Bridge to Fitness: Holiday Weight Gain Usually Starts Outside the Pie

When people talk about putting on weight during the holidays, the blame usually falls on Halloween candy or Thanksgiving dinner.

And yes, those moments matter. A day of sweets here, a large holiday meal there, plus a few parties can all add up.

But at BridgeFit Personal Training, we have found the bigger issue is usually not those events themselves. It is everything that happens around them.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine measured adults before and after the holidays. On average, people gained about a pound. That may not sound like much, but most did not lose it afterward. A year later, many were still carrying that extra weight. Repeat that pattern year after year, and the gain adds up quickly.

The study is available here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10727591/

What stood out most was who gained the most. Roughly 1 in 10 people added 5 pounds or more, and they tended to move less and feel hungrier. Those who stayed active often maintained their weight or even lost some.

That lines up with what we see at the gym every year.

Cold weather keeps people from taking evening walks.

Schedules get packed with work gatherings, family commitments, children’s events and travel.

The workouts that were never missed in one season start getting skipped in the next.

Snacking also increases. Much of holiday food is easy to grab and low in protein, and protein is what helps you stay full. So people eat, feel hungry again soon after, and head back for more.

That is not usually a willpower problem. It is a schedule problem.

That is why we run Project Zero each year. It is our holiday challenge, and the goal is straightforward: avoid gaining weight during the holiday season. Participants get a plan and a few habits to focus on, such as getting protein at every meal, keeping up with steps even when it is cold, and scheduling workouts before the week fills up.

They also get accountability. Our coaches check in, and if a week slips away, they help people get back on track. You can still attend parties and enjoy the food. The goal is not perfection. It is continuing to make progress even when life gets busy.

Dustin Yantzi

Owner, BridgeFit Personal Training