As a Registered Dietitian, I’ve spent 20 years helping people work toward achieving their nutrition goals. From discussing how to set nutrition goals for losing weight, to increasing energy, to avoiding disease, I’ve assisted clients in getting clear on what they want, why they want it, and how they are going to get it.

Along the way, so many folks don’t follow through on achieving their goals. It’s frustrating for me and for them.

What is the problem?

It turns out there are many factors that influence our ability to implement change. A few of these factors include thoughts, feelings, education, finances, role models, and social structures. For those of us who have tried to change and failed, it’s important to be aware of potential issues that can impact our ability to achieve what we want.

What are some of the key factors that might stop us from reaching our nutrition goals?

Feelings

While we might not like to admit it, feelings are strong influencers of the actions we take and stick with. For example, yes, we might know it’s important to lose weight, but feelings of upset, sadness, confusion, and/or lethargy might make it challenging to follow through on what needs to be done for the goal to come to fruition. Feelings can inhibit our ability to take the necessary steps to achieve our results.

If feelings feel like the barrier between us and a health goal, there are many strategies that can be helpful. A few ideas include the following:

• Working with a mental health professional: Mental health professionals can support us in processing our feelings and in coming up with strategies to help reduce the chances of being derailed by our feelings.
•  Practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness activities such as meditation, walking in nature, and journaling can be supportive in assisting us in staying connected to why we’re doing what we’re doing. They also provide spaciousness to unwind from stresses and responsibilities.
•  Learning about our inner child: Sometimes, feelings that pop up to impede our path come from unresolved childhood upsets. Learning how to connect with and relate to the child aspects of ourselves can free us up to move forward more easily as the adults we are.
•  Emotional Freedom Technique: The Emotional Freedom Technique is a self-help technique that involves tapping on specific points of our face and hands while verbalizing statements that affirm our goodness even though the problem/feeling exists.  This technique sounds unconventional, but it’s easy to do and gets results.

Lack of Motivation

Many people report they just can’t get themselves to take action even though they want to be healthier.  Others say they make changes, but then their enthusiasm tapers off, leaving them feeling flat and unfocused. Researchers have found that the most motivating motivation comes from within, and it is tied to an internal sense of satisfaction, joy, and pleasure. This type of motivation is called intrinsic motivation. If the primary reason we’re attempting health changes is that our doctor, spouse, or friend has told us to, we are much more likely to fall flat before we reach our goal. The staying power for doing what it takes to achieve a goal comes from within.

If we’re having a hard time feeling motivated to take steps toward our goals, what can we do? A few ideas include the following:

•  Connect with what intrinsically motivates us. What feels intrinsically motivating to one person is likely to be unique, so it may require a bit of self-reflection in order to have clarity. For example, rather than focusing on the goal of losing weight, we can, instead, become more connected with the pleasure of wearing new fun clothes, comfortably running with our kids, or seeing our positive body changes over time.
• Rewrite our goal to include intrinsic motivation. For example: Instead of stating a health goal as  “to healthier eating,” a person who has identified their intrinsic motivation as curiosity about international cuisine and trying new things might instead say, “My goal is to see how my body changes as I eat like people in the blue zones for the next 90 days.” A motivating goal is one that pulls us forward by providing energy to take the next step. A key factor in how to set nutrition goals is knowing our own personal intrinsic motivators.

No planning

When it comes to achieving nutrition goals, planning is important. Think of it this way: when we want to drive to a new destination, we use a GPS system to tell us each turn to take in order to arrive successfully. The GPS for a nutrition goal is similar to a driving goal in that it is a guided route (a plan) that cues us to important milestones for successfully accomplishing our objective.

A nutrition plan might include details about when, what, and where to eat. It might also relay information about who to eat with, who to call for support, and where learning about the next steps can be obtained when the time is right.

Even though the thought of a plan might seem restrictive, the intention of a nutrition plan is to provide support for ease and accomplishment on the health journey. Remember, there are many factors that influence success in being able to achieve goals. For example, recognizing that we can’t know everything about nutrition goals for weight loss is a rational thought, but is something we often forget. There are many routes to a destination, and we don’t need to know them all. We might only be ready to consider one goal and that is normal. The whole of our plan for weight loss might be to try one new vegetable each day. That might be enough.

If we’re lacking a plan for achieving a health goal, what can we do?

• Consult a knowledgeable health professional like a Registered Dietitian and ask for help in creating a plan for achieving our health goal.
•  Research strategies that have helped others in similar situations and model our plan similarly to their plans.
• Explore different plans until we find the one that is most interesting and supportive for our needs.

Of the three reasons we’ve explored for why you’re not reaching your nutrition goals, which one seems most relevant to you? What is you next step?

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