stuck and feeling frustrated

I am feeling a bit frustrated.

I am 45 years old, I am 5' 2" tall and I weigh 124lbs. Two years ago I weighed 176 lbs. I feel like I have done well to this point. I am currently doing a workout routine that I got out of "The Body Fat soulution" by Tom Venuto. It is a three day routine using super sets , roatating between workout A and workout B. The workouts are as follows. I've listed the weight and reps I use.

workout A

dumbbell squat 35lb dumbel in each hand/3 sets of 8-10
Bird dog   3 sets of 20 on each side

Dumbbell split squat 20lb dumbell in each hand/ 3 sets of 10
Dumbbell row 25-30lbs/ 3 sets 8-10

Dumbell bench press 30lb dumbells/ 3 sets 8-10
Plank hold postiton for 60-90 seconds

Seated calf raises 30lbs 3 sets till burn out

Workout B

Roman dead lift 35lb dumbell in each hand/3 sets 8
Shoulder press 20lb dumbells /3 set 8-10

one legged hip extensions 3 sets of 20 each side
two dumbell pullovers 15lb dummbell in each hand /3 sets 8-10

reverse crunch 3 sets 20
oblique crunch 3 sets 20 each side

Dumbbell curl 20lbs/ 3 sets 8
two dumbbell extension, lying down (tricep) 12 lbs/3 sets 8

One week you do workout B twice and A once and the next week it is reversed.
It is designed as an 8 week cycle the first four weeks was lighter weights with a 15 rep max and the second four weeks is heavier weight with a 10 rep max. I am currently on the second weeks of the second cycle.
I do cardio 5 times a week. 25 minutes on my workout days(mon, wed, fri.) and 45 minutes on Tues and Thurs.  I do HIIT for two of my cardio sessions. I was rotatong between the treadmill and the elliptical, but due to aching knees I am just using the elliptical now. I wear a heart rate monitor to be sure my heart rate is elevated to the right point.

I eat a pretty good diet. Proteins: Lean ground turkey, Salmon, egg whites, chicken breast. Veggies: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, green beans,salad,tomatoes. Fiberous carbs: oatmeal, brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread (limited to once a day) Fruit: Water melon, canteloupe, strawberries and plums.  fruit is just one or maybe two serving a day. I eat a piece of light string cheese every day. I eat a 1/2 oz to an ounce of almond or sunflower seeds each day. I have an EAS carb control protein shake in the morning with instant coffe in it. If I eat a salad I use light balsamic vinegarette dressing. Up until about six weeks ago I would have a cheat day once a week, but I was losing control on those so i decided I would only have one at the end of each month. 6 weeks ago, I  cut out diet coke. The only thing I drink is coffee and water. If my coffee is not in my protein shake  I use 1/4 cup reduced fat milk in it. I never have more than two cups a day. I was at 1900 calories a day for about 4 months then dropped to 1400 calories a day for a month and thought maybe that wasn't enough so I recently upped it to 1600 calories.

I had a hydrostatic body fat comp done last February. My body fat was at 25%. My goal is between 18% and 20%  I really don't know where it is now. I have a calliper but I get a different number on it every time I  use it. I am hoping that when Scooby post the body fat testing for women I will be able to figure it out    The hydrostatic testing will be back at our gym in Sept.


All that to ask where am I going wrong? I can't seem to get this mid section of mine to be where I want it to be.
I read that I may need to increase my cardio, but if I increase it and then drop back down with it, won't the weight come back? I don't
mind doing more than five times a week for a while but as a lifestyle that seems like a lot. Is my workout not sufficient? Are my calories off?
Do I need to eat less? I have never in my life stuck with anything the way I have this, but I feel like I have taken myself as far as I can. I can"t really afford a trainer at this time. This might be a little personal, but I think I am pre menopausal. I have the hot flash thing going on and my cycles are all messed up. Will that have an effect on losing fat? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

First off, great work at sticking with your plan for 2 years!

I wish I could be more help, but to me it doesn't look like you're doing anything "wrong" at all.  I calculated your BMR at ~1275cal/day and with all the exercise you do you should be burning at least 2000cal/day, so by the numbers you should still be losing about a pound every other week.

The calipers I bought came with different charts and measurement sites for men and women.  If it helps, the easiest way to approximate your bodyfat is by measuring the fold on the back of your arm, with the more sites you can get to, the more accurate the reading (some spots are impossible to reach yourself).  Here's a couple links that could help http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/skinfold-measurements.html and http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/body-fat-calculator.html
Hydrostatic testing should be much more accurate, but calipers are great for getting an idea of where you are.  

One of my friends has been working out for awhile and was frustrated that she didn't see any difference on the scale.  I suggested she take a tape measure to see if her midsection has actually gotten smaller, and after a couple weeks she already lost 2 inches.  If you haven't looked at those numbers already, it could be encouraging to check there too.  Working out this much must be doing something

You might need to do more cardio, or be more intense in what you're doing now.  If on an eliptical machine, cranking up the resistance and/or increasing the height can make you burn much more in the same amount of time.  Some have built in programs that will varry it for you (almost making it into a bit of a HIIT routine as well).  

The hormone shifts at the onset of menopause can cause serious changes in your metabolism as well, but I'm no OB/GYN.  Your gynecologist would be the best person to ask there and could give you much more detailed answers.

Hope that helps.  Good luck!

Thanks for the congrats.

I was lighter once....LOL when I was about 23 years old. I kept the weight off for about 5 years until I got pregnant with my second child. I was in good cardiovascular conditon, but no muscle to speak of. I have yo-yo'd since, losing anywhere from 20-30 pounds. The longest I kept the weight off was a couple of months. This time I have tried to educate myself more on fitness and nutriton. I have had the weight off for a full year now and have been exercising on a regular basis for two years.

The scale is moving at a very slow rate of about 1/2 pound every two weeks or so.  The calculator I used to figure what my estimated weight should be to have an 18% body fat estimated I should weigh 115lbs at that point.The calculator was from Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle ,But I hear of many women weighing much more than that with an even lower body fat percentage. Is that due to them lifting heavy weight? I want defined muscles, but not bulk. Several people, my doctor included, told me that at my age and with having been over weight for a number of years that my stomach won't tighten up. I may never have abs that actually show but I am not going with the fact that it won't tighten more than it is now. I am not giving up hope. I am willing to do what it takes. Problem is figuring out what it takes. I think my answer is....time and patience. Sometimes it's hard when you feel like you are working so hard and not getting the result you feel worthy.

I had half my throid removed 18 months ago (suspected cancer but luckily not). The remaining half worked okay until a few months ago, so my doc has me on synthetic thyroid hormone, a small tablet every day. No injections needed!