Christmas without Guilt: clear choices for a chaotic holiday
In this article, you’ll learn how to enjoy Zimtsterne, Raclette and Panettone without freaking out when you step on the scale. You’ll get a clearer sense of what’s really going on in your body and your mind – and how to make your choices more calmly. On top of that, you’ll get two simple, everyday-friendly cookie recipes. By André Pedro.
The Starting Point
It’s December in Switzerland. The lights are cute, the air smells like roasted chestnuts, and every house you enter has a plate of Zimtsterne “just to try.” Someone brought Brunsli “because they’re small,” your colleague swears Basler Läckerli are practically a health food, and a distant cousin declares Panettone “doesn’t count.” You tell yourself you’ll just taste a little. Fast-forward three hours and you’re negotiating with yourself about whether half a slice is actually a slice.
Then come the characters. There’s Uncle Keto – strict all year until raclette appears, at which point he becomes a melted-cheese philosopher. There’s the friend who sets the cookie plate directly in your gravitational field and says “no pressure,” which is how you know there’s pressure. Someone insists you “must” try their Mailänderli because it’s “tradition,” as if tradition were a legally binding contract written in powdered sugar. Meanwhile your Fitbit is quietly judging you for “elevated heart rate” while you’re just trying to cut a slice of Panettone.
You promised to be reasonable.
You composed a speech in your head about mindful eating, balance, and adult choices… and then Grandma slides a tin across the table with the speed and accuracy of a professional curlinger. It lands by your elbow. “They’re light,” she says, which is empirically false and also irrelevant. The cookie plate now functions like public transport: it keeps arriving every three minutes whether you need it or not. Someone brings out a Bûche de Noël that looks like it has its own mortgage. Suddenly you’re doing dessert math: if I take a very thin slice twice, does it equal one normal slice or two moral victories?
Pause.
You don’t need a nutrition exorcism.
Christmas is loud: smells, memories, social pressure. Sometimes you say yes; sometimes you say no. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. You just need to know what’s really happening in your body and your head, so your choices are calm instead of chaotic.
Here’s my take: when a treat is special, I slow down and enjoy it. When it’s meh, I smile, say no, and ask for coffee. Next day: water, a protein-rich breakfast, a walk, and back to normal life. No penance. No food court drama. Just context and choices.
Now for the fun part: the science
Why the scale jumps after “carb heavy” meals
Carbs refill muscle and liver glycogen. Glycogen drags water with it. Recent human reviews confirm the classic ratio: roughly 3 g of water per 1 g of glycogen, with even higher water: glycogen ratios when you fully rehydrate after depletion. That means a day or two with more potatoes, bread, and dessert can nudge scale weight up 1–3 kg, mostly water and gut contents, not body fat. This normalizes as routine returns. [1,2]
Fat gain happens over weeks, not hours
Modern dynamic models of energy balance show why short, single-day surpluses barely move body fat if you go back to your usual rhythm. The old “3500 kcal per pound” rule is a crude approximation for long-term math, not a 24-hour verdict. [4]
Your body spends energy digesting food
Diet-induced thermogenesis exists. Protein is the most “expensive” to process, carbs are in the middle, fat is lowest. Contemporary reviews reaffirm those relative differences, which is one reason mixed, protein-anchored meals feel steadier. It doesn’t cancel a feast; it just makes the math less dramatic than it feels. [3]
Psychology matters more than willpower memes
Use it without dramaMeta-analytic evidence shows stress pushes eating toward energy-dense, rewardy foods. Less guilt and more self-chosen boundaries usually lead to better regulation. [5]
Mindfulness isn’t incense; it’s a tool. A 2025 Obesity Reviews meta-analysis (e-pub 2024) finds mindfulness-based interventions improve several obesogenic eating patterns and reduce energy and sweet intake. [6]
“If-then” plans are tiny scripts that help. Example: If I’m offered seconds, then I ask for tea. Recent trials show implementation intentions reduce binge-type episodes and improve follow-through. [7]
Use it without drama
- Say yes on purpose to the few Swiss classics you truly love. Savor them first; satisfaction rises, volume usually drops. [6]
- Say no calmly to the rest. “I’m good, thanks” works better than a 10-minute justification.
- Next day anchors: hydrate, protein at breakfast, vegetables on the plate, light movement. Routine beats punishment. [4]
Bottom line: it’s up to you what to do, as long as you know exactly what you’re doing.
2 “healthy” holiday recipes
Recipe: Spritz Cookies
For 20 pieces // 25 minutes
Ingredients
50 g coconut flour
30 g potato starch
60 g ghee
1 tbsp vanilla extract
25 g coconut blossom nectar
2 eggs
1 pinch of salt
50 ml coconut milk
Equipment
Piping bag
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Mix all the ingredients together.
Fill the dough into a piping bag.
Pipe cookies in the desired shape onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the spritz cookies are lightly browned.
Recipe: Cinnamon Stars
For 10 pieces // 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 egg whites
80 g honey
1 pinch sea salt
80 g ground hazelnuts
200 g ground almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
Equipment
Star-shaped cookie cutter
Preparation
Beat the egg whites with a (electric) whisk until stiff, then add the honey and continue beating until the mixture is glossy.
Set aside 2 tbsp of this mixture.
Mix the remaining egg white-honey mixture with the hazelnuts, almonds, cinnamon, and salt until a firm dough forms.
Place the dough in the freezer for 10–15 minutes so it becomes firmer and easier to roll out.
Roll out the dough and cut out stars.
Spread the reserved egg white-honey mixture on top as a glaze.
Bake in a preheated oven at 120°C for about 15 minutes.
Then reduce the temperature and bake for another 25 minutes at 100°C.
References
- [1] López-Torres, O., Rodríguez-Longobardo, C., Escribano-Tabernero, R., & Fernández-Elías, V. E. (2023). Hydration, hyperthermia, glycogen, and recovery: Crucial factors in exercise performance—A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients, 15(20), 4613. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204613
- [2] Shiose, K., Yamada, Y., Motonaga, K., Miyake, M., Ikenaga, M., & Tayashiki, K. (2022). Muscle glycogen assessment and relationship with body hydration status: A narrative review. Nutrients, 15(1), 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010155
- [3] Tzeravini, E., Tzoulaki, I., Tentolouris, N., & Alexiadou, K. (2024). Diet-induced thermogenesis: Older and newer data with emphasis on obesity and diabetes mellitus—A narrative review. Obesity Medicine, 40, 101006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2024.101006
- [4] Hall, K. D., Farooqi, I. S., Friedman, J. M., Klein, S., Loos, R. J. F., Mangelsdorf, D. J., O’Rahilly, S., Ravussin, E., Redman, L. M., Ryan, D. H., Speakman, J. R., & Tobias, D. K. (2022). The energy balance model of obesity: Beyond calories in, calories out. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 115(5), 1243–1254. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac031
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