Analyzing the Plateau

I know, I know, I know... I talk incessently about this stupid weight loss plateau that I've been battling for the past 3.5 months. (Yes, the scale has been stopped for 3.5 months!!) But it's kind of the focus of my journey right now, which means you get to hear me drone on about it until I'm blue in the face - and your ears fall off. I've really been analyzing my weight chart lately (yes it's computerized, stop laughing at me). I am cross referencing it with my exercise and food logs to see what I was doing when the weight was coming off and what's changed. Here are some things I've found:

• In the past 12 months I've lost a total of 38 pounds, with only 8 of those pounds coming off in the past 7 months.
• The dramatic slow down in weight loss seems to have started about 1/2 way through my half-marathon training when I was putting in about 20-35 miles a week and excercising my butt off.
• Calories don't seem to have any bearing on the scale. I was stalled when I ate 1,000 calories a day and I'm still stalled now that I eat 1,400 calories a day. (The increase was a change made after my RMR test.) Most people see a 1-2 pound increase in the days following a carb-binge, I don't. Not that I have carb-binges regularly, but it's happened from time to time and doesn't seem to make a difference.
• Even when I don't exercise for long stretches of time (ie: when my ankle was healing after the big race or when I'm lazy for a week) the scale still remains the same.

I think it's a metobolic thing. The whole "calories in vs. calories out" theory just isn't working right now. I'm convinced that starting out with PCOS has caused my body to react different than those without it. And being morbidly obese for an extended period of time didn't play nicely with my hormonal balance or my metabolism, I'm sure. But I don't know what the solution is - does anyone really? So I'm trying to focus less on the whole WLS process and focus more on life in general. I'm gearing up to finish my college degree (classes start April 6 as long as I can figure out how to pay for it all), I'm getting more involved in my Meetup.com groups, I'm "unplugging" more from the internet (not on OH or other forums/websites as much lately) and trying to focus on non-internet activities (like knitting, crafts, reading and spending time outdoors). I guess I'm just resigned at this point -- the scale is going to do whatever the heck it wants to do -- but I'm going to get on with my life and let it figure itself out without me. I'll continue to eat right and exercise and take care of myself emotionally and mentally, of course. It's not like I'm giving up.... I'm just continuing on. ~Pam