Sustainable Weight Loss Tips to Beat Holiday Weight Gain
Break free from holiday weight gain. Discover simple, sustainable weight loss strategies to enjoy the season without losing progress on this episode of Get Sculpted.
Despite what you may have been told, holiday weight gain does not have to be inevitable between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. You can enjoy the season and stay consistent with your fat loss goals.
In this episode of Get Sculpted, Coaches Marilynn, Jordanna, and Tijana are breaking down the mindset shifts and simple strategies that help women avoid the yo-yo dieting trap during the holidays. From your aunt's pumpkin pie to back-to-back parties, this conversation proves you can celebrate without sabotaging your progress.
The reality is that it's not the holidays holding you back; it’s the all-or-nothing mindset. When you stop labelling entire weeks or months as a “write-off,” you create space for sustainable fat loss, confidence, and balance all year long.
Here’s what we cover:
Why holiday weight gain is more about mindset than meals, and how to shift your perspective
How to break free from yo-yo dieting and stop starting over every January
The power of finding your “bare minimums” (BAMs) so you stay anchored no matter how busy life gets
Practical strategies for portion control, enjoying indulgences without guilt, and staying active as a family
How an abundance mindset around food makes holidays more enjoyable and more sustainable
This isn’t about skipping dessert, punishing yourself with extra workouts, or pretending the season doesn’t exist. It’s about learning how to enjoy the holidays and stay on track with your goals without guilt, shame, or restriction.
Two things can be true at once: you can be on track and you can enjoy the season.
-Coach Marilynn
So, if you’ve ever felt stuck in the cycle of overindulging from October to January and then “starting fresh” in the new year, this episode will give you the tools, reframes, and encouragement to finally break free.
Now it’s your turn: What’s one holiday strategy you’re committing to this year? Is it setting your BAMs, choosing your indulgences, or reframing one meal instead of writing off a whole weekend? Share it with us and tag @getsculpted.ca—we can’t wait to cheer you on!
Connect with Get Sculpted
Thanks for joining us on this episode of Get Sculpted! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help us reach even more women ready to cut through the noise and get the real deal on fat loss, muscle building, and what it really takes to build their 2.0 sculpted self inside and out.
This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Leah Bryant Co.
More about the Get Sculpted Podcast
Welcome to Get Sculpted, the podcast for women who want to lose fat, build muscle, and reset their metabolism with science-based strategies and actionable advice.
We go beyond quick fixes and fad diets to give you sustainable fat loss strategies, strength training tips for women, and the mindset shifts that help you achieve lasting results. Think less guessing, more confidence, and habits that actually fit your lifestyle.
No matter if you’re just starting out or ready to level up your training, this podcast gives women the tools to lose fat, build muscle, and feel stronger in their bodies.
We’re your hosts, Jordanna, Marilynn, and Tijana, fitness pros with over 20 years of combined experience and 1,000+ client transformations, including a focus on helping women 40+ optimize their metabolism and build strength. You’ll get strategies designed for real bodies and real lives.
We’ll cover questions like:
Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
What is the best way for women to lose fat without losing muscle?
How do I start strength training as a beginner woman?
Why am I not losing weight even though I’m working out and eating healthy?
How can I stop yo-yo dieting for good?
Is cardio necessary for fat loss?
If you’ve been searching for sustainable fat loss, women’s nutrition, and strength training that actually works, you’re in the right place. Join us every week to sculpt a stronger body and a more empowered 2.0 life.
Connect with us at @getsculted.ca on Instagram
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Get Sculpted podcast follows:
WHY THE HOLIDAYS AREN’T REALLY THE PROBLEM
Marilynn [00:00:48]: And if you can't follow your diet perfectly, then you might as well not bother at all. So today we are all about busting myths, busting the myth that holidays has to equal sabotage. And we're going to show you why starting and stopping, or what we call the yo yo dieting trap, is the real reason you are not making progress...Tijana [00:01:39]: Okay, so girl, listening to this thinking, okay, I've been a game these inevitable five to ten pounds over the holidays. It begins now. It's gonna snowball. Here's a problem. You're thinking of your life and your fat loss journey in little snippets. And that's where this yo yo comes in, where it's like feast or famine and you keep repeating the same cycle...
WHAT CONSISTENT PROGRESS REALLY LOOKS LIKE
Tijana [00:02:06]: We don't need to be zooming into those months. Let's zoom out for a second. And what is your mindset like, what is your lifestyle like? And let's identify what a consistent 80% looks like because this is what we really want to challenge...Jordanna [00:03:27]: It's kind of like the idea of finally figuring out where your middle ground is regardless of the time of year that it is, and using every holiday as an opportunity to see, like, how would your best self show up to it.
Tijana [00:03:40]: Exactly. And this is gonna be a different way than you've navigated it before. And we wanna also reframe that. The holidays, or not being able to do something perfectly or a hundred percent is bad...
BUSTING THE ALL-OR-NOTHING MINDSET
Tijana [00:04:45]: Maybe you think it does, but what would it look like if your Christmas dinner was, like, super dialed in? Breakfast, you still moved your body. Let's just say same with Thanksgiving. And then you just had one meal that was larger. So if we're talking like, seven meals in four months, do you think that that is gonna derail you?...Jordanna [00:05:01]: That is such an awesome reframe because it is so true. People don't look at it from one meal. They look at it from the day or even the weekend, and in some cases even a week...
Tijana [00:05:19]: Or Q4 is a write off whole quarter.
Jordanna [00:05:21]: Yeah, we'll just start again next year. It's like. But it could actually be just a meal.
Tijana [00:05:27]: Exactly. So this is why we're telling you. You don't need to lose momentum just because it's not perfect...
FROM SCARCITY TO ABUNDANCE: REFRAMING HOLIDAY EATING
Jordanna [00:07:40]: This is where I think it's so cool to watch people go through this evolution from having a scarcity mindset around food to having an abundance mindset around food. And the scarcity mindset that I'm talking about is going into these events being like, well, it's Christmas dinner or it's Halloween. Like, it's one day, the whole year. I just want it to be like the most magical everything, everything Est day that ever existed. And so you're gonna say yes to everything...Tijana [00:09:02]: Or you're not hungry, or you're not.
Jordanna [00:09:04]: Hungry, or you're now full. Like, you're. You've reached your 80% and you're listening to your body and that's fantastic. And it is just one meal. It doesn't have to be the whole day or the whole long weekend. And so reframing that to abundance, just like you would want to have an abundance mindset with money, you want to have an abundance mindset with food...
BREAKING FREE FROM THE YO-YO DIETING CYCLE
Tijana [00:09:36]: I love this. And I think the big picture here is that we're trying to help you think differently about how you approach the holidays. And on that note, Jord, that's. I know that this is something that's kind of your zone of genius, like working with these women who have been in that start and stop cycle. So, like, can you break down for us when we're in this cycle of like, all or nothing over the holidays between October to the new year, what happens when we let this become a write off and then you keep spinning Your wheels and starting and stopping...Jordanna [00:10:03]: Yeah, like ultimately you've given up your power to a holiday. You've decided that something outside of you is of greater importance...
Jordanna [00:11:08]: How many birthdays do you have in a month, how many date nights, how many office whatevers, drinks that you have to go to, how many functions or weddings or actual holidays are there that are like public holidays and days off? What happens in summer when you're invited up to the cottage and there can be an excuse or a reason why you don't make progress every single month...
Tijana [00:12:06]: It's almost like this is your life and you just need to adapt the thing to your life. Not the other way around...
Jordanna [00:12:11]: Yes. And this is where coaching, like, this is the conversations that we're always having is like, how do we adapt the goal to fit into your life? Because there is a way to do it...
TACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING HOLIDAY EATING
Jordanna [00:14:34]: With that note, this is so perfect. The tie in on diets and willpower and starting over. If those aren't really the solution, mare, what is? Like, can you talk to us about some of those strategies? Let's get tactical.Marilynn [00:14:46]: We've already dropped a few of these little truth bombs. So some of this is gonna be a bit of review. First it's the reframing...
Start with a Baseline/Your Bare Ass Minimums (BAMs):
Set clear non-negotiables for your eating, movement, and self-care so you always have an anchor, even in busy seasons.
Plan for Extras Instead of Restricting:
Look ahead at your calendar and decide which events matter most, then enjoy those intentionally—skip the snacks or treats that don’t matter to you.
Stay Active (Not as Punishment):
Move your body—lock in consistent workouts and make movement a family or social occasion during the holidays.
Have a Bounce Back Plan:
If you overindulge, don’t spiral—one meal won’t erase your progress, but an unchecked season might. Reset your BAMs and move on.
Tijana [00:18:32]: I would say, like, just remember that even if you are not perfect, it's still worth putting in the effort. So in other words, like, you don't need to go full throttle for things to be effective...
Jordanna [00:19:03]: And I guess my final thought would be, if you're used to have being that starting and stopping cycle, like, this can be the season that you choose to break it...