"No, you can’t."

I hate, HATE to hear that phrase. No one likes to be told NO. In this instance I’m talking about food, specifically the unhealthy Two Minutes On The Lips, Twenty Years On The Hips variety. It makes me want whatever it is that much more.

If I say to myself: “Self, you can't have ice cream" what do you think I want for the rest of the day? The forbidden fruit that is ice cream, of course!

I am still learning to encourage myself. I parent by turning my negative into a positive. Well, why not guide myself the same way? Instead of telling my kids, "No, you cannot go outside and play. Your homework isn't finished" I say "Yes, you may go out to play as soon as your homework is done."

If I incorporate that positive tone into my self-talk I bet I'd have better results. It's about making a choice (the healthier choice) for me, and not about telling myself not to do something and scolding myself when I have a weak moment. It's about learning to replace a bad habit with a good one.

I kicked the smoking habit 11 years ago, but I replaced it with a sedentary lifestyle of binge-eating and television-watching. Now I have to get moving and create a new, positive habit for myself.

It's time I turned the "no, you can't" into "yes, I can".

Yes. I can.