley, if you're not eating enough your body is not going to let go of the calories you put into it. Starvation mode is real, and I've noticed that it will also happen if I'm not spreading the calories out during the day.

Perhaps your body doesn't need to lose any more o.O

^^This^^ I lost a year of my life obsessing over this dilemma. I lost 90 lb, I was wearing a size 8, I was so focused on getting myself to the magical 145lb in my head (5'7") I am a whitewater kayaker, I lifted weights, took 4 spin classes a week, and mountain biked 2 times a week. I could not cut any more calories without creating an unhealthy deficit, leaving me incapable of performing the above listed activities. I stayed at 153 for over a year. I've since gained back 60lb after surgery and meeting/marrying a man completely uninterested in fitness. Now Im struggling to lose again, and looking through pictures, I'm unsure what the hell I thought I had to do. I was, not to put too fine a point on it... perfect. I had definition, I was strong - easily comprised of mainly muscle, sadly looking in the mirror all i saw was the stomach that had the skin left over from being obese. I didnt "see" the definition, only the "pooch", and I didn't think an 8 was enough, not when the damn scale still said I was 8lbs overweight. I ate clean, ate frequently, and burned a ton of calories..... sometimes you are exactly what you're supposed to be even when you aren't whatever your perceived goal is.... numbers aren't always right, and the numbers that are suggested that we be are based on an average, sometimes you really are the minority. Good luck, and be happy - a size 10 on the right build is nothing to be ashamed of.