I don't let myself think that way anymore. I used to and I always used it as an excuse to binge, always. Now I actually am eating more then I was when I first started in October and while sometimes I try to do the whole "If I work out more and eat less I will lose faster blah blah" You all know what I mean. I don't go down that road. I just say maybe I didn't eat exactly like I wanted to so far today, but the rest of today and tomorrow are new and I CAN restart right now if I am unhappy.

Lots of good advice about perspective has been given, so I'll just answer your question.

My daily calorie "allowance" is 1750. I feel like I "blew it" or ate too far off plan if my calorie intake exceeds 1825.

Mine is soo much lower than everyone elses. I think Monday/Saturday it is 1400, Tuesday and Thursday it is 1600 and then occasionally 2000 if a treat day.

I think like a lot of other people, going over calories on a particular day isn't the end of the world. Eating in an out of control-binge like manner is. I think also blowing it depends on the context tooo.

This week i was very sick with the flu and just ate LOADS. I normally calorie count and work out loads, yet this week my body needed lots of food and no exercise. I gave it just that. I am both healtiher and pudgier -_-/Now i am ready to count calories and kick ***.

Yet if i was to go off the track randomly by myself with no reason, then i would feel like i blew it.

I don't have a problem with the concept of blowing it because for me it's not a feeling of failure so much as a learning opportunity. I just ask myself what happened, why, and what could I have done differently. I don't go by calorie count or carb count or weight level in terms of measuring blowing it. I go by if I'm eating in a manner that patterns how I "used to" eat that got me in this condition. For example, I went out to eat with my family to a Mexican restaurant. Managed to go through a good portion of the chips and salsa by myself and then dug into a huge chimichanga topped with sour cream and guacamole. The scale wasn't too bad the next day -- think I remained stable -- but there were several other options that could have been taken, would have tasted good, and were ignored. Finally figured out that when I'm going to a restaurant to look up their nutritional info ahead of time -- that definitely helps with making better decisions because the nutritional info on most restaurant meals is just plain frightening! Obviously from this thread, we all have developed different coping techniques. The secret seems to be finding one that works for you.

I don't count calories, so i know i blew it when i am feeling full all the time, whereas when i eat right i get hungry and eat when hunger strikes. And i also know i blew it when i eat at night which hasn't happened for a month......allowing me to loose 10 pounds!

I agree with others here, I no longer feel like "I've blown it" - I just can't allow myself to feel that way or else I'd likely quit this lifestyle again!

BUT - I do have a binge-eating issue and I have definitely fallen off the wagon plenty. It's not a calorie thing for me at all - I count it as a binge if any of the following happens:

1. I give into, and act on, any crazy craving I am feeling - whether it's for 2 cookies or 30.
2. I allow myself to live by the "see-food" plan; i.e., I eat everything I see just because it is there.

Sometimes, I eat more than I plan just because it's "there" - but it's those moments where I let it happen over & over again that I consider myself out of control. Eating another cookie or two at Christmas than I planned is one thing, but eating 2 or 3 cookies every single time I walk by the platter for two days straight is outta control.

I maintain at about 2,000/day but I don't even eat until 1 PM or later so I don't ever waaay overshoot my lunch food.

I feel like "I shouldn't have done that" if I find myself mindlessly shoveling carbs into my face. There is a distinct "overdid it on sugar" bad taste in my mouth accompanied by racing heart and "feeling funny" that I would prefer to have as infrequently as possible.

I try to stay between 1500-1700 calories each day so I feel like I "blew it" when I get to 2000 calories.
Like most here have said though, I try not to think so negatively when I go over my calorie limit. I also remind myself that in order to maintain my weight I could eat around 2400 calories everyday, and this usually makes me feel better. I've learned that I used to let a bad day calorie-wise, be an excuse for me to just not care/binge, but now even if I mess up I feel bad but I stay on plan to the best of my ability

I feel the same way.
As a past binger, I also went for the most awful crap to binge on. I feel sick when I eat stuff like that anymore.

Ditto this. I recently did really well losing eight pounds - whammo! Then I gained half a pound according to the scales, and it threw me for a loop, and I went on a binge and gained back all eight pounds.

Now, I go by my belt, how my pants fit me, and how I look in the mirror. I may check the scales if I think I've lot quite a bit, but I'm in no hurry. I think this is a much better and saner way for me to gauge weight loss/gain.