ARTICLES · M2 PRODESIGN · LONG BEACH, CA

Don't Let the Holidays Reset You: Walk Into January With a Plan

By Emile A. Jarreau, “Mr. Fat Loss” · November 5, 2026 · Originally published on LinkedIn

Every year about this time, I hear the same plan: "I'll take the holidays off and start fresh in January."

I understand it. The calendar fills up, work gets crazy, there's family in town and a party every weekend. But I've been coaching for nearly 40 years, since 1988, and I've seen how that plan usually ends. January shows up and you're not starting fresh. You're starting over.

So let's talk about what the holidays really do to your body, and how to walk into January with a plan instead of a reset.

The 5–10 pound myth

You've probably heard that people gain 5 to 10 pounds over the holidays. It's a myth.

The best-known study on this was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000. Researchers weighed about 200 adults before, during and after the holidays. The average gain from mid-November to early January was 0.37 kg, about 0.8 lb. That's less than a pound. The authors wrote that the popular "5 lb or more" claim has few data behind it.

Other studies land in the same place. A 2014 review put the average holiday gain at about half a kilogram, roughly a pound, with a wide range between people. People who were already carrying more weight tended to gain more.

So the average holiday gain is small. About a pound or less.

Why one pound still matters

Here's the part nobody talks about. In that same study, the weight people gained from fall through the winter, about a pound, still hadn't come off by the next fall.

That's the real problem. It's not that the holidays wreck you in six weeks. It's that a small gain tends to stick around, and it adds up year after year. A pound this year, a pound next year, and ten years later you're wondering how you got here.

And if you've already lost weight, the holidays deserve your attention. In a European study of people working to keep weight off, weight went up by an average of 1.35% over Christmas and wasn't fully made up in the months after.

None of this means the holidays are the enemy. I'm not going to tell you to skip your mom's cooking or stand in the corner with a plate of celery. Food is part of the season. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is to not lose your footing.

What actually helps

There's some good news here, and it's simple.

In a 2018 randomized trial in the UK, adults who weighed themselves regularly and got a few practical weight-management tips over the holidays held steady, with an average change of minus 0.13 kg. The comparison group, who got a leaflet, gained an average of 0.37 kg. It's one trial, not a promise. But it tells you that paying attention works better than hoping.

Here's how I'd put that into practice. These come straight from my M2 Holiday Survival Guide emails.

• Before you go: Eat a normal meal earlier in the day. Don't "save calories" and show up starving. Hungry people don't make choices, they make grabs. Drink water all day.
• At the party: Build one plate on purpose. Protein first. Add vegetables. Pick the carbs you actually enjoy. Choose your one indulgence - dessert, a richer side, or a drink.
• Then make your plate, move away from the food table, and go talk to people. Most holiday overeating isn't the meal. It's three hours of standing next to the appetizers.
• If you drink: Decide your limit and your ride before you arrive. Alternate with water. Remember tomorrow.
• If you're traveling, move every day: A morning walk. A walk after dinner. Walk the airport instead of sitting at the gate. Hotel treadmill. Twenty minutes of squats, push-ups and lunges in the room. Park farther away. Something consistently beats nothing perfectly.
• The 24-hour reset: Had a big day? Fine. The next morning: water, a normal breakfast with protein, vegetables, a walk, and a decent bedtime. Don't starve all day. Don't punish yourself with two hours of cardio. Don't declare the week ruined.

None of this is about being perfect at the party. It's about you walking out still in charge.

Your next decision matters more than your last meal.

Keep your foot on the gas

Most people take their foot off the gas in November and spend the first three months of the year trying to get back to where they were in October.

Flip that around. If you start now, you can walk into January with weeks of training already behind you, a routine that held up through the busiest season of the year, and a coach who already knows how you work.

In their words

Here's how two clients describe it in their public Google reviews:

"The program encouraged healthy habits beyond the gym, including guidance on consistency, recovery, and lifestyle choices that supported my goals." (Nancy C., Google review, August 2026)

"I started training with Emile in Feb 2025, and it's been nothing short of transformative. Since I started I've lost 20lbs, I feel stronger and more energized." (Gabriela S., Google review, August 4, 2025)

Individual results vary. In M2's public reviews that list a number, the typical loss is about 13 lb.

What the M2 90-Day Transformation looks like

You train with me in the gym three times a week, 12 sessions a month, for 90 days, on a schedule that fits your life. Between sessions you get text and email check-ins, plus daily education on Instagram (@mr_fat_loss2), so you understand why you're doing what you're doing. That's what keeps you going through a December full of parties.

The nutrition side comes from a lot of years of work. I'm the Creator of NESTA's Physique and Figure Training Specialist course, and that methodology now lives inside the 90-Day Transformation.

There's no free lunch. You still have to show up and do the work. What you get from me is the plan, the structure, and someone in your corner who notices when you've gone quiet.

A straight answer on price

Current pricing runs through December 31, 2026:

• 90 days: $1,997
• 6 months: $2,997
• 12 months: $3,997

On January 1, 2027, those go to $2,497, $3,497 and $4,997.

I'm not going to pretend there's a countdown clock. Those are simply the prices before and after January 1. If you're ready to stop waiting for a new year, the first step is the same either way.

Apply first

I don't take everyone. I read every application myself. If it looks like a fit, I'll reach out to you personally.

Apply for the M2 90-Day Transformation: Apply here

Emile Jarreau, "Mr. Fat Loss." Expert, not influencer. M2 ProDesign, Long Beach, CA. Creator of NESTA's Physique and Figure Training Specialist course.