DEAR ABBY: As an active member of Overeaters Anonymous, I am open and honest with friends about my commitment to better health and understanding the foods I can and cannot eat. I am hoping you can provide me with a kind and gentle response to someone who presents me with a special dessert that she (or he) may have spent hours preparing.
My life and attitudes have changed greatly since I joined OA, and I would give away this freedom from food obsession to everyone I know if it were possible. -- C.T. IN BOULDER, COLO.
DEAR C.T.: Congratulations on your abstinence. When you are confronted with an elaborate dessert you can't eat, say, "I know you worked hard on this. But I can't accept it. I have food issues. I'm addicted to sugar, and once I start, I cannot stop. So please understand."
And unless the person is a diet saboteur, she (or he) will back off.