Women’s Running Contributing Editor Lisa Jackson has published a new book, Adore Yourself Slim, which educates women on safe and effective weight-loss. Lisa, a keen runner who had previously struggled with her weight, reveals what made her decide to write the book and how she finally took control of her weight once and for all...
What made you decide to write Adore Yourself Slim?
I guess it’s because I’m an evangelist! My first book, Running Made Easy, was born out of a desire to let others know about something super-exciting that I’d stumbled across – that even if you’re the least athletic person in the world (like I was) you can still take up running and enjoy it if you start with a walk/run programme. Adore Yourself Slim was no different – when, after years of failed diets, I finally found an eating plan that was not only easy and healthy but really worked, I just had to spread the word about what I’d discovered, too.
Why did you gain weight – and how did you manage to lose it?
I had an issue with my weight as far back as I can remember (I clearly recall my paediatrician telling my mum I was chubby when I was three!) and as I loathed sport I did everything I could to avoid having to be active. I also skipped breakfast and ate meals very erratically. My weight really got out of control once I moved from South Africa to London as my job on Cosmopolitan magazine was very demanding and the long hours meant I had very little time to exercise or eat healthily. Moving to the health magazine Zest literally changed my life. I was surrounded by fit, healthy women and soon I too was eating seeds and superfoods! But the biggest gift my new job gave me was introducing me to running. The deputy editor was a keen runner and she encouraged me to enter the London Marathon once I’d got the running bug from doing a Race For Life and the Great North Run. However, I was surprised to find that even running marathons didn’t have much effect on my weight.
A few fad diets later I decided I had to take control of my eating habits once and for all by going to see a hypnotherapist, hiring a personal trainer and embarking on a low-carb diet. I was amazed when I lost 2st 7lb in two-and-a-half months, and decided to train as a hypnotherapist as hypnotherapy had been so instrumental in improving my relationship with food. However, I regained the weight (and more!) when most of the changes I’d made to my lifestyle went out of the window because I once again failed to prioritise eating well and exercising while studying and working full-time. Once I’d finished studying, it was time to lose the excess weight the final time. But this time I wanted to be sure my eating plan was as healthy as possible, as I knew I’d be following it for life, so I asked a leading dietitian, Lyndel Costain, to help ensure it was balanced, and kept notes of all the useful tips she gave me. This time I lost 1st 7lb in two months and a total of 3st 7lb over about a year.
How long did it take you to write the book?
It took me about four years to write Adore Yourself Slim as I realised very early on that I was onto something so life-changing and exciting that I wanted the whole world to know about it. Every time I was given a compliment or discovered a new mental trick that worked or found a new recipe I enjoyed, I’d jot it down. Most of the book was in fact written in the back of my Filofax as I actually ‘lived’ the plan. But once I had the book deal with Simon & Schuster, I had three months to turn all those scribbles into a book.
Adore Yourself Slim has lots of inspirational words of wisdom for women - why do you think so many women struggle to either lose weight or keep it off?
The reason for this is that women mistakenly believe that diets have a start date and an end date, but they can’t! If you return to your old unhealthy eating habits after dieting, it’s obvious that the pounds will return as well. Another reason is ‘all or nothing’ thinking – women believe they’re either ‘being good’ or give up on eating healthily altogether and go on prolonged blowouts. That’s why my book advocates ‘flexible restraint’ – you eat healthy, fresh, nutritious and delicious food most of the time, but if you really must have that lemon cheesecake, you savour every creamy spoonful, guilt free, and then eat healthily again straightaway as there’s no need to punish yourself for eating a so-called bad food with a week of ‘I hate myself’ unhealthy eating.
What was the secret for you in terms of losing weight and finally keeping it off?
There were three secrets actually: first I used hypnotherapy to change my relationship with food. The three keys things I learned were to put myself first (and hence plan my meals and exercise sessions before diarising anything else), to forgive and forget (in other words, stop beating myself up after a lapse by eating fish and chips for a week and simply get back on the wagon immediately) and that the desire to eat isn’t always prompted by hunger (in my case it was often caused by being overtired).
The second secret was reducing the amount of carbohydrates I ate, especially the white, starchy kind, eating protein at every meal (milk on my porridge for breakfast, fish or chicken at lunch and fish, meat or chicken for dinner) and bumping up the amount of vegetables and salad I ate dramatically. And the third secret was resistance and interval training. I’d been exercising for up to seven hours a week (a combination of running, walking and yoga) and yet this hadn’t had much impact on my weight, but when I added resistance training and speedwork, it made a huge difference.
What kind of exercise programmes are featured in Adore Yourself Slim?
The first thing Adore Yourself Slim encourages you to do is ‘integrated exercise’ – in other words, to integrate activity into every spare minute of your day. Doing what I call The Sneaky Workout means that while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil you quickly slip in some kitchen-top press-ups, and when you’re watching TV, you do squats or lunges in the adverts. Once you’re used to being more active generally (or if you’re relatively fit already), you can start on the Six Weeks To Slim programme, which is a combination of resistance exercises (performed as a circuit using your bodyweight), moderate-intensity cardio (your Sneaky Workout plus things such as vigorous housework or extra walking) and high-intensity cardio (Power Cardio sessions involving speed training). After six weeks, the next step in the programme is Six Weeks To Super-fit, which ups the intensity even more. All the exercises are designed to be super-simple yet super-effective so you won’t waste a second of your workout time.
What kind of skills will readers glean from reading your book?
Firstly they’ll learn how listening to the hypnosis CD can help them change the self-limiting beliefs they may hold about themselves (‘I’m not worth the effort it’ll take to be slim’, ‘I’m not sporty so I’ll never like exercise’) and also to help boost their willpower and keep them focused. Secondly, they’ll learn how important self-esteem is to successful slimming – if you’re feeling positive about yourself, and like yourself, you’ll find it far easier to stick to your slimming plan and reach Destination Dream Weight. Which is why I suggest writing down ten things you love about yourself and another ten things others love about you (such as your sunny smile or generous nature) as well as all the compliments you receive while you’re slimming, and the things you’re grateful for, to keep you in a super-positive frame of mind.
Another skill they’ll learn is that every little helps! Just because you haven’t got an hour to go for a run doesn’t mean that day has to be a write-off exercise-wise. You can either go for a 15-minute Power Cardio session (five minutes of brisk walking to warm up; followed by five sets of 15 seconds of sprinting and 45 seconds of recovery jogging; ending with five minutes of warm-down jogging and stretching) or simply aim to do the Sneaky Workout every time you make a cup of tea or go to the loo (and vow to walk up every escalator and get off the bus two stops earlier that day).
How does it differ from other self-help/weight-loss books on the newsstands?
When I wrote Adore Yourself Slim I wanted it to be the kind of book that would make you feel instantly happy when you opened it (most similar books look dull and dreary), which is why it’s so colourful and full of gorgeous illustrations. I also wanted it to be useful from day one – meaning everything you need is in one place and you can start the plan immediately, no excuses! So there’s no need to buy a journal for your food diary, for example (there’s a three-month journal in the back), or to invest in exercise equipment (all the exercises use your bodyweight alone), or buy additional books or CDs (the book covers hypnosis and offers motivation, eating, exercise and even style and make-up advice). Adore Yourself Slim also emphasises the vital importance of self-esteem – as the title suggests, you need to adore yourself slim, not try to abhor yourself slim. Another important difference is that the book’s eating and exercise plans have been devised by experts and are evidence-based – so you can be sure that what you’re buying into is sensible and healthy. And as I’ve trialled the plan myself, along with dozens of my patients, I really understand the mindset of the struggling slimmer and know for a fact it really works!
Lisa Jackson will be holding half-day Adore Yourself Slim Seminars at her clinic in Croydon, south London, on weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons from 5 March 2011. The seminars cost £75 per person but readers will receive 10% off if they quote ‘Women’s Running’ when booking (discounts of up to 30% are available for group bookings). To book, visit
www.adoreyourselfslim.com
Buy Adore Yourself Slim and save money!
You can buy a copy of Adore Yourself Slim (RRP £12.99) at the special discounted price of £10.99 (including p&p)- an exclusive offer to Women’s Running readers. To do so please call Reader Offers on 01872 562327 and quote ADORE. Alternatively visit www.efcbookshop.com. Offer ends 31st March 2011.
