"I fell off the wagon"
I know this is a normal, everyday saying, but I don't really like it. I actually feel it is more defeating than productive.
It implies that one has made a big mistake or sinned and must receive atonement for their sins or forgiveness for their mistakes. I suppose I feel "falling off the wagon" sounds similar to being excommunicated from a religion or such and working to get back in.
Eating and exercise has absolutely nothing to do with sin - it is what we try to do better to enhance the quality of our life.
Sometimes other events in life do take precedence over the focus on healthy eating and exercise - yes, it will happen to everyone of us at some point in time. But, then, those events will eventually return to the background, allowing us to focus more on health.
We cannot always control what is in the foreground and backrground of our lives. Our will isn't that free. There are other things outside of us that determine our course, whether we like them or not. At the end of the day, we simply must hope we have the knowledge and habit to back us up when we must turn our attention to something else.
So, "falling off the wagon" in terms of diet and exercise implies that one is punishing herself for doing wrong. I simply wish there was a more positive way to address the issue, like "Hey guys, I'm ready to continue my journey to being healthy".
"Falling off the wagon" also carries the connotation that what you must do to get back on the wagon will be extremely difficult - I mean, when I hear this expression, I picture the Old West and a wagon moving at full speed, running along the wagon to try and jump back on... the dirt it kicks up in your face makes it hard for you to see...
I don't think this metaphor is helpful to anyone. I wish we could ex-communicate it from 3fc.