Dear Editor-in-Chief

The internal conflict that arises in response to the desire to undertake a pleasant but unhealthy activ-ity involves several self-regulation strategies. Com-pensatory health beliefs (CHB) are a popular strat-egy that is used to resolve the temptation dilemma in a way that enables the belief holder to avoid feelings of guilt (1). Compensatory health beliefs are defined as the conviction that unhealthy but gratifying behaviors can be compensated with a healthy behavior, for example: "I can eat this cake now if I go jogging tonight". Such beliefs relieve the holder of a guilty conscience and justify giving in to temptation. Compensatory beliefs do not always have negative implications for health. However, habitual unhealthy behaviors with