This was a resource offered by Dr. Sarah Ravin at FEAST of Knowledge 2022:
Sample Relapse Prevention Plan for Adults
PART 1: ASSESSMENT TOOL
Green Light Signs (Suggest that eating disorder is in remission)
• Eats 3 balanced meals + 1-3 snacks per day
• Flexible eating / eating a wide variety of foods
• Open/honest relationships with parents, sisters, and boyfriend
• Enjoys eating in restaurants weekly; orders an entrée and a dessert
• Mostly stable mood
• Able to ask for help when needed and accept feedback
• Maintaining weight within her target range
• Enjoys exercise in moderation (e.g., 3-4x/week)
Yellow Light Signs (Signs of struggle or possible impending relapse)
• Minor food restriction
• More rigid eating / less variety of foods
• One or two episodes of bingeing or purging
• Frequent “grazing” or mindless eating
• Eating fewer high-calorie / high-fat foods
• Skipping meals or snacks
• Labile moods
• Increased irritability / anxiety / depression
• More secretive or argumentative with parents, boyfriend, and sisters
• Cutting out desserts
• Reducing intake of carbs
• Weight is a few pounds below target range
• Waking up very early to go to the gym or exercising daily
Red Light Signs (Suggest that relapse has occurred)
• Weight is more than 5 pounds below target range
• Vacant or empty look in eyes
• Skipping meals frequently
• 3 or more episodes of binge eating and/or purging
• Abusing laxatives
• Frequently argumentative about food
• Denial; insistence that there is no problem
• Very limited fat or carbohydrate intake
• Hiding / throwing away food
• Consistently depressed or anxious mood for more than a week
• Preoccupation with food
• Counting calories, carbs, and/or fat
• Screaming/rages/crying over food
PART 2: INTERVENTIONS
Green Light Interventions (To maintain remission)
• Attends monthly individual therapy sessions
• Attends monthly joint sessions accompanied by parents, boyfriend, and/or sister
• Monthly weigh-ins
• Shares a meal with a parent or sister once a week
• Shares several meals per week with boyfriend
• Attends weekly yoga and meditation classes
Yellow Light Interventions (To provide extra support when struggling)
• If a support person notices yellow light signs, he/she initiates a direct conversation with client about their concerns.
• A meeting with client, parents, sisters, and boyfriend is called within 2 weeks of yellow light signs appearing. Symptoms are discussed and addressed at this family meeting.
• Weekly individual and family sessions will be held until client returns to “green light zone.”
• Weekly weigh-ins will occur at sessions.
• Client spends weekends at parents’ house until she returns to “green light zone.”
• Client eats at least one meal per day with parents, sister, or boyfriend. Support people also provide post-meal support if purging has returned or if impulses to purge are present.
Red Light Interventions (To halt the relapse ASAP)
• Client moves back in with parents until she returns to the green light zone.
• Client may take leave of absence from work or reduce her hours to accommodate supervised meals and more frequent sessions.
• Client will eat all meals with a support person.
• Client will meet with her psychiatrist for a medication re-evaluation.
• Client will take a break from the gym until she returns to the green light zone and is medically cleared for exercise
