UNITED STATES—Here are seven more practices that will help you maintain your shape and contentment throughout the holidays.

Weigh rarely – Schedule your weigh-in for the day after tomorrow—it’ll give you something to look forward to. And you’ll approach the scales from a state of curiosity and open anticipation, rather than dread the morning-after the feast.

A bad weigh-in cracks of mirror of well-being. Suddenly, when the scale goes up, you are glancing viciously at the mirror and imagining devious punishments for yourself such as skipping meals or swearing off favorite foods. And when you fail to carry these measures out, it produces ill-feelings and undermines self-respect.
On the other hand, if the numbers on the scale are going down, you are happy. You may even brag to people, “I lost five pounds this week.” In the holiday times this will only trigger more dietary confessions from people who are suffering the same holiday challenges as you. Which brings me to:

Don’t blab – Refrain from talking about your diet or the foods you avoid. This really helps. Keep it out of the conversation, unless a person sincerely asks about your way of eating and living.

The irony of holidays in the United States is that they offer a superabundance of good things to eat, which are a byproduct of love of cooking and an expression of giving. Ironically, this bounty robs us of true hunger and undermines the pleasure of eating.

Know to say No – Other cultures have the right idea, a daily period of fast followed by feast. That preserves the sacred savor of food—it’s met by gratitude and cannot trample our own code and vows regarding what we choose to put in our mouth. You’ve always got the words “no thanks,” in your arsenal, when offered an undesired treat.

Say yes to activity – And we can take a walk around the block or find a job around the house. Keep your pledge with yourself when to push yourself away from the table. When you stop eating is as important as when you start. And yes, cooking is certainly an activity, but we must learn not to nibble.

Keep giving – If you really want to shift your outlook, load up on the goodies for someone you know who does like the stuff. So take out the old Ikea bag and load up on cream puffs for your neice. Food re-gifting can be beautiful, especially when you see someone’s eyes light up and hear the word, “Thanks.”

Veggies first – When it comes to what we eat, remember veggies. If you’re in the mood to really hog out, do it with that tasty dish that is mostly veggies. And you can be pretty happy after some turkey and a heaping helping as veggies. Hold the bready stuffing or limit it to a modest portion. Likewise the medley of desserts often offered: stick to a sample serving. Better yet: truly enjoy dessert items by carving a snack-meal built around a slice of pumpkin pie, complemented by nuts, carrots or celery.

Revel in the good – It’s a time of year when our vows get watered down, our resolve diluted. With overeating, drinking or any other overindulgence there is a backlash of crappy feelings. That’s why it’s important in the thick of the holidays to hang on to and revel in one thing that you did better in your habits. Maybe after drinking all that egg nog you munched on a carrot. Even after a night of indulgence you did your morning stretching and breathing exercises. Hooray! Or you managed to say no to a slice of pizza. A sense of well-being can radiate from being true to some aspect of your diet—which is your way of eating and living.

Humorist Grady Miller is the author of “Lighten Up Now: The Grady Diet” (available on Amazon). Grady can be reached at grady.miller@canyon-news.com.

By Grady Miller