Trying to lose weight is one of the hardest things you could ever do. Of course, it’s not as hard as giving birth to triplets, writing a 1000-page-long dystopian/encyclopedic novel like Infinite Jest or building a successful multinational company, but it’s just as challenging. The problem with losing weight, however, is not the process of adopting new habits, but sticking to the plan. When you’re putting in a lot of hard work, a slow progress can really bring you down. Here are seven most common reasons why you’re not losing enough weight.

Cheating on Your Diet

Having a diet prescribed by a nutritionist is probably the best way to ensure weight loss as it’s created especially for your body and is the most suitable for you. All you need to do is stick to it for long enough, which is something research proves as well. Only with a thoroughly thought-out diet will you be able to achieve permanent weight loss, so stop trying to be innovative and just listen to an expert’s advice.

Balance Hormones Properly

This is another thing people forget, but scientists agree it’s quite important. While some claim hormones have nothing to do with weight, others point out how vital cortisol, thyroid, estrogen, testosterone and other hormones are when it comes to regulating weight. So, if you’re not slimming down, you might want to visit an endocrinologist who’ll explain the real connection between hormones and weight loss and why a proper balance of hormones is crucial.

Cut the Sugar

Sugar is among the most serious opponents of weight loss and some scientists even classify it as an addiction. Due to that, it’s understandable why it’s so hard to stay away from sweets, but, if you want to see real results, controlling your sugar cravings is essential. There are several ways to do it, from switching to fruits to tricking your mind with water, and you just need to find a method that works for you.

Lift, Push, Run!

Hitting the gym is arguably the best way to lose weight and ensure long-term success. Unfortunately, it’s not enough, claims a 2015 study, and you won’t do much if you rely only on standard gym exercises. Therefore, taking things to the next level is much more meaningful – investing some money in personal training with a trustworthy trainer like Gym To You, for instance, could do the trick. It will help you lose more weight in less time and continue doing so until you reach your goals.

Relax and Sleep

No matter what you’ve heard, sleeping doesn’t make you gain weight. On the contrary, it relaxes you, gives you more time to process food and prepares you for an intense morning workout session. Both sleep experts and dietitians agree that more sleep equals less weight, which is why it’s important to establish a healthy sleeping pattern. Keep in mind that your weight will decrease only after you manage to get better sleep and stop being sleep deprived.

Forget Everything

Although it’s been proven that anxiety causes weight loss, this isn’t something to look forward to. Constantly being under stress can wear you out quite quickly and you need to be mentally stable to tackle your weight problems adequately. Therefore, try to eliminate stress from your everyday life before embarking on this complex journey.

Ask for Help

When losing weight, accept all the help you can get, from supportive friends and family to medical professionals and a few other things. Among the most popular ways to lose weight permanently is turning to fat binders that prevent fat molecules from staying inside your body. That way, they help you regulate the amount of fat you consume and essentially make you skinnier. With so many of these on the market, make certain you’ve done your research before picking which ones to take. For example, millions of people worldwide opt for medical fat binders that are effective and supported by nutritionists and pharmaceutical experts as well.

Other Reasons

Some of the other reasons you can’t seem to lose weight include not drinking enough water, eating too much, skipping on protein and being physically inactive. If you take care of these issues, you’ll start seeing progress and quickly reach your desired weight.