One Size Does Not Fit All author Lisa Jansen explains first hand why she believes that long-term weight loss starts with happiness and self-discovery.
“If only I could lose some weight, I would be so much happier.”
This is probably a familiar thought to many who are struggling with their weight. It’s also what author Lisa Jansen used to believe. But as she has learned since, this view is not entirely accurate.
Lisa has been struggling with her weight her entire life. And it wasn’t just a matter of a few extra pounds. For most of her teens and young adult years, Lisa would have been considered morbidly obese, weighing in at over 135kgs at the heaviest.
Like many others in a similar situation, Lisa had lost weight a few times – significant amounts in two instances. Keeping it off long-term was the hard part.
“When I was 19, I managed to lose over 30kgs. But a couple of years later it was all back on, plus some more,” Lisa explains. “I was really frustrated with that and didn’t like myself much at the time. I wholeheartedly believed that I would be happy if only I could be skinny, but I just couldn’t figure out how to make that happen. Until years later in my late-20s when I figured out the real secret to long-term weight-loss.”
In her mid-20s, inspired by a university professor, Lisa started to embark on what she calls her self-discovery journey. She began to read a lot on topics like personal development and growth, finding purpose and meaning, personality and self-awareness and finding happiness.
“Learning about these topics opened my eyes to a whole new world. I learnt so much about myself, and it helped me gain clarity around who I wanted to be. These new insights gave me a new level of confidence. Around the same time, I got involved with a cause that gave me a real purpose and a sense of belonging. These two things combined resulted in me being much happier and liking myself more – and that gave me the strengths to tackle my weight one more time.”
Over the next two years, Lisa lost over 50kgs. She has managed to keep the weight off for over nine years now, which is impressive given studies show that over 90% of people who lose a lot of weight eventually regain it.
“Food and weight management are still challenges for me. It doesn’t just go away. I still over-eat at times, and I still gain weight sometimes. The difference is that I feel in control now, and I always manage to get back on track before things get out of hand.”
Lisa is convinced that her ongoing investment in self-discovery and self-awareness is the main reason for that.
“When we talk about obesity and weight management, the conversation often tends to be focused on diet and exercise. But let’s be honest, most of us know exactly what we should and shouldn’t eat and how active we should be. We know what to do, it’s doing it, every day, over and over again that’s difficult.”
Many people believe that losing weight is the key to happiness, but Lisa says in her experience, it’s the other way around. Addressing some of her emotional challenges, getting to know herself better and getting to a point where she was happier with herself and her life is what enabled her to lose weight. And today, it’s knowing who she wants to be and how she wants to live her life that gives her the strength to keep her weight under control.
“Losing weight isn’t the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to losing weight. So when people ask me for diet and weight-loss tips, I always say to them: invest in yourself, get to know yourself better, find out what truly makes you happy and how being fit and healthy will help you achieve that – that’s what will give you the motivation to lose weight and keep it off.”
Wanting to help other people follow in her footsteps inspired Lisa to write her book One Size Does Not Fit All. Following her belief that long-term weight loss is not about diet or exercise but about finding happiness, the book is all about helping readers learn about themselves and then use that knowledge to be happier.
“I believe that when it comes to happiness, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. We are all unique. Different things will make us happy and different paths will get us there. One Size Does Not Fit All is about helping readers discover their personal path to a happier life.”
The first part of the book guides the reader through a series of exercises designed to learn about their personality, values and strengths and weaknesses. The second part is about using that knowledge to figure out what will bring the individual reader lasting happiness before part three outlines a process for developing a highly actionable, personal plan to a happier life.
Order your copy of One Size Does Not Fit All today for just £9.99 at www.mortonsbooks.co.uk