It is more than slightly frustrating when you discover your weight loss diet isn’t working. The first week you don’t see positive results, it’s disappointing. The second week, you may still try to find a reason that would explain the results as an exception. But what happens when the same thing happens week after week? No matter how long you keep up your efforts, no matter how you fail to deviate, you still can’t get the pounds off, or maybe you even gain.

There are many different reasons that your weight loss diet may not be working even when you think it should. The trick is to start taking a closer look so you can better understand what you’re doing and what impact it’s having on you. Here are some of the issues beyond calories and exercise that can affect your results – or lack thereof.

Issues Getting in the Way of Your Weight Loss Diet Results

The following are some of the top reasons your weight loss diet may not be working. Watch for them and, if they are getting in your way, take the opportunity to correct them:

• Improper priority balance – While both diet and exercise are important, you must know that what you eat will have a bigger impact on your body weight than the amount you exercise. Therefore, if you’re cutting back on calories, but not enough because you believe your exercise will have you covered, that may stop your weight loss results from getting you where you want to be.
• Focusing on a fad – There are a lot of fad diets out there. Many of them can be quite convincing and sound scientific. That said, they are not based on real evidence and even if they start off giving you great results, your weight loss diet will start to fail you over time if you’re following a fad. Make sure you’re following a real healthy strategy that your doctor would approve of.
• Skipping sugary drinks – Sugary drinks get in the way of weight loss if you drink them too much. Research shows that the amount of sugar you consume can have an impact on your ability to lose weight and can lead to weight gain because they are high in calories and they are empty calories without nutrition.
• Not making sleep a priority – Sleep may not be active, but it plays a very important role in your ability to lose weight. Getting an inadequate amount of sleep can make it considerably harder to lose weight. Moreover, people who are sleep starved are more likely to be overweight or obese. Research shows that poor sleep can also raise your risk of diabetes and other health conditions. Make a higher priority of getting enough sleep every night and you might find that your weight loss diet will begin to work with you once again.