Have I hit the dreaded Plateau?

I read a lot about weight loss and the things people experience when they are working on losing a large amount (more than 20 pounds).

One thing most people experience is The Plateau: They just stop losing weight. No gaining occurs, but nothing is lost either. For some it lasts weeks, others months. The body gets used to the calories you're feeding it and your workouts become routine to your system. The body, essentially, tells the future and adjusts itself perfectly to what you feed it and how much you work it. The body wants to maintain and that's good - when maintenance is your goal. But I'm not there yet!

I hoped to avoid the plateau by shaking things up on a regular basis. First, it was just tracking the diet. Then, I slowly added (what I now consider) short treadmill jaunts. And lately I've added long distance walking.

But, after two weeks of weighing in at 162, I'm afraid I may have hit it. I may be stressing before a pattern hits (three weeks would really show one!), but I have 11 weeks to lose 17 pounds and I can't afford any time lost!

There could be other explanations: 1) muscle gain - things are looking a lot more defined these days 2) water-weight - I drink more than 70 ounces a day generally.

Bit if this truly is the markings of The Plateau, I need to figure out a way to solve it - fast! Usually, to get out of the plateau you have to shake your body up a lot. Shock the system, so to speak. I thought walking double-digit miles would be enough to combat that!

Any ideas?

My Measurements
Waist: 30.5 ... overall decrease of 9.5 inches (can't wait to get into the 20s!!!)
Hips: 40 ... overall decrease of 7.25
Thigh: 21 ... overall decrease of 7.5 inches
Calves: 15.25 ... overall decrease of 2 inches (There is a lot more definition now!)
Upper Arm: 12.5 ... overall decrease of 3 inches


Last Month:
Waist: 31.25
Hips: 40.5
Thigh: 21.25
Calf: 15.25
Upper Arm: 12.75

Starting Points:
Weight: 195 lbs
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 47.25 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Upper Arm: 15.5 inches
Calf: 17.25 inches