The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size by Julia Cameron
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Book Reviews of The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size
Book Review: Write Away Your Excess Weight?
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read more than enough diet books during my lifetime, from the sensible to the faddish, from the scientific to the ridiculous, without solving my weight problem. After absorbing the "wisdom" of all those books, I swore to ignore this year's diet book crop.
Then, I discovered Julia Cameron's The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size (Jeremy P. Tarcher / Penguin, 2007). With a title like that, how could I resist?
It seems that Cameron, author of The Artist's Way and much more--non-fiction, fiction, plays, poetry--teaches a twelve-week course in "creative unblocking." As her students became more creative, they astonished their teacher by becoming slimmer as well. She observed that "weight loss is a frequent by-product of creative recovery." Apparently, "Overeating blocks our creativity [and] we [also] can use creativity to block our overeating."
This book is divided into two sections, "The Tools" and "Situations and Solutions." The tools begin with "Morning Pages": basically writing three daily pages of a journal. This is the same mind-clearing, self-revealing journal exercise I've long recommended and frequently practiced. "Writing Morning Pages, our mindless lives are behind us." These pages are great places to examine all relationships, including that to food. The Morning Pages evolve into full-fledged journals, by this time addressing eating matters for those with weight concerns. Other useful tools include walking and finding a "body buddy" to cheer one on, among others.
The "Situations and Solutions" of Part Two cover more than thirty common food situations, generally with writing suggestions and/or examples. For "Scaling the Scale," Cameron quotes a student who writes, "I feel the scale is all that stands between me and disaster. I can only imagine what would happen if I tried to go a month without its input." The cure for bathroom scale panic, according to the author, is to weight oneself monthly, not daily.
In "Eating to Please," the author points out that many believe that food is love, so we eat what a loved one eats and join in extravagant meals. We may eat to show our appreciation for "Aunt Helen's cheesecake" or other festive goodies. The suggested writing task to overcome this tendency is to "write out the worst scenario you can imagine if you refuse a dining experience." Use humor; what will happen if you stand up for yourself? "How would it feel to stick to your own agenda and even lose weight during the holiday season?" That would be great, but it's never happened to me.
This is an interestiong book, and I suspect that any fledgling or would-be writer who completed all the suggested writing tasks could develop a better relationship with food, a better figure, and some additional creative skills as well.
While the sheer number of situations and writing tasks intimidates me a bit, this book is full of cleverly-written common sense. This is a book that requires action. It does not suit the couch potato style of reading for escape or entertainment, so put down that bowl of chips and pick up a pen!
Book Review: A Truly Creative Approach to Weight Loss
Summary: 5 Stars
Julia Cameron is not someone I would have expected to write a book on dieting. Well-known for her books on writing, this subject seemed out of character for her. How did writing and dieting fit together I wondered when I came across The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size.
From reading the front inside flap, I discovered that Cameron had noticed that students in her writing classes would often lose weight during the course, leading her to believe that creativity can block overeating. Recently I, a compulsive overeater, had taken several on-line writing classes and discovered that when I got into the flow of writing an essay, I would often forget about food for hours at a time. That Cameron had written a book that connected with my own experience made it a must-read for me.
It quickly became clear that Cameron has wrestled - and is still wrestling - with weight problems herself. Her sympathy with and compassion for those struggling to achieve control over food is apparent in The Writing Diet. She very accurately and sometimes humorously describes the thoughts and feelings that are common to those of us with weight/eating concerns, almost as if she is reading our minds.
The tools she offers include writing morning pages and a journal, but she includes several excellent non-writing tools as well. The section on "Situations and Solutions" is very comprehensive, and most of us can relate all too well to what she writes about in each of the chapters. She encourages us to forgive ourselves when we DO slip up and eat too much or something we know we shouldn't. Best of all are the "Tasks" that follow each chapter, most of which involve writing.
This is a diet book that does not include food lists, tables, charts, or menus. It is about using creativity (writing in particular) to discover why we overeat and to fill in the empty emotional spaces that many of us have been filling with too much or the wrong food. It turned out to be THE book for a writer wannabe and compulsive overeater like myself. I devoured it in just two sittings and plan on having seconds soon - of the book, that is!
Book Review: What can a writer learn about writing from The Writing Diet
Summary: 5 Stars
Julia Cameron, guru author of The Artist's Way and other books on creativity has transformed lives for 25 years. With this book she turns her inspirational style to the artist's battle with weight.
The Writing Diet proposes writing as a weight loss tool to metabolize life. If overeating blocks creativity and feelings, writing wakes up consciousness and returns clarity and productivity. Her tools will work for anyone with food relationship issues.
She doesn't mention research that shows meditation and yoga aid weight loss, but Morning Pages must achieve results for the same reasons. Slowing the mind creates better choices for the body.
Not just for writers, artists, and musicians, Ms. Cameron says many things other books have told you, but does it exceptionally well. If writing is your natural response to life or not, her sensible, clean eating plan may make more sense than most popular diets.
What can a writer learn about writing from The Writing Diet (besides how to deal with weight and food)?
* Select an important topic and a great title.
* Write a book that is a joy to read.
* Make the book beautiful, not imposing or intimidating.
* Create interesting, easy to read short chapters.
* Give practical advice and don't talk down to your reader.
* Illustrate points with interesting, powerful examples.
* Add one meaningful exercise per chapter.
* Write as if you were an understanding fellow traveler.
* Convince your reader you are a supportive friend who went from a size 16 to size 10 in one year.
For twenty five years Julia Cameron has taught creativity using Morning Pages, Journaling, Writer's Dates, and Walking. The Writing Diet adds the delightful Culinary Artist Date to the list.
Amber Polo
www.amberpolo.com
Book Review: Creativity and Overeating
Summary: 5 Stars
*****
This outstanding new book from creativity guru Julia Cameron explores the idea that creativity can block overeating, and the opposite, that overeating can block creativity. After reading the book, and trying it out it my own life, I know that this is true for me.
Using seven key tools, readers are given ideas to overcome their problems with overeating. The seven tools are morning pages (stream of consciousness writing in the mornings), journaling (especially at times of being tempted to overeat), walking, asking oneself four key questions about hunger and food choices, culinary artist dates, HALT (hungry-angry-lonely-tired), and the body buddy.
This book will be of key interest to anyone who does creative work. However, it will also be helpful to those who do not...releasing blocked creativity can be an important aid in dealing with overeating and weight issues.
The book also includes almost forty chapters that cover "situations and solutions" like relapse, night eating, food as sedative, affirmations, and much more. The are part musings from Julia Cameron, part common sense advice about weight loss, and part wisdom from twelve step programs. All combine to make a powerful program of recovery for those people who are open to writing and/or to accessing their creativity in a more powerful way while at the same time empowering themselves to deal with their food issues.
I found this book very helpful and inspirational. I don't know of anything else like it out there. Each of the fifty or so chapters has exercises you can do at the end, and I can't imagine how this could not be helpful for anyone who is open to working even a few of the ideas the author puts forth.
Highly recommended.
*****
Book Review: She's done it 5 Stars
What a blessing this little gem is - I guess it came just at the right time. I've had so many many set backs in mylife recently from a broken hip to an iv-drug use issue and I had certainly put on the pounds. In the past year, I gained around 150 pounds! Conventional diets didn't work - they required time and will power. But now comes Julia Cameron - she of the Artist's way. With the same amazing insight she brought to the creative process she penetrates deep into the heart of food related addictions everywhere. Through a series of guided writings, Ms. Cameron cajoles you to face your demons and start living right. She also gently encourages some light exercise - 5 min of walking a day or so. Well, I have started writing, - the walking will come later when I am ambulatory again and have my balance back - but for now I am loving this. I have been on the plan for 3 weeks and have lost almost a pound! This time next year my goal is to have lost 5 to 6 pounds! I know the walking will help. Bless you, Julia for giving hope to those who don't want to work too hard - I can at least feel like I am accomplishing something. My husband says it is a farce, but what does he know. He has suffered 4 heartattacks in the past 6 months. His diet could use a little change too! Buy the book and watch the pounds fly off.