why the whole quitting sugar thing can make you feel like an outsider

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Ever gone on a diet and had everyone in your office hang shit on you when you rejected a slice of mudcake on someone's birthday? Or your group of mates attempt to force a glass of wine down your throat on a night out on the town after you told them you weren't drinking?

I have always found it amusing when people feel the need to put their 5 cents in on what I have chosen to do (and not to do) at various times in my life when it comes to eating and drinking.

People (women especially) hate to eat or drink alone. We like to see that our partner, or friend, or workmate, is going to eat that hedgehog slice at a birthday party with us, or have another glass of champagne on a Saturday night out, or order a dessert after dinner.

So when I told people that I was quitting sugar I got some very weird looks from people. 'Oh, that's just crazy!' and 'I could never give up my 3pm chocolate!'. Yesterday, at a morning tea, after I refused a yummy looking scone with jam and cream, I got 'oh, you're not one of THOSE people are you?'
I tell you, lucky I have a sense of humour and I'm well used to these kinds of reactions, it can almost be enough to make you cave due to the peer pressure of it all! ;)
My usual response? 'Well, it's not as hard as you would think. I just feel better not eating sugar'. But normally people just dismiss the whole idea of it. And that's cool, I know what I'm doing is making me feel good and hey, I kinda feel sorry for you that you rely so heavily on your 3pm sugar hit!

While I'm not exactly pushing the idea onto people, it's been hard not to steer my husband away from all the sugary sauces, biscuits and juices on our weekly supermarket shop. (Bless the poor thing! His support is amazing)
Or when I hear people talking about how healthy they have been, as all they have been eating is fruit and low fat yoghurt for the past few days.

So sure, quitting sugar, quitting anything actually, can make you feel like an outsider. But I really don't care! The key is to be well informed and in total support of what you are doing and how it makes you feel.
It's human nature to single out those who don't conform. And they're not trying to be nasty, they just feel uneasy seeing someone succeeding at something they feel as though they could never do themselves...