So I was doing so good and my niece was over last night and I cheated. I also cheated I feel so mad at myself along with being scared I am going to gain my weight back! Ugh

Just start a new day fresh. It's a new way of life and we can't be perfect all the time .

Maybe you didn't eat as much as you would have before? Maybe you are more conscious about it and will try to remember how you felt next time?

My friend that has lost over 125lbs said "make good choices with your next meal and don't let it be an excuse to keep eating like that". Don't look back. Today is a new day!

Remember why you did this!

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Nope. I refuse to have food be my enemy with 'good' or 'bad' foods. That's the old diet mentality.

I make choices with food. I choose to eat on plan 90-95% of the time, so when I choose to go off plan and have a piece of cake or a couple of cocktails, I don't feel guilty about it whatsoever. I know I'm still eating well the rest of the time, so it's fitting into my plan.

When the choices I'm making causes me to gain a pound or two, I dial things back and follow plan closer to 100% of the time until those couple of pounds come off. No harm, no foul.

Obviously I followed my plan closer to 98% of the time during the losing phase to get where I wanted to be, but this 'mindful moderation' way of doing things has worked for me for 2.5 years during the losing phase, and especially the maintenence phase. As long as what I'm eating aren't trigger foods that will cause me to completely go off the rails, I can balance it.

I'm in this for the long haul, and I know if I compartmentalize what is good or bad, it just feels too much like a diet to me, and we all know how well THOSE work for us

The important thing is to not allow cheating to send you into a downward spiral. It's easy to say "well I already cheated, so this week is a waste" and then use the cheating as an excuse to cheat more. It's also easy to beat yourself up, make yourself depressed, and then cheat even more for either comfort or as a form of self-punishment. You need to just put it behind you, move on, and focus on making the next choice a good one.

And just remember....

Guilt is like rocking in a chair- it's something to do but your not going anywhere. : )

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Only if I eat something that doesn't agree with my sleeve.

I have been working with a therapist for going on a year on my food issues, emotional eating, overeating, odd food preferences, etc. Combined with the new habits with the sleeve, I know that I'm doing better 90-95% of the time than before I started all of this. So if I decide I want a small amount of something, I don't consider it cheating, and I don't feel bad about it.

I know for me, this whole process has led me to realize how messed up my relationship was with food. I'm learning to seek comfort in people and other things besides the brownie box. I am learning to express and feel my emotions instead of numbing them or stuffing them down with food. Along with that, I have to quit letting my old mental tapes assign moral judgment to food. There is no "good" food and no "bad" food, and I am not good or bad because of the food I choose. There can be foods that aren't helpful to my goal of losing weight and being healthy, and foods that are helpful. It's good to keep that in mind. But 90-95% improvement in my diet is HUGE, and I give myself credit for that. I'm not perfect, and it's unrealistic to expect myself to be perfect.

I think most people with weight issues have old baggage to let go of around food in order to have a healthy relationship with it and use it as fuel instead of emotional bandages. For me, the whole concept of "cheating" and "good/bad" food is wrapped up in that, and I'm done with it.

I don't cheat. I have removed that from my food vocabulary, it is just counterproductive to a healthy life.

I do have whatever I want if I am getting to point I feel like I am obsessing about it. Usually one or 2 small bites and I am over it. I find it helpful.

If I do happen to go over my carbs and eat 50 grams of carbs or more, I feel sluggish and gross, so I just don't do it. Not worth it.