Stop telling people they're getting fat over the holidays (so you can sell them weight loss in January)
December is here, and right on schedule, the weight loss industry wakes up.
The headlines start rolling: "How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain." "10 Ways to Beat the Holiday Bulge." "Get Ahead of January with These Tips."
Here's what nobody's saying: the problem is manufactured.
You're being told you're going to gain weight so that "solutions" can be sold to you in January. The panic is the product.
The timeline of manipulation
For Americans, "the holidays" span six weeks - Thanksgiving through New Year's. For Canadians, it's a few days around Christmas. But the marketing doesn't differentiate. The narrative is universal: the holidays will make you fat.
Research has repeatedly dismissed the myth of significant holiday weight gain. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that average weight gain during the holiday period was 0.8 lbs, not the 5+ pounds often reported.
Fewer than one pound. Over six weeks.
But that doesn't sell gym memberships, meal plans, or detox programs. So the story gets inflated. The fear gets amplified. By December, you're primed to believe you need fixing.
Weight vs. bloat (and why it matters)
Here's what really happens over the holidays:
You eat more salt than usual. You consume foods you eat only once a year, a combination of comestibles that your digestive system isn't used to processing together. You eat quickly, often while standing or distracted.
The result? Bloat. Water retention. The "food baby."
That tight waistband isn't necessarily weight gain. It's your body reacting to an unusual intake pattern. Those pants that felt snug last night might fit fine tomorrow.
But bloat doesn't sell. "Holiday bloat solutions" doesn't have the same ring as "blast away holiday weight gain," so the industry conflates the two, leaving you thinking your body has fundamentally changed in a matter of days.
It hasn't.
The ADHD perspective
For ADHD brains, this manufactured panic has additional implications.
ADHD often comes with:
Impulsivity around food decisions (especially when dopamine is involved)
Executive dysfunction that makes "just stick to a plan" impossible
Rejection sensitive dysphoria that turns "you should lose weight" into "you're failing."
Difficulty regulating emotional responses to guilt-inducing messaging
When you're already managing executive function challenges, the added pressure of "don't gain weight" or "start strong in January" becomes another thing to fail at. Another system that doesn't work for your brain. Another source of shame.
The weight loss industry knows this. ADHD brains are vulnerable to the dopamine hit of a "new solution." We buy the program, the app, the meal plan - and then executive dysfunction makes follow-through nearly impossible. We blame ourselves. The industry profits.
Exercise is medicine for the ADHD brain, but we need to approach it on our terms, not out of guilt.
Fabricating the problem to sell the solution
Marketing works by creating needs you didn't know you had. The holiday weight-gain narrative is a prime example.
You're told there's a problem (you'll gain weight). You're given a timeline (the holidays are dangerous). You're sold a solution (our program/product will fix you in January).
But what if there's no problem to begin with?
What if eating well during the holidays meant including nourishing food because it supports your brain function - not because you're "being good" or "earning" dessert?
What if movement was about managing ADHD symptoms and energy regulation - not about "burning off" what you ate?
What if the whole thing was a scam designed to make you feel broken so you'd buy the fix?
What truly helps
If you want to feel good over the holidays, here's what works:
Eat food that supports your brain. Protein and fat stabilize mood and focus. Complex carbs provide energy.
Move your body because it helps with ADHD symptoms. Exercise increases dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. It's not punishment for eating. It supports your brain.
Refuse the guilt narrative. One month of holiday eating doesn't undo a year of habits. The panic is manufactured.
Recognize bloat for what it is. Temporary water retention isn't weight gain. Your body isn't transforming overnight.
Give yourself permission to enjoy food without shame. The diet industry wants you to feel guilty so they can sell you January solutions. Don't give them that power.
One of my biggest pet peeves is "guilt" marketing. I refuse to buy products labelled "guilt-free" because the people who write those labels teach and reinforce the guilt narrative. When my fitness app used that messaging, I didn't renew my subscription.
Take back the narrative
The weight loss industry sells you the problem (you're going to get fat) so they can sell you the solution (our program will fix you).
Your body isn't the problem. The manufactured panic is.
Here's something I say often and have for years:
What you put into your mouth is your decision. If you think you're going to feel guilty about it, don't eat it. No one is forcing you to. If you eat it, enjoy it.
Eating fun, "unhealthy" food is good for our spirit.
Eat. Enjoy. Include nourishing food because it helps your ADHD symptoms, not because you're trying to avoid gaining weight.
And when January rolls around and the "New Year, New You" messaging starts, remember: It's not you, it's them. It's all about profit.
If you're managing ADHD in midlife and tired of systems that don't work for your brain, WILD Minds starts January 15. Expert-led group coaching for professional women navigating ADHD + hormones + professional demands.
