I think it is really important to remember that relapsing is a part of recovery that many people experince. I just wanted to remind everyone that if you do start to relapse, this does not mean you have to give into your anorexia. As long as you start fighting again, as soon as you realise things are getting bad, all of your hard work will not be wasted. Just because your anorexia starts to take back control does not mean you should let it. 

Think of it like this. If you looked in your wallet and saw that one of your $50 notes was missing, would you throw all of your remaining notes away? Or would you do everything you could to make sure you didn't lose your remaining notes? Of course you would not throw your remaining money away and recovery is exactly the same. 

Just because something goes wrong in your recovery does not mean you should give up on it all together. It just means that you need to pick yourself up again and continue moving forward in your recovery. Even though you may have taken a few steps back, this does not mean that you will have to go right back to the very start of your recovery. I thought that the following article described relapse and how to deal with it fairly well; 

Eating Disorder Relapse

Article Contributed by Debra Cooper, BS, Staff of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center

In our society, we rely on expressions such as “Rome wasn’t build in a day,” to serve as reminders of the truth. Obviously this city wasn’t built in a day or even a year- it took a significant amount of time. The truth is…most things of great value or import do take time and effort. Building tools and maintaining recovery from an eating disorder is no different. An occasional slip back into the behavior or total relapsecan occur.

But here’s another handy phrase: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In eating disorder recovery, relapse prevention is critical. This comes in many forms, such as identifying triggers. A trigger is something in the environment, an individual, a thought, or a situation that prompts a person to return to an eating disorder behavior. By preparing a response in advance, the recovering person will know what to do when faced with a dangerous trigger.

Always keep in mind that recovery from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and compulsive overeating is extremely difficult. Even the most committed person can experience periods of relapse. Don’t panic, and especially, don’t give up. There is no shame in simply being human.

Remember… Recovery does not happen overnight. If relapse occurs, take a moment to regroup, then return to your recovery plan. Never lose sight of how very far you have come.

http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/recovery/self-help-tools-skills-tips/relapse