7 Holiday Excuses That Keep You Stuck and Why Your Health Doesn’t Need to Wait Until January
René Caruso is a metabolic health and longevity strategist, author, and founder of REPO FIT Inc., with over 30 years of experience helping individuals and clinical teams achieve sustainable wellness. Drawing on both her professional expertise and her personal journey, she empowers clients to restore metabolic function, optimize energy, and build lasting health without shame or quick fixes.
What if the biggest threat to your health this holiday season isn't the Christmas cookies, Thanksgiving dinner, or endless holiday parties? What if it's the excuses you keep making about why taking care of yourself can wait? The holidays don't have to mean abandoning your health goals. By changing a few everyday habits, starting with what's already in your kitchen, you can enjoy the season while building a healthier foundation for the new year.
The holiday weight gain problem isn't what you think
Every November, the same conversation begins. “I'll get serious after Thanksgiving.” “There's no point starting now. Christmas is right around the corner.” “I've already blown it, so I might as well enjoy myself until January.” Sound familiar?
Here's something that might surprise you. Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that adults gained about 0.8 pounds on average during the holiday season, far less than the commonly repeated claim of five to ten pounds. But here's what caught my attention. Much of that weight wasn't lost in the months that followed.
That seemingly insignificant amount of weight can become part of a gradual increase over the years. For some people, holiday weight gain is substantially greater than the average. The bigger issue isn't necessarily what happens between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. It's what happens when six weeks of excuses become six months of neglecting your health.
The scale is only part of the story. Poor sleep, inconsistent meals, excess alcohol, increased stress, and a reliance on convenient, highly processed foods can leave you feeling exhausted, bloated, and disconnected from the healthy habits you've worked hard to establish. The solution isn't another restrictive diet. It's changing how you approach your everyday choices.
7 holiday excuses that are keeping you stuck
“I'll start after the holidays.” This might be the most expensive excuse you make all year, and I'm not talking about money. Every day you postpone taking care of yourself is another day you're reinforcing the habits you eventually want to change.
You don't need to start a new diet the week before Christmas. You don't need a gym membership, a meal delivery program, or a complicated nutritional strategy. You need to start making better decisions with the opportunities already in front of you. What if, instead of waiting for January 1, you made one positive change today? Not ten changes. One.
“I don't have time to eat healthy.” Let's be realistic. The holidays are busy. Shopping, traveling, entertaining, working, and trying to keep everyone happy can make healthy eating feel like another obligation. But healthy eating doesn't have to require hours of meal preparation. Hard-boiled eggs, plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, leftover chicken, fresh vegetables, and a handful of nuts can all be quick, practical options. Sometimes the solution isn't spending more time in the kitchen. It's making better decisions at the grocery store. That brings me to one of my favorite strategies.
"Swap it when it's empty. One small habit that can change how you eat."
I call it “Swap It When It's Empty.” The concept is incredibly simple. When something in your refrigerator or pantry runs out, look for a better alternative instead of automatically replacing it with the same product. That's it.
No throwing away everything in your pantry. No expensive grocery overhaul. No feeling overwhelmed because you suddenly have to become a nutrition expert. Just one product at a time. Start with the foods you use regularly.
Yogurt. Replace flavored varieties loaded with added sugar with plain Greek yogurt, fresh berries, and cinnamon.
Mayonnaise. Try one made with avocado oil and a straightforward ingredient list instead of automatically buying your usual brand.
Salad dressing. Replace heavily sweetened bottled dressings with olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and herbs.
Cottage cheese. Compare labels and choose an option that's high in protein and made with ingredients you recognize.
Sweetened coffee creamer. Experiment with a blend of milk and cream or with unsweetened milk, and add your own flavor.
Packaged sauces. Look for alternatives with less added sugar or make a simple version at home.
Not every packaged food is unhealthy, and not every product marketed as natural is automatically better. Read ingredient lists, compare amounts of added sugar, and consider the overall nutritional value. The goal is to improve the quality of the foods you consistently eat.
Why does this matter? Because a product you consume every day has dozens, sometimes hundreds, of opportunities to influence your overall nutrition throughout the year. A small improvement repeated consistently becomes a meaningful lifestyle change. Once you've mastered swapping individual products, take the next step.
"From swapping ingredients to upgrading entire meals."
Imagine what happens when those individual improvements begin showing up on your plate. Breakfast becomes plain Greek yogurt with berries, walnuts, and cinnamon instead of a sugary breakfast pastry. Lunch becomes a salad rich in protein with vegetables and homemade dressing instead of a packaged convenience meal. Dinner becomes roasted chicken or salmon, vegetables, and a satisfying side dish made from recognizable ingredients. You haven't eliminated the pleasure of eating. You've improved the nutritional foundation of your meals.
Start with one meal a day. Once that becomes routine, work on another. Before long, what once required conscious effort becomes your new normal. That's how lasting changes happen. Not through a dramatic January resolution, but through small decisions you can repeat.
"Back to those holiday excuses."
“It's a special occasion. I deserve to indulge.” Of course you deserve to enjoy the holidays. Food is part of our traditions, celebrations, and memories. I love holiday meals, and I certainly don't believe celebrating should mean sitting in the corner eating celery while everyone else enjoys Grandma's pumpkin pie. But there's a difference between enjoying something special and eating simply because it's available.
One of my favorite strategies is to pause after two or three bites. When you choose a favorite holiday dessert, slow down and really enjoy the first few bites. Then ask yourself whether you want more. Sometimes a few bites are enough to give you the experience you're looking for. Sometimes you'll choose to enjoy the entire serving. The point is to make that choice consciously rather than eating on autopilot. You can enjoy holiday traditions without turning every gathering into an eating marathon.
“I'll just skip meals to save calories for the party.” This strategy often backfires. Arriving at a holiday party ravenously hungry makes it much harder to make thoughtful food choices. Instead, eat a balanced meal beforehand or have a snack that's rich in protein if the party falls between meals.
At the gathering, build your plate around foods you genuinely enjoy. Start with protein and vegetables when available. Add your favorite holiday dishes and enjoy them without guilt. Remember, just because there's an enormous buffet doesn't mean you need to sample everything. Choose what you actually want, sit down, and enjoy it.
“I'm too busy to exercise.” Here's what I regularly tell my clients. Movement isn't just about weight loss. It's about maintaining muscle, supporting metabolic health, improving mood, managing stress, and helping your body function at its best.
You don't need an hour at the gym to benefit. Take a brisk walk after dinner. Do twenty minutes of strength training. Enjoy a yoga class. Dance at the holiday party. Even ten minutes of movement is better than spending the entire season sitting on the sidelines. If you overindulged the night before, exercise shouldn't become punishment for what you ate or drank. Movement is something you do to support your body, not something you owe it.
“I'll catch up on sleep when the holidays are over.” Between gatherings that run late, travel, shopping, and family obligations, sleep often becomes optional. Unfortunately, insufficient sleep can influence appetite regulation, stress, mood, and the decisions we make about food.
Most adults need about seven to nine hours of sleep each night. When you're exhausted, that convenient sugary snack or extra glass of wine may become much more appealing. Protecting your sleep is one of the simplest ways to support your health during a demanding season. Sometimes the healthiest holiday decision is knowing when to call it a night.
“I've already messed up, so why bother?” This is the excuse I want you to eliminate completely. One indulgent meal does not erase months of progress. Neither does a dessert, a missed workout, or a weekend away. But if you believe you've failed, one decision can lead you to set aside your goals for weeks.
Your next meal is an opportunity to make a different choice. You don't need to compensate by starving yourself, doubling your workouts, or starting an extreme cleanse. Simply return to the habits that help you feel your best. Taking care of your health doesn't require perfection, and one holiday dinner certainly doesn't determine your progress.
How to navigate holiday gatherings without sabotaging your progress
A little preparation can make holiday celebrations easier to navigate. Before attending a gathering, eat something nourishing so you aren't making decisions out of extreme hunger. Bring a dish you enjoy that's also made with wholesome ingredients. That way, you'll have something to eat that supports your goals, and your friends and family can try a delicious alternative.
Move away from the buffet after you've eaten. Spend time talking, laughing, and connecting with people rather than grazing throughout the evening. If you're drinking alcohol, pace yourself and alternate alcoholic drinks with still or sparkling water. Remember that alcohol can interfere with sleep and add calories without providing much nutritional value.
Keep moving throughout the season. These aren't rules designed to take the fun out of celebrating. They're practical strategies that allow you to enjoy the holidays while continuing to take care of yourself.
Your health shouldn't depend on the calendar
Here's what I've learned after more than 30 years of working in nutrition and metabolic health. Most people don't struggle because they lack information about what they should be doing. They struggle because the changes feel too big, too complicated, or too difficult to maintain.
So they wait. They wait for Monday. They wait until the kids go back to school. They wait until work slows down. During the holidays, they wait for January.
But your body doesn't know what day it is. It responds to what you consistently do. The foods you choose. The quality of your sleep. How often you move. How you manage stress. The habits you repeat.
You don't have to choose between celebrating the holidays and taking care of your health. You can do both.
The redhead says: Bottom line
Stop waiting for the perfect time to become a healthier version of yourself. It doesn't exist. Start with the yogurt in your refrigerator. The dressing on your salad. The ingredients in your favorite sauce. Swap it when it's empty.
Then improve one meal. Add a walk. Protect your sleep. Enjoy your favorite holiday foods without making them the center of every celebration.
You don't need a complete lifestyle overhaul to begin making progress. You need one better decision, repeated often enough to become a habit. Imagine how much better you'll feel walking into January already moving in the right direction instead of starting over.
Your health doesn't need a New Year's resolution. It needs your attention today.
Ready to build healthier habits that actually last?
If you're tired of starting over every January, let's change the approach. I help clients improve their metabolic health, nutrition, energy, and wellness over time through personalized strategies designed for real life.
Together, we can identify what's keeping you stuck and build a plan that works during the holidays and throughout the rest of the year.
Read more from René Caruso
René Caruso, Metabolic Health Specialist & Peptide Consultant
René Caruso is a metabolic health and longevity strategist, speaker, author, and consultant certified in peptides, with over 30 years of experience in nutrition, metabolic health, and behavior change. After overcoming decades of disordered eating and rebuilding her own relationship with food, René has dedicated her work to helping others restore energy, improve body composition, and find peace with food. She works with individuals, clinics, and wellness providers to translate complex health strategies into practical, sustainable programs that work in real life. Her mission is to help people cut through the noise, understand their bodies, and create health that finally feels doable.
References:
Yanovski, J. A., et al. (2000). A Prospective Study of Holiday Weight Gain. The New England Journal of Medicine, 342, pages 861 to 867.
Caruso, R. Ultra-Processed Food Isn't Just Unhealthy – I Now Believe It's as Dangerous as Smoking. Brainz Magazine.
Caruso, R. How to Rebuild Self-trust After Years of Dieting. Brainz Magazine.
