Burning more calories than you consume on a daily basis is the key to losing weight. You can try the fanciest diet in the world, but when it comes right down to it, eating less and exercising more is essentially what you’re doing. At the beginning of the diet, you’ll probably find that shedding the pounds comes fairly easily. However, there will always be a point when weight loss may no longer occur. A week, or even a month may pass with the same number registering everytime you step on the scale, despite your best efforts at sticking religiously to your diet.

If your diet is giving you sufficient nutrients to sustain your health and your exercise regimen is still burning those excess calories, then it may be your habits that are preventing you from losing weight. 3 reasons why your diet isn’t effective anymore may be due to the following 3 points:

1. You’re stressed out, all the time. Even though you might not be gorging on snacks, boozing, or smoking to help you relax, stress can still be detrminetal to weight loss. It sends your hormones out of whack, preparing your body for tough times. Stress not only slows your metabolism, it also facilitates fat storage and boosts your cravings for sweet and starchy foods, since “tough times” to your body means food scarcity (probably harking back to the past as a method of self preservation when food supplies were not as stable as today). It’s a little counter productive if you’re on a diet, isn’t it?

We know – everyone has stress in their lives. However, those of us who are constantly under pressure tend to have the most difficulty maintaining healthy and controlled weight loss.

Solution? Deal with the stress by solving the problem, practicing breathing and meditative exercises, or indulging yourself in things you enjoy. Gentle stretching can also help.

2. Over exercising. Exercise is good, but not if you overdo it. Spending 5 hours at the gym pumping weights and running for miles on the treadmill may work for a professional athlete, but it’s probably way too much for the average person. The huge discrepancy between caloric output and input causes the body to store fat, since you’re actually putting it into starvation mode. It can also cause serious wear and tear on your body, making you more prone to injury.

Solution? You can exercise most days of the week, but experts say that gentler activity is much more effective than long, drawn out sessions filled with grunting and holding your breath. Even better, follow an exercise regimen as outlined by your physician and the advice of your personal trainer.

3.  Sleep deprivation. And yet another form of stress, not sleeping enough is one of the worst things you can do to your body (regardless of whether you’re on a diet or not). Lack of sleep increases levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates the appetite. It also messes up your metabolism and doesn’t allow the body to release toxins and repair itself.

Solution? Get more sleep! While everyone’s requirements are different, aim for at least 8 hours of sleep a night.