Who among us wouldn’t be happy about shedding a few pounds?

I don’t even have a scale, but I’m aware when my clothing feels more snug than normal. So, having partaken of many holiday goodies over the last couple months, I’ve been working the elliptical with added intensity and motivation.

Now comes a joint study released by Stanford University and Renford University (see more details in this article). The study reveals … (drum roll, please!) the secret of weight loss! The authors focused on 45 undergrad female students divided into two groups.

The first group were assigned to write daily for a mere 15 minutes about their passions (i.e. significant relationships, important values, cherished personal interests, etc.). The second group were tasked to write daily (again, for 15 minutes) about inconsequential aspects of their lives (i.e. things about which they were indifferent).

Four months later, the passion-driven writers had lost an average of 3.4 pounds while the disinterested writers had gained an average of 2.7 pounds!

[Did Demi Moore get wind of the study prior to its release? Just sayin’ … the dictionary used her image to illustrate the definition of “gaunt.”]

So, what are you waiting for? Shed the extra poundage by writing your novel! Instead of a food diary, write your memoirs! Or take advantage of your expertise and specific knowledge and shape it into a how-to manual!

And, to help you get started on your memoirs (just call me Coach!), I’m sponsoring a giveaway this month. It’s a small book entitled A Book About Me. (No, it’s not really about me!) The spiral-bound book is designed with a fill-in box for each day of the year. To aid you in telling the story of you, each fill-in box poses a specific question about your life. Your answers can be long or short, but if you’re writing your memoirs, it’s an ideal place to begin spending those 15 minutes a day.

The book retails for $10.00. (Multiple copies are available at bulk rates, depending on how many are purchased.) For this giveaway, I’ll draw one name/entry from a hat and mail one book to the winner.

RULES? Giveaway ends January 31, 2012. Winner will be announced February 1, 2012. Your name/email address will be entered when you:

(1) Subscribe to my blog. (There’s a Subscribe button at the top right.) and (2) Leave a comment below the post. [If you wish, you may also LIKE — see the SHARE buttons below — but that isn’t required for entry in the giveaway.]

This is the year for a sleeker physique and a portfolio bursting with new stories, poems, pithy compositions … Ouch! I’ve been pounding away on the elliptical when I could have been pounding my keyboard instead!