Forget Atkins, Weight Watchers or drinking nothing but vegetable juice - slimming diets don’t work in the long term ....
From now on tell yourself you are not on a diet.  You are simply going to eat a healthy, balanced diet that is high in fresh foods and nutrients.
Fad diets always fail in the long term.  That's because when you go on a diet, your metabolic rate - the rate at which you burn calories - drops.  As soon as you reduce the food intake, your body puts itself on famine alert. It can’t distinguish between a diet and food scarcity, so it slows your metabolism down to conserve energy.  Consequently, if you drastically reduce your food intake for three weeks and then resume your normal eating pattern, you will be consuming your normal diet with a slower metabolism.
Result: not only will you regain what you lost, but maybe even a little more.  And even worse the kind of weight you lose on a low calorie diet is likely to be the wrong sort.  In this state of ‘famine’, your body will hold on to fat, break down muscle, and lose water.

So, what to do?

By matching  your lifestyle and your biochemical individuality to your nutrient requirements you can improve your health and win the fat loss battle.  In my practice I work individually with clients to identify any underlying imbalances and deficiencies which may be inhibiting weight loss. 
 
One of the most common underlying factors is blood sugar fluctuation.
To check yours, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you rarely wide awake within 20 minutes of rising?
2. Do you need tea, coffee or a cigarette to get you going in the morning?
3. Do you crave sweet foods, bread, cereal or pasta?
4. Do you often have energy slumps during the day especially after meals?
5. Do you fall asleep in the early evening, or need naps during the day?
6. Do you often have mood swings or difficulty concentrating?
7. Do you get dizzy or irritable if you go six hours without food?
8. Do you often get irritable, angry or aggressive unexpectedly?
9. Is your energy level less now than before?
10. Do you get night sweats, or frequent headaches?

If you answered yes to five or more of those questions, then it is very likely your blood sugar is fluctuating markedly during the day, making you prone to cravings, mood swings and creating difficulties with weight loss.  Eating a balanced and nutrient rich diet will help you break the blood sugar cycle and help you avoid  those lows which encourage sugar cravings.

For others, weight loss may be inhibited by hormone imbalance: 

Oestrogen dominance, common among women in their 30s and 40s, increases insulin release.  This is why women so often crave chocolate at certain times of the month.  High oestrogen may also increase thyroid binding globulin which binds to thyroid hormone reducing its ability to function and slowing metabolism. 

Stress is a further factor.  If you are ‘apple’ shaped or have a tendency to store fat around the middle the cause may be linked to your stress hormones.  An imbalance in cortisol levels can contribute massively to weight management problems.
 
Checking and restoring hormone balance through laboratory testing and nutritional adjustment will provide you with greater energy and help those pounds melt away.

Other weight loss inhibitors to check for include food intolerances, poor digestion or liver function.  All will interfere with weight loss, but the good news is that with a few simple dietary changes, sustainable weight loss is achievable for the majority of people.