Many folks try to lose weight and it is no easy feat—those who do shed off pounds tend to regain it back. Oftentimes people intend to change their lifestyle habits only to break these healthy habits soon after. So what does it take to keep those habits in your life?

We spoke to a behavior change expert to find out why people have such a tough time losing weight and what are the best behaviors to follow that can help enable successful weight loss.

“For nearly all of us, there is often a gap between what we intend to do and what we end up doing,” says Allison Grupski, Ph.D. and Vice President of Behavior Change Strategies & Coaching at Weight Watchers. “This happens because we’re human—which means that pretty predictable things get in our way. But there are ways to bridge that intention-action gap, especially for those looking to lose weight or get healthier.”

Here are five behaviors that can help make your healthy goals doable. Then, for more on long-term weight loss tips, take a look at This Diet and Exercise Combo Is the Key to Long-Term Weight Loss, New Study Says.

“We often think that to lose weight, we must entirely change our lives,” says Grupski. “We imagine some version of our future self who is doing all of the ‘right things’ and living our best life. And for most of us, the distance between today-us and that imagined best-self-us is not insignificant.”

Behavioral theories suggest that the less attainable a goal seems, the less likely we are going to take action. Instead of envisioning a complete transformation, Grupski says to set goals that have a 95% chance of you completing and repeating. In order to do that, get really specific about what you will do and when; focus the goal on something you will get some enjoyment from doing; and make sure your approach is one that genuinely fits into your life as it is today.

Grupski explains that we tend to think about what we will or won’t eat or whether we’ll start jogging again or try a new workout. But we often stop short of really figuring out “how” to make it happen.

“This is why it’s important, when we’re deciding on what we want to do differently, to focus even more energy on precisely how we’ll make it happen,” she says. “We should ask ourselves questions like: what exactly am I going to do? When will I do it? What might get in the way and how can I plan for that?”

“We often have an all-or-nothing thinking style when it comes to making healthy changes,” Grupski says. “So when we miss the mark of what we planned to do, we think of it as a ‘mess up’ or as evidence that we ‘ruined’ the good stuff we already did.”

This way of thinking makes a big impact on what we do. For example, when we think “well, I already ate 2 cookies … might as well finish the sleeve.” This is where noticing our thinking patterns, gently challenging them, looking at the big picture, and practicing self-compassion come in.

Many folks like to see those numbers drop on the scale, especially when the results are quick. When weight loss occurs slowly, plateaus, or even reverses people tend to get discouraged and don’t want to continue on their weight loss journey—even though this almost always tends to happen along the way.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

“This is where keeping the big picture of health in mind and focusing on off-the-scale progress—like improved energy and mobility—come in,” Grupski explains. “And some research even suggests that focusing on process more than the outcomes can help you stay on track.”

When it comes to eating behaviors, here are several behavioral strategies that Grupski suggests to help support your weight loss journey.

• Practice self-compassion: Most folks fall off the wagon or “mess up” and that is 100% normal and inevitable. Recognize that you’re human, talk kindly to yourself, and move forward.
• Track what you eat: Research shows that tracking what you eat is a powerful behavioral strategy for weight loss and maintenance. You don’t have to count every morsel or figure out how many calories you just ate in a meal. It’s a simple form of self-monitoring and developing awareness. Tracking what you eat gives you a chance to start noticing patterns and can be very empowering. Research from the WW Success Registry suggests that food tracking can help members successfully lose weight and keep it off says Grupski. “Specifically, 74.4% of WW Success Registry members (those who lost at least 20 pounds on WW and kept it off for at least a year) reported tracking what they ate “most of the time” or “always” compared to 7.4% of the weight stable control group.”
• Plan ahead: You’re much more likely to eat whatever is in reach when you get hungry. That’s when planning comes in handy. Having healthy foods inclusive of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, low and nonfat dairy available make them more likely to be included in your meals and snacks. Even better if you can pre-plan your meals and snacks so you don’t have to think twice when it’s mealtime.

READ MORE: These Behaviors Increase Your Dementia Risk, According to Doctors

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How and why are your fears the limiting factors that impede your behaviors and thwart your plans? A form of emotional energy (just like passion), fear is ever present. It comes in many forms and from various sources; whenever we suspect a hidden agenda, or when we are summoned to find a better way of doing things.

Barriers that cause us to distort and ignore unpleasant results; stifle our learning. If induced, it can only be useful as a good short-term non-repetitive motivator. Like other human energy, it can be oriented and employed as an effective tool for success. If it is self-generated, it can stimulate us and provides us with the energy to meet all important opportunities and challenges.

Have you ever wondered: What did happen to all your past goals, plans and actions; if any? Why didn’t they materialize? You may say that you had tried to overcome them, but why are you still in your present situation? Nothing you tried worked in the past, so how different will it be now!

The ONLY ANSWER that I could offer: It is because you are still having negative limitations within you! They held you back in so many ways, and in every way. In reality, when you come face to face with your difficulties; you look for the nearest exit – avoiding them rather than challenge them and move forward. Your focus on your goals is being distracted and you abandon your vision.

These fears are very effective! In the most extreme cases, they are very destructive – causing emotional (mental illnesses), social (shunned and avoided by others) and physical (bodily maladies) results! Normal ones have crossed over the line to destructive ones (in varying degrees) when you allow them to inhibit you from attempting whatever you would like to do or should do.

Regardless of which kind they are, they will continue to thwart your current and future plans and actions; unless you decide to tackle them head on, accepting them as a stimulus. Otherwise, you will suffer their paralyzing effects. Have you really considered every possible restriction thoroughly? What kinds of strategies and plans did you adopt to deal with them?

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” – Rosa Parks

What are these stumbling blocks? They apply to every one of us; and can come in various forms, to name a few, they include fear of:

• Failure or mistakes
• Success
• Disassociation with your current, or even new associations
• Step out of your comfort zones or into the unknown.

They came from conditioning from your past – the people who came before you (your grandparents, parents, even teachers), your peers, and even on starting a job. We were all conditioned to work accordingly and not question authority or facts. They manifested through your personality or temperament, and in your own thoughts of failing and making mistakes. You also want to avoid being ridiculed and what others may think of your sudden failed undertakings.

Your upbringing also often warned you that to be successful is taboo. Success means earning lots of money is sinful or through unscrupulous means.  They also come in the form of the kinds of people you attract and associate with. Such influences can harm you and add to your unease to move out of your comfort zones due to lack of support.

In the form of negative messages from news broadcasts on TV, newspapers or in magazines – on assaults and murders, growth barriers convince us that the world is coming apart. Another commonly overlooked area is our ignorance and neglect of the use of the vast positive resources (books, magazines, tapes and even email newsletters) readily available to us. One thing, for sure, is that all these – induced or self-generated – fears have their limits. It is up to you to discover and halt them before they overgrow to the state of being overwhelming.

How are These Restrictions Limiting Your Actions and Behaviors?

From past ignorance, they lead to further ignorance; not letting us want to explore the Unknown. They lead us to have mixed perceptions of things around us. We thus keep repeating them throughout our daily lives over and over again.

Can You Completely Dispel All These Limitations?

Yes, we all can! You must first realize that FEAR really is no more than False Evidence Appearing Real.

The road to success is never easy for anyone. You only see successful people in their peak moments, not their many years of striving to get there. The two sure things in life are death and taxes. The two sure things on the road to success are failure and doubt.

You must learn from failure and conquer your doubt in order to achieve any success. Thus, you need to have a well-developed plan, with your values as foundation and a vision for yourself from within you; to make that vision happen. In short, there is nothing holding you back. So give them no power in your life. Instead turn them into positive fears and start to enjoy living life on the right path.

Now, decide what YOU REALLY WANT for yourself! Face up to your qualms and turn them around. Regain control of your life as you avoid all the dangers of failure. Put all these down on paper, not just bits and pieces; get a journal. It will come a long way as you plan out your every step of your life from this point onwards.

I used to draft meetings, afraid that I will make the mistakes of jumbling my facts up. Then, I begin to view it as a good thing. It in turn created discipline in me and helped me to be more focused on the important things that I really need to do.

Beware: These hindrances can sneak back even when we are successful. To keep us on our toes, we all need a good mentor or someone to whom we can be accountable to. If you would let the trepidation of letting someone else down be greater than your willingness to let yourself (even your goals) slip away; you are on your way to be a winner, overcoming your personal development barriers.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” – Marie Curie

Wouldn’t it be great when the day comes for all of us to leave this world, we can be proud that we had LIVED LIFE and made it an enriching and successful one. We all want to be honored and recognized for our efforts during our time on this earth – we all get only one chance. So, let’s not waste it and make the most of it!

Knowing the fundamental limiting factors that most affect your personal actions and behaviors, you are set to focus upon adopting your new life strategies. These include your personal philosophy, and the remapping of your personal values and ethics. Draw up your personal development plan to help you along as you embark onto the fulfillment of your many desires.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the power of the change within you – in mind, body and soul – as you grow in your capability to dispel all your personal development barriers. You must be willing to take some risks and accept no excuses from yourself! That way, you will have no regrets in yourself and your life. If one way fails, look for alternative ways to overcome your problems.

Remember that any kind of change and goal achievement – including the mastery of fears – is a learning process as you travel on your road to success. It takes time to happen.

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