Secrets To Overcoming Obstacles That Sabotage Weight Loss Efforts

In this article you’ll discover the most common obstacles that keep people from achieving their fitness and weight loss goals. As a professional fitness trainer with over 20 years of experience helping people change their shape, I can tell you the most overlooked component in any fitness or weight loss program is the individual’s belief systems.

In short, a person’s results or lack thereof will be largely determined by their thoughts. Ultimately we are a reflection of how we see ourselves. If you tell yourself over and over again that you’re fat, chances are you’ll remain that way. This may sound crazy but it’s absolutely true.

The first tip on how to stay focused on your goals is to remain patient. You must be patient with yourself especially during the early stages of any fitness or weight loss program. Don’t try to be perfect. You’re bound to be disappointed and let negative thoughts creep into your subconscious if you’re too hard on yourself. The goal should simply be to work every day on being better than you were the day before.

Remember, you’re introducing significant change into your life. It can be overwhelming which is why I believe it’s so important to go slow and be patient. Work on one area at a time by developing a consistent routine which over time will turn into a habit. Once you’ve hit the “habit phase” your chances for success increase significantly.

“Successful change comes from the repetition of certain activities time and time again until they become subconscious. Repetition is everything!”

Many people get frustrated and give up after a "bad weekend" of eating or a stressful week at work that causes them to go off their new routine. Relax, this happens to everyone as even the most dedicated fitness fanatics miss workouts and slip up on their diet every now and then.

The difference is the people who see results simply refuse to quit or feel guilty about not being perfect. They get right back on track and put the past behind them. Accept the fact right now that you will slip up, have bad days, and not be perfect.

Commit to the mindset right now that when you mess up you’ll cut it lose quick, ask yourself what you can do to change the situation next time, and then get back on track. Understand going in that some people will undoubtedly respond faster than others with weight loss. This is always the case because people simply have different genetics, metabolism, etc. Does it mean that you’re cursed because you have bad genetics and you’ll never be able to have the body you want? Absolutely not! You simply have to believe that you can do it. It begins and ends with your thoughts.

Maybe you’ll have to work a little harder, be more conscious of what you eat, or get additional support and assistance. It simply may take you a little longer than a friend or someone else you know but that’s ok. You can still achieve the body you want if you believe you can and stick with it long enough. Make a commitment to yourself right now to resist the temptation to compare your progress against someone else.

Stay focused on the positive results you see and feel from your body. Don’t get caught in the pitfall of thinking about the expectations all the time. I’ve seen far too many people mentally derail their programs because they allowed themselves to get upset about only losing one pound for the week.

This is great news in my book for anyone! You’re either moving forward or backward and this is moving forward. Continue in that direction long enough and small changes will have their way of turning into big changes.

The most common obstacles that you’re likely to encounter:

I've outlined below the most common obstacles I see people reporting when starting a body transformation program. If any of these ring a bell, see the specific action steps I recommend you use to get back on track.

“I can't seem to stay motivated about doing my workouts regularly”

This has to rank right up there at the top on most people's lists. Let's be realistic, you're breaking old habits and once the initial excitement of starting a new program wears off you'll need some help to keep from backsliding. Follow these steps to position your thoughts for long-term success.

1. Begin by analyzing the costs of not taking action versus the rewards. Many people dream about having the body they desire without considering the fact that obstacles will be involved. Accept the reality up front that everything will not be smooth sailing. Considering the costs involved gives you power. It prepares you and offers you the opportunity to look for solutions before problems arrive.

2. Write down three benefits you'll receive by sticking with your program along with three negative outcomes that will result from you not taking action. Be very descriptive as your thoughts are extremely powerful.

Remember the avoidance of pain is much stronger than the desire for pleasure. Successful change comes when the pain of not taking action outweighs the investments you'll have to make in new lifestyle changes.

“I do great with my diet for a while but then blow it with emotional eating”

In order for you to control emotional eating, it is necessary to identify the situations that trigger your emotional eating episodes. Is it after an argument with your spouse? Is it when you are bored or depressed? How about after a rough day at work? Once you identify these triggers you will begin to see patterns, and then and only then can you experiment with alternative ways of dealing with these emotions.

I am a big believer in neurolinguistic programming (NLP) for helping people to break unwanted habits. Tony Robbins is the master of teaching NLP in a very simplified way. I would highly recommend his "Personal Power" audio series as a classic learning tool.

“I struggle with really craving sweets”

The first thing to recognize is a main reason you're craving sweets is due to physiological triggers and not just your mind simply craving them.

If you've been eating a diet high in sugar you'll naturally go through withdrawal when pulling them out. Sugar is a very addictive substance. Know that withdrawal symptoms are sure to come and get prepared to counter them. The first week or two are the toughest but then a magical thing happens.

When your body begins adjusting to eating more protein and healthy fats you'll naturally crave sugar less and less. When blood glucose levels get stabilized your body won't demand sugar like it has in the past.

The second strategy is to use naturally sweet alternatives for snacks. Try having some low-fat yogurt with strawberries for dessert as an example. If push comes to shove and you just got to have some chocolate have a small piece of dark chocolate immediately after your meal and eat it slowly.

“I struggle with staying consistent with my exercise”

The key strategy to staying consistent with exercise involves two very important elements.

First, you must schedule your exercise like you would any other appointment. Schedule a time for daily exercise and stick to it. Sure there will be times when you must make an exception, but it should happen infrequently. Let friends, family members, business associates, and others know that you're unavailable at these times and ask them to respect it.

Set your priorities for a healthy life of balance that includes quiet time, physical activity and down time. I can assure you the long term costs of not doing this will far outweigh any short term benefits you may gain from making exceptions.

The second key element is accountability. I can't stress this enough. You must be accountable to someone other than yourself. This may come from an exercise partner, a friend or of course a fitness trainer. This individual must be impermeable to your excuses and sincerely care about seeing you reach your goals. There is amazing power in being accountable to someone else especially during the early stages of creating new routines.

“I get discouraged when the scale isn't going down fast enough in my mind”

If you're weighing yourself on a daily basis get ready to ride an emotional roller coaster. I've always been dead against daily weigh-in's because they can be very misleading and emotionally counterproductive. Let me explain. The scale can only give you a measurement of your total body mass not body fat. You're should only be interested in losing body fat which happens gradually not daily. Fluctuations in water weight can and do happen frequently. Remember, you're body is made up of over 70% water and slight shifts in water retention will make a big difference on the scale.

You may see the scale go down a few pounds when you cut back on carbohydrates in the beginning of your weight loss program and for good reason. One gram of glycogen (stored carbohydrate) binds with it four grams of water. Start pulling out carbohydrates and you'll lose a lot of water weight.

On the flipside, when you start completing resistance training your muscles will undoubtedly undergo inflammation. How does your body deal with inflammation? You guessed it, retaining water around the muscles to aid in recovery and protection. Although short term, this is a main reason why many people will see their weight actually increase in the beginning of an exercise routine.

Are you thinking of all this when you step on the scale each morning? I'm guessing you're not. But what happens if you don't see the number you're looking for? You're likely to get discouraged without having all the facts.

A better measurement of your progress in the beginning is to evaluate how your clothes fit, how much energy you have and what others say about how you look. These are likely to be positive statements and thus provide positive reinforcement. Take your measurements and test your body fat at the end of each month for best results. Step on the scale weekly if you must but know up front you're not getting the whole story.

I hope this article has given you a better understanding of the obstacles you’re likely to encounter when starting a fitness or weight loss program. I can assure you that if you remain positive and stay focused on your goals you can overcome them all and be on your way towards the body you desire.