1. You can't stop snacking. This is probably boredom and not hunger. Fill up on raw veggies like carrots and cucumber, and hot drinks - they're more filling than cold. Also, drinking a glass of water with your meals will help you feel fuller. 2. You're being generous with your portion sizes. You might be eating the right foods but just too much of them. Experts say that protein (meat, fish, chicken, soya products) should be the size of your palm. A serving of salad and vegetables should be as much as two cupped hands. A portion of cheese needs to be the size of a matchbox. If you're in any doubt, check out our picture gallery of portion sizes for all your favourite foods. 3. You're actually thirsty not hungry. Many of us mistake thirst for hunger, so whenever you think you want more food have a drink first, then see how you feel. 4. You're eating late at night. If you're juggling a job and a family it's hard to eat at regular times. But eating late at night means that whatever you eat isn't given a chance to be burnt off, so it turns to fat. Sit down to eat with your family or eat something before everyone else has their dinner. 5. You're eating the kids' leftovers. No-one likes waste but finishing off everyone else's dinner will give you a waist you don't like! Instead of throwing food away make a bit less than usual, start a compost heap for your leftovers or see our leftover recipes for ideas. 6. It's your age. After the age of 35 our metabolisms slow down and our hormones change which results in fat accumulating in different places such as around our middle and hips, thighs and bum. Recent research has shown that low-fat dairy products and soya can help to beat weight gain after the age of 35. 7. You're doing it alone. Having a friend to motivate you and share those times when you're feeling down can make all the difference. Join a club or ask a friend if she'll be your diet buddy. (The goodtoknow Diet Club could offer you the support you need!) 8. Staying motivated is key. If you haven't set yourself a realistic goal then you'll easily feel down when you don't reach it and give up. Start off with a small goal, even just a pound, and you'll soon feel more able to stick to your diet. 9. You're not eating enough. Your body thinks you're starving it so it holds on to fat to survive. Then when you start eating again it's so confused that it keeps hold of any fat that you eat, and then you put on more weight than you lost originally. Stick to a balanced diet and don't starve yourself. 10. Stress is making you fat. There are two ways stress can make you fat: you eat more when you're worried about something and when you're stressed your body makes more of a hormone that actually stores fat. There's nothing like gentle exercise to help beat the blues and burn calories. 11. You're not drinking enough alcohol! Yes, it's hard to believe, but recent research has found that dieters who bin the booze completely put on more weight than those who allow themselves a glass of wine now and then. But you need to be sensible and not go over the guideline limits as this can increase your chances of becoming obese. 12. You need more slimming minerals Vitamins and minerals are really important for overall health, but potassium helps regulate nutrients and feed them into cells and muscles. You need healthy cells and muscles when you're losing weight because you don't want your body to start using muscles for energy, you want to be burning fat. Potassium also helps your body eliminate waste and toxins from the body, which can help with that stubborn half-a-stone. Potassium-rich foods also tend to be low-fat and filling, such as baked potatoes, pulses, spinach and yogurt. 13. You're not getting enough sleep It has been proven many times that lack of sleep can increase your weight. The reason for this is because when we're tired our natural instinct is to eat more to stay awake. Plus lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and appetite-regulating hormones, which means your body may store more fat. 14. You're too cold There's new research to suggest that the idea that your body burns more fat when it's cold is actually untrue. It might be bad news for your heating bills but being warmer could help your body to use up more calories. But if you want to cut down on your heating bills, just throw on an extra jumper. 15. You're bingeing You've had a good week and lost a couple of pounds, so what do you do? You order a takeaway! You might think at the time that one little treat won't matter, but you can have your whole days' calorie allowance in just one takeaway meal and several days' fat allowance too. Of course you can have a small treat or you can eat your favourite foods only adapted to be healthier. But gorging as a reward for losing weight will just set you back and it could kick off some unhealthy cravings too, which could wreck your progress. 16. You're depressed There is no doubt that many of us eat for emotional reasons but if you're depressed you're more likely to comfort eat, which can create a spiral of bingeing and eating as you feel more depressed because you're putting on weight instead of losing it. The first step is to forget food and dieting and seek help for the emotional problems you have, then tackle your weight. 17. You've got the wrong goals The research is conflicting, some diet and fitness experts think you should aim for the size you want to be, say a 12 or 14, other experts think that you'll be far more successful if you set an unrealistic goal, such as getting into a pair of size 6 jeans. We know that when you're dieting it's so easy to get disheartened if you don't reach your goal, so we think it's best to set yourself small goals, just half a stone at a time, because sometimes the thought of having to lose three stone or more is enough to drive you to the cake counter! 18. You're still chomping on chocolate Yes, chocolate has health benefits and swapping the high-calorie milk variety for dark chocolate is a good idea, however, even the dark stuff has fat and sugar in it and is a high calorie food. It's best to stay away from it completely as many people feel that just one chunk can lead to a whole bar but if you really have to have chocolate stick to dark chocolate and have just a small portion once a week. 19. You're not drinking the right amount of water It's a bit of a tricky one this, when you're on a diet drinking lots of water is a good thing as it fills your stomach but also helps flush your body of toxins. However, if you drink too much water you could feel bloated and that would dishearten you and if you're drinking water because you're hungry then you get depressed! Instead, get the balance right - drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, with every meal and snack and last thing at night too. Fill up on high-fibre foods such as brown bread, potatoes with the skin on and brown rice and pasta. 20. You're doing half measures You want to be easy on yourself and do things gradually. Well, it's never a good idea to do anything drastic but if you've decided to diet or get fit then you have to commit to it. There's no point doing five sit-ups and then rewarding yourself with a cream cake. You need to exercise and cut the fat and sugar from your diet while increasing the vitamins, minerals and fibre. Source
