In 3 yrs. time, have you had any health changes, changes in medication or started any new medication?? That can have an effect too ... hormonal changes, etc .... low thyroid springs to mind as well.

If you're doing everything else 100% to the letter, then there might be a medical reason for failure to lose weight. Are you exercising at all?? That would help boost things along.

Actually, I just re-read your post, and the dong quai/soy/black cohosh answers the hormonal question. Do consider having your thyroid checked as well. Hypothyroidism is one of the most underdiagnosed problems for women over 40, and so easy to correct. Check the About.com Hypothyroid pages. There are some simple self-tests you can do before you see a doctor. Just as an aside, you might want to consider cutting back or eliminating soy. There are a few studies suggesting that soy isoflavones can suppress thyroid function. There's a link on the About.com page for more information. I'm hypothyroid, taking natural dessicated thyroid ... and I've cut way back on soy. I suppose I should eliminate it from my diet completely, but I have to confess I do like marinated fried tofu..

Doreen