You’re in the woods walking on a trail. It feels familiar. In fact, you’ve traveled this path repeatedly and it seems like you’re going in circles. Where is the end and why can’t you get there?

This is how getting to a healthy weight feels for me. I started this journey in the 5th grade. I was 10 years old and 159 pounds with an unhealthy lifestyle.

Eleven years and 100 pounds of weight gain later, I’m still trying to conquer this goal. I can truly say that I’ve tackled this goal over 100 times and, sometimes, I get burnt out. But I always get back to it.

Sometimes you might feel that you attempt to accomplish a goal but find yourself starting over and over again. But before you give up, here’s a few tips to help you on your next attempt.

 

1. Let it out and accept what it is

When you mess up for the umpteenth time, you might have a lot of emotions held inside. Allow yourself to fully express them. Harboring the disappointment, anger and sadness can hinder your progress because you’re holding on to the past. Choose a healthy medium such as talking to a friend, creating a video diary or writing.

After venting your feelings, accept your current state. Don’t live in the past and blame yourself with “shoulda, coulda, woulda.” You have a clean slate, so there’s no need to taint it with previous actions and inactions.

2. Assess the experience

The only things you should carry from your past are the lessons you’ve learned. Go back and figure out your strengths, your weaknesses and the triggers that lead to your downfall.

When I assessed my past experiences with weight loss, my strengths were cooking and planning, my weaknesses were being bored with the routine and having food ruts. My triggers were stress and being in my family home.

3. Adjust your plans

It’s essential to adjust your initial plans based on your assessment. Keep your strengths and routine that produces results. Discard or alter the patterns that didn’t work. And don’t start or force yourself to apply something that doesn’t sit well with you, no matter how great it worked for you or someone else.

Create a specific plan for how to handle your triggers. Some things in life, such as stress and emergencies, will never change. However, having a trigger plan can help you create conscious choices which can result in positive reactions.

4. Be patient with yourself

Please be nice to yourself and give yourself time to produce results. You have been programmed to act a different way than what you’re trying to implement. Changing any aspect of your present situation requires hard work and patience.

5. Love yourself through it all

Praise yourself for your victories whether big or small. Love yourself through your weak moments. You are human and tomorrow is a new day. Reaching for a goal means you love yourself enough to get out of your comfort zone and create a positive change in your life. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

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How do YOU dust yourself off and try again? Let us know in the comments below!