If you’re considering getting one of the 200,000 weight loss surgeries that are performed every year in the U.S., you might want to hold off. A new study out of Cornell University has found that you’re likely at your lowest yearly weight right at this very moment.

Recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study analyzes data from nearly 3,000 people from three different countries around the world. Researchers collected data via WiFi-connected scales from 1,781 people in the U.S., 760 people from Germany, and 383 people from Japan.

For Americans, weight generally stabilized from May through November — meaning that the month of October is typically a month in which participants weighed their lowest. But holiday weight gain is real, and not just in the United States.

American participants predictably gained weight around Thanksgiving, but Christmastime was the ultimate gaining holiday for all three countries. The first 10 days after Christmas showed the highest weight increase across the board: Americans gained an average 1.3 pounds, Germans gained an average 1.8 pounds, and the Japanese gained an average 1.1 pounds. Another point of weight gain for Germans came around Easter, and the other notable time of weight gain in Japan fell around the “Golden Week,” a national holiday period that takes place in May.

Interestingly, researchers found that most people would immediately shed nearly half of their holiday season weight, but the other half of their weight gained would stay well into the summer months or longer. This could be attributed to seasonal variations, as people tend to eat more and exercise less during the winter. But the holidays are certainly to blame for at least a portion of the weight gain observed.

All in all, the study confirms what people have suspected for decades: that holiday weight gain is real and universal. If you’re prone to or worried about holiday weight gain, study author Brian Wansink suggests that you make an October resolution, rather than one in January. “It’s easier to avoid holiday pounds than to lose them after they happen,” Wansink notes. Maintaining a regular exercise routine, practicing portion control, keeping track of what you eat, and focusing on socialization with friends and family instead of food can also help you keep the pounds off during the food-heavy holiday season.