You know this story: you had a rough day. Maybe you weren't feeling well, maybe work was super rough... And as a result, for whatever reason, you end up right where you said you wouldn't be: mindlessly snacking on the couch. The scale subsequently speaks to you in the language of regret and setbacks.

This is where temptation and justification often come to visit. "You were bad yesterday. You can be bad one more day and THEN we'll start back up again." And so on and so forth.

Share your techniques of how to shed the guilt, recover from a bad day and get your diet and exercise routine back on track. Anybody have any special rituals around regaining traction?

Most people would probably say that you should allow yourself a limited amount of comfort food/bad-day-snacks. This way, if it's up there, on your carefully worded contract with yourself (that I assume everyone on a diet has hanging on his or her refrigerator door - at least in spirit!) you won't feel like you're violating that contract.

To me, though, when I decided to lose weight, food was no longer fuel. Food reduced stress, but nothing else, really. I didn't really enjoy the taste of food anymore - I just wanted to feel less anxious. Eating when hungry? Unheard of! I honestly can't remember feeling hungry even once in the past year, year and a half.

For someone with this predilection, I really wouldn't recommend the 'one snack to calm down a week is okay' method. I feel like I have to change my relationship with food entirely, instead. When I feel stressed, I listen to my iPod for five minutes, drink a glass of ice water, go for a run, play some cards (or the Caesar IV demo!) or something like that. The trick, I think, is to stay away from food, and to vary that stress-reducing activity, so that I don't substitute eating for something else.

Thanks for bringing this up!

Here's how I get back on the wagon. I remember that: An agreement to lose weight is an agreement with myself. Why would I ever want to act, over time, in a way that undermines my best interests and demonstrates to me that I am not worthy of that trust?

Chantal's message really hit home for me. In the past, I rarely ate because I was hungry; I ate because I was stressed out, or excited, or because I had the option to eat and it's more exciting than what I'm doing. Losing weight for me hasn't been about learning to diet; it's been about learning to change my relationship with food.

It was a lousy relationship anyway. Food was great but her twin sister fat was a *****!

Amen brother!

Cheating on a diet is like cheating at solitaire, you are really just cheating yourself.

I totally agree - finding some other way to give myself a lift works for me, I particularly like getting out and walking round the block when the weather is kind, or doing five minutes of abs or pilates when its not. I also email friends (I work from home, otherwise I'd probably chat with a colleague) - not necessarily about food but it just takes me out of myself while the moment passes.

Other tricks are drinking a glass of water, or thinking 'OK so you're peckish, so have some carrot sticks' - which usually proves the point that really I'm bored, or fed up, or I just want CAKE!

I've put two pictures of me at my slimmest and fittest on the fridge... most of the time I don't even notice them, but when I go into the kitchen looking for something that I know I shouldn't really have I see my slimmer, happier, healthier, confident self smiling at me out of the corner of my eye and its just enough of a reminder of why I'm doing this whole diet and exercise thing to take the momentary illicit pleasure out of the 'just one cheese toastie won't hurt... ' lie!

Be sure to tell yourself that you didnt feel good that day. After doing that a couple of times you can ask yourself...now why do i want to feel like that again? hmm may be i should do that....ok just a little bite and that will be better than no bite at all.

When you make the choice to go off plan, it is important to stay accountable for your actions. Track your progress in on the days you don't make progress. This allows you to bounce back and increase intensity in physical activity or reduce intake.

It is all about choices and understanding why one makes a self-destructive choice.

Stay positive... and build your strength on the results of good choices. It can be extremely enabling and empowering.

My outlook is that if I want to have a piece of cake then I will have a piece of cake. I just make it a small piece and then will work out longer to offset it. I had a dietician tell me that if you deprive yourself of something you will only think about it more. If you want something sweet have it, just don't over do it. Limit it to once every couple of weeks.

In my case it has worked out but now, I don't really desire it as much as I use to cause I have really seen the results of all my hard work and what I have done to lose the weight that I have. Tonight I was eating at Sweet Tomato and they had a some yummy pumpkin muffins. I love them, but I only had half of one and it killed the desire in my brain to keep thinking of it. Then tonight, instead of riding for 15 miles, I rode 25.1 miles in the driving rain. It was a really good muffin though.

Great job Brian. you made a choice and then you did activity to minimize the effect of the choice. I had a tough night myself but I went out and played hard in my p.a. I will ensure that I stay light tomorrow to recover from my bad choices today.