We all feel it coming – the tulips are blooming, which means bathing suit season is around the corner.

You should feel proud of your dedication to doing the prep work by exercising and eating (mostly) healthy foods. But somehow you’re still not shedding those pesky winter pounds! What gives?

It seems like simple math: expend more calories than you take in. Yet the body works in a much more complex way than that. Hidden factors may be sabotaging your best efforts to lose weight naturally and effectively.

But don’t despair! You can get that scale to budge – a simple tweaking of your lifestyle habits is all it takes. By understanding these factors, you should be able to turn the tide your way and continue toward your skinny jeans goals:

Here are 5 sneaky weight loss inhibitors:

1. Stress – Increasing amounts of cortisol- the stress hormone- alters your body’s metabolism to store excess fat. Fat tends to accumulate around your mid section and you would anything to get rid of it.
2. Late Night Eating – Late night snacking tends to be infamous for packing on those calories, and eating while watching TV or surfing the net leaves you unfocused on the task at hand, causing you to eat up to  40% more than you intended.
3. Overtraining – Working out too hard and too frequently can cause your body to adjust by burning fewer calories while at rest.
4. Prescription Meds – Weight gain is a common side effect of many prescribed medications, such as birth control, oral steroids, and diabetes drugs. Don’t take anything blindly- always be diligent, do your research and check the common side effects of the meds you ingest.
5. Wrong Food Combinations – We can overwhelm the digestion process by eating too many types of acid fruits together, refined sugars and fat, or starchy foods with fruit. Your digestive woes may simply require you to reorganize your food combinations. The results can be tremendous.

Have you experienced a weight loss plateau, which so many do? What’s prevented you from reaching your weight loss goals? Share it in the comments below!

Every person has a unique chemistry of biological factors, combined with lifestyle and environmental factors, that contribute to making their weight loss easier or more difficult to attain. I’d love to discuss your weight loss goals and develop a customized plan that helps you lose weight safely, effectively and naturally!