This post is an excerpt from my book, The Undo Button. I’ve been seeing a lot of comments lately from people who are punishing themselves when they “fall off the wagon” of healthy eating, or comments about how we must torture ourselves in order to become thin and healthy. It’s just not the case, and I felt like the world needed to hear this message from my book today…

You can eat vegetables until you’re green in the face, but you won’t experience complete health and weight loss unless you also leave out the causes of illness and the causes of weight gain (mainly refined sugar, processed starches, food additives and chemicals.) If you’re like 99% of us, your mindset regarding “dieting” goes a little something like this:

“Staying on the Wagon” = self-denial, abstinence from enjoyment, negative feelings, “will-power,” and torture.

“Falling off the Wagon” = guilt, disappointment, and comparing yourself to others.

Cut it out!

You need to treat yourself with more respect and begin loving yourself unconditionally. Although it is critically important to stay away from disease-causing ingredients, constantly telling yourself, “I can’t have this, I can’t have that. No. No. No,” will make you relapse into old eating habits very quickly. Instead, flip your mindset to the positive.

Get in the habit of telling yourself positive things, instead. Post positive thoughts and affirmations on your bathroom mirror and rehearse them out loud as part of your morning and evening routines. At the very least, read them silently whenever there’s a toothbrush in your mouth. Choose an affirmation that really speaks to you. Print it on a small card that you can carry around with you for quick reference every couple hours.

• I choose to create my life, my health and my happiness.
• I choose to be extremely grateful for the energy and the health I have currently.
• I choose to eat fruits and vegetables and other fresh, healthy foods, and my body and taste buds LOVE it.
• I can easily tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger and I choose to eat when I am physically hungry. My food sustains and energizes me.
• I deserve and choose to experience vivacious health and unstoppable energy
• I am at peace with new knowledge, directions, choices and habits
• Relaxation makes my life so much easier. I choose to relax and feel at peace with my body, emotions, and surroundings.
• I have the power to–and choose to–heal my body by nourishing it with nature’s life-giving foods
• I am blessed and grateful to live in a part of the world where healthy food is available to me in a safe and affordable way.
• I feel gratitude that I can choose what to eat, and I choose to eat food that makes me feel ALIVE
• I accept my past experiences and habits, and joyfully choose to constantly learn and grow

When you begin tell yourself, “Yes, yes, yes,” instead of “No, no, no,” a powerful mind-shift occurs. You will ditch the idea that you must have “will-power” all day long, and replace it with confidence in your mindful choices. With a positive mindset, you can enjoy social occasions without plaguing yourself with guilt and stress, both of which are almost as toxic to your body as a Twinkie.

Before you start using the amazing tool that is The Undo Button, I want you to really ponder this mindset-change. Remind yourself of it daily or hourly until it’s second nature and you can’t remember if you read it on my website or if you were just born thinking this way.