Welcome to HCM, I understand your frustration. Technically, if you reduce 500 calories from your diet and expend 500 more calories in exercise you should be able to lose 2 pounds. Weight loss depends on many things. If your % body fat is too high, your metabolism will be lower. Some medications lower metabolic rate. I suggest that to lose weight more rapidly drop your calories to 1200 emphasizing lean protein, low on the grain/starchy vegetables, increase the low calorie vegetables (spinach, green beans, lettuce, asparagus, cabbage...) and limit your self to two fresh fruits per day. Calcium helps with weight loss as does vitamin D according to some studies. Practice recipe substitution such as substituting lean fresh sliced meat and eliminating high fat meats. These recommendations are easier to follow if you use a copy of the Exchange lists available on the Internet. If you measure everything you eat and add up the calories you may be surprised at how many calories you are taking in. Crude calculations show you maintain your current weight on 1800 calories so subtracting 500 would be 1200 approximately. Then, a regular exercise program started with vigor and using a combination of cardiovascular and strengthening exercises to build that valuable muscle mass that will increase your metabolism. This exercise plan should equal 210 minutes a week including 5 minute warm up and 500 minute cool down.Increased intensity, shorter duration increases the hunger hormone leptin indicating satiety and lowers gherlin indicating hunger. Try this approach and if a couple of weeks of this are not showing up on the scale, I advise you visit a Dietitian with a completed specific measured food record and any available labs so you can get individualized attention. Respectfully, Kathy J. Shattler, BS,MS,RDN