Saying ‘NO’ is one of the most empowering and liberating things we can do for our total health. Yet so many of us hesitate to say ‘NO’ because of fear. My fear was that I could not say ‘NO’ because I would not be able to cope with the reactions and results of saying ‘NO.’

UNDERSTAND YOUR WEAKEST LINK

I believe that we can have an occasional food treat and still lose weight. However, I also realize that some people may not be ready to test that belief. It is especially important to know your strengths; however, it is more important to understand your weaknesses. We are only as strong as our weakest link. I used to think that my weakest link was ice cream and cookies, but I came to realize that the link is NOT external to us. My weakest link is when my mind is not set; therefore, my weakest link is my mindset. If you have been struggling to lose weight, I offer this suggestion, EXAMINE YOUR STORY. You may come to realize that your mindset is also your weakest link.

WHY WE STRUGGLE TO SAY NO

I had trouble saying ‘NO’ because I believed that if I said ‘NO’ I would be so uncomfortable and I would be missing out. Two things you need to notice about my thinking:

1. I would be uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable is an emotional state of being. We are each responsible for creating our emotions and feelings. However, those feelings are created because of some negative underlying belief that we are holding on to. I did not want to feel uncomfortable; therefore, I did not have to create uncomfortable feelings.
2. The reason I created those feelings was because I was thinking that I would be MISSING OUT.

The belief that was beneath my thinking and the feeling is one of paucity or lack. There was not enough. Or in this case that there would be a lack in my life if I said ‘NO.’ Remember folks, we cannot indulge our appetites to the fullest if we want to be totally healthy. Moderation is key to our TOTAL HEALTH.

OUR HABITS EVENTUALLY CONTROL US

I cannot tell you when I developed this addiction to cookies and ice cream. However, I know now that it was my choice to use food as my D.O.C. rather than STOP and understand the message my feelings were trying to communicate. Until I fully understood that they were tied to my negative CORE BELIEFS, I thought I would be forever ADDICTED to cookies and ice cream. I believed that I could not live and cope without cookies and ice cream. Is there some food, thing, or person that you believe or think that you cannot live without? Anything or anyone that we cannot live without is our master.

That was a sobering realization for me. Therefore, I finally decided to experiment with saying ‘NO’ to ice cream. It was a struggle, I kept thinking, “Am I really going to be able to say NO?” “How will I feel and how will I cope?”

SAYING NO HELPS YOU LOSE WEIGHT

I said ‘NO’ and it was empowering and liberating. I still created feelings; however, I kept reminding myself that I was 100% responsible for creating these emotions and feelings and I chose to feel positive. I also realized that I was not hungry. I was eating because of my negative core belief of “not enough.” I was empowered by the love of God, and I was liberated from my enslavement to my flesh. In the end, I created comfortable feelings of love and C.A.R.E. for myself. Say NO to unhealthy choices and YES to successful weight loss and being totally healthy.