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Leighanna Cooper, 43, had always been an active person. As a high-school athlete and avid runner, she lived an active lifestyle—completed a half marathon in 2013—but maintaining her weight felt like a struggle, and her repeated weight-loss efforts gnawed at her confidence.  

Anthony Weatherspoon, 68, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, remembers it like it was yesterday: The day he wasn’t feeling very well in 2024. “I didn’t know what was up,” Anthony says, with his wife, Peggy, at his side.

It’s hard to believe we’re already so deep into 2025—and somehow, the holidays are here. Ready or not.

After 17 years working as a dietitian, the most common thing I tell my patients when discussing the holidays is, “Thankfully they come, and thankfully they go.”