You make sure to eat well, sneak in some extra superfoods and kale salads, cut your sugar intake, take the stairs, and work out when you don’t feel like it just to drop a few pounds.

You believe those pounds will continue to drop steadily every week because you’re really working your tush off. But then you step on that wretched scale and see the same numbers you saw last week.

“What the %$#!”, you shout in a moment of major frustration, “Not even a single pound shed?!”

No, your scale isn’t broken, so put it down and resist the urge to throw it out the window.

You may be tempted to turn to weight loss pills, fad diets, and liquid slimdowns to jump start your weight loss again, but I’m going to stop you for a minute.

I want you to consider the fact that you may be unknowingly sabotaging your weight loss results by committing some of these common mistakes.

1. You Have a Sedentary Lifestyle

stressed at work

Even if you workout several times a week, if you sit the rest of the time, you could still not be using that many calories.

There are some other potential problems with a chronically sedentary lifestyle.

The NY Times mentions two studies about the dangers of sedentary jobs.

In the first, men who were normal walkers were asked to cut back their walks for two weeks and use the elevators instead of the stairs. After two weeks, all of the men became “worse at metabolizing sugars and fats” and put weight on around their midsections.

The second study discovered that those who take frequent small breaks during hours of sitting at their desks “had smaller waists and better profiles for sugar and fat metabolism than those…sitting in long, uninterrupted chunks”.

So it’s clear to see that our bodies were not designed to sit in chairs all day.

No matter what you do, try to take a break every hour to work your muscles and de-stress.

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2. You’re Way Too Stressed Out

drink tea stressed

Many people use food as a release for stress, or their resolve flags when they get stressed, causing them to overeat.

If you need to decompress during stressful periods, take a walk outside in nature or make a warm cup of soothing green tea.

Sometimes you can banish stress (and help your weight loss) by just sleeping more.

3. You’re Not Sleeping Enough

not sleeping enough

Sure, it’s definitely a challenge getting eight straight hours of shuteye, there’s just so much to do and not enough time to get it all done.

But this desire for accomplishment may be ruining your weight loss goals.

One study, this time conducted on men, had similar results and showed that participants who only slept four hours ate more calories and actually felt hungrier the next morning.

No one should be missing out on those crucial hours of restorative sleep. That’s when you have the chance to restore a healthy balance to the hormones in your body.

Sleep will reduce your cortisol levels, produce growth hormone (GH), and keep your hunger hormones in check. This is super important because GH pushes the body towards fat loss and muscle growth.

If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, check out some of my tips on how to overcome insomnia here.

After you check out the next reason for why you may not be losing weight, you’re going to need that sleep to wake up bright and early for your workouts.

If you happen to correct any of these simple mistakes you may have been making, it will likely be easier for you to lose weight.

What’s your take on these common mistakes? Have anything else you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!