Oh how I love you, adorable wastrel! You delight me and make me laugh. Also, I kid you not, I had my first fall-off-the-freaking-wagon yesterday. Yes! You heard that right! We both tumbled off into the shrubbery like loose pumpkins on the very same day! Someone needs to write a doctoral thesis on the percentage of people who just can’t hold it together on day 20 of a restrictive diet.

For me it was a slice of creamy fresh brie. I was making a toasted French bread sandwich for my son with brie and ham. I had maintained strict control for all those days leading up to that moment in time when I snapped. I had been to multiple parties where wine and a multitude of delicious things were served and had remained stolid. And then, as I sliced that brie, the little devil on my shoulder said “Imma gonna eat that.” And in it went. Chomp chomp swallow gone! And I felt no guilt, for some reason. I was like, “alrighty then, back to our regularly scheduled program. Nothing to see here, folks.”

I love your commentary about primate bonding, the powerful social aspects of food, and the wonderful suggestion to address that head on and fill the little gap formed by being a PITA about your food choices. I think we (collective we; those who are differently-fed) can very easily make the mistake of not acknowledging that aspect of things, and those little tensions and little hurts, unacknowledged, make it harder to remain true to your plan.