It is so easy to tell yourself that you are going to accomplish something new, but what happens when this task takes longer than you had allowed for? Your motivation starts to disappear and quite often you give up on the idea altogether or drift to something else that isn’t the focus.

It definitely can be hard to stay focused on certain things. Weight loss is an example of this. If you have ever tried to lose weight you know your enthusiasm is so high for the first week or two. As you make lifestyle changes the weight drops off quickly and you are feeling great about your efforts.

A few weeks into your diet you plateau and don’t lose any weight. You start to eat a little more or stop exercising as much and then before you know it you have abandoned your goal and have gone back to your old habits.

There are several reasons for this. First you may not have recognised that plateauing is a perfectly normal occurrence when it comes to losing weight. Secondly did you use not losing any weight as an excuse to have that extra treat or to miss a workout? Your mind can do wonderful things and is capable of coming up with hundreds of reasons to not do something. It also has a critical part to play in loosing weight.

To stay motivated and focus you can do a number of things including:

• Set smaller goals
• Keep a calendar, food tracker or exercise planner
• Share your goals with someone else
• Join a group of people with the same goals

By creating smaller goals you won’t feel as overwhelmed when your results start to dwindle or slow down. If you break this down further into weekly targets you can easily stay focused longer. It isn’t as hard to do something new from a Monday to Friday as it is to think about doing it for months at a time.

Next you really need to be honest with yourself. If you had lost weight before you hit that plateau then congratulate yourself on that achievement. Focus on what you have done and not where you have to go! Remain present and don’t look negatively into the future. Here highlights a good reason to keep photos of your weight loss journey. When you are feeling down take a look at them and remember what you did look like.

By changing your mindset to be more positive you can stay focused with your goals.