By Bob Greene

As many of you know, Oprah has fallen off the wagon. She admitted recently on her show and in her magazine that she has gained 40 of the 90 pounds she'd previously lost to bring her back up to 200 pounds. But fortunately, she's identified the problem and has made the commitment to fix it so she can live her best life. So, why does Oprah struggle to make the weight loss stick? The problem isn't entirely about what she's eating or how she's not working out, although these are certainly contributors. The bigger issue is that her life is out of balance and she's not taking the time to care for herself. Whenever this happens, she turns to food for comfort.

If you're struggling to lose or maintain weight loss, do you know what your trigger is? Is it that you're unhappy in your career, are you unfulfilled in a marriage or relationship or is it financial stress that causes you to misuse food? To uncover what's standing between you and your best life, I recommend that you ask yourself five very important questions. Instead of simply answering them on the fly, take a few minutes to ponder each question and jot down your answer-either on paper or in your online journal. That way, you have a written reminder of why you're working so hard that you can refer to when you need a little inspiration or motivation boost.

An Important Self-Exam, and other weight-loss and fitness tips from Bob Greene, Oprah's trainer.