I Lost 25 Pounds in Three Weeks by Writing

The Pen and Paper Diet

Don’t let the headline fool you; I didn’t lose twenty-five pounds by eating only pens and paper, although that would make a decent episode of My Strange Addiction. I lost twenty-five pounds in three weeks by keeping a daily morning journal. I wrote myself thin, and you can too.

At the beginning of 2021, I read the cult classic book The Artist’s Way, and it changed my entire life nearly instantly. During the Pandemic, I gained the typical quarantine twenty, thanks to a year of DoorDash deliveries, an unlimited supply of red wine, and a lack of fucks given. I didn’t like who I became during the Pandemic. I felt isolated, creatively blocked, and bored as hell. I needed inspiration to get me out of the funk because living that way wasn’t sustainable or true to who I was. So I finally read The Artists Way, which had been on my reading list for more than a decade.

The book is about creative recovery, nurturing your child artist, and getting un-fucking-stuck. Julia Cameron, the author, talks about keeping something called The Morning Pages. The gist is that every morning when you wake up, immediately write down three full pages using stream of consciousness. Don’t stop and think; just write. If you don’t think you can write three full pages, you’re wrong. Write about what time you went to bed the night before, any dreams you had, what you’re doing that day, how you’re feeling, where you’re going, who you’re hating on, what you want to buy, and anything that’s bothering you or making you happy. Just write until you hit the end of the third page. Then close it up, keep it safe from prying eyes, and go about your day.

Some of my journals from 2021.

Once I started writing my morning pages, I felt lighter, like I was clearing out a hoarding situation that took up residence inside my brain. All the gunk and mental trash that had been piling up in my head over the years was blocking me from living my best life. Suddenly, I had a place to get rid of all those pointless thoughts. Writing them down released them from my body, and I never thought of them again. I started waking up earlier and earlier because I was so excited to write my morning pages. I Marie Kondo’d my brain. I felt happier, more fulfilled, funnier, and more-clear headed than I’ve ever felt in my life. I knew the feeling; I was in the flow.

If you’ve never been in the flow, I’d describe it as an alternate reality where time doesn’t make sense, and you operate on the highest vibration the Universe has to offer. It feels like having a crush on life, where everything is new and interesting. You glow from within as if you swallowed the sun. You attract people and places, and opportunities into your orbit. And if you encounter any roadblocks in your path, the obstacles either get out of your way or you simply run them over. You have no resistance; nothing can stand in your way. The energy of the flow moves all around you like you’re standing peacefully in the eye of a hurricane of magic.

When I picked up The Artist’s Way, I was desperate to feel inspired, creative, and funny again. Losing twenty-five pounds in the first three weeks of journaling was a happy and unexpected side effect. I lost weight quickly, too. Sometimes five pounds in a single day, without changing my diet or exercise routine at all. I realized that handwriting my journal was key. My arm carried the thoughts from my brain down through to my hand, and onto the paper. You have to keep the pen moving, and don’t overthink it; just write. No thought is too dumb. No sentence is too stupid. Here’s an excerpt from my first day writing morning pages;

February 17, 2021

Los Angeles, CA

“Last night I was swiping through Hinge again. I haven’t heard back from the girl I made the Jackass comment to, which is unfortunate because she was totally my type. This morning I woke up to two messages from girls I clicked like on. I’ll write back today and see what happens. My goal is to start dating again and make new friends. I want new walking buddies and people who want to watch TV with me and spend the night. I think it would be so good for me to have a crush on someone. I stayed up late watching lesbian TikToks. I think I now follow every lesbian in the world. I love TikTok. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the month. I wish it was a leap year, I feel short-changed when February only has 28 days. It’s almost Spring. I hear a bird really close to me, I think he’s on the powerline. I love Spring. I can’t believe there’s some other Lauren Reeves who writes gospel. It’s embarrassing. I hope people know she’s not me. She’s the ho who bought laurenreeves.com. I guess she’s savvier than I am, but still, I find her to be extremely annoying. Go preach your prayer stuff under a different name, please, this one’s taken. I should snag her domain from her somehow when she’s not looking. I also need to remember I bought and paid for Kamala is the Bombala dot com. I need to figure out what I’m going to do with it.”

I didn’t even know I felt that way about the other Lauren Reeves. I just wrote, and that’s what came out. The journaling self is the one spitting the truth. I’ve gotten to know myself on a much deeper level since I started writing my morning pages.

Three weeks after taking up morning pages.

I thought I was the first person in the world to connect weight loss with writing. It felt like the weight-watcher equivalent to discovering the fountain of youth. I thought about emailing the author to let her know that the morning pages helped me lose weight, but then I looked up some of her other work, and I found she wrote a book called The Writing Diet. Here’s an excerpt from the Prologue.

“Although many of my students report that they have found new and exciting lives after following my creativity work, I cannot promise you a new career if you undertake the Writing Diet. What I can promise you is increased clarity, increased energy, increased productivity. As you write, you will lose weight and gain creativity. As you unblock your feelings, you will gain access to the energy that they hold. As you become more familiar with yourself, the origin of your creative work, you will become, quite literally, more original. As you become more lean, your thinking will grow more clear.”

This was my exact experience. Julia Cameron continues;

“As you lose weight, you will stop waiting for the magic wand that will transform your life. Instead, you will realize that the magic wand is actually a pen and that, pen in hand, you can transform your own life.”

I’ve always written things down; my ideas, to-do lists, essays, articles, and names of enemies I will destroy before I die. But this writing was different. It was the first time I wrote without stopping or thinking. Here’s another excerpt from when I realized when I was picking up speed.

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Joshua Tree, CA

“Ever since I started doing morning pages I’ve gained momentum in all aspects of my life. My health, my weight, my career, writing, dating. Those are all filling up pretty quickly. There’s a full moon tonight, time for magic. I had a lot to unpack in therapy and I realized it’s because I’m doing my morning pages. Something has unlocked in my brain and it feels like a free for all of thoughts. The author said certain weeks would be harder than others and it’s so true. But I’ve done a lot in the last couple weeks including lose weight and start dating again. I’m unpacking all my stuff and nurturing my child artist for the first time ever.”

This is my call to action. If you’ve been feeling stuck, blocked, or stagnant, pick up a copy of The Artist’s Way immediately. The magic is real. I felt the most connected to myself I’ve ever been. Get a pen and paper right fucking now, and get to work. Your new life is already inside you; you just need to let it out.