by Joanna Hall

What are the reasons you can't lose weight? Joanna Hall, author of The Weight Loss Bible and the best-selling Drop a Size in Two Weeks Flat, tells how to knock down the barriers that keep you from reaching your goals

On your weight-loss journey you are going to come up against a whole host of barriers that can hinder your efforts. Many will be genuine challenges, possibly the same ones that have hindered your progress in the past. So deciding on a way to deal with them and bash them down will be part of your weight-loss tool kit. The logic concerning barriers is simple: when they are high, or perceived to be high, then confidence is low. Identifying your barriers in advance and learning how to bash them down will help keep you on track. As you follow The Weight Loss Bible, you'll come across several barriers, but you'll also find ways to help you become a great Barrier Basher! Remember, if you do not attempt to implement some of the action plans to break down the barriers, then your barrier still exists. Learning to bash down your barriers can help you to become an Inner Coach rather than an Inner Critic.

Barrier: Lack of Time
Probably the most cited barrier. You don't need to have hours on end to take action, or put your normal life on hold to make weight loss work for you.
Bash it down:
Exercise earlier in the day. Studies have shown that people who are new to exercise and choose to exercise first thing in the morning are 75 per cent more likely to still be exercising 12 months later. Schedule in exercise blocks at the start of each week and write reminders everywhere - on your computer screen, diary and mobile phone - to let you know when you should be exercising. Think shorter exercise bouts, not longer! Research has shown that people who take shorter exercise bouts end up completing more than those whose exercise bouts were longer. Seek out ways to exercise at home. People tend to stick with home-based exercises more than facility-based exercise sessions.

Barrier: Too much effort
Many people perceive exercise as a skill, requiring great physical coordination or an aptitude for sport - but this needn't be the case.
Bash it down:
Seek out ways to exercise at home. For example, use home exercise DVDs, or try walking routes of differing lengths near your home. Stop looking at exercise purely as a way of getting hot and sweaty or as something that has be done in exercise kit. Building up lifestyle activity to top up your structured exercise can help change your traditional perceptions about exercise.

Barrier: Lack of support
Social support is very important, whether it is from a partner, friend or support group. There will be people, however, who actively discourage your new healthy habits.
Bash it down:
Seek out and identify who will be the supporters and saboteurs. Studies with recovering heart disease patients reveal that men had an 80 per cent adherence rate to their exercise programme when supported by their spouse compared to 40 per cent when their spouse had a neutral attitude.

Find exercise partners who will be powerful motivational supporters. Find people who can help make it easier to build exercise into your life. For example, if your partner or friend agrees to pick up the children three days a week, you can use that time to exercise. Explaining to others the importance to you of following your exercise and eating programme may help them be more supportive.

Barrier: Lack of self-esteem
Building self-confidence in yourself right now is crucial. Don't wait for your self-confidence to suddenly appear once you have lost weight. Invest in it now.
Bash it down:
Teach yourself small successes. Take 120 microbouts of 15 seconds' exercise throughout the day and you've done 30 minutes of exercise without even realising it. Congratulate yourself with Post-It reminders each time you complete your actions.

Barrier: Lack of knowledge
You want to lose weight but you don't know where to start, what plan to follow, what exercise to do or what food to eat. A lack of knowledge can be just as confusing as having too much information and not knowing where to start.
Bash it down:
Make a commitment to learn how your body works and the impact your actions, however small, can have. Invest in yourself and read the relevant sections in the Weight Loss Bible. Enrol on a course with a qualified personal trainer or weight management support group. Be specific about what you want to achieve, so your plan can be as appropriate as possible.

Barrier: Too many obstacles
Hindrances such as not being near a health club or having to work late, the menstrual cycle or a weekend away with friends can all be hindrances or obstacles that act as a barrier.
Bash it down:
Honestly identify your behaviour chains. These are chains of events that can stop you from exercising or eating sensibly. For example, you may have planned to go to the gym after work but you ended up not going because your boss shoved a report under your nose as you were walking out the door and said he wanted it ready for first thing the following morning. You may blame your lack of gym attendance on the actions of your boss, but in actual fact, the real reason could be because you overslept, which put pressure on your day from the start.

What is success?
Measuring your success plays a very important part in sustaining your weight loss motivation. But what constitutes success? Success may primarily mean victory on the scales, but your success will also be reflected in a far wider range of changes than this - and learning about them now will be helpful when your weight loss slows down or even stays the same for a while, despite your continued efforts. (This is quite normal; it should be something you're prepared for.) Positive side-effects of weight loss success will include having more energy, sleeping better, reducing high blood pressure or blood cholesterol, dropping belt buckle-holes, increased confidence, noticing a more radiant complexion and a spring in your step, and not feeling short of breath as you walk up the stairs. The list is endless, so note down your own particular successes. There will be far more than just the decreasing measurements on your bathroom scales.

Excerpted from The Weight Loss Bible, published by Kyle Cathie, £19.99