Are you having a tough time losing weight, no matter how hard you work at it? Many people feel that although they are working hard, the weight is still not coming off. Here are a few reasons why.

1. You are eating fat free foods. Even though you may feel no guilt when you are chowing down on foods labeled fat free, they may be keeping you from shedding the pounds that you want. Just because foods are “fat free” does not mean they significantly less in calories than their counterpart. Also, researchers have found that people who are eating “fat free” foods tend to eat about 47% more calories. Try counting your calories and watching portion sizes instead of eating more of a food because of its label.

2. You are not eating breakfast. You should eat breakfast within 90 minutes of waking up in order to keep your body properly energized. If your body goes too long without food, it will stop burning fat in order to conserve it. Also, those that do not eat in the morning are more likely to reach for large portions of unhealthy food at lunch time. Researchers have found that people who skip out on this very important meal are almost five times as likely to be overweight than those who consistently eat breakfast. Try preparing a fast, easy breakfast in the morning-or boil eggs the night before so you can just grab your food and go.

3. You are not getting enough sleep. Being sleep deprived can really influence metabolism in the human body-this makes it easy to gain weight and hard to burn fat. Not getting enough rest can also result in an increase in insulin resistance and a decrease in leptin levels. Both of these changes in the body can promote weight gain. Stop sacrificing sleep and start rearranging your schedule to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night. If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, a cup of Sleep Well Tea may help.

By following the above tips as well as keeping up with regular exercise and healthy eating, you will be well on your way to losing those pounds that before it seemed you could never quite shed. Weight loss supplements may also be beneficial. Learn more here .