Weight is the exact opposite of a grade point average. GPAs drop lightning fast, but they're really difficult to bring back up. Weight, on the other hand, is quite easy to gain and not-so-easy to lose. Divine Caroline counts down four reasons why weight is so finicky:

• Simple math. To maintain your weight, you need to burn as many calories as you take in. Consuming extra calories will result in weight gain. It's easy enough to exceed your calorie needs on a day-to-day basis, it's especially easy to do so when your routine is altered (like during a vacation).
• A pound is a pound is a pound. To gain a pound you need to consume 3,500 extra calories. Over the course of a special dinner out, an extra serving of dessert, and some extra large portion sizes you can reach that 3,500 calorie mark quite easily. To lose a pound, you need a deficit of 3,500 calories. Reducing the calories you eat and burning extra calories through exercise can give you the deficit you need -- but it takes commitment and effort on your part.

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I have a problem. I'm gaining weight. I hate that. Even when it's OK that I'm gaining weight -- I'll explain why it's OK in just a bit -- it really bothers me. You see, I've spent much of my adult life weighing about 142 pounds (I'm about five feet, seven inches tall). Then I got cancer, spent more than one year in treatment, and came out weighing closer to 150. Women enduring breast cancer treatment often gain up to 30 pounds, so I was lucky, really -- but I'm frustrated too, because I never wanted to weigh 150. So, I did something about it. I overhauled my diet and upped my cardio, and I landed at 135 pounds. Now, that's a number I really liked. It felt good on me. But now, it's slipping from my grasp.

Lately, 139 has been staring at me from my bathroom scale. It's OK, everyone tells me, because I've been lifting weights -- like, lifting weights to the point of actually seeing my tricep, and a little cut on the top of my shoulder, and a bicep when I flex. My legs are more toned than ever too. My body feels firm, solid, strong. My clothes fit well. Some even feel looser than normal. But I weigh more. What's the deal?

Well, muscle weighs more than fat. And I'm apparently shedding some fat while gaining some muscle. The reason I'm weighing more but feeling roomy in my shorts is because I'm tightening my body, dropping some inches even. Essentially, there's less of me. Yet what remains is heavier.

It's one thing not to be actively trying to lose weight, but that's when it seems we inadvertently start gaining weight. Pound by pound it comes creeping on, and whether it's regaining pounds that were previously lost or just slowly getting heavier as part of aging it doesn't have to happen that way. Bad habits that may seem harmless, like skipping breakfast, eating irregular meals, and helping your kids finish their plates can do slow damage to your waistline over time. Read this article to get the low down on more bad habits that you may not realize you're doing, and some helpful tips on things you can do to battle the ever-growing bulge like switching to 100% fruit juices (instead of those with added sugar) and ordering broth based soups when eating out (instead of thicker creamier ones).

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TV and obesity go hand in hand, there's no doubt about that. But are some shows worse than others when it comes to eating more and gaining weight? That is actually true, according to recent research. At first my thought was that boring TV, like when you're just surfing around because there's nothing better to do, leads to more mindless snacking, but that's not the case at all. The more entertaining the show, the more people eat.

It has to do with being distracted, and when you're distracted by that awesome movie, you pay less attention to your body's signals telling you you're full and have had enough. You just keep on eating, happy and oblivious.

Wow, that sucks!

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One of the worst things for a dieter is having that wonderful moment of success at reaching a goal, only to have it immediately followed by the slow torture of watching the pounds slowly creep back on -- one by one, until all your hard work has disappeared.

Don't let it happen to you! Try these ideas, which include weighing in daily (I've heard arguments both ways on that), having a meal plan, and redefining what you define as "normal" (i.e. going off your diet).

A little bit of give and take on your way down to thinner-ness is normal (heck, we can't be perfect), but true yo-yo dieting is neither fun nor healthy, so fight the urge to give up when if it happens to you.

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