There are legit reasons why you have a hard time shedding those extra pounds, but if you know the facts about losing weight, you can overcome these obstacles and reach your goals. You don’t need us to tell you that losing weight — and keeping it off — is hard, but understanding why weight loss is so difficult can help you stop beating yourself up over every little setback, and increase your chances of success.

Without a long-term approach to weight loss, you may lose 10 or more pounds in two weeks and then suffer a rebound when you discover that regimen wasn’t working for you. This is all too common when people embark on strict diets such as keto or paleo, or fad diets that promise rapid weight loss. In reality, for most people, a well-balanced diet that includes all food groups, and even some treats work best in the long run. Part of successful, sustainable weight loss — i.e. losing the weight and keeping it off for good — is understanding that fad diets, excessive exercise, and “detoxes” don’t usually work. They only last as long as your willpower lasts, and I’m willing to bet that’s not more than two weeks to a couple of months.

Your Body Works Against You

It’s not your imagination: When you try to lose weight, you’re fighting not only your cravings but also your own body. Weight loss decreases the hormone leptin, which signals to your brain that you’re full, and increases the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, Australian researchers found. This hormone imbalance continues long after you succeed at weight loss, making it even harder for you to keep the pounds off, according to the study. Plus, if you cut too many calories too quickly, your metabolism will slow, says Sabrena Jo, director of science and research content for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego.

You think exercise wins everything

Exercise is important for an overall healthy lifestyle, but it is difficult to lose weight by exercising only. If you are at all tuned into the wellness industry, you will know this saying: ” Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. “Even if your goals don’t include the stomach, the adage still holds true. You just can’t overexert a bad diet. Exercise should definitely be part of your overall approach to weight loss because it is all about proven to help with weight loss (not to mention its long list of other health benefits ), but it is difficult to lose weight in fact just exercise. A lot of people overestimate how many calories they can burn from their workouts – it’s probably a lot less than you might think.

You use supplements instead of eating healthy

I hate being the bearer of bad news, but this supplement fat burner in your medicine cabinet will not do not the job for you. While some supplements can help you reach your weight loss goals, you need to work for your supplements to work. Some weight loss supplements have evidence to back it up, but no supplement is proven to be the method no one wants to follow: eat fewer calories than you burn.

When nutrition and fitness aren’t enough

If you’ve been trying to lose weight for a while — exercising daily, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, limiting alcohol, and doing all of the other tactics recommended by experts — to no avail, you may be a candidate for weight-loss surgery. Weight loss surgery is typically reserved for those who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater or a BMI of 35 or greater with a weight-related medical condition. For those who are good candidates, weight-loss surgery can be the final ticket to weight-loss success.