Nov. 12. Our weekly advice column from Giselle Massi, a former Antiquity resident.

“The fat holidays, as I like to call them, are nearly here and I’m trying to do something different this year. I want to not gain weight. Actually, I want to lose it. What are some of the things you do?”

G: Congratulations on wanting to change things up. What can help you to make the most out of your decision to focus on your weight is to get honest with yourself. Are you trying to look better or are you wanting to be healthier and perhaps live longer? Are you doing this for you, or to please someone else? Just knowing the difference can help refine the approach you take and increase your likelihood of success.

Before I get into food and drink temptations, I need to talk about movement and how it relates to health and weight control. I was in my teens when I realized how good I felt being active. I had learned to swim while in grade school and spent countless hours at the beach running and splashing. Looking back, I see how I took my fitness for granted. The bottom line is I enjoyed movement. All my life I have been athletic, but not competitively or professionally.

Not everyone is oriented that way from childhood. As I got older, I observed that many who were close to me, some siblings, other relatives and friends, did not have quite the same relationship to fitness and a desire for movement. I saw a good many of them age faster than me, get seriously ill, and suffer through protracted decline, physically and mentally.

Watching them struggle with food helped me to make the decision to eat to live, rather than live to eat. And with that thought came the commitment to simply continue to move, not so that I would live longer, but just so I might be able to hold onto health instead of lose it.

I am not sure how this came about, who or what inspired it, but this one practice changed pretty much everything for me: anything that I chose to eat or drink would be considered in the light of whether it was being a friend or foe to me. And my exercise, my movement as I like to refer to it, would also be seen through that lens.

There are a number of simple things you can do to reinforce your new approach for the holidays that can become lifelong practices. You can start with getting an exercise outfit made out of stretchy material, the kind that is form fitting, not loose. If you already have one, get another set. Let the outfit symbolically be a statement of your dedication to not make the same mistakes you’ve made in the past.

New exercise tops and bottoms can be pricey, so if that is an issue, go to a consignment store. There you can find great quality, previously worn, cleaned sets that don’t break the bank. It may seem odd to start with an exercise outfit, and one that is more snug fitting than loose, but here’s why: it can help make you instantly more aware of your body the moment you put it on. Your attention is immediately brought to how your skin feels.

Just as putting on a girdle, a Spanx-like undergarment, or for men, briefs, makes you conscious of your dimensions, a good fitting exercise outfit brings you a total sense of your body. It forces you to face the truth of how much space you occupy. You may be surprised, but that sensation can be more effective in truth telling than even a scale or a full-length mirror.

As to the question, what do I do? The answer is: same as I always do. I hold steady to my path. Holiday seasons or celebrations do not pose a threat. Just the other day a family member sent a large box of Godiva chocolates as a gift, knowing I love them. Eating one piece of chocolate and then ignoring the rest for days is easy. I fully taste and savor small amounts of anything rich like that, without triggering a compulsion or a craving to keep indulging.

It’s not that I am made differently than those who cannot control their impulses. It is that I trained myself to be fully satisfied with a healthier lifestyle. You can try this, too. I know that when it comes to certain things, like desserts and processed snacks, more is not more. And I feel that way about holiday or birthday gifts. One really thoughtful present means much more to me than a pile of packages that fills up space, but doesn’t nourish my heart.

Giselle was a journalist with The Denver Post and is the author of “We are Here for a Purpose: HOW TO FIND YOURS” and the novel “Just Dance the Steps.” Email Giselle with your question at GiselleMassi@gmail.com  To read more columns go to  www.gisellemassi.com