Holiday Weight Gain: How to Avoid It and Keep Losing (2027)

Key points

The average gain is small. Studies that weighed people before and after the winter holidays usually find about 0.4 to 0.9 kg (1 to 2 lb), far less than the often-repeated claim of 2 kg (5 lb) or more.
The problem is that it stays. In the best-known study, the extra weight was still there the next autumn, so a few kilos can quietly add up over the years.
People who are losing weight are not protected. Research suggests people who have already lost a lot are more likely to gain a kilo or more over the holidays.
Holding steady is a real win. You do not need a perfect month. Keeping your weight stable through the festive weeks, then carrying on, protects everything you have achieved.
A plan for the day beats a diet. Eat normally beforehand, fill your plate with protein and vegetables first, pick the treats you truly love and keep walking.
Talk to your doctor first before you change your food or exercise, especially if you have diabetes, heart problems, joint pain or take regular medicines.

How much weight do people gain over the holidays?

Most adults gain somewhere around half a kilo to one kilo (about 1 to 2 lb) during the main holiday season. That is much less than the 2 kg (5 lb) or more that is often claimed, but it matters for a different reason: it often never comes off again.

The clearest evidence comes from a study in which researchers weighed 195 adults four times between autumn and early spring. On average, people gained 0.37 kg (just under 1 lb) between mid-November and early January, and hardly changed in the weeks before or after.

The same people were weighed again the following autumn. The extra weight had not gone away, so the researchers concluded that holiday gains probably add to the slow weight gain many adults notice over the years.

Bigger gains in some groups

A narrative review of holiday studies found gains of 0.4 to 0.9 kg in most groups of adults. Several studies of people actively trying to lose weight also showed an increase, although not every one of them was large enough to be certain.

A study of 148 adults found an average gain of about 0.8 kg over roughly eight weeks. Participants with obesity showed the biggest rise in body fat percentage, and blood pressure went up a little in the group as a whole.

Another study compared people who had kept off a large weight loss for years with people who had never lived with obesity. Those who had lost weight worked harder at their routine, yet more of them gained a kilo or more over the holidays (about 39 % against 17 %). A month later, many still carried that extra weight.

Not only one season

The research mainly looks at the weeks from late November to early January, because that is where most studies were done. The same pattern fits any period with more celebrations, more food at home and less routine.

That can be Christmas and New Year, Eid, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Thanksgiving, a wedding season with many parties, or a long summer break. This page uses “the holidays” for all of those moments, whatever you celebrate.

A small study of adults going on a one- to three-week vacation found a similar picture: an average gain of about 0.3 kg during the trip, and the extra weight was still there six weeks later. Body size made little difference to how much people gained.

What studies found about holiday weight gain (averages, rounded)
Who was studied	Period	Average change	What happened next
195 adults, mixed weights	Mid-November to early January	+0.37 kg (about 0.8 lb)	Still there the next autumn
148 adults, mixed weights	About 8 weeks over the winter holidays	+0.8 kg (about 1.7 lb)	Body fat rose most in people with obesity
People who had kept off a large weight loss	Winter holidays	39 % gained 1 kg or more	Many still above their usual weight a month later
122 adults on a 1- to 3-week vacation	The trip itself	+0.3 kg (about 0.7 lb)	Still there six weeks later

A higher number on the scale the morning after a big, salty meal is often water, not fat. Our page on water weight explains why it can jump overnight and settle again within days.

Why the holidays make weight loss harder

The holidays make weight loss harder because almost everything that supports your routine changes at once. Food is everywhere, days lose their structure and the habits that work on a normal Tuesday suddenly have nowhere to fit.

It is rarely one big dinner that causes the gain. It is the mix of many small extras over several weeks, together with less movement and less sleep.

Routine disappears. No fixed working hours, late mornings and meals at unusual times make it easy to skip a walk or graze all day.
Food is always nearby. Tins of biscuits, bowls of sweets and leftovers sit on the table for days, and every visit comes with a plate.
Buffets and shared dishes. When you serve yourself from many dishes, it is hard to judge how much you have eaten.
More alcohol. Drinks add calories of their own and make it harder to stop eating once you have had a few.
Short, cold or very hot days. In winter it gets dark early, and in some places summer heat makes walking hard in the middle of the day.
Less sleep. Late nights, travel and guests cut into rest, and tired people tend to eat more the next day.
Stress and strong feelings. Family tension, money worries, loneliness or grief can be strongest exactly when everyone else seems happy.

Sleep is not a small detail here. When researchers pooled trials in which people slept less than usual, the short sleepers ate about 385 kcal more on the following day, while they did not burn more. Our page on sleep, stress and mental health explains how rest and stress affect weight.

If you notice that you eat to calm down, cheer up or fill an empty evening, that is not a lack of willpower. Our guide to emotional eating helps you spot those moments and handle them kindly.

Should you try to lose weight over the holidays?

You can keep losing weight over the holidays, but for many people holding steady is the smarter goal for these weeks. A stable weight while everyone around you is feasting is a real success, not a pause in your progress.

Trying to diet harder in December, during Eid or on a family trip usually backfires. Strict rules clash with shared meals, you feel left out, and the plan often collapses into a week of eating with no plan at all.

A maintenance goal takes that pressure away. You still walk, you still build your plate the same way, and you still eat well most of the day. You just give yourself room for the meals that matter to you.

What a good holiday goal looks like

Weight: stay within about half a kilo (1 lb) of where you started, or lose slowly if that happens on its own.
Walking: keep at least a short walk on most days, even if your usual walks are not possible.
Meals: treat two or three special days as special, and keep the other days ordinary.
Sleep: protect a regular bedtime on the nights you can.

If you are early in your weight loss, this is also a good time to think about pace. Our page on safe weight loss explains how fast is realistic once normal life returns.

Festive meals and parties: a simple plan for the day

The best plan for a festive meal is to arrive normally hungry, not starving, and then enjoy the food you really care about. You do not need to skip meals, count every bite or say no to every treat.

“Saving up” calories by eating nothing all day sounds clever but tends to work against you. By the evening you are so hungry that the first plate disappears fast and the second follows before you feel full.

A simple plan for a party or celebration day
Moment	What to do	Why it helps weight loss
Morning	Have your usual breakfast with some protein, and go for a walk if you can.	You start the day fed and active, so you are not ravenous later.
Before you go	Eat a small, filling snack if dinner is late, such as yoghurt, fruit or vegetable sticks.	A little food beforehand takes the edge off hunger.
First plate	Start with protein and vegetables or salad, then add the rest.	Protein and fibre fill you up, leaving less room for second helpings.
Treats	Pick one or two treats you truly love, and skip the ones you only eat because they are there.	You enjoy the meal without eating every extra on the table.
Drinks	Alternate with water or another drink without sugar.	Fewer liquid calories, and you stay in control of how much you eat.
After the meal	Go for a short walk with family or friends.	It breaks up long sitting and helps your body handle the meal.
Next day	Go straight back to your normal meals and walk.	One rich meal is easy to absorb; a week of leftovers is not.

Small tricks at the table

Use a smaller plate if you can, and serve yourself once from the buffet instead of picking all evening.
Sit with your back to the snack table, or move the bowls of sweets out of arm’s reach.
Eat slowly and put your fork down between bites; talk, listen and enjoy the company.
Take the treat you love on a small plate and sit down to eat it, rather than nibbling while standing.
Send guests home with leftovers, or freeze them in single portions for ordinary days later.

Buffets, restaurants and eating at other people’s homes need a bit of extra practice. Our page on portion control has a hand-portion guide that works anywhere, with no scales.

When family keeps offering more

In many families, offering food is a way of showing love, and refusing can feel rude. A friendly, short answer usually works best: “It was delicious, I’m full for now,” or “Could I take some home for tomorrow?”

You do not owe anyone an explanation of your weight loss. If comments about your body or your plate come up again and again, our page on weight loss support has ideas for talking with family and friends.

Festive foods: lighter choices that still feel like a celebration

Festive foods are not “bad” foods, but many of them pack a lot of energy into a small portion. A few simple swaps let you keep the dishes you love and still save a good number of calories over the holiday weeks.

The figures below are approximate and based on the USDA food composition database. Recipes vary a lot between families and countries, so use them as a rough guide, not as exact numbers.

Festive foods and lighter choices (approximate calories per portion)
Food	Usual portion	About kcal	Lighter choice	About kcal
Roast turkey or chicken breast with skin	100 g	190	Same meat, skin removed	150
Roast leg of lamb, lean and fat	100 g	260	Lean meat, visible fat trimmed	190
Pumpkin pie	1 slice (110 g)	265	Half a slice	135
Apple pie	1 slice (125 g)	295	Half a slice with 150 g strawberries	195
Fruitcake	60 g	195	A thin slice of 30 g	95
Glazed doughnut or other fried sweet	1 piece (50 g)	210	Two clementines or mandarins	70
Chocolate chip cookies	2 cookies (30 g)	150	1 cookie	75
Milk chocolate	25 g	135	Two squares (about 10 g), eaten slowly	55
Medjool dates	2 dates (48 g)	135	1 date with a glass of water	65
Cheddar from the cheese board	60 g	245	30 g with cucumber slices	140
Potato crisps (chips)	30 g	160	Air-popped popcorn, about 2 cups (15 g)	55
Mixed nuts straight from the bowl	60 g	365	One measured handful (30 g)	180
Crisps as a dip carrier	30 g	160	Carrot sticks (100 g) with 2 tablespoons of hummus	110

Source: USDA SR Legacy food composition data; values per portion rounded to the nearest 5 kcal. Drinks are left out on purpose: our weight loss drinks page has a full swap table.

Notice what the table does not say: it never tells you to give up the pie, the sweets or the cheese. Smaller portions of the real thing tend to satisfy more than a large plate of something you did not want.

For snacks to keep at home between celebrations, our list of healthy snacks has ideas under 100 and under 200 calories. If sweets are the hardest part for you, our guide to cutting sugar shows how to eat less added sugar without banning it.

Keep walking through the holidays

Walking is the habit most worth protecting during the holidays, because it is easy to keep, needs no gym and fits around family plans. Even when your full routine is gone, a short daily walk keeps the thread intact.

Walking is not a way to “earn” food or “burn off” a dessert. Think of it as the part of your day that stays the same, whatever else changes.

Ways to fit walking in

A walk after the big meal. Ask who wants to join; many families already have this tradition, and it is a good moment for a quiet talk.
Short walks count. Two or three walks of 10 minutes are just as useful as one long one when the day is busy.
Walk while you visit. Suggest a walk around the neighbourhood, a market or a park instead of another hour on the sofa.
Use the errands. Park further away, walk to the shop for the forgotten ingredient, take the stairs at the shopping centre.
Keep your step goal, or lower it kindly. If you usually aim for a set number of steps, a lower holiday target you actually reach is better than a high one you abandon.

There is a health reason to walk after eating too. When researchers pooled short trials in adults, mostly with overweight or obesity, light walking breaks during long periods of sitting lowered blood sugar and insulin after meals compared with staying seated.

Winter darkness, ice, rain or summer heat can make walking harder. Our main walking for weight loss page has advice on weather and safety, plus a 12-week plan to return to after the holidays.

If you already walk comfortably and want a fresh goal for the new year, a gentle run-walk could be one option. Our page on running for weight loss explains how to start slowly and safely.

Party drinks: the easiest calories to cut

Drinks are often the simplest place to save calories at a party, because you can cut them without missing any of the food. Sugary drinks, cocktails, punches and alcohol add up quickly and rarely make you feel full.

Alcohol also loosens your plans: after one or two glasses, the second plate and the late-night snacks come more easily. Choosing alcohol-free options, alternating with water, or deciding beforehand how many drinks you will have all help.

Our page on alcohol and weight loss has a practical plan to drink less, and you never need to explain why you are not drinking.

How not to gain weight on vacation or while traveling

The best way to avoid gaining weight on vacation is to keep a few anchor habits, not a strict diet: a sensible breakfast, plenty of walking, and some limits on drinks and buffets. The rest of the trip can be about rest and enjoyment.

People often move more on a trip, because sightseeing means walking. In the vacation study, the gain seemed to come from eating more than the body needed: think of eating out at every meal, large hotel breakfasts, all-inclusive buffets and drinks by the pool.

Hotel breakfasts and buffets

A breakfast buffet can work in your favour. Start with eggs, yoghurt, fruit or whole grain bread, and you will be full until lunch. Skip the idea that you must try everything because it is included.

At an all-inclusive buffet, walk around once before you take a plate, so you can choose what you really want. Then fill one plate, sit down and eat it without going back for “just a taste” of everything else.

Airports, long drives and travel days

Travel days often mean long sitting, little choice and food bought out of boredom. Packing your own snacks, such as fruit, unsalted nuts or a sandwich with lean protein, saves money and calories.

Stand up and walk around during waits and stops. On long flights or drives, getting up every hour or two also helps you feel less stiff.

A vacation checklist

Accommodation: if you can, choose a place with a fridge or small kitchen so not every meal has to be eaten out.
Breakfast: keep protein in your first meal and treat pastries as an occasional extra.
Walking: explore on foot, take the stairs and plan one longer walk every day, in the cooler hours when it is hot.
Restaurants: share a starter or dessert, ask for sauces on the side, and stop when you are comfortably full.
Drinks: decide in advance how many alcoholic or sweet drinks fit in a day, and drink plenty of water in the heat.
The first week home: plan a normal shop and normal meals for the day you return, so the holiday mood does not drift on for weeks.

Fasting periods and the days that follow

For people who fast during Ramadan, the picture is different. A review of 70 studies found that weight and body fat usually drop during the fasting month, especially in people with overweight or obesity, but tend to return towards the starting point within two to five weeks after it ends.

So the weeks after the fasting month, with Eid celebrations and family visits, are a good moment to protect your routine. The same tools help: regular meals, protein and vegetables first, one treat you love, and daily walks.

If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or take regular medicines, talk to your doctor before any period of fasting, so your medication and plan can be adjusted safely.

Does weighing yourself help over the holidays?

Yes, for many people a quick, regular weigh-in during the holidays helps prevent weight gain. It works as an early warning, so you can adjust after a few days instead of discovering a surprise weeks later.

The best evidence comes from a randomised trial in the UK with 272 adults over the Christmas period. One group was asked to weigh themselves at least twice a week and note the number. They also received ten weight-management tips and pictures showing how much activity it takes to use up the energy in festive foods and drinks.

That group stayed stable on average, with a change of about −0.1 kg, while the comparison group, who received only a general healthy-living leaflet, gained about 0.4 kg. The difference was half a kilo, achieved with a brief and simple approach.

A recent systematic review of programmes to prevent holiday weight gain found a similar trend in adults, but also said the studies were few and mostly of low quality. Regular weighing is a reasonable tool, not a guarantee.

When weighing is not a good idea

Weighing should give you information, not stress. If seeing the number makes you anxious, leads to skipping meals or spoils your day, leave the scale alone and look at your walking and clothes instead.

If you have, or have had, an eating disorder, discuss with your doctor or therapist whether weighing suits you at all. For general advice on how often to weigh yourself, see our page on weight loss motivation.

After the holidays: back to your routine in a week

The best way to get back on track after the holidays is to restart your normal routine straight away, not to start a detox or crash diet. One ordinary week of meals, walks and sleep is usually enough to feel in control again.

Detox teas, juice cleanses and “January diets” promise a quick fix but do not remove fat. Very strict plans also make the next slip more likely, which is the opposite of what you want.

A simple reset week

Day 1: clear the leftover sweets from sight. Give them away, freeze them or put them in a cupboard you rarely open.
Day 2: do a normal food shop based on your usual meals, with protein, vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
Day 3: bring back your usual walk, even if it is shorter than before the holidays.
Day 4: return to regular meal times and stop grazing between meals.
Day 5: go to bed at your normal time and keep screens out of the last half hour.
Day 6: weigh yourself if that helps you, and note the number without judgement.
Day 7: plan the coming week, including when you will walk and what you will eat on the busiest days.

Expect a little water weight to disappear in the first few days, which can feel encouraging. The rest comes off at the pace of normal weight loss.

If one slip has turned into several weeks, our guide to restarting after a bad week has a step-by-step approach, and our page on weight regain explains why weight can come back and what helps over the long term.

Talk to your doctor first before you start a new eating or walking plan, and before any fasting, especially if you have diabetes, heart or kidney disease, high blood pressure or take regular medicines. This page gives general information, not personal medical advice.

Free help to stay on track over the holidays

Obesity Foundation helps you lose weight with good food, suitable exercise and walking, at a pace that fits your body and your life, including the busy weeks. Everything we offer is free, and you choose what you use.

A free eating plan with ordinary food that you can keep up on special days too. Request your free eating plan.
Free workout videos in three levels, Start, Build and Strong, that you can do at home when it is too dark or cold to walk. Get the free workout videos.
A free video meeting (in English) with one of our volunteers, to make your own plan for the holidays or for the restart afterwards. Book a free video meeting.
A free Club account to log your walks and workouts and keep your goal in view through the festive weeks. Join the Obesity Foundation Club.

Pick one thing from this page for your next celebration: a walk after the meal, a smaller slice of the dessert you love, or water between drinks. Small steps, repeated, are what protect your progress.

Frequently asked questions

Should I skip breakfast before a big holiday dinner?

Usually not. Skipping meals to save calories tends to leave you very hungry by the evening, so you eat faster and more. Have your normal breakfast with some protein, and a small, filling snack if dinner is late. If you have diabetes or take medicines that lower blood sugar, ask your doctor how to plan meals on celebration days.

Can I eat dessert at a celebration and still lose weight?

Yes. One dessert does not decide your progress; the pattern over weeks does. Choose the dessert you look forward to most, take a smaller portion, sit down and enjoy it slowly. Then go back to your usual meals the next day instead of finishing the leftovers for a week.

Does holiday weight gain turn into fat straight away?

No. A jump on the scale the morning after a big meal is mostly extra food, salt and water in your body, and it usually settles within a few days. Fat gain comes from eating more than you need day after day for weeks. That is why a quick return to your routine matters more than any single meal.

How long does it take to lose the weight gained over the holidays?

It depends on how much you gained. Part of the gain is water and goes within days once you eat normally again. The rest comes off at your usual steady pace, so a kilo or two can take a few weeks. Avoid crash diets or detox plans to speed it up.

Is it safe to fast during Ramadan if I live with obesity and have diabetes?

Many people with obesity fast safely, but with diabetes the risks are higher, because blood sugar can drop too low or rise too high. Talk to your doctor or diabetes nurse well before the fasting month, so your medicines, meal times and blood sugar checks can be adjusted. Some people are advised not to fast for health reasons.

What can I bring to a party so there is something lighter to eat?

Bring a dish you enjoy that also fits your plan, such as a big salad with beans or chicken, vegetable sticks with hummus, a fruit platter or a lean meat or fish dish. Hosts are usually glad of the help, and you know there will be at least one filling option on the table.

Holiday weight gain: how to enjoy the holidays and keep losing weight