If you’re here, reading this article then chances are good, really good, that you truly want to lose weight. But most of find plenty of excuses, or allow ourselves plenty of excuses for why we can’t do what needs to be done to lose weight.

Believe me, I know that sometimes those excuses really are ‘reasons’ and on occasion they are even legitimate reasons. But there is absolutely no excuse for weeks and months on end of consuming unhealthy garbage and skipping workouts. There just isn’t.

{If weight loss was easy, we’d all be skinny!}

Once we can stop making these excuses, or at least acknowledging them for what they are-obstacles to weight loss—we can actually do something about it so the numbers on that scale grow smaller by the week. Keep reading to find out why these excuses are hurting your fat loss.

“I’m Too Tired”

This is perhaps the most pervasive of all excuses because it encompasses everything from “I’m too tired to spend 45 minutes in the kitchen” to “I’m too tired to hit the gym”. The truth is that sometimes fatigue is a perfectly legitimate reason for taking a short cut once in awhile, but if you allow this excuse all the time, you should be asking a more important question: why am I so tired?

The truth is that your diet and regular exercise are two things that could actually give you more energy not less. If you constantly feel tired then try getting up early and working out before work or on your lunch break for a boost of energy to get you through your day. Also, stop relying on sugary junk food for temporary energy highs.

If you are too tired, go to bed earlier and set up a nighttime routine to help you fall asleep easily and stay asleep.

”I’m Too Busy”

This is another of those excuses that makes us feel good that we’re being so selfless and putting the company, our friends, and pretty much everything else ahead of our health and weight loss but in the end it’s just another excuse.

You are never too busy to take 5 minutes to go and fill up a glass with water or go buy a bottle of water, you’re not. You probably have coffee or soda or juice sitting on your desk all day long, but you need water. The health benefits of water have been well documented, and that is doubly true when it comes to water’s ability to help us lose weight.

There’s always an excuse, if you’re looking for one. Here are a few more.

“I Deserve This!”

While it is true that you probably do deserve rewards for working hard, achieving goals or simply to end a long week, how you reward yourself may be directly impacting your ability to lose weight. Since a recent study indicated that obesity rates will increase by 33% in the next 20 years, you need to find a new reward system or risk being one of the 33%.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a glass of wine or beer or even a Mojito; it just means that you have to do so in moderation and never as a reward. Life is always going to be busy, dramatic and stressful and you can’t run for the nearest bar or dessert plate when it does. Instead you should find other ways to reward yourself: a new outfit, tickets to a concert, a massage or a French cooking class.

If you continue to reward yourself with food and alcoholic beverages you will continue to suffer sleepless nights, bloating and excessive food intake—none of which are recommended for healthy weight loss.

“I’m Not A Cook”

You don’t need to be Bobby Flay in the kitchen in order to cook for weight loss, you don’t even need to be Paula Deen; all you need is to know the basics of cooking like what to eat and what not to eat, and the healthiest cooking methods. Very few of us start out as master chefs in the kitchen, but I can assure you that I am a much better cook today than I was before I got healthy and shed those extra pounds.

The biggest problem with using this excuse to get out of spending any time in the kitchen is that you’re relying on food heavy with meat and cheese. And you probably already know that you should be reducing your meat and cheese intake if you want to lose weight or if you simply want to be healthier.

[You can't learn how to cook without a few mistakes.]

The research that was documented in The China Study found that those who ate the most animal food products (like meat & cheese) were most likely to suffer from chronic disease compared to those who consumed a diet made up of mostly plant based foods. And we all know that a compromised immune system can make weight loss more difficult, and if you’re already overweight you’re at risk for many illnesses exacerbated by animal products like: hypertension, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Do your weight loss and health a favor and eat more fruits and vegetables and legumes.

“Fresh Stuff Doesn’t Last”

If I had a dollar for every time someone said this to me, I’d be sitting on a beach somewhere sipping coconut water through a straw. We all know how essential fruits and vegetables are to a healthy diet for weight loss, and the fresher the better. Yet we still skip the produce aisle under the mistaken impression that the fresh stuff will go bad in a few days.

Well the “fresh stuff” will go bad if you never eat it, but if you buy enough to last just 3 or 4 days it will not go bad before you’ve had a chance to eat it. Fresh fruit is the quickest and easiest thing to eat when you’re in a hurry—even quicker than fast food because you don’t have to wait. Grab a peach and a napkin and you’re out the door with a healthy snack that won’t make you hate yourself later. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in water and fiber and that is a winning combination for weight loss!

Try this fruit salad recipe for a low calorie midday snack!

“But It’s Healthy AND Quick”

I too used to be guilty of this excuse and I paid for it for years, stuck at the same weight despite exercising and eating more salad than I could bear. But those prepackaged, particularly frozen, meals are not doing your weight loss any favors. These packaged meals that claim to be low in calories hide one little secret from you: they are off the charts high in sodium.

The sodium serves 2 purposes: it lengthens the shelf life and hides the cardboard taste of these low calorie wonders. The amount of sodium can lead to high blood pressure or heart problems, even in dieters in their 20s.

Forget these faux healthy packaged meals and find something equally quick and healthy like spice rubbed chicken breasts and garlic kale, it’ll be ready in 30 minutes and it’s less than 300 calories!

Don’t let these or any other excuses stand in the way of reaching your weight loss goals. More than your pride is at stake; your health is impacted as well.