A virtual wellness program offered by the National Institute for Fitness and Sport and provided to you through your employer.

Dealing with a Relapse

Maintenance has been defined as “the active prevention of relapse.”  For every success you accomplish, whether it be incorporating 30 minutes of exercise into your day, eliminating fried foods, parking in the farthest spot of the parking lot, or switching to skim milk, there is always the possibility of lapses, or setbacks.  During high-risk situations, having a prepared plan may help prevent a lapse from taking place.

Remember:

• Lapses are natural.  It takes time, patience and a plan to incorporate new lifestyle habits.

• Lapses can be used as a learning tool.  By identifying the circumstances surrounding a lapse, you can determine high-risk situations and make a plan.

• It takes many lapses to relapse.  Relapse only occurs when there have been so many lapses that there are no successes left in tact.

Lapse prevention:

Once you have identified some of your high risk situations, make a plan.

Explore alternatives for coping with your various challenges.  PLAN AHEAD.

Examples:

 

Problem	Situation	Alternative Plan
Skipping a meal is asking for trouble! If you can not sit down for three meals a day, try four small meals throughout the day to help prevent changes in blood sugar that can lead to binges.	I was only a little hungry at lunch, so I just skipped it. Later that afternoon, I was extremely hungry and found myself binging on whatever I could get my hands on.	If you are a little hungry, eat a little something.  Do not wait until you are really hungry and eat a lot.  Save uneaten food portions for when you get hungry later in the day.
Many people identify snacking at work  a problem. . .	I always get hungry at work before lunch and find myself gravitating towards the only food in my building:  the vending machines.	At the beginning of the week prepare bags of healthy snacks, like carrots, pretzels or graham crackers.  When you get the mid-morning munchies, you will be armed with a healthy alternative.
Food associations are common.  To help break a food association like popcorn at the movies or when watching T.V., you must make rules for yourself and stick to them.	I have a habit of automatically eating when I sit down to watch television at night.	Instead of letting your television viewing area be a place for eating, make it a no-food-zone.  Instead try doing sit-ups, push-ups or jumping jacks during the commercials and drink plenty of water or non-caloric beverage.
Peer pressure can be inviting, but having an alternative plan makes it easier to say no.	I do not buy sugary snacks, but co-workers always bring in donuts or cookies, and I always help myself.	Fruit or sugarless gum are easy to keep in your bag or desk and are good choices for calming a sweet tooth.
When things get rough, people turn to comfort foods to make them feel better.  Exercise will initiate the release of endorphins in our body for a “natural high”.	When I am home and feeling blue, I find myself finishing off a bag of potato chips or a carton of ice cream.	Do not keep unhealthy snacks in the house!  When you are feeling down, go for a walk or take a bubble bath instead of consoling yourself with food.

Learning from lapses

Keep a log of your lapse experiences.  Find patterns in your behavior, so you can modify your environment and plan ahead for the next time you are faced with a similar situation.

• What were you feeling when you lapsed?

• Where were you when you lapsed?

• Who were you with when you lapsed?

• What time of day did you lapse?

Learn to recognize that you are having a lapse, take charge, and initiate your plan.  Do not label yourself as “good” when you stick to your new lifestyle changes or  “bad” when you do not.  Instead, remember that your goal is a lifestyle change and change is a process.  Make a list of alternative actions to eating.  Keep the list posted so when that next lapse occurs you immediately have a list of eating alternatives.

Examples: 

- put the rest of the food down the garbage disposal            

- walk the dog     

- brush your teeth                                                             

- call a friend

- leave the kitchen area or the house                                 

- write a letter     

- drink a glass of ice water                                                

- clean the house