If you can’t lose that excess weight, however hard you try, find out what might be stopping you from shifting those extra pounds.

1. Loading up on low fat. When you see the words low-fat on the label you automatically think it is ok to help yourselves to a second or third helping. Low-fat doesn’t mean low calories, in fact you often end up eating more calories than if you just kept to the non low-fat options.

2. Crash dieting. You should know by now that crash diets are the worst thing you can do if you want to lose weight and keep it off. If you cut your daily calories to under 1000, yes the pounds will drop, but your metabolism will slow down to a snail’s pace and as soon as you start eating your normal amount of calories the weight will just come back and more.

3. Drinking on the pounds. It’s very easy to overlook what you’re drinking but a huge mistake, especially when you consider that some coffees and alcoholic drinks contain more than 500 calories. Even fruit juices and soft drinks contain hidden calories, as do smoothies and hot chocolate.

4. Cutting out dairy. You might think that cutting out dairy helps you lose weight, but beware it might be counter-productive. Research suggests that the body burns more fat when it gets enough calcium, and produces more fat when it’s calcium deprived.

5. Cutting out snacking. While snacking on the wrong foods will add on the pounds, thoughtful snacking will help keep the weight down. Healthy snacking can boost the metabolism, help you control hunger and lose weight.

6. Weighing yourself daily. Getting on the scales every day will often yield confusing and not very helpful results. Try weighing yourself once a week at most, preferably every two weeks. This way you won’t get frustrated and discouraged if your weight fluctuates by a pound or two.

7. Thyroid dysfunction. If all else fails check your thyroid function because when the thyroid produces too few hormones it can result in weight issues. If this proves to be the case limit your intake of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, turnips, peanuts and soybeans. Instead eat more foods such as eggs, fish, chicken, parsley, apricots, dates and kelp.

8. Hormonal imbalance. Another cause might be hormonal imbalances due to lifestyle issues, such as lack of sleep, stress, inactivity or bad diet, all of which can make the body resistant to losing weight. Food allergies is another common cause of an inability to lose weight.

9. Food allergies.An allergic reaction to food takes place when the body mistakenly identifies a particular food as harmful and, as a result, slows down the metabolism and the body starts storing fat, making it almost impossible to lose weight.

10. Stress. Ongoing stress such as family issues, financial worries and workload results in our bodies constantly secreting excessive amounts of stress hormones. Over time, the excess energy builds up and our bodies store it as fat. In addition, high levels of cortisol can cause our digestive systems to become weak and unable to alert our liver that the stomach is full, often creating excess bodyfat around our waists.