Are you exercising regularly and eating well but find you still can't lose those last few pounds? If so, you've probably hit a weight loss plateau. In our two-part series, Sara Singer Schiff explains why it happens and how you can overcome it

Starting your weight loss programme with gusto, losing a few pounds and then finding that your progress has come to a dead stop is a natural and common occurrence for many dieters. This plateau is a result of the body's constant need to maintain equilibrium.

When you start a new diet or fitness plan, you usually consume fewer calories but also burn more through exercise. 'Because you're expending more energy than you take in, your body burns those few calories for energy first, then you begin to burn stored fat quicker than before, when your calorie intake was higher,' explains Josh Salzmann, iVillage's fitness expert.

However, like a finely tuned machine, your body settles into this new pattern of outgoing and incoming calories and gradually adjusts by burning fewer calories in order to safeguard its reserves. The result? Weight loss slows down as your body tries to retain fat stores so it can use its reserves as sparingly as possible.

It's at this point that you'll notice your eating and exercise efforts aren't producing results and that you can't seem to shift the weight any more. In order to break through the plateau, you have to do two things: alter your eating habits and change your exercise programme in a way that challenges your body.

Start first with your diet. Review the following tips from Lyndel Costain, a state registered dietician and independent nutritionist based in Birmingham, and try to make the changes today.

1. Keep a food diary: If you've been following a diet plan for some time, you may be bored and your motivation for staying with it may be fading (after all, what's an extra Hob Nob now and then?). Keeping a food diary, or a record of what you eat each day, will help you pinpoint situations where you might be indulging more than you realise and help you get back on track.

2. Try again: Many people get trapped in cycles where, amidst their efforts to follow a healthy diet, they stray and can't seem to get back to a healthy pattern of eating. This is often due to an 'all or nothing' way of thinking, whereby dieters feel guilty or angry with themselves for the lapse and then continue eating poorly because of these negative feelings. The first step is to forgive yourself. Look at past patterns and see how unhelpful these emotions are. What you've eaten isn't the problem, but how you've reacted to it is. If you've fallen off the wagon, remind yourself that no one's perfect and focus on getting back to your eating plan.

3. Ask for help: Social support from a partner, slimming group, friend or website can provide essential help and emotional encouragement. And statistics show that people who have a support system tend to lose weight and keep it off, as they can share their diet ups and downs with others.

4. Get real: Are you trying to lose too much weight or shed the pounds too quickly? If so, your goals may be unrealistic. Dieters tend to lose most of their weight in the first few weeks, although most of this is water. After losing this initial weight, people tend to lose one pound a week on average, which is still considered good progress (even a few pounds a month is good). To put matters into perspective, one pound of body fat is equivalent to 500 calories, so to lose two pounds means cutting out 1000 calories, which is no small amount. Remember, you didn't put the weight on overnight, so you can't expect to take it off instantly either.

5. Look beyond your diet: Are there other factors getting in the way of your weight loss efforts? For example, stress might be bringing up inner feelings and needs that are sabotaging your eating plan. Go back to your food diary and jot down the thoughts and feelings that make you want to eat, or use your social support network to talk about the emotional connection between food and mood.

6. Be prepared: Always eat breakfast so you don't start the day feeling hungry, and make sure your environment complements your diet. This might mean taking smart snacks to work with you or filling your fridge with healthy foods so you're not tempted to eat things that might sabotage your diet.

7. Keep it varied: Some people find it easier to follow a monotonous, structured diet as there is little room to stray. However, others need variety to stay true to a plan. If you get bored easily, try looking at websites and books for new and interesting recipe ideas so you don't feel your diet is too tedious or depriving.

8. Eat little and often: Eating small meals frequently can help regulate your blood sugar and appetite. Also, as your body expends energy when digesting food, eating several mini meals a day can help boost your metabolism. Drinking water can also help fill you up and regulate your appetite. It's important to be sure you are getting enough water since many people can mistake thirst for hunger.