Especially when these East Coast lows settle in.

It feels like it's been raining for months and it doesn't help when news from around the world seems just as gloomy.

You can start feeling locked down - physically, spiritually, nutritionally.

Under these conditions, bad habits can creep in that threaten hard fought dietary equilibrium established since perhaps Christmas.

Signs you're weakening include telling yourself you're over chocolate, and then buying a lot of chocolate.

Telling yourself you'll have just the one slice of cake, and then making it a really big one. Ah bugger it, make it two.

And that old chestnut you're about to fall off the sweet wagon of denial, going back to having sugar with your tea, again.

Or was that tea with your sugar?

Most comfort food addicts will be familiar with the pendulum of excess and recess and once you relapse it can be hard to stop.

Especially when its continually cold, wet and miserable outside, and Tim Tams hit $2 at the supermarket.

Well, obviously not all bad news.

It's hard to walk past the Timmers at that price. In fact it wouldn't be right NOT to hoard.

Not that it's hoarding when you buy multiple packets of cheap biscuits.

Because to hoard suggests you're 'storing' them, like you might have done with toilet paper at the start of Covid.

But I seem to remember having a spare room full of toilet paper back then, for months, because my contact with the Seniors card was very reliable in that regard.

And I didn't really deplete the stash too rapidly, which is good now that Covid is sweeping back again.

But storage rarely occurs when there's multiple Tim Tam packets in the pantry.

Unless you consider slammin' Tim Tams in your mouth 'storage'.

Once you get that rhythm going you realise wearing a mask might not just work fending off Corona.

Unfortunately, in my experience stockpiling only encourages usage.

Some call it lack of discipline, governments call it deterrence.

I didn't notice it so much with the toilet paper, but it has definitely been evident with attempts to stockpile wine.

Now it's happening again with sugar.

Be it Tim Tams, sweets, beverages - whatever your delivery system or gateway rituals.

You start finding a way - to cave in - and I'm blaming the weather.

In particular the month of July.

For mine, the least enjoyable of the months this year because of its tendency to generate East Coast lows, bad news and cut price Tim Tams.

I swear I'm only storing them for a rainy day.

And when I look out the window this July, it just seems to be one rainy day after another.

So I guess that makes it sweet.

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