Morgan Rebernik CPT, Online Coach

December 1st, 2025

Holiday Weight Gain:
How to Manage Getting Through the Holidays Without Derailing Your Progress

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As a reminder from last week's newsletter, Thanksgiving is about spending time with with loved ones and taking the time to appreciate what you have.

However, holidays are also notorious for eating until that button on your jeans finally gives.

So....what happens to your weight loss goals when the holidays roll around?

My Top 3 Tips for Managing Your Weight During the Holidays:

1. Don't be afraid to eat.

Being scared of all of the food that's on the table is going to dramatically impact your ability to fully be present during the holidays.

What's Important: You're being mindful of your serving sizes.

Have some pie if you'd like, but don't grab every little dessert option that's available to you.

What often happens when you're trying to lose weight is you completely eliminate all "bad foods" from your diet and when you finally give yourself an opportunity to enjoy them again, you go overboard because it's available to you, and you don't know when you'll have that opportunity to go HAM again.

As a result, the scale skyrockets, and you end up spinning down a tunnel of self-pity for the unforeseeable future.

Eat, but in moderation.

2. Add in small bouts of activity around your meals to counter the excess consumption.

After our Thanksgiving dinner, my family and I went out for a 30 minute walk around the block.

Nothing crazy- a nice, simple walk.

Now we all still made time for our workouts, thankfully my brother and boyfriend are just as regimented as I am, but I also fully understand that not every family is as understanding as mine is.

This is where the small bouts can really be helpful.

If you can't convince your family to take a walk with you, or at least allow you to go on a walk by yourself, then I think there's a conversation there worth having about why your health is so important to you.

You can't always expect a perfect week of eating and training during the holidays, but you can do your best to work with what you can.

Stay accountable, so you can limit the self-pity.

3. Get back on track, ASAP.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, get back into meal prepping.

Don't save any leftovers that don't align with your goals. You had pie at dinner on Thanksgiving, you don't need to keep it in the house to taunt you.

Either toss it, or give it away to someone who'll enjoy it.

Get excited for your first workout back, which should be a great one.

With the excess carbs that you ate during the holiday, your energy levels for that workout should be skyrocketing.

*And it's helpful to know that the calories you ate are being put to use.

Get back into your regular routine as soon as you can, and don't let those few days of lax carry out into the next upcoming holidays.

Remember, the goal here is to avoid that feeling of self-pity.

Work hard now, so you don't have to keep playing the endless game of yo-yoing the number on the scale.

And again, putting in the hard work now will make you feel so much better for when the next holiday rolls around.

Takeaways:

Holidays should be about being present, and spending time with family and loved ones.

You shouldn't be fearful of the food that's on the table, but you still need to hold yourself accountable to how much you're putting on your plate.

Add in small bouts of activity when you can, or even better, get your family to join you. More family time? Sounds good to me.

Lastly, get back on track as soon as you can. Don't delay your return, and use the fuel of Thanksgiving to motivate you and push you harder heading into the next Holiday.

Did you find this helpful? Send it to a friend who could use the advice too!

Struggling to Manage Your Weight During the Holidays? I can help! I offer online training AND nutritional planning! Fill out the link below to get started!https://forms.gle/aY448PtNa5yRrxMn7​