Stay on Your Weight Loss Diet Plan and Prevent a Relapse.

by Maria's Last Diet

Have you had a dieting and weight-loss relapse? All dieters have. This is where you quit your weight-loss regimen and return to old ways like overeating and staying overweight.

When you relapsed, you most likely regretted doing so. Did you go beyond regret and into angry self-criticism, excessive guilt, and even self-loathing?

There are a number of ways relapse can be prevented. First and foremost is working better on lapses. A lapse is a slip and not a "quitting" and return to old ways. It might be a momentary return to old ways that can lead to a complete relapse, but it doesn't have to be--not if you learn to accept slips, learn from them, and get right back on the horse that threw you.

But here are some other things you can do to prevent a full-fledged relapse.

• set up an early warning system
• have a back up plan
• practice relapsing so that you know it's ins and outs and what to do about it
• write about previous relapses and tell all
• rehearse your relapse so that it is more within your conscious control
• be creative and give yourself an imaginary "relapse inoculation" 

You probably can't make yourself relapse proof, because the odds are that it will take you more than one or two or three, or even as many as 6 to 8 attempts to stick to your dieting or weight-loss program. But you can work toward relapse prevention, and make sure, once you get the hang of it, that slips stay slips so you can reach your goal.