Putting time and effort into losing weight and not seeing any results can be very frustrating. Losing weight is a process, and there is not a one size fits all solution. There can be many factors to consider that may be preventing you from weight loss. Here are the top seven reasons that I tend to see the most.

1. Focusing on exercise without addressing the diet: It's really hard to out exercise a bad diet. Research shows without dietary changes, exercise alone is unlikely to lead to a substantial weight loss for most people.
2. Insufficient sleep: If sleep is not on your priority list, you may need to adjust your schedule around to make sure it is. A lack of sleep will mess with the hormones that regulate hunger making it hard for you to not overeat based on the desire to want to eat. Too much sleep (>9 hours) and too little sleep (<5 hours) can be linked to weight gain.
3. Drinking too many alcohol beverages: A moderate intake of alcohol can be just fine, but if you are drinking more than two to three alcoholic drinks per week, you may need to reduce your intake of those empty calories.   
4. Not eating often enough: Waiting until you are starving to eat sends a signal to the body to store fat so it can be used when you’re low on energy. When your body goes into starvation mode, your metabolism slows down, burning calories as slowly as possible to conserve energy. Eating regularly keeps your metabolism up and helps you in losing weight.
5. Your exercise routine is not intense enough: Our bodies will adjust overtime to the exercise we give it. If you have not changed your exercise routine recently, it may be time to increase the intensity of your workouts to challenge your body.
6. Eat out too often: It can be hard to keep your weight under control when eating out more than two times per week (yes that includes weekends). Even the lighter options still will have more calories, fat and sodium in comparison to home cooked meals.
7. You are not drinking enough water: If you are not drinking enough water, your body receives mixed signals on hunger. Be sure to get at least eight cups (64 oz.) of water daily.

Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble with weight loss to rule out or treat potential medical condition or medication issues.

Focusing on your emotional well-being can also help to manage weight. Join Health Coach Amanda for a four-week group health coaching series starting October 1 from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. “Build Resilience with the OSU SMART Lab.” Learn several breathing techniques and discuss ways to build and sustain resilience in everyday life. Participants will also have a chance to practice their breathing with the biofeedback technology in each session of the series. Click here to sign up for this in-person series at the Columbus campus or check out some group health coaching series available by webinar.