Dear Abby: I’m a 30-year-old woman who has battled compulsive eating and binge eating since my teens.
(Yes, I have a weight problem.) I see a counselor and am trying to find solutions that work for me.
My problem stems from well-meaning friends and family who try to send me home with leftovers when I visit them. Because I am single, they think I would like a home-cooked meal. I politely refuse these offerings, but my hosts keep insisting I take food until I give in just to avoid additional argument.
How can I convince them I can’t take the offer without offending them or revealing my “problem”? — Stuffed in Calif.
Dear Stuffed: It’s difficult for me to believe that family and close friends are completely unaware of the problem. However, if that’s the case, thank these loving saboteurs and tell them you have more than enough food at home and don’t want to waste anything by having more than you can use. If that doesn’t deter them, offer the food to a neighbor or someone who might need or enjoy it. But don’t bring it into your house if it will trigger a binge.
Dear Abby: I am in my early 50s and have great difficulty driving at night. My daughter says my problem is a “lack of confidence.” I say my problem is being unable to SEE.
One night I had to pick up my son and I was scared. I couldn’t read the street signs and had difficulty telling where I was. I didn’t have my cellphone with me and couldn’t call him. To me, this vision problem at night could be just as dangerous as driving drunk. Is this all in my head? — Gail in Texas
Dear Gail: Your problem is your vision, not an overactive imagination. See an ophthalmologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the eye, for your night-vision problem. He or she can also tell you whether it is correctable or if you should refrain from driving after dark because driving blind is, indeed, as dangerous as driving drunk, and I don’t recommend it.
Write Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
