Want to know how to lose weight? The formula is simple—burn more calories than you take in, and voila! Of course, it’s not that easy. You may be doing everything right when it comes to your weight loss diet and exercise routine, but several other sneaky factors could be preventing you from reaching all of your weight loss goals. Learn how to avoid the common pitfalls that could be derailing your weight loss efforts with these nine sneaky ways you're derailing your weight loss goals.

1) Indulging in treat foods

Dieting can be tough, and it's easy to fall into a pattern of eating healthy foods all week long only to blow your diet on Sunday with a big brunch or family dinner. Be mindful of your tendency to indulge in so-called treat foods while attempting to lose weight—such as by savouring that extra slice of cake or glass of wine at birthday parties, or having a little more cheese than usual at dinnertime. A study from Kaiser Permanente found that dieters who are consistent about their choices (i.e., always ordering off the lunch menu) tend to have healthier habits overall than those who tend to go with whatever strikes their fancy each day (i.e., picking lunch off Tuesday's breakfast menu). It helps strengthen willpower!

2) Drinking too much alcohol

Alcohol is very calorie-dense, so it’s easy to put on weight when you drink. The USDA recommends that men limit their alcohol intake to 2 drinks per day and women keep it to 1 drink per day. Not only does drinking too much alcohol mess with your metabolism, but if you already have a full belly (which slows down digestion), your body processes all those extra calories in alcohol as fat. So there are many ways that too much alcohol contributes to weight gain!

savour you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to realize that not all calories are created equal—even when they come from seemingly healthy sources. If you eat too much in one sitting, your body will store what you don’t use as fat. And since muscle burns more calories than fat, over time you might gain weight. Put down your utensils between bites and savour every mouthful.