With the best will in the world, sometimes losing weight doesn't work out as smoothly as you'd hoped. Illnesses or work commitments get in the way, or the weather's too bad for a run and the gym is too busy to get on a machine. It could also be that your programme has reached a plateau - or ask yourself if you are bored with your routine.

No matter what it is, it needs to be tackled and it may be that you will have to accept that you have gone as far as you can. Don't feel guilty or lose hope if you have hit a plateau; it happens to everyone. The trick is to get yourself moving again.

SETTING REALISTIC GOALS

When you decide to lose weight, you'll find progress usually good at first. There is a desire to shed the pounds quickly while motivation is high. As long as you've been exercising and watching what you eat, you can expect to lose a couple of pounds a week.

Ask yourself if the goals you are setting yourself are so high that you are becoming demotivated. So, for example, if you expected to lose weight more quickly - perhaps for the first couple of weeks you lost 4lb-5lb a week - your mind starts to calculate how much you could lose over the next six weeks. Your expectation may now be 25lb rather than a more reasonable 8lb-10lb. Also, if you are within 10-15 per cent of your ideal weight, you don't have a great deal to lose anyway, and losing any more than perhaps a pound a week would be unrealistic. You need to have a sensible perspective on your weight loss and control your expectations.

MAKE A PLAN

Psychologically Think like a beginner again. Remember how you felt when you started and you set your inspiring goals. Put what you have achieved so far out of your mind for a moment and reset the way you approach workouts. This is a fresh routine and a new set of goals. Focus on putting struggles behind you: the tough workouts when you were tired; the days when your diet fell apart. Focus on today and your plans to improve from now on.

Reassess goals and expectations. Look at what you have achieved and gauge how fast you may be able to change realistically. Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up. If you've been working out but the visible results are a little slower to show than you had hoped, focus on how you look and how you have changed. Success can be a stop-start process, so give yourself a pat on the back for having worked so hard so far.

Physically Have a look at how hard you are working as it is important to get the intensity right. To burn fat you need to feel as though you are reaching a level of about 7-8/10 when working aerobically. When you work at this level you can expect to be perspiring, hot, out of breath and feeling as if you are working at a moderate to hard level. Try some interval training - 90 seconds high intensity followed by 90 seconds low intensity for the normal length of your workout. This will give your metabolism a big boost and may just be the kickstart you need.

Are you working for long enough? You need to spend three to four hours a week exercising, with a roughly 60/40 split in favour of aerobic training. Look closely at whether you are really doing that each week, and ask yourself if you're using your time effectively. Make sure that you're not chatting or taking long water stops and rest breaks.

Get tested Have you really hit a plateau? Just because your weight loss has slowed down does not mean that your body fat reduction has followed suit. Bigger muscles are heavier. Fat is a relatively light tissue and it is possible that while the scales have become stuck, your body composition has continued to change. Stay calm and try to enjoy the process, even the seemingly tough bits.

To find out more about Matt, click on to www.mattroberts.co.uk