You aren’t making it up. It isn’t just in your head. There IS a reason you can’t lose that last 5 pounds. Celebrity trainer, Holly Perkins, calls this fat (often found in the ‘trouble’ areas) “the final frontier.” Your lack of results isn’t due to lack of effort but is a result of homeostasis.

Every single system in your body, every part of your body, works to maintain a happy, level, cozy environment. Your body is hard wired to keep this status quo so if you are making major lifestyle changes, be prepared to be uncomfortable for a period of time because your body is definitely going to fight you on it. Even after you’ve adopted your new lifestyle and have started to reap the benefits of being fit, a weight loss plateau is inevitable.

According to metabolism investigator at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Deborah Clegg, it is more difficult for women to lose weight in certain areas due to evolutionary causes that are no longer advantageous.  “[Women] fight against losing weight in our hips and thighs. And the reason we’re programmed that way is that we rely on the calories in our hips and thighs evolutionarily to provide us with calories for breastfeeding or to help sustain a potential famine while we’re pregnant.” Interesting, no?

For many women, these trouble areas are found in the hips, thighs, glutes, and abs. There are all areas that are biologically predisposed to reserving fat while having a lot of muscle that goes unused. Strength training amps up your metabolic rate and as you build muscle underneath, your fat on top starts to look leaner.

You won’t be able to quickly spot reduce these areas but strengthening the area makes will definitely make you feel better about being in your skin. Use that pair of jeans that now fits as a sign of your success, not the number on the scale.