Even if you’ve never dieted, you’ve probably heard someone utter this famous calorie-counting complaint: “How do I lose the last 10 pounds?”

Shedding those final 35,000 calories is often a mysterious, frustrating chore. Body mass that melts away early in your diet becomes more stubborn later on. Why does this happen?

Experts say the reason is often simple: nature intends us to be only so thin. Genetics and a person’s body frame play a large role in determining a person’s overall weight. In other words, your genes play a major part in the size of your jeans.

Distorted images

Today’s image-conscious world distorts our notions of body image. So, we chase beauty standards that are false or unrealistic. People who eat sensibly and exercise regularly eventually hit a weight-loss plateau upon achieving a normal, healthy density appropriate for their body type.

Trying to lose weight beyond this point and keep it off is futile. Like cutting our hair to the perfect length and hoping it never grows longer, it puts our expectations at war with our very biology.

For this reason, many experts urge people to simply make peace with those last 10 pounds. This allows you to take pride in all the pounds already lost while focusing on maintaining lifestyle changes that will keep the weight off.