We’ve all fallen off the eating healthy and exercising wagon before, especially during the holiday season. Even media diva and dieting guru Oprah Winfrey admitted last year she was off the aforementioned wagon and once again back up to an unhealthy weight. For all of us, even Winfrey, there are practical strategies on getting back on track with staying healthy.

For Winfrey and so many others life and a thyroid problem interrupted healthy eating and exercising. Winfrey appeared on the cover of the January issue of O magazine in her current weight of 200 pounds next to a photo of her at a more svelte weight under the headline, "How Did I Let This Happen Again?"

While most of us don’t have access to a personal trainer, a personal chef and unlimited funds to deal with weight gain as Winfrey does, falling off the wagon is not the end of the world or the end of being healthy, according to a recent article in Time magazine. The article states that most people latch onto the idea that once you cheat on eating healthy, you've blown it, so you might as well binge. This is the wrong attitude for staying on track. Instead of belittling yourself for failing, acknowledge your failure then move on and focus on coping strategies like the following:

Stay motivated by easing into weight loss: Going cold turkey on healthy eating and exercising is an ineffective approach. People usually feel cheated when they go cold turkey and are likely to binge. Instead, gradual changes like phasing healthier foods into your diet a little at a time are a more effective approach. For more in depth tips on how to make gradual diet changes read Women’s Health, Health, Shape and Fitness magazines.

Avoid the scale for the first month of losing weight because the scale gives you an inaccurate idea of what is going on -- you may have lost or gained water weight only. Or you may get discouraged if the weight loss is not as much as you hoped for. Instead of getting on the scale focus on how your clothes fit—are your favorite jeans looser?

Don’t focus on food first: Instead focus on incorporating exercise into your schedule. The short-term and long term benefits of exercise are greater than cutting calories. For tips on how to incorporate exercise into your daily life, read Men’s Health, Health, Fitness and Shape magazine.

Lastly, keep your focus on the outcome. Exercising and eating well make you feel good. You will feel better, sleep better and have a better attitude after your workout. And of course you will look better. And when you feel good and look good it is easier to deal with life’s stresses and ups and downs.