Christmas week is peak excuse season. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.

You are not starting now. You are not flipping a switch. You are not suddenly disciplined because the calendar has decorations on it.

And that is fine.

What is not fine is lying to yourself about it.

Every December runs the same script. I will get serious in January. This week does not count. It is only seven days.

That fantasy is why January keeps punching you in the face.

The truth nobody wants to hear this week

If you let things slide this far into December, you are not morphing into a disciplined machine between Christmas and New Year’s.

That week is a black hole. It swallows good intentions and spits out regret.

If you were ready, you would have already started. Waiting for a date is not preparation. It is avoidance.

The holiday is not the problem. Your mindset is.

Seven days is not nothing

Seven days of reckless choices is exactly why January feels overwhelming before it starts.

You walk in bloated. Guilty. Irritated. Already behind.

Then you restrict. You implode. You quit. And next December you blame the holidays again.

You did not fail in January because the plan was bad. You failed because you spent the last weeks of December digging a hole.

If this cycle feels familiar, it is because you are living the answer to the question people keep asking. Why Can’t I Lose Weight? The answer is never January. It is always choice.

You do not need to fix your life this week

You cannot.

You do not need perfection. You do not need willpower. You do not need rules.

You need to hold the line.

One or two small smart choices a day. Enough to avoid detonating your progress before the year ends. Enough to walk into January with momentum instead of regret.

Five rules you need for the new year

1. Do not join the gym

January gym memberships are guilt purchases. Gyms make money on people who quit. A treadmill will not fix choices you refuse to own.

Consistency beats equipment. Ownership beats enthusiasm.

2. Do not overhaul your entire life on January 2

New year new me collapses every time. Thirty rules. Twelve goals. A personality transplant. None of it lasts.

Real change is boring. Small. Repeated.

3. Do not go off the rails this week

You do not need to start early. You need to stop digging.

Eat one normal breakfast. Drink some water. Make one decision not to binge at night.

That is holding the line.

4. Stop searching for the perfect plan

There is no perfect plan. You chase one so you have something to blame when it falls apart.

You are not stuck because you lack a plan. You are stuck because you avoid responsibility and consistency.

5. Stop waiting for motivation

Motivation is unstable. It disappears the second life gets inconvenient.

Action creates motivation. Avoidance kills it.

January is not a reset button

January is a continuation.

If you change nothing now, next year will look exactly like last year. Not because of fate. Because of choice.

If you want support that fits real life, start here.

Read my free weekly tips at jonathanressler.com. They are short, direct, and built for the moments where people usually fall apart.

Read my book Shut Up and Choose. It is not a diet. It is a guide to understanding the decisions shaping your health.

Listen to more episodes of the Shut Up and Choose Podcast and stop pretending information is the problem.

Final reality check

The calendar will not save you. Your decisions will.

This week matters more than you want to admit. Not because you need to transform. Because you need to stop sabotaging.

Enjoy the holidays. Eat the food. Live your life.

Stop pretending seven days do not count.

They always do.

Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. And shut up and choose.