This is not surprising, considering that in such situations she finds herself in an impossible bind. On the one hand she fears diabetes and wants to look slimmer, while on the other feels the need to just relax and enjoy the moment, the people and the beautiful food. Tough choice - values vs need, deprivation vs acting out of sync with her longer-term values. Having to face either loss or guilt.   Her need for satisfaction in the moment usually wins out as it the most practiced habit, and also because it is immediately reinforced through the satisfaction of eating. Unfortunately however, the decision is usually not a conscious one, but rather a by-product of having avoided making a more deliberate decision.    Avoidance though, is a decision in its own right, and  one of the consequences of this choice is experiencing the guilt of having acted out of sync with one’s own values. This leads to my client calling herself ‘hopeless’, and chiding herself  for having ‘zero will-power’. This emotional self-abuse gradually erodes her sense of self-worth over time, and ultimately increases the likelihood of a recurrence.   So what can be done to break this self-defeating pattern?   First off, it requires a commitment to deliberate planning and preparation - she needs to identify potential high risk situations, and then develop a plan for how she wants to respond differently in such situations in future. And most importantly, she needs to be committed to an on-going vigilance in this regard, and to practicing the implementation of her plan.    Next week I will publish Part 2, in which we look at some examples of what might be included in such a plan.