When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no "I'll start tomorrow. Tomorrow is disease. ~V.L. Allineare

It's easy to get frustrated when trying to lose weight and even easier to give up. Assuming you have no underlying health issues, over eating and poor food choices may be the largest contributor to your bulging waistline. So, in order to slim down, the first step is really to become your own biggest critic. A task easier said than done.

While it's probably more comfortable to have someone like a nutritionist or dietician critique your eating habits, successful weight loss will really depend on your commitment and willingness to scrutinize what you're eating. Being honest with yourself and putting your diet underneath a microscope is tough, I don't know many people who will readily admit they're responsible for their own 42+ inch waist. Sometimes it's not knowing you are making poor food choices and other times its just self-deceit.

To help you slim down and become comfortable with your body, I've tried to help you identify 3 hidden habits that may be holding you back.

The Low Down on Protein

Protein is kind of a catch all phrase. Protein is a fundamental building block of the body but is actually made up of 20 different amino acids which combine to make thousands of different proteins in the human body (Side Note: Until recently, it is accepted that there are 20 amino acids but new studies have claimed there are 22 amino acids, I don't think its a huge difference and doesn't affect the rest of this article - believe what you want, 20 or 22). The protein combinations help produce muscle, hair, nails, blood, bone, etc. Next to water, protein is the most plentiful substance in the body.

Of the 20 amino acids required by the human body, the body can create 12 - the other 8, called essential amino acids, must be supplied by food or supplements. Foods derived from animal sources are largely considered to be complete sources of protein because they contain all 20 kinds of amino acids. Other foods, like vegetables and legumes, are considered incomplete sources of protein because they don't contain all 20 amino acids - this is why eating a variety of foods is important for vegetarians (Bonus tip: Hemp contains all 8 essential amino acids and is a great source of vegetarian protein).

Additionally, the body does not store proteins the same way it does fat (crappy, I know). The good news? Protein is in pretty much every (natural) food. The bad news? You must consume protein on a daily basis.