how soon for weight loss?

You need to give it a month. Btw, how much do you have to lose? The more you have the faster the weightloss?

I am 5"6/5"7 and 153. Not technically overweight but I would like to lose 15 lbs.

Since you are close to your goal you need to eat more. You should be aiming to 1/2 - 1 lb per week max. And should aim to eat 50-75% of your exercise calories if you exercise. As the body approaches a healthy weight, you have less fat stores to provide energy so you have to fuel your body more. Also, adjust your macro to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. Mfp is really low with protein. Also getting the majority of you carbs from fruit and veggies can be helpful as they are high in fibre and our bodies can proceas fibre so we burn more calories digesting it.

After 2 days you already gained a half pound?!?! You better not eat anything for the next day or so! Kidding of course.

I can tell you that I eat whatever I want as long as it falls within my calorie goals for the day. I eat pizza, ice cream, chips and a whole bunch of other things that "most people" wouldn't eat on a diet and I've now lost 17 lbs since March. For you, I wouldn't expect to see the weight falling off given that you're only 153, it will take time. Think of this as more of a marathon than a sprint. It will take you at least a few months to lose this weight. Also remember that your weight will change daily (I've seen my float 4 lbs from day to day) because of water retention and other factors. Pick a day and time of the week (preferably in the morning after you use the bathroom) and record that weight. You can weigh yourself daily, but don't worry if you go up 1 day and down another, it will fluctuate like that.

i have been eating almost all of my exercise calories. I will try that with the macros- i did notice im consistently going over protein. i guess then bye bye to pasta? Im confused because posters told me that all that matters is calories in/calories out and that pasta was okay as long as i had the calories for it

It actually depends on the person and what your goals our. For example, I want a six pack and eating pasta won't fly. I do occasionally splurge on a burrito (with brown rice) but in order for me to really hit low body fat, a cleaner diet is required,. Also, a lot of women have issues with carbs, especially with PCOS and other hormonal issues. I am not saying you can't eat pasta, it actually might work for you. What you can do is try a few things out. One month you can just do calories in vs out and track weight loss and inches, then the next you could eliminate certain foods or even grains/breads and see if that is any better. We did this with my wife. It took us over a year to figure out that she has a slight gluten/wheat intolerance. Once we adopted a more Paleo type diet, she started to lose more weight.