I've meant to blog several times this past week and just not gotten around to it, it's been too busy here.

Short story - no gain, no loss this week. 214.8 as of today, since I forgot to weigh before eating Monday.

Interpretation of this weigh-in? Considering how much I overate during the second half of last week, VICTORY!

To be serious, I made the MOST delicious maple spice cake for my family and then two more batches for a potluck. It was made with a starter, so getting a decent calorie count on it (especially when I don't follow recipes hardly at all for most things) was tough. But when I added it up and then considered how many pieces I had inhaled, I ate far FAR too many calories, even for maintenance, on Friday and Saturday. Halloween candy was not my downfall, I ate a calculated 350 calories worth of that on Saturday... it was this cake of evil deliciousness that I couldn't stop with.

So I learned my lesson - I will continue to make it for my husband and kids, who adored it, but they will get pieces, I may get ONE if it is accounted for, and the rest is going to hubby's office the next day. I just can't have a select few foods in the house without problem, and this one has been added to that blacklist.

Am I upset about the apparent 'plateau' in my sidebar? HECK no!

First off, it's no plateau, despite the desire some have to call any stall in losses 'the dreaded plateau!'. No, that, my friends, is regular old higher-calorie/lower-exercise weight maintenance that would be perfectly expected if you were reading my daily food and exercise journal. The scale fluctuated up to 217 a few days, and considering that I have been doing well with food and exercise since Sunday I would say that I actually did lose half a pound or so of real weight this past week, but it just happened to be half a pound I GAINED in the week prior, so it all broke even in the end.

You know what? I am not the least bit upset or disappointed in myself, and quite the contrary, I ENJOYED the vast majority of those holiday/potluck/social eating calories. I logged them, accounted for them, and refuse to feel guilty for them. That is not healthy food behavior, in my opinion. Healthy food behavior allows for natural highs and lows to eating, with an OVERALL trend toward healthy, calorically balanced fare. I have achieved that, and feel just fine about it. I am back on track and loving it when it comes to eating, and doing MUCH better getting back with exercising again.

Life happens, weight fluctuates. I know I need the permanent accountability of a food journal to keep my normal fluctuations from turning into upward trends, and I am totally okay with that, as I have discussed in previous blogs.

Nothing about enjoying Reformation Night with my friends and family, or a few pieces of Halloween candy and a few too many slices of sinfully delicious spice cake, is the 'end of the world' diet killer in my life. It may sound a bit strange, but there has been an epiphany. The more times I've had calculated or even UNCALCULATED lapses in my food intake, and no long term issues of weight gain or bingeing, the more confident I become in my ability to permanently and successfully manage my weight. It's like the more times I fall and get up, the more sure I become that I won't ever fall down (and spring back up the scale by over 100 pounds above my healthy weight) again.

Weight is CONTROLLABLE, food can still be ENJOYED with a healthy diet, and mild regular exercise feels GOOD. That, to me, is a hugely valuable lesson in and of itself. As long as I don't give up, and am willing to hold myself accountable for the fuel I put into my body, I will progress down the scale and get healthier. I had a great few days on the weekend, totally fun and festive. I'm done partying now, it's not turning into a week or month long binge, and I am back to normal with my eating plan and exercise. It wasn't a few pieces of (ohmygoodnessYUM!) cake that got me over 250 pounds, it was years of not being mindful of what I was eating, or changing my course when I disliked the impact the food was having on my body. Since I have fundamentally changed my mindset regarding food and my overall health, I am just not worried I will fall into that same place again. I can DO this!

So, what changes in mindset have YOU undergone through your weight loss journey? How do you handle a 'slip' in your plan?