Johannes Jan (Joop) Atsma:
(Surhuisterveen, July 6, 1956).
Dutch former politician, sports administrator, and former journalist. He served in the House of Representatives since 1998 for the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). From 1994 to 2006, he was chairman of the KNWU, the Royal Dutch Cycling Union, and from 2013 to 2015, he was chairman of the Supervisory Board of Thialf. From 2015 to 2023, he was a member of the Senate.
Don’t blame the holidays. You were already overweight in August.
– Literally:
someone attributes their excess weight to the holidays, but was already overweight months earlier.
– Figuratively:
do not use an easy, temporary explanation as an excuse for a problem that has existed for a long time.
– Moral:
take responsibility; the holidays are not the cause, at most an extra temptation.
It is therefore an ‘ironic, rather sharp one-liner’ about self-deception, excuses, and New Year’s resolutions.
Is it a proverb or saying? 💬
Not really in the classic sense.
– It is more of a ‘modern saying, quote, or piece of wisdom’.
– The tone strongly resembles diet, fitness, or New Year’s jokes: short, confrontational, and humorous.
Origin 🌍:
The precise origin is difficult to determine. Similar English variants are circulating, such as:
> “Don’t blame the holidays. You were fat in August.”
The phrase also fits popular New Year’s and weight-loss humor around Christmas, New Year’s, and New Year’s resolutions.
Author: Joop Atsma? 👤
The statement is indeed ‘attributed to Joop Atsma’ in some places.
Joop Atsma is a Dutch former politician, known for, among other things, the CDA and for topics related to sports, health, and public affairs. As a result, the attribution does not sound entirely illogical.
But:
as far as is known, there is ‘no generally recognized, primary source’ — such as a book, interview, or speech — that irrefutably establishes that Atsma is the original author.
Safe phrasing:
> — attributed to Joop Atsma
