We’ve all been told that if you want to lose weight, you need to get rid of the junk, drink more water, and exercise regularly. Yet, why is it that there are still lots of people who are struggling in shedding those unwanted pounds despite trying every weight loss diet out there while slaving away at the gym for hours every day?

Believe it or not, there are some lifestyle habits that actually negate any effort you make trying to lose weight. In other words, these lifestyle habits actually not only prevent you from losing weight, but they can also even be the reason why you gained weight in the first place. That being said, knowing and getting rid of these lifestyle habits can dramatically help you to lose weight and finally experience the fruits of your labor.

Here are the 5 lifestyle habits you need to quit in order for you to lose weight.

Lack of Sleep

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, not getting enough sleep can actually wreck your metabolism, causing you to gain weight. That’s because when your body doesn’t get enough rest, your metabolism begins to slow down in order to conserve energy to keep you going. At the same time, it releases a hormone called cortisol which triggers hunger, making you experience those late-night food cravings.

Choosing foods because they are Labeled as Healthy

One of the common pieces of advice we get to lose weight is to eat healthy food. The problem is that not all those foods that are labeled as healthy foods are indeed healthy. In fact, there are some supposed “healthier” alternatives to our favorite junk foods that actually contain more fat, calories, and preservatives than the junk food that they are replacing.

A quick fix to this lifestyle habit would be to be meticulous about the actual nutritional information included at the back of the packaging rather than what’s written on the front.

Loving Warm Temperatures

Believe it or not, warm temperatures and cozy atmospheres can help you get fat. Learning to love the cold is a great way to lose weight. That’s because when you’re exposed in a cold environment, your body’s natural tendency is to try to adapt to it by warming itself up. One way it does this is a substance released in the body researchers call brown fat. Unlike the fat that you’d love to shed to lose weight, brown fat actually helps burn away the calories to convert them into heat so that the body warms up. And we all know that burning calories is how we can lose weight.

Using Plastic Containers

If you’re using plastic bottles and containers to pack your lunch to the office, this could be the reason why you’re not losing weight. Recent studies have linked a group of chemicals called phthalates used to keep plastics flexible to the increase of the production of obesogens (obesity-promoting chemicals) in the body. As you may have probably guessed, these are chemicals that actually can cause you to gain weight. If it continues to accumulate in your body, it can cause you to become obese.