I'm too tired to bother with counting... usually this tiredness leads to a binge, I'll get back on plan tomarrow...and tomarrow..and tomarrow...

I like Caroline's cupcake idea. But if you want cake specifically, is there a bakery near you that sells individual slices, or will you be sharing the cake with others? Because if you will be sharing it, you could always cut yourself a slice then arrange it so that at the end of the day/night, someone takes the rest of the cake home with them or just deals with it so you don't have to fight temptation

That, of course, is a wonderful and completely reasonable idea. I think I just have a thing about something big and pink and MINE. That's probably why I painted my first car pepto pink. lol

I should probably start making peace with small and pink.

I think that eating off plan sometimes does not need an excuse. It is just life. I will never be perfect. I tend to think of excuses more for how people resist an overall lifestyle change, and boy I think I have read every excuse in the book for that one! Heck I even had a few myself.

So, what I think can NOT be an excuse:

"I work--so therefore I cannot eat on plan or exercise." Well, I work too, over 50 hrs a week and I manage.

"I work 8 or 10 or 12 hr shifts so I can't exercise." Eh, doesn't fly with me. I work 24 hr shifts and I manage.

"I have kids so I can't exercise." The only person I have ever had any sort of sympathy for with this excuse was the chick who had toddler triplets. Otherwise, no sympathy. It is hard to do when you have kids, but you gotta do it anyway.

"I can't cook, so I can't eat healthy." I couldn't cook either. But I learned how.

So, having a day or meal off-plan is hardly excuse worthy in my opinion. It is a small blip. The overall lifestyle change is far more vital, and I have done away with all my excuses.

I could written what BlueToBlue wrote. I did not do too well yesterday - I was out with a bunch of girlfriends to celebrate my upcoming bday. Since each of of us lives elsewhere, we always alternate meeting at different restaurants so that it is not always the same person who has the longest drive. We were meeting at a place that is about an hour's drive for me and there was some additional mix-up with the time to meet so uncharacteristically, I arrived first and the place was packed. I staked the last available table on the patio and waited .... and waited. Normally, I drink water even if I eat out but I felt really stupid sitting there by myself, holding up a table (there people constantly seeking for a table) so I ordered a diet Coke.
For lunch, I had a steak (because I haven't had red meat for ages and low iron is my chronic problem). But, there was a choice of a salad or potatoes, and I had mashed potatoes although I should have had a salad. To add insult to the injury, I had "goop" to go with it. (Goop is mayo mixed with horseradish and some other stuff - it's their signature thing). The waitress, seeing all the presents and cards on the table, asked if it was my Bday and asked if I would like to have a brownie to share afterwards. I said yes. Well it was not a brownie - it was a mammoth brownie topped by a mountain of ice cream and sweetened whipped cream. She provided spoons for all of us but [hanging my head in shame] I ate most of it (at least I did not touch the brownie except for tiny sample - it was disgusting as brownies usually are [to me, that is]).
I had half of the mashed potatoes to go (I should have left them there) and finished them when I got home. I ate on plan in the evening but I find that after such a big meal I tend to want more (and more of the bad stuff). I even flirting with going to McD's around 8 pm (I didn't, of course).

It doesn't really bother me that I ate what I did - it more bothers me that I didn't have the will power to order salad instead of mashers, or to say no to the brownie with the ice cream. I ate really sparingly in the morning (my "lean" bagel with 1 LC cheese and a scrambled egg, and a grapefruit as a snack before I left) and my consolation is that I put in some extra distance on the treadmill yesterday morning. I definitely ate it all back and then some.
I have another dinner out next Saturday (with a different friend) and then I am meeting a friend in Toronto on the 23rd. But at least there will no ice cream on those occasions. I eat out only when meeting with friends and it is not frequent - this month is an exception because of my bday.

I can totally identify with the "new experiences" as part of vacation excuse, only for me every day is a vacation when it comes to food! I don't want to miss out.

Another excuse I have is, "I've had a bad day, and I want this to make up for it."

And, "I don't want to become like one of those shallow, self-absorbed women who need to look good so they have a man's attenton but who are mean to women like me, and not eating this would be the beginning of my obsession with looking thin and needing approval from men for my self-worth and becoming a mean, shallow person which is worse than being fat only the mean, shallow women can't see that it's worse and I'd get wrapped up in it and lose sight of being nice and so I'd just better eat what I want so that doesn't happen."

I'm very good at coming up with excuses.

my excuses is usually something like
"but I've worked so hard to get here and even if all I do is maintain this weight for the rest of my life I will be better off than when I had a bmi of 46"

hard to get past that one. but I am!

Here are all of mine;
I lost weight so I can have this to eat (excuse for french fries)
I can work this off with a workout (excuse for going over my calories - does the workout ever get done, ummm... maybe half the time)
I am not having as much as this or that person (excuse for treats or 2nd helpings)
It's that time of month, and it will help me relax (excuse for chocolate or mocha)

OH WAIT, here's a big one, it's FREE, so do the calories really count (at the office all the munchies - I have really done well lately, however - when I get a free starbucks ticket, I always want to get a mocha frap or something just horrible!)

OMG, that brought a tear to my eye. What an inspiration!

I'm someone's grandma .... aren't I suppose to be soft and cushy?

My biggest potential trap is deviating from "plan" then thinking: Well, I've already blown it for today, so may as well go ahead and eat "x". I have to keep reminding myself that it all counts .. it ALL counts ...

I haven't cheated once since I started my healthy way of life. I haven't had the urge. I almost feel like a freak...but nothing has tempted me...I say a prayer of Thanks regularly for this motivation. There is no excuse mightly enough to make me go back to the **** hole I was in phycially, spirtually and emotionally.

My biggest downfall is saying this little sidestep won't matter. Everything matters.

Ufi: I was ROFLOL with your "shallow woman" excuse! I may be thinking all of that also, but I didn't even realize it until I read it!

vixjean, MBN, flowingair: I have used ALL of those excuses, and it just sounds so pathetic when I read them in print. I can totally relate to all of you, and I'm resolving here and now to STOP that!