I swear I have tried every which way.....

Perhaps you're not doing your experiments for a long enough amount of time??? If you've tried all those different options in just the last month, you might just need to pick a way to do things and do it for a MONTH and then if that doesn't work, switch.

Maybe strength training to build some muscle? Worth a shot.

What are your preferred exercises? Sometimes you get really good results changing up what you do for cardio - if you always do the elliptical, try walking on an incline on the treadmill, stairstepper, etc. Keep your body guessing and it's forced to adapt. Otherwise it becomes very efficient at what you ask it to do and you'll burn less calories. I don't think MFP accounts for that.

I looked back in your diary and I don't really see you eating fresh veggies...potatoes don't really do anything for you. You gotta eat broccoli, cauliflower (those 2 help you drop weight like crazy) beans, artichokes, bellpeppers, cucumbers. You can get creative. I would also try to drop your bread intake by half. Just to give yourself more calories for the fresh foods. You're good on the yogurt and the fruit. Try intaking MORE veggies.

Perhaps you're not doing your experiments for a long enough amount of time??? If you've tried all those different options in just the last month, you might just need to pick a way to do things and do it for a MONTH and then if that doesn't work, switch.

This was my thought. If you've done all that in a month you haven't stuck with any of them for long. Choose one and stick to it for a few weeks. I agree with the strength training too, if you aren't doing that already. If you are, you may push yourself a bit harder there.

Perhaps you're not doing your experiments for a long enough amount of time??? If you've tried all those different options in just the last month, you might just need to pick a way to do things and do it for a MONTH and then if that doesn't work, switch.

That was going to be my suggestion.

I was having the same problem, too, but then I joined MFP. When I studied my food diary, I realized that I was eating too many carbs. I've cut back on them, and viola, I'm losing weight. Just my 2 cents.

The single most important secret to losing weight is to be accurate in your calculations.

Is your activity level correct? Ie: Do you choose "active" when you're actually "sedentary"?

Is your goal reasonable? If you only need to lose 10-20 pounds, a 2 pound a week goals is probably not going to work. The less you have to lose, the smaller your weekly loss goal needs to be. Your body is much less inclined to let go of your fat when you have a lot less of it stored.

Is your food logging precise? Are you measuring and weighing and logging every bite? Those handful of fries off your son's plate? The spoonful of ice cream when you dish up your husband's bowl? The olive oil you cooked with? The cream in your coffee? Do you ever cheat yourself by choosing a food from the database that's similar to what you ate, but is the lowest calorie thing there? (ie: chocolate cake can range from 125kc to 1000kc for a slice - are you choosing the lowest one?)

Are you sure of your exercise burns? Are you really burning 500 calories during a session? Or is it possible that you're only burning 300? Maybe your "fast walk" isn't so fast after all? If you are eating back your exercise calories and aren't actually burning as much as you're eating, you may very well be eliminating your deficit (or part of it).

And then, stick to it for at least a month, six weeks is better, before you give up and try something else. I keep telling myself that I am not a miracle of physics, as long as I eat at a deficit, the weight WILL come off...eventually. And it does.

ETA: I highly recommend changing your carb/protein percentages. I think MFP has it's protein levels low. I raised mine to 30% and lowered my carbs to 40% (fat has the remaining 30%) and have had a LOT more success with my weight loss. Try it!

The single most important secret to losing weight is to be accurate in your calculations.

Is your activity level correct? Ie: Do you choose "active" when you're actually "sedentary"?

Is your goal reasonable? If you only need to lose 10-20 pounds, a 2 pound a week goals is probably not going to work. The less you have to lose, the smaller your weekly loss goal needs to be. Your body is much less inclined to let go of your fat when you have a lot less of it stored.

Is your food logging precise? Are you measuring and weighing and logging every bite? Those handful of fries off your son's plate? The spoonful of ice cream when you dish up your husband's bowl? The olive oil you cooked with? The cream in your coffee? Do you ever cheat yourself by choosing a food from the database that's similar to what you ate, but is the lowest calorie thing there? (ie: chocolate cake can range from 125kc to 1000kc for a slice - are you choosing the lowest one?)

Are you sure of your exercise burns? Are you really burning 500 calories during a session? Or is it possible that you're only burning 300? Maybe your "fast walk" isn't so fast after all? If you are eating back your exercise calories and aren't actually burning as much as you're eating, you may very well be eliminating your deficit (or part of it).

And then, stick to it for at least a month, six weeks is better, before you give up and try something else. I keep telling myself that I am not a miracle of physics, as long as I eat at a deficit, the weight WILL come off...eventually. And it does.

ETA: I highly recommend changing your carb/protein percentages. I think MFP has it's protein levels low. I raised mine to 30% and lowered my carbs to 40% (fat has the remaining 30%) and have had a LOT more success with my weight loss. Try it!

Listen to the woman.

She's one smart chica

Eat back exercise calories, don't eat them back, increase my daily calories, only eat what MFP gives me. ARRGGHH! I have gained and lost the same 1.5 to 2 pounds for at least a month. I don't want to lose all the weight at once, settle for 1/2 to 1 pound a week, that's all. Measuring - yep, done that and there's very little change. I just need to vent. I know I'm eating healthier, with a few slip ups here and there, and I'm exercising almost every day, with rest when I need it or time doesn't allow me that day. I will keep at it though. I have a goal to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year; that's 5 months to lose 20 pounds, which is doable! Any other advice? I will make my diary available for public view.

Thanks.
Laura

Change your EXERCISE. While walking is beneficial, it DOESN'T change your resting metabolic rate. Whenever I take on a client who "exercises everyday" and throw them into the "fire", it's then that they realize that their view of exercise is skewed. Strength train hard, cardio moderate.