Getting started, the old saying goes, is half the battle.

        Staying started is the other half — especially when you're waging the battle of the bulge.

        People who are trying to lose weight often get caught in one of two traps. Their weight-loss efforts are successful — but after the weight comes off, they return to their old habits, eating poorly and hanging out on the couch.

        Or their weight-loss efforts stall, and they get discouraged and quit. Meal plans can be too complicated or unsatisfying, exercise routines can be too much work, life can get in the way of healthy living.

        The truth is, most experts say, successful weight loss takes more than sound nutrition and regular physical activity. Dieters also need a healthy dose of reality once in a while.

        Here are some tips for successfully sticking with a weight-loss plan:

Do your homework

        Before you even start a weight-loss plan, make sure you know what you're getting into. If you're never home, look for a plan that shows you how to allow for restaurant meals and pre-packaged foods. If you hate exercise, think about fun ways to be active. Take a dance class. Sign up for swim lessons. Go for a walk in the park or go hiking.

Change your focus

        Most people focus on losing weight when they should be concentrating on living healthfully, says Lauren Niemes, a registered dietitian and executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Nutrition Council.

        Instead of deciding you want to be a size 2, decide to get your blood pressure under control.

Set small, measurable goals

        “Rather than saying, "I want to lose 20 pounds,' look at very specific behaviors you can measure,” says Ms. Niemes. Instead of focusing on losing the 20 pounds, she suggests setting a goal of eating three servings of vegetables a day or exercising a set number of minutes every day. “That's something you can measure,” Ms. Niemes says.

        The problem with focusing on pounds instead of behaviors is that people revert to their old habits once the pounds come off, Ms. Niemes says.

Monitor your progress

        Set up a chart, if you have to, so you can check off your daily exercise or servings of fruit and vegetables.

Reward yourself

        When you meet a goal, take a trip, buy a new swimsuit, go to a day spa. And remember: a trip to Graeter's probably isn't a good reward for your three-day-a-week exercise bike encounters.

        Losing weight and improving fitness are a lot of work. You have to measure food and count servings and add up calories. You have to sweat and stretch.

        And at some point in every weight loss plan there comes a time when the scale refuses to budge. Sometimes the plateau lasts for weeks or months or longer, and all that sweat and broccoli you invested seem to have gone for naught.

        Again, it's time to change focus: Stop measuring your progress in pounds, says Brad Messenger, a personal trainer at Cincinnati Sports Club in Fairfax.

        “I remind people that if they've put together a good program that involves some strength training and some cardiovascular and a healthy diet and they don't see a weight loss, they should call their doctor and get their body fat checked,” Mr. Messenger says. “If they're doing everything right, there's a very good chance that what they're doing is taking off fat and putting on muscle. If I lose a pound of fat and gain a pound of muscle, the scale hasn't changed, but I'm healthier.”

        Lean muscle mass is important for long-term health, Ms. Niemes says. Muscle also revs up your metabolism, so you'll be burning more calories during every day activities.

        “People get discouraged with plateaus, but it's really a good thing, because the scale is not going up. It's staying the same. You're maintaining weight, not gaining it,” she says.

Some tips

        • Be patient. You didn't come this far to get discouraged and console yourself with a bag of chips or a gallon of ice cream.

        • Tweak your routine.

        Cutting back on the total number of calories probably isn't a good idea — anything under 1,000 calories a day is unhealthy, and you won't be able to stick with it long. But you can re-apportion those calories. Think about reducing the amount of fat you eat and adding servings of fruit or vegetables.

        Increase the intensity of your workouts. If you're exercising three days a week, add a fourth day. If you're walking for 20 minutes, increase it to 30 minutes. Increase the number of reps you're doing during your strength training routine.

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