It’s November 1st. How do you approach the next two months of holiday eating?
The Short Answer
The holidays are widely said to be when most annual weight gain happens, and that gain is said to stick. What is better established is that the body defends its weight harder downward than upward, so a gain is easier to keep than to shed.[1] Your strategy: decide now, before the first party. What are your non-negotiables? Which events will involve indulgence, and which will be normal eating? How will you handle the constant availability of treats? A plan made on November 1st beats a reactive scramble on December 26th. The holidays don’t have to mean two months of suspended judgment followed by New Year’s regret.
Something to Sit With
What has your holiday eating pattern been in past years?
Which specific events this season will be planned indulgences?
What will your non-negotiables be, maintained regardless of context?
Learn More
The Problem.
The holiday season creates a perfect storm:
Continuous temptation. Office parties, family gatherings, holiday treats, gift food, seasonal specials: weeks of constant exposure.
Social pressure. “It’s the holidays!” “Just have some!” “You can start again in January!”[2]
The permission window. Two months of “I’ll get back on track after New Year’s” can produce significant damage.
Emotional eating context. Family stress, year-end fatigue, seasonal affect: all while surrounded by comfort food.
Compounding effect. One event can lead to another. “I already ate poorly yesterday” justifies today. The momentum builds.
You will see a figure quoted for how much people gain over the holidays, usually a pound or three, and often the claim that it never comes off. The two papers behind those claims are in the further reading below; this page does not quote their figures. What it does rest on is the shape of the problem: weight is defended harder downward than upward, so a gain is easier to keep than to lose,[1] which is reason enough to decide in advance, without needing a number to be true.
The Strategic Approach.
Decide now, not later. While you’re thinking clearly, not when you’re at a party with a plate in your hand.[3]
Identify your non-negotiables. What will you maintain regardless of context? Perhaps: no liquid sugar, fasting window preserved, no seconds at buffets.
Choose your indulgences deliberately. Not every party requires eating everything. Decide which specific events or foods are worth it.
Don’t write off weeks. The space between Thanksgiving and Christmas isn’t a free-for-all. Normal eating most days, with specific planned exceptions.
Maintain some structure. Keep your eating window, your morning routine, your basic principles, even if individual meals vary.
The Practical Tactics.
Before each event:
- Eat a protein-rich snack so you don’t arrive starving
- Decide what you’ll have and what you’ll skip
- Know your drink limit in advance
At events:
- Survey everything before choosing
- Fill your plate once, intentionally
- Position yourself away from the food table
- Focus on people, not buffet grazing
Between events:
- Return to normal eating immediately
- Don’t let one party become a three-day slide
- Maintain your basic routines
Throughout the season:
- Keep your home environment clean (no stockpile of holiday treats)
- Continue whatever movement practices you have
- Get adequate sleep despite busy schedules
The Indulgence Strategy.
Indulgence can be strategic:
Planned indulgences. Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas meal, two or three specific parties. Enjoy these fully, without guilt.
Not every occasion. The office candy bowl, the random cookies in the break room, the box of chocolates from a vendor: these don’t require indulgence.
Quality over frequency. Grandmother’s special pie: worth it. Store-bought cookies at the fifth party this week: probably not.
Return immediately. Thanksgiving dinner is Thursday. Friday is a normal day. The meal is an event, not a season.
The Mental Framework.
“I don’t do that” instead of “I can’t have that.”[4] The holidays are part of your year, not an exception to your life.
Seasons, not suspensions. You’re eating during the holiday season, not suspending eating decisions.
Events, not eras. Each event is discrete. One party doesn’t contaminate the next day.
Long game perspective. How do you want to feel on January 2nd? Let that inform November’s choices.
The Gift of Moderation.
Moderate holiday eating means:
- Enjoying celebrations without the physical misery of overeating
- Starting January without extra pounds to lose
- Maintaining relationship with food rather than cycling between restriction and abandon
- Actually remembering the events (not just the food)
The goal isn’t suffering through the holidays: it’s enjoying them without regret.
Further reading:
- Yanovski JA et al., “A prospective study of holiday weight gain”[5] — New England Journal of Medicine, 2000
- Schoeller DA, “The effect of holiday weight gain on body weight”[6] — Physiology & Behavior, 2014
- Clear J, Atomic Habits[7] (2018) — On maintaining identity through exceptions
Written by AI, directed and approved by me. How this is made →