I think I know the answer, but please help!

I don't think exercise is everything, I think it's more food to be honest. I exercise for 30-40 minutes a day and usually burn around 300 calories. I'm 5'1 and 122 pounds.

To begin, ADD ME as a friend. You and I are in the same boat I think. I am very discouraged as I have the same goal and the same height. I do the Wii fitness program EA Sports 2. I like how it changes each day and it tells me when to rest to give my muscles time to rest and get stronger. It also asked me about my diet , sleep, and overall meals during the day. It also reminds me to wak during my days off. I do like that, and you can join a group online for support. I have also recently joined a Auqua Jogging team, as it doesn't put as much stress on my muscles and I tan at the same time Does this help at all?

chocolate? Try something healthier like yogurt or fruit. Empty sugary foods turn to fat if your not careful. Besides exercise a lot has to do with your food choices. Im 5'1 and 123lbs. if I do strength training for 1/2 hr i may burn 150-200 calories; running for 1/2 hour 250-300 calories

Try changing things up and eat thealthy foods to get to your calorie goal. I just added some weights into my daily exercises. I use 5 lb ankle weights and do leg lifts and inner and outer thigh exercises. I also have weighted gloves I am going to start wearing when I do Zumba. I plateaued at 150 and now at 145. Just keep going. When my weight stalls, my measurements keep moving. Try taking measurements of areas of your body. This is a long process and a journey. The weight didn't get put on over night and it won't come off that way either. Just keep doing the right things, eating healthy, exercising, keeping a positive attitude, and good things will happen! HANG IN THERE!

Also, try to keep your sodium under 1000 per day if possible.

For fear of sounding stupid, isn't that amount of sodium awfully LOW? Don't get me wrong. If I could, I would eat EVERYTHING that has salt on it (and sometimes I do!! LOL), but it doesn't take long to get to 1,000. Doesn't the body need sodium, especially if you are exercising/sweating? I'm just curious, because sodium is MY Achilles Heel. Any info is appreciated! Thanks! : )

Yes, sodium can get too low especially if you are exercising and sweating. I've never been one to salt my food, and have always bought low sodium items when possible. At my last doctor visit I was told to increase my sodium.

Its all about balance and time. I started out in Jan this year at 215 and have managed to get down to 162.4 yet its not enough for me I'm also 5"6 so i want to get under 154 what is considered to be a healthy weight.

It depends what exercise you are doing, and what type of food you are eating. I don't think having chocolate is necessarily bad it depends on when and why you are having it. If its just to make up the calories and your not hungry then why bother. People may disagree with this but i don't see the point in eating when your not hungry just to fulfill a number.

Also if your body is used to exercising a certain way then yes you may need to change it up a bit. I have played netball for the last 6 years even at 215lbs so my body is used to that and can cope with it, yet when i started running this year training for a 10k in June the weight seemed to drop off, i also incorporate toning now, i'm currently doing the 30 day shred which is great.

Most people will say eat your exercise calories back but i also think that's a matter for debate i eat regularly during the day, healthy meals and snacks, and generally exercise in the evening either running or netball (the shred i do during the day) so when i get back at 9.00 or even sometimes 10 from netball i certainly don't feel like eating so if i'm under on calories i don't worry about it.

Probably the best advice is to change things around a little have a look at what your eating, can you incorporate more or different exercise into your routine, then you will hopefully find what works for you.

What I have found is working for me well lately is adjusting my calorie intake to the maintenance of what I WANT to weigh. Maybe this will help you?
Example, I am 5'6", 40 years female and want to weigh 140 pounds. That means at sedentary activity level, if I wanted to MAINTAIN 140, I would need a calorie level of about 1590 calories. It is easier to work within 1590 calories than 1200 and I am still losing ...
So, I am eating the maintenance calories for that height and weight. Period. I am not eating back exercise calories, I am not really exercising often anyway, so depending on your activity level, you may want to add in a few calories. This is also helping me train my body about what a good day's calories will feel like for my ultimate goal. By the time I get there, I will be used to it and hopefully it won't be as much work to maintain.
Check out the calculations for your activity level at the weight you want to reach (you said 160) and use those as a guide. Of course, not everyone does the same thing everyone else does, our bodies are all different, but it is helping me. The calculations for the stats I have for you on the website I use says For 5'6" 28 years female at SEDENTARY level, it says about 1770 calories. Moderate activity it says 2280. Maybe find a happy medium to stick to? Again, this is what is working for me, so wanted to share, but that doesn't mean that you should ignore everything MFP has to say either, this program has worked for too many people for it to be discounted in any way.

Oh yes, and QUALITY of calories DOES make a difference! One ounce of chocolate here and there is great, but that doesn't provide the variety of nutrients your body needs, so incorporate other quality foods into your diet.