The holiday season can feel like a battlefield. Everywhere you turn, there’s a new excuse to “enjoy” yourself… followed by the guilt and frustration of the inevitable weight gain. It’s like the calendar has a secret vendetta against your waistline.
But this year, my clients decided to do things differently.
Instead of joining the endless “holiday weight gain” cycle, these rebel gals chose a new approach. They still enjoyed the festivities, the food, the wine… all of it.
But they did it on their terms.
No deprivation, no punishing workouts, no giving up the joy of the season. Just smart choices that fit their lives—and their brains now have proof that weight can be maintained, even lost, over the holidays.
Take my client Anne, for example. She attended multiple holiday parties and indulged in her favorite treats without guilt. But she also made small, intentional choices throughout the day, like walking after meals, savoring rather than mindlessly eating, and staying mindful of portions. The result?
She stepped on the scale after New Year’s and found herself lighter than she was before Christmas.
Another client Vicki, focused on consistency over perfection. She didn’t stress about a missed workout or a second helping of dessert. She simply returned to her habits the next day, making small, sustainable adjustments rather than relying on extreme restriction.
By the end of the season, she had not only avoided holiday weight gain, she had lost a few pounds and, more importantly, had a renewed sense of confidence in her choices.
The Secret Weapon:
Here’s one of the reasons my clients sail through the holidays: because I help them discover their personal style of eating, they’re already in tune with their bodies. When your body feels nourished and energized, those intense cravings for sweets, snacks, or “extra treats” don’t hit as hard.
This isn’t about restriction, it’s about giving your body what it actually needs so it stops screaming for the foods that aren’t serving it. And when cravings aren’t controlling you, making smart choices during the holidays becomes less stressful.
The 60-Second Test
Another trick I teach my clients that makes indulgence guilt-free: Before you dive into that slice of pie, plate of cookies, or extra glass of wine, ask yourself:
“How am I going to feel 60 seconds after eating this?”
If the answer is “crappy,” skip it. If the answer is “good, satisfied, actually happy,” then go for it.
And here’s the kicker: you don’t need a huge portion to feel satisfied. Just three bites. Three bites of what you want, and I promise…you’ll feel like a rockstar. This simple trick keeps you in control without ever feeling deprived.
The key is mindset. My clients approached the holidays with intentional choices, not rigid rules. Instead of letting dates on a calendar dictate their weight, they chose their actions, and that’s a game-changer.
The holiday season doesn’t have to be a minefield of guilt and regret. With intention and flexibility, you can enjoy the celebrations while still feeling strong, vibrant, and in control of your body. And once your brain experiences this proof, it becomes easier each year. You stop believing that December automatically equals weight gain, and you step into January ready to thrive, not recover.
This isn’t just about a few pounds, it’s about stepping into the new year feeling like a confident badass, free from the “calendar control trap.” It’s about knowing that you are much more powerful than a date on a calendar, and that your weight doesn’t have to follow it.
So this year, instead of bracing yourself for the same old cycle, consider taking a page from my clients’ playbook. Choose differently. Move intentionally. Use your secret weapon. Use the 60-second test. And give your brain the proof it needs: you can maintain (and even lose) weight during the holidays.
The holidays don’t have to control you. You get to control them.
Sonja, xo
