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How to Stop Holiday Indulgences from Becoming Your January Habits

December 1, 2025

Lots of experts warn about holiday weight gain, but they’re focused on the wrong problem. 

The thing to really watch is what I call the “carryover effect”—the way holiday habits quietly follow you into the new year.

Quick story: In the early 2000s, NIH researchers noticed that big organizations—CNN, medical groups, major universities—kept repeating the same claim: the average American gains 5 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.¹

But when the researchers went looking for the original data, they couldn’t find it. So they ran their own study.

The finding: People who weren’t trying to lose weight gained, on average, about 1 pound over the holidays. Not exactly the disaster headline you’d expect.

Here’s where it gets interesting: The participants didn’t lose that extra pound over the rest of the year. 

The researchers say that could explain weight creep over time: Small gains accumulate from one holiday season to the next, and at some point, you realize you’re carrying an extra 5, 10, or even 20 pounds. 

The real issue isn’t that single pound, though. It’s the habits that develop during the holidays—more sugar and alcohol, heavier meals, skipped workouts, staying up late—and then stick around after the decorations are put away.

That lingering pattern is the carryover effect. It can happen to anyone, and it explains why so many people struggle to get back on track in January… and February… and March… and, well, you get the idea.

But it doesn’t have to happen. You can enjoy the holidays and stop the carryover effect with a simple 3-step approach. I’ll show you how.

How to Prevent the Carryover Effect

During the holidays, it’s easy to loosen up so much that eating becomes automatic. Every get-together, event, or party becomes another moment to celebrate—and another reason to splurge. 

That’s part of the fun. Food brings people together, helps us feel connected, and adds joy to the season. Have your big holiday meal with your family? Let go and enjoy it. 

But this is also a good time to practice simple habits that let you enjoy meals with others without feeling like you’re either “on” or “off,” and keep the whole month from becoming a food-free-for-all. Because the carryover effect doesn’t come from one big meal—it comes from the small patterns that repeat day after day. 

These habits help you stay present, slow down, and notice your body’s signals, so you don’t accidentally turn December’s indulgence into your January’s routine. 

Habit 1: Practice slow eating.

This is one of the most useful tools when your routine is disrupted—whether you’re at a family gathering or eating out. 

Eating slowly can help you naturally eat less, no matter what’s on your plate. In one study, participants ate 16 percent fewer calories just by eating fewer bites per minute.²

Try this: After each bite, put your fork down. Or take a deep breath (or two). Or have a sip of water. Or do a combination of the three. The goal is simply to slow your pace.

The holidays are actually a perfect time to practice this. It doesn’t require you to restrict anything; you’re simply savoring each bite instead of racing to the end. (Learn more: All about slow eating.)

Step 2: Stop at around 80% full. 

Most of us aim to eat until we’re full—but not stuffed. The problem is that fullness doesn’t register right away. 

It takes a few minutes for your brain to catch up to what your stomach already knows. That delay makes it very easy to overindulge, especially when the food is rich, abundant, and delicious.

Stopping at around 80% full gives your body space to send its natural satiety signals. A few minutes later, you often realize that you did indeed get plenty.

There’s no magic way to know when you’re at 80%. You have to go by feel. It gets easier with practice. And slow eating helps a lot. 

One check-in that helps: As you near the end of your meal, ask yourself, “Would I feel good doing yoga or going dancing right now?” If the answer is yes, you’re probably in that sweet spot—satisfied but not weighed down. (Learn more: How to eat until 80% full.)

Step 3: Know your “redlight” foods.

These aren’t necessarily “bad” foods. They’re foods that tend to backfire for you personally. They might be foods that:

• you can’t stop eating once you start,
  
  
• cause bloating or digestive issues,
  
  
• trigger reactions due to allergies or insensitivities, or
  
  
• Consistently leave you feeling ashamed and guilty

Write them down—literally make a short list. There’s a simple idea in psychology called “name it to tame it”: When you label something, you become more aware of it and easier to make a conscious choice instead of slipping into autopilot.

Identifying foods as “redlight” doesn’t mean you can never have them. It just gives you clarity. You can still choose to enjoy them—you’re just doing it with full awareness of the tradeoff. That awareness can have a powerful effect on how you eat.

How to Stop the Carryover Effect

Even when you’re conscious of the carryover effect, holiday habits can still be hard to break. After all, re-entering “normal” everyday life is often stressful, draining, and a little depressing. 

On top of that, you may be feeling foggy, puffy, and a little “off,” thanks to higher inflammation levels. So it’s hard to get back to your pre-holiday health routine. 

That’s where the 10-Day Detox comes in. For 10 days, you only eat whole, nourishing foods—just what your body and brain need to feel better fast. The program is designed to dramatically decrease inflammation, break the cycle of food cravings, and restore your system to its “factory settings.” 

Think of it as a reset for your entire body—and, just as important, your health habits. That’s a benefit that’ll serve you all year long. 

If you want a strong start to the new year, this short reset is one of the most effective ways to do it. Plus, commit now, and you can get the complete 10-Day Detox program for 35% off with our limited-time Black Friday offer (expires December 2, 2025). 

Don’t worry: You can start whenever you’re ready—whether that’s immediately or after the new year. Learn more.

References

1. Yanovski JA, Yanovski SZ, Sovik KN, Nguyen TT, O’Neil PM, Sebring NG. A prospective study of holiday weight gain. N Engl J Med. 2000 Mar 23;342(12):861–7. 

2. Hawton K, Ferriday D, Rogers P, Toner P, Brooks J, Holly J, et al. Slow down: Behavioural and physiological effects of reducing eating rate. Nutrients. 2018 Dec 27;11(1):50.