There are plenty of excuses that people make when they are trying to lose weight. If you fall into any one of the 5 excuses below, it is definitely time for a reality check. On a positive note, these 5 excuses or challenges are actually not as important as we think they are.

Below are the top 5 concerns that everyone has on their weight loss journey:

1. "I work out on a regular basis, but I haven't lost any weight!"

There can be several reasons for this, mostly to do with your diet. If you have not yet changed your diet to a calorie reduced plan, it is likely that you are not burning enough calories to create a calorie deficit required in order to lose weight. On the other hand, if you have already changed your diet and you are not losing weight right now, you are most likely developing muscle which actually weighs more than fat. Although this may be confusing especially if you are weighing yourself on a regular basis, this is a good weight gain because muscles will actually burn fat in an efficient manner.

2. "Losing 1 or 2 pounds per week is not good enough!"

If you are worrying or are frustrated that you are only losing 1 pound per week, this may be due to lifestyle changes instead of changing your diet. However, do not be discouraged because having a consistent weight loss is actually healthier for you than compared to a rapid weight loss. In fact, those who lose weight very quickly will actually endanger their health by over training or following a fad diet. As a result, people will slack off or not exercise as much due to fatigue. As they say, slow and steady wins the race.

3. "Do I have do be on this diet forever?"

If you have been following a dietary plan, then you are probably wondering what happens afterwards. After you have finished your diet, like those on Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, you can easily adjust your diet to pursue better nutrition. Consult the Food Pyramid Guide in order to change to better dietary habits.

4. "Why can't I just take a diet pill"

Although this is rather tempting, this is not recommended as many of these 'magic pills' actually do not work. Not to mention, if they actually do work, there are adverse health risks. The natural way is always better, especially since most of these purported products are new and Scientists may find problems with these weight loss pills 20 years down the  track.

5. "Help! I can't stay motivated!"

Unfortunately the hard truth is that there is no easy answer to stay motivated as this is up to the individual. Motivation to lose weight must come from something  that you truly desire in order to achieve your ideal body. For some people, they want to lose weight to generally improve their health, while others want to fit into a particular clothing size. Whatever the reason is, you need to stick to your guns as it is easy to become sidetracked. Stay focused, and if you prefer, you can join up with some close buddies or even join a group to cheer each other on. Who knows, maybe you'll find new friends or new interests?