Have you decided to try dieting to shed a few pounds that you have gained over the last year? Have you always been a bit on the heavy side and have now chosen to start working on the issue so you can feel and look better? Have you tried lots of diets but still feel like you are not slimming down the way you really expected to? Despite having the best intentions, there are lots of folks who simply do not lose weight like they think they should. The key to actually shedding those pounds is finding out why fat loss exists only in your dreams. Chances are, one or more of the following are sabotaging your fat loss and weight loss efforts:

1. Focusing only on diet. Although you will probably lose a little weight just by changing your eating habits and getting rid of those fattening foods, you will never be able to get past the plateau without getting up and moving in addition to watching your diet. Exercise is a must.

2. Even though you may be eating healthier foods, you are still taking in more calories than you consume.

3. You are consumed by the need for immediate gratification. Your diet may actually be working and your expectations are too great.

4. You eat too little. Some people go overboard and eat so few calories that their bodies think there is a food shortage, so in an effort to save your life, your body clings to each calorie for dear life.

5. You don’t realize how much you are actually eating. Those few pieces of candy out of the dish off your desk and that piece of birthday cake in the lounge and those tablespoonfuls of spaghetti sauce you taste while you are cooking it, all add up. Watch out for the little snacking.

6. You have an unrealistic idea of proper portion size. For the most part, Americans just plain overeat.

7. Counting calories, dieting, and exercise are not fun. Who wants to do something that isn’t fun?

8. You have cravings you can’t control. Sometimes all that “rabbit food” just makes you want a giant pan of brownies, and if you don’t allow yourself to eat a little bit of the foods you like each day, you are more likely to binge and eat that whole pan of brownies.

9. You give up too soon.

10. Your metabolic rate is messed up and you have not yet boosted it enough to help your body burn off that fat.