As it turns out, success principles apply to weight loss as much as they apply to starting a business, increasing sales, or any other goal. Success is 80% psychology; 20% skill. Don't believe it? How else do you explain the scenario that Americans' waistlines continue to expand every year despite the fact that we live in a world where information is free. You can find the answer to any question 24/7 without even leaving your coach.

As you read the list, you'll find that psychology, or mindset, is at the root of the most common challenges. The good news is, women love to change their minds. In fact, we're known for it!

Read on to learn the top 3 major challenges to losing weight and why mindset is the key to unlocking the door to a trim body once and for all.

Most women start a diet or exercise plan without a powerful enough reason as to why they want to begin their quest in the first place. Having a goal and not knowing why you have the goal is a recipe for failure because there is no motivation present for achieving it.

Your reason (your "why?") for losing weight is your motive, ie. your motivation. Your "why?" must be totally irresistible to you. It must be something unique to you that has a deep and valuable meaning to you. It has to be something that will cause you to say "no" to doughnuts when they smell so good and say "yes" to working out when you'd rather sleep in. No one else can motivate you 100%. Motivation comes from within. External motivators can help but they are not the complete answer. Only you can genuinely motivate you.

Without a compelling reason it is hard to maintain all the changes you must make to transition to a healthy lifestyle. A compelling why will give you the stamina to last for the long haul.

Women who are unsuccessful at long-term weight loss often see a "diet" or exercise program as a short-term solution. It's the difference between saying "This is how I live my life now" versus "When can I eat [insert favorite high-calorie food here] again?" We tend to see diet and exercise as a form of deprivation; not being able to eat what we want and do what we want. In actuality, it's a gift you give yourself; the gift of health.

If you plan to eventually return to your old habits, you have already failed. Your success will be as temporary as your efforts. Temporary solutions offer temporary results. As soon as the old habits return, so do the pounds. You must undergo a lifestyle change to lose weight and keep it off. It is unrealistic to think that you can return to your old habits and keep the weight off you've worked so hard to lose. And let's face it, it's so much easier to gain weight than to lose.

Does the term "Super Woman Syndrome" mean anything to you? Women often set themselves up for failure because they set the bar too high and don't give themselves enough time to reach their goals. I'm not saying you can't reach them. I'm saying you must be patient.

The extra weight didn't happen overnight and it certainly will not come off overnight. If you are impatient and expect too much too soon, you are setting yourself up for failure. You'll become disenchanted with the whole process and that's a real turn-off that can lead to you giving up altogether.

Reaching the goal feels great no matter how small the goal or how long it takes you to get there. Setting milestones or short-term goals can help if you have a big goal that's going to take some time. Every little bit matters and every pound lost contributes to your overall goal.

Taking it slow also has another benefit. The longer you do something, the better the habit is engrained. The more you practice good eating and exercise habits, the more likely it will become a part of your life.

Do any of these obstacles seem familiar to you? Maybe you know someone that struggles with one of these issues or perhaps you yourself do. As you can see, the most common weight loss challenges are not solely about knowing what to do. Many of them are all about mindset. Even challenges that are predominantly about skills still have an element of mindset in them, clearly making mindset the most predominant reason most women struggle with weight loss.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults and one sixth of children in America are obese. In the past twenty years, obesity rates doubled for adults and tripled for children. If these trends continue, by the time today's children reach adulthood, obesity will be the norm and healthy weight the exception. In fact, for the first time in U.S. history, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents. Those statistics are mind boggling, especially for the "information age."

When trying to lose weight and keep it off, behavior modification is the key. It requires creating and sustaining a change in lifestyle. The information regarding how to lose weight is essential but obviously not enough. If it were, as information became more readily available over the years, the statistics would have been going in the opposite direction, assuming most people want to maintain a reasonable weight.

It boils down to logic versus emotion. Information addresses the logical side of weight loss while mindset addresses the more powerful emotional side. People don't always go after what they need; but they will almost always chase what they want.