Diet derailers are everywhere -- in your house, in the grocery store, at work, at play, in your head even. Here, we'll address the very things that throw us off course. Together, we'll learn how to avoid our diet traps -- and how to get back on track when we can't.

Pancake breakfasts are comforting. They remind me of childhood and family and full tummies. I picture moms and dads in their jammies on Sunday mornings, pouring batter on skillets and flipping flapjacks for their kids. I can smell the butter and syrup, see the powdered sugar, taste the fruit toppings. Yummy. And fattening.

Pancakes - 5 Fun Facts(click thumbnails to view gallery)

One mommy reviewed the pancakes at IHOP and found in five small pancakes more than 300 calories. Add 200 for maple syrup, she says, and you're up to 500, each calorie coming almost entirely from quickly digested carbohydrates. OK, so we know that eating out is generally less healthy than eating at home, so what if you make pancakes in your own healthy kitchen? A little better, considering what Calorie King has to say: In one plain pancake, prepared from a dry mix, there are about 74 calories. That's without toppings, though. Not very likely you'll eat your pancakes dry. Then add a few hundred more calories for the goodies you'll smother on top. Calorie Count says a stack of just two cakes with butter and syrup packs about 520 calories. Not so great, especially with the added fat and all.

Pancakes, prepared without attention to nutrition, are unhealthy. Sorry. They just are. I mean, what can you expect from cake batter fried in oil, says this Associated Content writer, who happens to have some tips for minimizing the harm pancakes can do. Try these:

• Avoid sweetening batter with sugar. Use cinnamon or vanilla instead.
• Use enriched all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, or combine the two.
  
• Add ground flax seed to the batter for a more healthy mix.
  
• Add fruits and veggies too. Shredded carrots and apples work well together.
  
• Fry your pancakes in extra virgin olive oil instead of butter, margarine or other oils.
• Nix the syrup and top your cakes with fruit, yogurt or peanut butter. No chocolate chips either.

eHow offers some ideas too. Like make your mix from scratch (because store-bought varieties have too many preservatives) and use an egg substitute if you want to minimize fat and cholesterol.

If you are not a regular pancake eater and indulge only once in a while, never fear. Pancakes won't kill you, or make you fat. But if they are a weekend thing at your house, you'd be wise to health them up a bit. Because pancakes eaten weekend after weekend after weekend (and for the occasional dinner too) will surely pack on the pudge.