If you’ve ever struggled with weight (and let’s face it – who hasn’t?), you know that shedding pounds is hard work. It seems impossible that some moms lose all of their extra weight almost effortlessly, while they breastfeed and run after their little ones, when you obsess about your diet and workout tirelessly, and the results just won’t come. So, what could be the possible reasons why your extra pounds are being so stubborn? Here are a few possible problems, and how to overcome them.

You’re following the wrong diet

There are several misconceptions about dieting that give us a completely wrong idea about the way weight loss works. First of all, a diet shouldn’t be a rigorous meal plan based on ludicrously strict restrictions that we resort to for a couple of weeks when we want to lose weight. Rapid weight loss is usually just based on losing fluids, instead of burning fat. Not to mention that by eating only certain food groups, we fail to provide our body with all the nutrients it needs. Even more importantly, not every diet will work for everyone. With a wrong diet, you could be starving and torturing yourself, with no real, or at least, no lasting results. Instead of going on a diet, change your attitude to food. Try to eat versatile meals, based on fresh, locally grown ingredients. A program such as the highly efficient One3one method can help you decode your metabolism and establish a lifestyle that will lead to a permanent change in your health and your body shape.

You’ve hit a plateau

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are doing all the right things – eating healthy and exercising, and everything seems to be going great, until it’s not? Suddenly the scales seem stuck, and your kilos just won’t budge? Don’t worry – it’s not your fault. Most likely, you’ve hit a weight loss plateau. In layman’s terms, your body sees the extra weight as a sort of safety net, and tries to hold on to it. The good news? The solution is pretty enjoyable. What you need to do is reassure your body with some delicious carbs. Give yourself a treat – a plate of your favorite pasta, or a slice of cake. That should do the trick.

Stress is taking its toll

By now, it’s pretty clear – stress can negatively impact every single aspect of our health, and our weight is no exception. Stress boosts our cortisol production, which leads to excessive fat storage. Not to mention stress eating which – in case you were wondering – is not just a myth.

You’re too tired

Feeling bone tired during the week and trying to make up for it with power naps or the occasional sleep in is definitely not a healthy pattern, and it could be affecting your weight loss too. Apart from being another cortisol booster, lack of sleep also makes us less physically active. Our depleted energy reserves oftentimes make us crave sugar as a temporary solution to give us the energy we need to go through our day.

Your workout plan isn’t adequate

Perhaps, your workout routines are not strenuous enough or aren’t focused on burning calories. Or maybe you just need to work out more often and for longer intervals. So, how do you know when you’re exercising enough? Being overly enthusiastic in theory but failing to put in the work is the most common exercising problem people face. Instead, choose an activity that you enjoy doing. If you’re out of shape, it’s okay to start small and work up to longer and more difficult sessions. Ultimately, weight loss is about burning more calories than you spend, so always try to balance the intensity and length of your routines with your diet.

Ultimately, losing weight is not easy, and it’s even harder when it becomes a goal unto itself, and turns into a vicious circle of obsession, self-criticism and guilt. Instead of staring at the mirror and your scales, try to focus on embracing healthy life habits because they are beneficial for your health, and because they make you feel good. Bit by bit, you might not even notice when or how, but the figure of your dreams will follow.