Sugar Dragon Slayers

[macyholtz]

i sabotaged my whole30 due to sugar.  It really is a drug.  I dont know if I can ever create a good relationship with it.  Whenever i have one bite of something with sugar in it i just want MORE.  I really want to kick it to the curb.  Its so much harder than i would of ever imagined. 

[Brewer5]

i sabotaged my whole30 due to sugar.  It really is a drug.  I dont know if I can ever create a good relationship with it.  Whenever i have one bite of something with sugar in it i just want MORE.  I really want to kick it to the curb.  Its so much harder than i would of ever imagined. 

 

Hi macy ~

 

Some good discussion here on this thread, as well, which you may find helpful:

 

http://forum.whole30.com/topic/33428-sugar-addict/

 

No doubt about it.  It is a drug.  Just like alcohol and cigarettes, a legal drug ~ but a drug, nonetheless.

 

Have you seen That Sugar Film?  If not ~ you gotta.  

[SugarcubeOD]

i sabotaged my whole30 due to sugar.  It really is a drug.  I dont know if I can ever create a good relationship with it.  Whenever i have one bite of something with sugar in it i just want MORE.  I really want to kick it to the curb.  Its so much harder than i would of ever imagined. 

Brewer gave you a link to a good discussion about comparing sugar addiction to addiction such as smoking... it seems difficult to wrap your mind around that there's a chance you will just never be able to have a good relationship with sugar... I'm currently going through that.  It seems unfair as everyone who smokes is addicted but everyone who eats sugar is not addicted, so we're unfortunate in that there will be people in our lives that won't understand (or choose not to).  But it's actually helpful to know that there are others and that it's something to take seriously because it can do as much damage as being an alcoholic... 

Hop on over to that thread linked and have a read through and let us know your thoughts!

[Brewer5]

 It seems unfair as everyone who smokes is addicted but everyone who eats sugar is not addicted

 

 

Sugarcube, since you have never been a smoker, I would not really expect you to know this --but there are a lot of folks who really CAN smoke socially and not let it take over their lives.  You know, just like drinking.

 

My niece is one of them.  We used to smoke together when she'd visit.  I just saw her last weekend for my grandma's birthday party, and her boyfriend was going out in the cold to smoke.  She did not join him.  I said, "So, are you smoking at all these days?" and she shrugged very nonchalantly and said, "Only when I drink."  (Which I know is mostly on the weekends -- and probably not even every weekend.)

 

I have met countless people who said they "only smoked in college" or who "only smoke when they drink".  My husband is one of those who tried it in high school -- really did nothing for him -- and never got even remotely hooked.  NOT ME.  One puff and I was a goner.

 

I used to think I could be one of those ^ people.  Back when I had only one child, I would not buy my own -- but I would go visit with a smoker friend who lived about 1.5 hours away, and we'd visit out in the garage and smoke.  But guess what happened?  I looked more and more forward to those visits, and I wanted to go more and more often ~ and not just for her company.  

 

You said you eat ice cream, and then you think about it for months.  That IS the brain of an addict.  It's not a character flaw...  It's not something that we can just close our eyes and wish really hard for it to go away.  Something (or often multiple somethings) is "off" in our brains, and we are more drawn to these things as a result.  It's self-medicating an imbalance that a lot of people don't even realize they have.  Often, these can be fixed, or at least greatly helped by making changes.  (Again, I highly recommend the book The Mood Cure for anyone who has the time and desire to read it.)  <-- That book explains A LOT.  This woman has been working with addictions and mood disorders for 20+ years.

 

I also just want to say that I feel no sense of shame or sadness when I admit that I have struggled with addiction.  I am actually quite glad that I am not able to put these things into my body ~ not even in small amounts.  Not even for a social occasion.  These things are no good for me... they have no redeeming qualities, whatsoever.  I do not feel weak, and I am not a victim.  This has all made me STRONGER.  I've been able to do a lot of good for myself, and for a lot of other people, too -- and it is all because I have been there.  Each and every one of these struggles has served a greater purpose that I could not see at the time ... and the effect of being free of them lasts so much longer than a fleeting moment of pleasure with a bowl of ice cream or a nasty puff of cigarette smoke.  By leaving those things in the past, I am on a path forward each day to be the very best ME I can possibly be.  

[SimpleNotEasy]

i sabotaged my whole30 due to sugar.  It really is a drug.  I dont know if I can ever create a good relationship with it.  Whenever i have one bite of something with sugar in it i just want MORE.  I really want to kick it to the curb.  Its so much harder than i would of ever imagined. 

 

Macy - yep. Sugar is a drug - at least for some of us. I truly did not appreciate the impact of blood sugar swings on my well being (primarily emotional well being, although I am sure there were other impacts) until my December 2015 Whole 30.

 

I decided on November 30 that the Whole 30 was a lifeline being tossed out to me and that I would grab it. I had been emotionally down in the dumps all fall. I had fallen out of my good Paleo-type habits and had been eating a lot of tortilla chips, some pumpkin bread and drinking a fair amount of wine regularly. 

 

Now, it is so clear to me that those foods really had a negative impact on me. My emotions would ride the roller coaster of the blood sugar swings which followed eating high carb foods. Plus, I did feel guilty for eating that way since I already knew better. The problem was that I was trying to moderate, but what I needed to do was to abstain. I can honestly tell you that I did not feel depressed one day in December. It felt SO GOOD to make choices that I knew were healthy for my body and mind. I did not miss the sugar (nor other crappy carbs) compared to how much better I felt. 

 

As the weeks of post-Whole 30 are going by, I will say that some of the old temptations do rear their heads from time to time. Around my monthly cycle is one time I have noticed. When I tried reintroducing a small serving of white rice was another. So, I find that staying away from things which reawaken the sugar dragon continues to be essential for me. Abstinence works better for me than moderation. Part of my mind rebels against this idea, but if I'm being honest, I must admit that it is true. I don't feel like I'm in food prison - I feel free from the chains which have bound me up for significant seasons of my life. I like what Brewer says - that she doesn't smoke on holidays or on her birthday or for a special occasion. It makes it so obvious that if I believe that sugar has a similar addictive effect, I won't be eating it for celebrations or any other time. It is not worth the cost. Maybe this sounds extreme to you. I'm just tired of yo-yo-ing back and forth. I choose freedom over trying to moderate something that my body clearly doesn't want to moderate.

 

I think a big problem with getting rid of sugar is that is such a socially acceptable addiction and also it's hidden in so many foods. You know, people who decide to kick heroin don't have to feel pressured at family Thanksgiving or Christmas meals to just have a little hit. I hope you will try again with a Whole 30 and I do think watching That Sugar Film might be an encouragement to you to resolve to kick sugar for good.

[Brewer5]

I also just wanted to share this, because I think it is so appropriate to this discussion.  I went and grabbed it from Sara's recent Whole 30 thread.

 

 

I quit smoking many times ~ over the course of about 13 years.  (The first seven years, before I had kids, I don't really remember having any desire to quit.)  Each time was a little different, and each time I learned a little more.  But when I made that final quit:  I knew it.  It was just different.  I had educated myself enough to understand what was going on.  I had had enough.  I realized I was more powerful than this addiction.

 

That is also where I'm at with sugar now (and basically all grains/processed carbohydrate).  I read over on the Sugar Addict thread today -- someone said we have to be quit for a year, and go through everything that a year brings, before we can truly say we've quit.  And to that I say:  Game on.      I've been through the Holidays, I've been through two kids' birthdays and two trips to the movie theater.  The only other challenge I can see coming is vacation -- and honestly, I don't even see it as a challenge.  I'm just... over it.  I like this freedom WAY too much to go back now.

[SimpleNotEasy]

Hey Brewer - 

 

These days I'm having some nut cravings (and indulging them). Can you remind me why they prop up the sugar dragon? Just cause they can be kind of carby? Something else? I need a reminder and something to bolster my resolve if I'm going to quit nuts as well as sugar.  (or at least cut way back on nuts - do I have to cut them completely if I want the sugar dragon to remain dormant?)

[Brewer5]

Oh, Sara..... do I have some nut stories!  

 

First off ~ since I've got kids wrestling with the dog on the floor under my feet right now, while I am also in the kitchen working on supper (LOL) ~ check out this chart for carb content and see if you've been gravitating toward the higher-carb varieties:

 

 

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/carbcounts/a/Carbs-Fats-And-Calories-In-Nuts-And-Seeds.htm

 

There IS more to the nut story, though... for sure.  

 

I think what is MOST important when trying to make this decision is ...  How do you feel when eating them?  Afterwards?  And maybe even more importantly... do you find yourself thinking about them, anticipating them all the time?

[Brewer5]

Okay, so... another issue with nuts and seeds is this:  If you take a look at the chart above, you will see that most of them are not a great source of omega-3's ... yet they are almost ALL a hefty source of omega-6.  And, as you probably know:  We all get plenty of omega-6 in our diets, as it is.

 

So the question really becomes:  What purpose are these serving for us?

 

They are known to cause a lot of digestive upset.  They are a source of FODMAPs... and for all who are sensitive, they will cause bloating, for sure.  A few of them ~ downright misery.

 

The potential is there for them to become food without brakes -- period.  I don't care if they are raw, roasted and salted, flavored or not -- I have been known to over-do all of them.  All sorts.

 

^ I think... looking back... I was probably inadvertently eating lower-carb without realizing that I really needed to eat higher fat to make up for it.

 

HOWEVER.  I think we all need to be very cautious.  

 

The fact remains, that in nature ~ we would have to crack these little dudes out of their shells, and that would require a lot of effort.  We would have eaten them slowly... they would have been RAW...  and we would have reached satiety sooner because our signals had time to kick in.

 

Here is what my experience has been lately:

 

I've been enjoying ONE ounce of roasted salted macadamia nuts ground up with two squares of super dark chocolate... pretty much each night.

 

I decided I wanted to switch over to raw macadamia nuts instead ~ healthier.

 

I found myself being really attracted to the raw macadamia nuts and wanting to snack on them... although I never had that problem with the roasted salted ones (too rich or something).

 

I finished the bag of raw macadamias.

 

I started looking for other nuts to have with my chocolate.

 

I even tried pistachios, although I KNOW they upset my stomach!

 

I found some raw almonds in the cabinet... and next thing I knew, I was eating those every day for a few days -- with coconut manna and chocolate.  They are on the RED list for FODMAPs... but by this point, all common sense had gone out the window.  I clearly did not know what I was getting myself into.

 

Now ~ let me clarify ~ I learned long ago not to actually binge on nuts and seeds.  And I don't even go near butters anymore.  It is like, burned into my brain -- forever.   So these WERE carefully measured amounts... but the point is:  They really can sort of take over.  And why?  We really should just be eating other, more nutritious food.  

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Just to chime in that I am one of those people who can and has smoked socially off and on for years with never a single thought of NEEDING to have a cigarette. I probably haven't had one in three or more years but could have one tomorrow and then go another three years. Strange that I'm this way with smoking but have a much more addictive personality around food.

Sara, I agree that Mother Nature made nuts hard to access for a reason (same as Nature made it hard to get sugar; man made it easy). They are very palatable, nutrient-dense foods with a natural sweetened not always found in other fats. I would question whether you're truly getting enough to eat from other sources (especially fatty ones) if you're drawn to nuts.

We just had a ridiculous amount of steak at a Brazilian BBQ restaurant (too much protein) but they also had a beautiful salad bar with pimento-stuffed green olives, poco de gallo and green salad so I had a wonderfully low-carb meal. (*poco = pico).

-Lauren

[littleg]

Weird too about the smoking and drinking - I'm the same way.  I spent a semester in Moscow in '98.  I was smoking almost an entire pack a day sometimes.  When I came back to the states (and had to go back home with my mom for the summer) I just stopped.  Same with drinking, I've never spent a period of time where I drank every day but I can certainly drink too much from time to time (though for me that usually makes me not want to drink again).  Odd that those two substances do nothing for my addictive brain, but food... now that is a different story.

 

I've never had to take narcotics with any regularity but I'm a little wary.  After my D&C I left the hospital "high" (I had to argue with the nurse to NOT give me more fentanyl when my pain was a 0 and I was sitting there reading a magazine...).  I felt GOOD - not just physically but mentally.  I talked to my mom and my mother in law on the phone and was telling them that I was just fine with miscarrying... that we'd just try again, blah blah blah. I was so upbeat.   I woke up the next day and felt horrible (mentally).  I can totally see how easy it is for people to slip into the habit of taking those pills just to make it through the day.  Unless there is so horrible reason that would require me to take narcotics I feel better staying away from them... I don't know if there is a chance I am more prone to addiction than others, but narcotics scare me.  

[J9er]

I am the same way with smoking vs food. Although, I do wonder why I even bothered having a cigarette "now and then" (haven't in 2 years), it really is so awful. I had this thing where I would smoke Indonesian cigarettes with one certain friend when we would get together. Then, she moved to the same town as me, and she would start coming over more and more, always wondering if I had the smokes, and it was SHE who was getting addicted. I on other hand would end up with a stale package of cigarettes if she wasn't around. So, because I didn't want her to die of lung disease like her mother, I drowned the pack in a container of melted green tea icecream - which was my addiction, and we have had neither since. Also funny, is I am going to visit her next week, and I would love to have one of those cigarettes. But I don't dare bring it up because she would be addicted in one second. Also, it probably wouldn't be a very whole30 thing to do

The brain is fascinating. Now what makes some of us prone to sugar/food addiction and not other substances? This friend of mine has been sober for years, used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. As I mentioned she could be addicted to cigarettes and she is also addicted to food. so what is with that, vs me, who could take or leave the cigarettes, but have been wrestling oleo th my thoughts this entire whole30 about how I can keep gluten in my life?

[SimpleNotEasy]

Okay, so... another issue with nuts and seeds is this:  If you take a look at the chart above, you will see that most of them are not a great source of omega-3's ... yet they are almost ALL a hefty source of omega-6.  And, as you probably know:  We all get plenty of omega-6 in our diets, as it is.

 

So the question really becomes:  What purpose are these serving for us?

 

They are known to cause a lot of digestive upset.  They are a source of FODMAPs... and for all who are sensitive, they will cause bloating, for sure.  A few of them ~ downright misery.

 

The potential is there for them to become food without brakes -- period.  I don't care if they are raw, roasted and salted, flavored or not -- I have been known to over-do all of them.  All sorts.

 

...

 

Now ~ let me clarify ~ I learned long ago not to actually binge on nuts and seeds.  And I don't even go near butters anymore.  It is like, burned into my brain -- forever.   So these WERE carefully measured amounts... but the point is:  They really can sort of take over.  And why?  We really should just be eating other, more nutritious food.  

 

These points are applicable for me. Thank you.

 

I think that I often use them as a substitute for my old favorite tortilla chips. Dang. So I guess I need spend some time with the question what purpose were the tortilla chips serving that I'm now subbing in nuts to serve. 

 

 

The brain is fascinating. Now what makes some of us prone to sugar/food addiction and not other substances? This friend of mine has been sober for years, used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. As I mentioned she could be addicted to cigarettes and she is also addicted to food. so what is with that, vs me, who could take or leave the cigarettes, but have been wrestling oleo th my thoughts this entire whole30 about how I can keep gluten in my life?

 

J9er - I totally agree! 

[Brewer5]

This is another one of those moments where I wish I could take all that I have learned on a subject, and somehow condense it and install it into everyone else's brain.  LOL

 

In the very beginning of The Mood Cure, she has four quizzes.  The questions on these quizzes help you determine which of your neurotransmitters may be "off" -- so you can determine which supplements may be of help.

 

The 4 sections (or "false mood types", as she calls them) are:

 

Type 1:  "Under a Dark Cloud:  Low in Antidepressant Serotonin"

 

Type 2:  "Suffering from the Blahs:  Low is Stimulating Catecholemines or Thyroid or Low in Natural Stimulants Like Noradrenalin or Thyroid"

 

Type 3:  "Overwhelmed by Stress:  Low in Tranquilizing GABA"

 

Type 4:  "Too Sensitive to Life's Pain:  Low in Pain-Killing Endorphins"

 

^ So you can see how we can all be a bit different in terms of what substances we struggle with.  They affect different chemicals, different reactions in our bodies.  We've all got a little bit different things going on.

 

For example, chocolate is only mentioned in two of these "false mood types", as she calls them.  I don't always necessarily enjoy how 100% chocolate makes me feel... but it has become a habit lately.  Why?  (I haven't had any for the past two days ~ lowering FODMAPs ~ and I have been perfectly fine without it.)

 

Tobacco is only mentioned in two sections.

 

Caffeine is only mentioned in one.

 

You get the idea.

[Brewer5]

Kmlynne, on 23 Jan 2016 - 05:26 AM, said:

http://ed.ted.com/le...in-nicole-avena

 

Karen ~ that was a pretty good, brief synopsis.  I like it & I will pass it on.

 

I hate that the very last statement was, "But one wedge of cake won't hurt you."  

 

...Well, unless it makes you want popcorn... and tortilla chips... and Sno Caps... and more cake..........    

 

Of course it can hurt you.

[Brewer5]

Looking through this book, I see that we do get some tryptophan (precursor to serotonin) from nuts and seeds.  But she says that we get much more tryptophan from animal-derived foods.

 

and

 

"Increasing fat intake increases the availability of tryptophan in the brain."

[Brewer5]

"For example, omega-6 interference with the neurotransmitter dopamine can lead to Parkinson's disease, bipolar moods (manic depression), schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder."

 

and

 

"We used to get the small amounts of omega-6 we needed from eating whole grains and beans and from seeds and nuts that we'd keep in the freshness-maintaining shell till we were ready to eat them."

[Brewer5]

I found this paragraph interesting ~ (I haven't read this entire book in a LONG time) ~

 

"The omega-9 fats are the final good-mood fats.  The oil most endowed with this fat is olive oil.  Just being the only oil that you can still safely use on your salads, now that I've demoted most of the competition, should qualify olive oil (extra-virgin olive oil, to be precise) as a major mood enhancer.  Olive oil contains very little of anything but omega-9 fats, which are almost as stable as saturated fats.  It has a little saturated fat and almost no omega-6 fatty acids, so it doesn't get rancid easily.  It keeps well in cool, dark places, even after it's been opened.  Although it's low in the omega-3s, the omega-9s in olive oil are very supportive of the omega-3s, and they specifically help promote serotonin's antidepressant activities in your brain."

 

"The nuts highest in omega-9 (but low in omega-6) are cashews and macadamias."

[SimpleNotEasy]

I read The Mood Cure a few years ago... but I think I got rid of it during the big purge of 2015 (we had a flood and ended up remodeling, so I got rid of A TON of stuff, most of which I don't regret - but there are a few things...). I may buy it again. I remember thinking it was interesting at the time, but the details haven't stayed with me. 

 

Regarding coffee - maybe this will help :) Our beloved Dr. Perlmutter!

https://www.yahoo.com/health/the-1-reason-not-to-kick-1346897463738422.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

[SimpleNotEasy]

Complete side note - but I process by writing and I am just overwhelmed right now...

 

I just learned that last night, a 19-yr-old kid swung around the corner up my street too fast and slid onto the sidewalk and hit a parked car. He had a carful of teenagers in his car. After failing the breathalyzer test, he was arrested. My friend who lives at the corner had just sent her 4 sons (ages 7-12) and their dog for the evening walk about 10 minutes prior and was expecting them home any minute. When she and her husband heard the crash, they ran outside and started looking for their kids under the cars. Thanks be to God, they were still closer to my house than hers and had not reached the point where the crash occurred. 

 

Wow, wow, wow. I am so serious when I say Thanks be to God. I've been weeping just considering what could have happened. 

[Brewer5]

^ I do love that man.......  for so many reasons...........  

 

Thanks for sharing!  As I said on my thread... I just don't see coffee as an issue at this point.  In the past, I have felt the need to remove it ~ for one reason or another...  but it's just not a concern for me at the moment.  I know what has upset my gut biome ~ and that's not it.

 

Dr. Perlmutter, as you know, also advocates an occasional glass of wine -- which I can't do.  He advocates some super dark chocolate -- which I am evaluating at the moment.  I think it's great to know that we do get some benefit from these things -- but just as they said on the clip ~ more is not necessarily better.  We have to find our own personal tolerance ~ and that may vary from day to day ~ and we may find that no matter what Dr. Perlmutter says, our own personal tolerance may be ZERO.

 

---------

 

Whew!  So glad to hear your neighbors are okay!

 

We live in a generally very quiet neighborhood.  A few years ago, a kid was out of his mind on ...I dunno, bath salts or something?  Ran naked down the street, charging at a truck like a bull.  The guy in the truck stopped and got out, to see if he could help this guy or what the heck was going on -- and the naked guy jumped in the truck, stole it and took off -- running full-force through the living room of a duplex at the end of the street.  That family had FOUR children in that tiny duplex, and they all "just happened" to be back in the bedrooms at the time.  They were all safe.  It was CRAZY.

[SugarcubeOD]

I find this conversation very interesting because I too really only have addiction problems around food. I have proven addictive substances in my house that I do partake in from time to time (alcohol and a prescription for 420... sssshhh). I NEVER hear them calling my name... When I"m not on W30, I generally don't drink because opening a bottle of wine for one seems wasteful... and I wouldn't even consider drinking the whole thing myself over a weekend for instance. I love Jack Daniels and Baileys (not together!) and it can be so long between having them that the lids stick shut. The marijuana is for anxiety and sleep and altho it makes me feel relaxed and calm, which I almost never feel, most of the time, I forget that I even own it. That said, I can hear food calling me from the grocery store a 10 min drive away... I hear its hark when I'm in my jammies on the sofa and it's a monsoon outside and I STILL have to talk myself out of getting dressed and leaving the house.

I'm interested in the Mood Cure because I WOULD like to know what it is about some addictive things that I can have around me and not care and some things that I seemingly can't even have a thought about!

[J9er]

Thanks for the coffee video! I do drink it in moderation, and I think I will explore stopping at some point, like Brewer said, sometimes we can only handle one thing at a time, and right now for me, it's getting through this whole30 on vacation thing....ugh...

So does the Mood Cure say that who are addicted to food and don't have other substance problems, have just found the correct substance for their chemical imbalance? I guess I should read it. ....although this book had my eye too:

Anatomy of a Food Addiction: The Brain Chemistry of Overeating by Anne Katherine.

[Brewer5]

^ Well... I was going to tell you that The Mood Cure is a bit of an "older" book -- and it's not necessarily a "Paleo" book, so you'd have to take what you wanted and discard the rest, regarding nutrition.   As I said, I haven't read the entire thing for quite awhile.  Maybe I should.  I'll add that to the growing list of "books I want to read AGAIN".  

 

But the book you mentioned is even older.  I'd stick with Julia Ross because her book was such a HUGE help to me.  I see she has a newer one (2012) called The Diet Cure, also.  I'm sure it is good, but I haven't read it.

 

I think to answer your question, and reflecting on Sugarcube's thoughts, above...   Certain types of foods are grouped in with certain legal/illegal substances.  So, while one person would not THINK of having marijuana or alcohol every night to relax...  that same person sees ice cream or a BUNCH of nuts or potatoes or carrots and sunflower butter as an "acceptable" (although they KNOW it is not "ideal") thing to do instead.  

 

I know we are also drawn to things which have given us a hit of dopamine in the past.  Sugar Crash -- the documentary I posted about last night on my log -- talks A LOT about dopamine ~ our "reward" system ~ and how/why your brain is wired to want to keep going back to those sugary foods.

 

I think what ANYONE here who is really struggling with sweet cravings needs to realize and fully embrace -- is that fat will squash those sugar cravings.  I do not believe it is a sign that you need more carbs -- it is almost a certainty that what you need is more fat.  In many cases here (not here, but on the forum in general), I see that it is a result of TOO many carbs... keeping that sugar dragon alive and well will keep you hungry.

 

I think the mind-numbing effect of certain foods is another subject entirely, and that is where books like The Mood Cure will come in... to help someone understand exactly what it is that they are trying to correct, or self-medicate.

[J9er]

I completely agree with the fat. Wholeheartedly. I have been cognizant of increasing my fat lately, and my carb intake has decreased dramatically but not on purpose. I just found I didn't really want it. I think I am in ketosis now and have had zero intension of getting there, except I was tired of barely making it 4 hours between meals so upped my fat by quite a lot -- I now have no desire for anything between meals, no sweet cravings, nothing.

Where I find the addiction thing interesting is, while I have no physical desire at this time for icecream or wine or chocolate etc, I am mentally still attached? Im sort of reminiscing on what those things used to taste like and battling with myself about having just one taste or just one sip....so I'm wondering if I keep my fat intake up, and keep eating paleo/whole30, if I will ever even want bother with those things again? Not sure if I explained that right, but anyways....

I saw GGGs post about her dinner with her neighbors and how she didn't even want to bother with the foods that were put in front of her, and I hope that's how I feel too. Peer pressure is another thing! I think I am just about over worrying about offending people or being "that" person, cause gosh it's ridiculous.....relates to the comments you (Brewer)got about the olives at the store -- none of my friends would comment if I was chugging back wine and beer and eating chicken wings....but heaven forbid I drink fizzy water and eat salad.

Ok, Sugar Crash is added to my list. It's been a movie watching marathon here, since I can't even open my door. Brrr.