Have you ever felt confused about how you got yourself into the position of needing to lose weight? Maybe you were always skinny as a child, or you've been overweight for as long as you can remember. Maybe everyone else in your family is thin and you are the only one who is overweight. Whatever your personal story is, sometimes you aren't really sure where the problem began, and knowing that information can be helpful as you work on changing your habits and releasing the weight for good.

Below are a few common reasons why people gain weight:

The concept of self-love is uncomfortable for many people because they shudder to think about vain, egotistical people they've known. True self-love is nothing like vanity or egotism -- in fact, quite the opposite. True self-love is subtle and humble, never obtrusive.

Why is self-love important in the process of losing weight?

Because if you don't truly love yourself, you'll struggle to do what's best for you, including taking good care of your body and losing weight. When you really love yourself, you actually want to take care of yourself. You want to eat right and exercise. You want to get plenty of rest. You respect yourself and expect others to do the same.

If you don't yet have such a strong sense of self-love, here's how to develop it:

Most of us have gotten them at one time or another; those "not so nice" comments from well-meaning friends and family. "Have you put on a little bit of weight?" "That dress used to be looser on you, didn't it?" "[sing-song voice] ... Someone is growing a set of love handles..." They don't mean to be cruel, but sometimes people don't realize how hurtful their comments can be.

Then there are the comments and snickers from strangers, which can be even more hurtful because they are coming from people who don't know you at all; they are simply judging you by your appearance. It's not fun to receive reactions like these, and it's all too easy to take them personally.

It's hard to know how to handle things like this. Do you fling back an insult or two of your own? Say nothing and suffer in silence? Vow to "show them" when you've lost all the weight and look great?

When you're on a diet or simply trying to eat better and lose weight, there is a tendency to focus on the negative. Have you ever done this? "Darn, I only lost a pound, I was hoping for at least two pounds." "I shouldn't have eaten that bagel yesterday morning, the thing was almost as big as my head." "That extra serving of pasta at dinner last night was a bad idea. Why did I do that?" "Will this weight EVER come off? At this rate I won't reach my goal until I'm 90!"

Sound familiar?

Most experts agree that weight loss is not just a physical endeavor - there are a whole bunch of emotional and mental issues that tie in to the size and state of your body.

While weight loss is largely a result of calories in, calories out, there are also plenty of mental "stumbling blocks" that could slow you down or even keep you from reaching your goal weight at all.

Below are 7 common beliefs that could cause problems while you are trying to lose weight:

Do you ever feel inspired by other people's weight loss success and wish you could replicate that success for yourself? You can! And the good news is that you can do it even before you have reached your goal weight. Below are three simple steps to get you started.

When you want to achieve success, making one change at a time is a technique that brings results. You may be surprised to discover that one of the most beneficial changes you can make towards success is what you eat!

The type of food you eat has an impact on brain function and how you feel overall. For example, the guys over at Google eat sushi for lunch and they're always coming up with innovative ideas that make our lives easier!

We all know how important physical changes are in weight loss, but the overall state of your mind day to day can also have a huge impact on the state of your body. This is largely due to the fact that your actions are usually inspired by your thoughts.

A negative attitude and pessimistic outlook will discourage you from taking the proper actions to improve your health and shrink your waistline, while a positive, optimistic attitude will keep you feeling motivated and empowered to do what's best for your body.

There are two main areas to consider when it comes to your attitude:

Sometimes we encounter barriers to our weight loss. Stop for a moment: when you read that first sentence, you probably thought of the biggies like temptations for food cravings that you have to overcome. But not everything is so blatantly obvious. There are many obstacles that prevent you from succeeding that are easily fixable if you know how to recognize them.

You need to spot the things in your life that stop you from losing weight. What makes it hard on you? Do you not have time to work out? Is eating healthy more of a pain than a pleasure? Think about it before you read on.