Recognize and manage your relapse.
Slipping back to your old eating habits when you are trying to lose weight is defined as a relapse. This can make you lose your confidence and undermine all your hard work... Thing to remember is that this a normal part of learning and behaviour change. So just take some time out and stop and think how you can prevent same thing happening again.
Questions you can ask yourself?
What worked well for me before?
Why did it work?
What were my reasons for stopping this plan or approach?
What did not work for me and why?
Some common causes of relapse:
Family and time pressure
Less active or changing a job
Comfort eating
Social pressures like a new routine or holiday or Christmas time or special occasions
Living alone
Feeling sad or bored or stressed
How can you cope? Here are some tips:
Seek support from a family member or a friend and make to do list where you can introduce good eating and lifestyle habits
Walk at lunch time with a work colleague
Walk or cycle to work
Take a healthy snack and drink in your car to work
Make or buy a healthy sandwich instead of having a takeaway or pastries
Identify your feelings-bored or stressed or sad or angry
Think of an alternative way to cope e.g. keeping busy, talk to someone or exercise away your tension
Write a diary to see if you over eat at particular times
When out where possible opt for healthy options and have less healthy less often
Watch your alcohol intake and introduce low calorie or mixer drinks
Read food labels and always choose low fat and low sugar options
Have regular meals and do not skip breakfast
2 questions you can ask yourself:
What are my high risk situations for relapse?
Ways I can avoid relapsing in these situations.
Most of all
Stay positive
Think about what works and what doesn't work for you
Next time do things differently
Recognise your triggers for relapse by writing a food, emotion. Time and week day diary
Finally do things that make you feel good to reward yourself when you are successful
E.g. reading a good book/magazine/newspaper, spending time with your kids/family/friends, dancing, walking the dog, warm bath, gardening or go for a swim and sauna.
The more you reward your Good behaviour with non-food the more likely you’re to avoid relapsing and succeed in your future weight loss plans.
It's always a good idea to have clearly displayed your reasons to succeed, your long term and short term goals.
Reference -http://www.bdaweightwise.com/support/support_struggling.html
For specialised Diet and Nutrition advice seek the advice of a Professional Dietitian and Nutritionist Tabby kabeer