The scale isn’t moving. The clothes aren’t any looser. All this despite the fact that you’re doing what your supposed to do to lose weight. When you cannot lose weight you begin to think why bother? Why sacrifice and miss out on the yummy stuff when doing so doesn’t change things? Before you go on a binge, check out the tips below to maximize your weight loss.

1) Change something. Our bodies get used to things we do over and over. As a result, the lose their effectiveness. Instead of eating the same things, change it up. Don’t eat almonds for a snack. Have celery with peanut butter instead. Don’t walk for 30 minutes. Instead walk 3 minutes as fast as you can and walk slower for 2 minutes, repeating 5 times. Intervals are a great way to mix things up for the body.

2) Stop something. Sometimes our bodies react to some foods in a negative way. Diet soda for instance often hinders weight loss. I find that meal bars slow my weight loss down.  Pick something you consume a lot, and stop eating it and see if it makes a difference. In particular focus on things that may be high in sugar and/or sodium.

3) Get real. Studies show that most people underestermate how much they eat and overestimate how much they work out. Keep a journal and be honest about calories in and energy out. You may find that you haven’t been doing as well on your diet as you thought.

4) Cut 100 more calories. Only do this if you’re eating 1500 calories or more. Cutting 100 calories a day, should help you lose an extra pound every 5 weeks (100 X 36 days = 3600 cals less).

5) Add 10-15 minutes on to your exercise regimen to burn more calories without spending too much more time.