Weights fluctuate. Some seasons (ahem, winter), the scale goes up. From time to time, diets and workout routines bring it back down. And, a lot of the time, weight loss doesn’t last.

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The never-ending fight against weight gain sometimes seems like a lost battle. One minute you're devastating the competition -- eating healthy and fighting off junk-food cravings. The next, you're back on the ropes, muttering to yourself, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing."

Although weight loss occurs when you reduce your calorie intake and burn more calories, creating too large of a deficit can actually backfire. Your weight loss stalls, you burn muscle rather than fat and you end up a few pounds heavier.

You've done everything right. You pass up the pizza and avoid mindless snacking in front of the TV, so it can feel frustrating when lifestyle changes aren't preventing weight loss. Don't worry, a few simple changes can help get you back on the right track.

Certain conversations between a husband and wife must be managed with tact and sensitivity. A spouse's weight can be a particularly sensitive issue. You may be wondering whether to mention the fact that your wife has put on weight.

Significant weight loss means making lifestyle changes that will last for the rest of your life, so it can be incredibly frustrating when it feels like your efforts aren't paying off on the scale.

Scales measure much more than just your fat weight. They also measure water retention, muscle, bone, feces, urine, food and beverages, and swelling from inflammation or hormones.

Regularly consume more calories than you burn, and you'll gain weight. Although food labels use a 2,000-calorie diet as the benchmark for average calorie consumption, that amount of calories could prompt weight gain in some sedentary people of small stature.

You'll gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn, regardless of how healthy those calories are. However, excess calories in certain foods can encourage the development of belly fat, also known as visceral fat, that inflates your waistband and increases your risk of chronic disease.

Whether you're fasting for a religious observance, weight loss or other personal reasons, you can expect your fast to affect your metabolism -- and, potentially, your weight. How much it affects your metabolism depends on how long and how often you fast.