How to Stop Losing and Gaining the Same 10 Pounds

Keeping an eye on small things, like the creamer in your coffee, oil on your salad, or the chips you eat while cooking dinner, can keep the scale from going up and down, says Erin Palinski-Wade, R.D., author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies.  

That's because those little things add up. "It's very possible you're eating more calories than you realize," says Palinski-Wade.

RELATED: How I Finally Stopped Yo-Yo Dieting and Lost Almost 90 Pounds

Keep a food journal and record everything you eat and drink each day. Research from MyFitnessPal suggests that people who write these things down lose about 40 percent more weight than those who don't journal at all or don't do it consistently, says Palinski-Wade. Try jotting down what goes in your mouth for a few weeks to see if it makes a difference, she says.

Eating too few calories during the day can cause your metabolism to slow down—a phenomenon known as starvation mode. "Your body doesn’t know that you're purposefully cutting back," says Palinski-Wade. "To protect you, it reduces your basal metabolic rate, meaning you burn less calories at rest." (Kick off your weight-loss journey with Women's Health Body Clock Diet.)

"A 1,200 calorie cutoff is the standard recommendation because it is hard to meet your body's nutrient needs eating fewer than that per day," says Palinski-Wade. Though 1,200 might not be enough either, depending on your activity level, weight, and height—which is why it's always smart to talk to an R.D. before you start a diet. But eating small, frequent meals that add up to at least 1,200 calories throughout the day will help ensure your metabolism is running at full speed, she says.

Setting out to exercise every day might lead to quicker results, but it's nearly impossible to stick to, says Nora Minno, R.D., C.S.C.S.. If you don't have a plan that you can actually follow for months on end, you'll burn out, go back to your old ways, and see the weight creep back on soon after, she says.

RELATED: Why Some People Are So Prone to Yo-Yo Dieting

The recommended amount of exercise is 150 minutes per week, which Minno says can be broken down into three 50-minute sessions or shorter bursts of more vigorous exercise. "Building three workouts into your normal routine and increasing from there should help you stick to your workout plan for the long term," she advises.

RELATED: 21 Tiny Ways Experts Say You Can Slash Calories, Boost Your Metabolism, and Lose Weight

Even if you're eating well and exercising, a lack of sleep can impact your metabolism, your energy levels, and even your appetite, says Palinski-Wade. "Research has shown that lack of sleep can reduce the production of satiety hormones, increase the desire to eat more calorically-dense foods, and may have a negative impact on overall metabolism," she says. That's a tough combination when you're trying to lose weight.

This magic sleep benchmark ensures that you recover from your workouts, lower your stress hormones, and regulate your appetite, says Palinski-Wade. "To ease into a solid sleep routine, try hitting the sack at the same time every night and chilling out with a relaxing activity, like reading a book or journaling, right before bed," she says.

Our bodies require carbohydrates, protein, and fat in order for our metabolisms to work optimally, says Lisa Mikus, R.D. "The body’s systems use each macronutrient in metabolic processes," she says. For example, carbohydrates are broken down to carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. These elements are then used to create energy. If you're missing a macronutrient, you won't have the amino acids neccessary to make the hormones and enzymes that fuel your metabolism, says Mikus.

Yep, that's right, carbs are good for weight loss, she says. "Sugar, which breaks down into glucose, is the brain’s preferred energy source because it's metabolized quickly," says Mikus. "Cutting out carbohydrates completely, by reducing fruits, whole grains, and starchy vegetables, can cause brain fog, fatigue, and grumpiness, which may make you binge later," she says.

As a rule of thumb, make sure these three macronutrients make it onto your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Divide your plate up into 45 percent carbohydrates (including fruit and vegetables), 30 percent healthy fats, and 25 percent protein, says Mikus.

While that workout class at the end of the day is definitely great, it might not be enough to edge you closer to your weight-loss goal. "People who are generally active for 75 percent of the day burn more calories than those who hit the gym and sit the rest of the day," says Palinski-Wade.

"Aim to increase your overall step count by 10 to 20 percent each week until you reach 10,000 to 15,000 steps daily," she says. You can use a fitness tracker, an app on your phone, or even a pedometer to track your steps.

Quick fix diets like juice cleanses tend to lack the fiber you need to keep your digestive system moving on track, says Minno. "Studies have shown that those who consume a minimum of 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day—combined with physical activity, overall calorie control, and progress tracking—are better able to maintain their goal weight in the long term," she says.

Make sure you’re getting six to seven servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day, as well as legumes, which are packed with filling fiber. "You'll feel fuller for longer on fewer calories compared to fat and protein," says Minno.

Aiming to get this much of your caloric intake from lean protein is enough to bring on the weight-loss benefits of this nutrient, says Palinski-Wade. For a 1,600 calorie diet, that's roughly 240 to 480 calories a day.

"Protein helps regulate appetite, build and maintain muscle mass, and burns more calories during digestion than fats or carbohydrates,” says Palinski-Wade. About 30 percent of all calories from protein are burned during digestion, she says.

That means you get a bit of a metabolism boost when you nosh on lean sources, like chicken breast, fish, and eggs. Plus, eating an adequate amount of protein can help you maintain your muscle mass, which also aids your metabolism.