You may have started a new diet or eating plan as part of your New Year Resolution, and are now starting to struggle, or may have even given up.

A diet fails when it no longer creates a calorie deficit to which you can stick to.

So you may have heard the word deficit being banded around, but what does it actually mean?

"A calorie deficit is the difference between the the calories that you eat and drink in day, and the calories that your body uses to maintain your current weight during the day, considering how much you move and exercise"

An effective way when losing fat/weight is going into a -500 calorie deficit per day / -3500 calories per week. When you’re in a “MINUS” 3500 calories deficit per week you should lose around 1lb of body fat per week.

Eventually, your body may have adapted now you have started to lose weight.

So what actually happens:

1. You simply weigh less

There is less weight you’re moving around. If you carried a 10kg rucksack around you would be burning more calories.

Make sense? You’ve lost weight so your body doesn’t have to burn as many calories.

2. Your body has become more efficient

Your body can now perform the same tasks for less calories.

3. Your body also looks to preserve calories

You may have experienced it when you’re dieting you feel tired, and irritable. This is normal.

Why?This is your body trying to preserve energy.

4. Increased hunger

There is a study – for every 1kg you lose your appetite increases by 100 calories. So your body just wants to eat more

Next week we will show you what you can do when progress stalls.