Every person has moments of weakness and moments of strength, whether they’re short or tall, fat or thin, man or woman, rich or poor, shy or outgoing, unsure of themselves or self-confident. Our point? You have moments of weakness and moments of strength too, just like everyone else. So it’s not helpful to go into a weight-loss plan thinking you will have totally perfect willpower at all times. It’s not a workable idea.

You need to accept this fact, and not try to ignore it. What you can do, given this very human state of being, is anticipate those moments of weakness whenever you can. If there is an upcoming situation that you know has been difficult for you in the past, you can assume it will be difficult for you again, unless you have learned to handle it very differently.

So, you see the situation coming, one that has been a burden for you at other times. When you see it before it is actually there, you can use your strength to figure out what you can do. It’s when you come up against the situation without realizing it’s coming that you are the most weak. Look ahead; anticipate; strategize when you have your wits about you; don’t wait until you’re suddenly right in the middle of the hard time, when you are too weak to think your way out of it. Use your strength to anticipate your weaknesses.