I will soon be starting my next SavvyAuthors’ exclusive Weight Loss for Writers class. To my knowledge, you won’t find another class like it anywhere.

But why a class on weight loss just for writers? Well, for one thing, writing is a sedentary occupation, so it’s easy for writers to gain weight.

For another, overweight (yes, I use it as a noun for convenience’s sake!) has a lot in common with that other unfortunately common malady for writers, writer’s block. Both are forms of procrastination fed by perfectionism and ambivalence, and exacerbated by time constraints and resource deficiencies.

Think about it: every time you eat something you don’t want to, or don’t exercise when you want to, you’re procrastinating on your weight loss.

And if you’ve ever, (a) compared your body to that of a genetically-gifted model or athlete who also exercises hours each day; (b) maligned yourself because of your body size or eating habits; or (c) tried an ultra-low-calorie or otherwise deprivational “crash” diet, you were operating out of perfectionism.

If you’ve tried to shoehorn healthy eating and exercise into an existing busy schedule, that’s a time management problem.

And if you’ve tried to lose weight on your own, without being part of a supportive community, your success was probably impeded by a lack of information and support.

In the class, we tackle these challenges and many more—and I’ll also answer the pressing question of why it’s so darned hard to lose weight in the first place.

Here’s what we’ll be discussing:

Lesson 1 – A Bunch of Reasons We Procrastinate on Weight Loss (Includes Solutions!)

Lesson 2 – A Bunch More Reasons We Procrastinate on Weight Loss (Includes More Solutions!)

Lesson 3 – Why Our Inner Critic Is So Relentless (aka – Perfectionism 1)

Lesson 4 – Overcoming Perfectionism

Lesson 5 – Overcoming Ambivalence To Dieting And Exercise

Lesson 6 – Overcoming “Body Ambivalence”

Lesson 7 – How To Clear Time For Diet, Exercise, And Other Self-Care

Lesson 8 – Time Management II: What Overgiving Is, Why It Makes You Gain Weight, and How To Not Do It

This class is open to all writer-dieters regardless of background or dietary preference. We’ll be discussing attitudes and behaviors surrounding food and exercise, not giving formal food recommendations. I’ll post a lesson twice a week, and also give you easy and fun assignments. We’ll discuss all the lessons and assignments, and give each other plenty of support in making small, sustainable steps towards eating less, exercising more, and doing other self-care. You’ll get plenty of individual attention and advice from me, and the atmosphere throughout will be one of kindness, compassion, and gentle accountability.

Here are some student quotes from prior classes:

“This was a brilliant lesson….I really understood why I find it hard to lose weight.”

“This was what I longed for with Weight Watchers but rarely found there.”

“You’ve put weight loss in a completely different light, so I’m able to see some of the invisible obstacles I’ve been creating for myself for years.”

“Your reframing of the weight loss journey has been very helpful.”

“If you’d asked me before the class if I had time to do four gym classes a week, I would have said no way….The funny thing is that all this exercise has just kind of happened in a really easy way, starting from thinking what do I actually like to do? And the revelation is that it’s fun, and I’m enjoying it, and I’m looking forward to seeing results.”

And we had a great time.

Although we’ll focus on weight loss, everything we teach will also help you be a more productive writer! So, think of this class as a twofer, and sign up now!

See you in class!