The last 20 lbs.

OMG...I am 1 yr out I have lost 111 lbs. Yeah for me...but now I am down to the last 20 and the scale hasn't moved in 6/7 weeks ...getting really pi**ed off...I exercise 3/4 times a week...I drink plenty of water...whats a girl to do...Does there come a time when you just stop losing...Dr. just increased my calories to 1000/1200 a day......omg really now I am going to feel like I am eating like a pig...not a good feeling...my dr  tells me to change it up a bit but what the hell does that mean...I want to reach my goal so I need advice on how to kick start the loss again...thanks in advance

Okay, this is my problem...do I just skip this post or do I tell you to do something that goes against your doctor's advice?  

Here is my advice, take it for what it is, not medical advice, but advice from my doctor and my personal observation, experience and research.  

I would keep my calories under 800 and my carbs under 40 and if necessary under 20 grams.  I would take in at least 80 grams of protein and drink like a fish. The last 10-20 pounds are are a drag out fight.  Most people eat the 1200 calories as maintenance or close to it.  Good luck to you whether you follow your doctor's advice or my advice.  I just want you to get to your goal and be happy.  Hugs.

The last 20 can be a fight and adding calories will not help in the long run. While other factors play a supporting role, weight loss is primarily created by caloric deficit.

I'm always a bit perplexed by the 'shake things up by adding calories' advice because we seem to assume that it was what we did (adding calories) that caused the scale to move. In reality, the scale reflects what we do over time, not what we did in the last couple of days.  Exceptions are fluid nd sodium intake, which show in the scale right away. Please focus on keeping your protein as high as possible while keeping your calories and carbs low. It will come off!!

What Elina described is basically what worked for me.

My calories, and grams, where all in those ranges and stayed there until I'd completely lost all excess weight (i.e. which was well within the normal BMI range).  During that time period I exercised 4-5x weekly, but I'd describe it as a "moderate" level of exercise.  It was usually 30-60 minutes of good (no slacking) cardio work.

I only upped my calories to the 1,200-1,400 range (like Elina mentions) after I reached a "true" maintenance area.  Be careful though because "mainteance" means different things to different people.  If you ever reach what I think of as "the true range" you'll know it because the numbers simply don't lie and leave little room for any further downward adjustments.  In fact, at that point, you're more likely to gain weight due to muscle build.  By the time I reached this point, my exercise had progressed from "moderate" to "very heavy", which is why I don't sweat the calories much.  I just stay focused on eating the right foods.  It's amazing what you can do if you just don't snack on, or eat, crap, but first you have to get to that point (which is the long boring part).

Fortunately (and I'm sorry for this), as a benefactor of the male metabolism I didn't stall for "the last 20".  The only thing I had to deal with was how much the process slows down and diminishes as body fat gets less and less.  Just remember to be realistic on your goals relative to your height, gender and possible excess skin.  You can usually evaluate that reasonably with some google searches, but from what I could see, your starting weight put you in a good spot depending on your height.

I think by "mixing it up" you could try different foods or spreading out your calories differently.  Some people look at their calories for the week and have some days with a high caloric intake and days with a lower caloric intake, while still staying within a weekly allotment for calories.  Also, if you're only eating the same foods, make some swaps.  If you're eating mostly chicken, try fish a few times.  Try a few different vegetables.

Also, vary your workout routine.  If you always do the same thing, your body becomes more efficient at it and doesn't burn as many calories.  If you always walk on a treadmill, swap that for the elliptical.  Or add in strength and circuit training.  Good luck!

I am one who lost the last 20lbs (actually it was only 10 I wanted to lose) by upping calories.  I had done the 600-600 cals 30 carbs and i just lost so slowly for the first year.  about 1lb per week.  I still had ten pounds to lose but i was tired and i just felt all along that my body didn't like that diet, so i started adding things.  Still clean, some fruit,cheese etc and i started to lose, faster than i had in the loss phase and way beyond what i had wanted.  Am I an anomaly, perhaps but i was also that in losing 1lb a week on such a deficit of calories.  I would come on here and everyone would say if it wasn't going in it had to be coming off like i was lying.  It was a very tough time.

I ended up losing 10lbs more than i planned actually it was 14 but i worked to gain four of them because i was underweight even by BMI standards and didn't look well.

I don't know the answer to your dilemma but i do know that every body and every metabolism is different and so try a couple of things.  I should also tell you that when i couldn't lose those last pounds i went down in calories because that was the prevailing wisdom.  I was doing around 500 cals a day and nothing shifted.  Like i said try a few things and see what works for you.  Don't give anything too long though because after a year and loss, frustration at not losing may send you down a bad road. Also if you truly feel like you are eating like a pig, don't do it.  How you feel about what you're doing is as important as the result especially for your next step maintenance.

Good luck