My walking partner keeps canceling our lunch-time walks. At this rate, I'll never get any exercise!

Having people back out of promises they made to help with your weight loss program is angering. It can leave us feeling all alone in this battle. And that harsh reality is hard to grapple with at times.

But, truth be told, we must take personal responsibility to manage our eating and exercise behaviors despite what others may or may not do. If we spend our time and focus our attention on blaming others or making excuses we will certainly undermine our efforts.

Excuses let you off the hook of personal responsibility. One very good tip-off that you may have a case of "excusitis" is when you hear yourself responding with "Yes, but…" or "If only …" to any suggestion for overcoming a problem. For example, "I'd walk at lunch but my partner keeps canceling." Or, "I'd walk on the weekend, but my husband won't go with me." Or, "If only I could find a group to walk with after work like Ginny has. Then it would be no problem for me to get exercise."

Taking personal responsibility for our actions puts us squarely behind the wheel. That means if we find some issues are too difficult to resolve alone, we need to seek out help. And if that help falls through, we need to keep looking. Another way to say this is that we develop a healthy sense of self-protection. We take the steps that are necessary, not easy, to make sure we eat and exercise in a manner that helps with weight maintenance. That's not easy to do at times. But, in the long run, it is what keeps us successful.

For specific ideas on how to recognize blaming behaviors and excuse making, refer to the module "Personal Responsibility."