Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area

That's for prayers for success. I'm going into this with an open mind and lots of research. If it doesn't work for me I'll readjust and figure out what's best. My goals are weight loss and relief from multiple chronic pain conditions, whatever that is hopefully I'll figure it out.

Yes, agree about store bought candy. I believe most chocolate sold in USA is made in china. Hershey doesn't taste the same. Peanut butter has a strange taste and makes me feel awful. Unless I get natural peanut butter and that's so expensive and it's runny. Even natural can have added sugar or syrups and bad oils. I did love Lindt sea salt dark chocolate bars but now they have very little salt. Nothing is as it was a decade ago.

I usually make desserts from scratch because store bought is just crap. King Arthur brand flour has a good gluten free line of cake mix and cookies. I'm not gluten intolerant. I buy because it doesn't have the artificial ingredients that other cake mix brands have. I'll keep all that in case I have to take a dessert somewhere. It's not tempting because I'm not going to start eating cake mix at midnight. Now if it was mixed up I'd put a hurtin on it.

I know for a fact my sugar addiction probably started in my teens. My dad was an alcoholic my entire life and it got really bad during high school. My senior year he went to rehab and hasn't had a drink since 1985 but stopping alcohol didn't remove his behavior. Instead it's called dry drunk, whatever! If you are narcissistic SOB doesn't matter if you are on the sauce or dry it's still there. He's much better now but it's still around. I also believe my surger addiction is because addiction is in my DNA. Everyone in my dad's family, mostly men is a recovering alcoholic or a dead alcoholic. Also chocolate is very big on his side. Every family reunion deserts were always chocolate. My maternal grandma was a master southern cook and baker. Her cakes were the best! Being at her house was an escape and food was always around because she cooked seven days a week and twice on Sunday. My heirloom family recipes are mainly chocolate themed. My high school years I basically did what I wanted on the weekends and by the time I was a senior I was out most nights a week partying. I have no doubt I was an alcoholic for four years. I also got into weed for about 18 months. Couple years later after a very bad breakup I was a major pot head. Got back together a year later and he said weed had to go. I loved him so much I stopped cold turkey. Still together today. Now I know I replaced one substance for another. I won't lie I believe I've handled the lies of plandemic and decades of lies well but deep down I know I haven't. I think I've become a recluse to avoid the stupid people because it just upsets me and pisses me off. My chronic pain is at all time high, have barely cooked in three years so food has become my source of comfort. I know it sounds like I'm not loved but I am and my relationship is awesome. We can be masters at hiding feelings. You mentioned depression. My entire adult life up till mid forties I was off and on antidepressants. Was suggested by some doctors but mostly requested by me. I've always lived next door to family and still do. I still have emotional issues with my dad. However I handle it 90% better than I did in the past. When my grandma died ten years ago I was in a major depression state for about six months. I got out of bed to eat and go to the bathroom that's it. Had a dog and took her out if needed she was with me every moment in bed & my cat. My husband isn't the type to nag you so he let me do my thing. My neighbor and best friend (my dads age) would come here and walk past my husband and daughter to my bedroom to check on me. For people that talk about racism I have never experienced it. She's black and I'm white. We have been on trips together, shopping, her in my pool in summer. She was a god send to my grand parents. I always gave her my leftovers. She's out of state with her daughter and I miss her so much. She's like my second mom and I was closer to her than my mom. She moved away in 2019 so that's another reason for emotional downhill. Lord I've told my life story! Clearly journaling might help.

Have you noticed bread doesn't mold? This year I've noticed that. You buy a new loaf at the store because you know the loaf at home is old. Open new loaf and forget to throw out two week old loaf. After a month no mold. I bought little tomatoes sometime last summer and left them on the counter. Somehow they got behind something on counter I found them three weeks later and no sign of decay. So I left them for two months and they were starting to go bad. Who knows what's in the food? Can't be anything good.