This morning I weighed in after a three day mini-vacation and found that I am up by 3.5 pounds since Friday morning and up by more than four pounds in the last week.

I know why this happened. I exceeded my calorie limit for 5 of the last 7 days and I have not exercised in the last three days.

I am upset because I work so hard to lose even 1/2 a pound. Allowing myself to let that effort be erased by a few days of "relaxation" is not worth it.

When I think about how I got to this point, I attribute several things: I met a major goal in getting off my last blood pressure med. Becoming lax about my exercise and food plans is my old self sabotage behavior.

Also for the last several weeks, most of the people in my weight loss group have reported that they have been gaining weight or at the very least, not continuing to lose weight. The first couple of meetings when they talked like this, I just felt virtuous and a bit surprized that they were not staying on program. Then, regressing to my former unhealthy thought patterns, I slipped into an "its okay" mentality.

So I will not dwell in failure. This is a learning experience. My body needs 1200-1400 calories a day and at least 60-90 minutes of cardio and strength training a day.

I am determined to get back to what works.