We’re just days away from what is the biggest food holiday of the year for many people, but it seems some of us are still packing on pounds from last year. According to a new survey, 24% of Americans are still carrying weight they gained over the holiday season at the end of 2023, nearly 10 pounds, on average.
But that extra weight doesn’t have them hitting the gym more or doing a pre-holiday diet, in fact, people expect to gain another six pounds by the start of 2025. The survey of 2-thousand U.S. adults also reveals:
- Half of respondents say they’re less healthy than usual at the end of the year and 43% admit they use the end of the year as an excuse to not eat healthily.
- Younger Americans are more likely to use this excuse, as 64% of Gen Z does, compared to 43% of Gen X.
- Regardless of age, 53% of those polled have broken a diet at the end of the year and 36% of them blame it on the temptation of holiday food.
- Some are even intentional about pausing healthy habits during the holidays, including 62% who say the end of the year is more enjoyable if they’re not worried about their weight.
- More than a third (37%) of all respondents say they’re more likely to give in to temptation this year than in previous years.
- But why this year? People say as they’ve gotten older, they’ve become more willing to give in and enjoy the moment (40%), while others are more grateful to be with loved ones and have lower expectations for their self-control (31%).
- Current events are also a factor, with some blaming worries about the economy (26%) and stress from the presidential election (22%) for the reason they’re more likely to give into temptation this holiday season.
- But many folks are already looking to start 2025 off right, with 65% planning to have healthy habits in place when January rolls around.