Alot of the advice basically boils down to "eat less, workout more." I agree with that premise, but I noticed one key thing the original poster stated.... PLATEAU.
I have not had to try and lose weight in a long time and am very active in multi sport and strength training. I am one of those lean "clydesdales" that should NOT be classified a clyde. Anyway, you need to break through the plateau. That is VERY difficult. My advice is to get off the stair stepper or whatever cardio machine you are using regularly. Switch to an entirely new form of excercise. Look into cross fit training or something like that. I cannot express how important it is to really make a change. Even going from the stair machine to the elliptical or treadmill wont do it, IMO, based on my experiences.
Your diet needs variety also. I hate low carb diets. Yes they work but are simply not a long term solution. If you want to do low carb, do a cycle of low carb to low GI (glycemic index) diet. Remember, your diet can use variety too. Several months of the exact same caloric intake will create a plateau also.
Ultimately, the advice to reduce caloric intake and increase caloric expenditure is correct. Every person is different. I have experienced many plateau's over the years. They are hard to overcome.