"That Guy"

I've turned into That Guy.

I'm the guy who can't just order off the menu. No... I have to make the chef work to accommodate my dietary needs.

This was uncomfortable for me at first.

Now I'm more concerned about being well than I am with some dude being comfortable in his white jacket.

I'm the guy who had the kitchen make him a plate of steamed vegetables to go with his breakfast TWICE because my diet dictates that I eat meat and vegetables at every meal.

Even with a buffet full of food I made those people work to accommodate me.

Because this is my life we're talking about. They'll get over being inconvenienced. I couldn't get over being dead.

So Sunday night, we arrive at Cove Haven – a cute, admittedly run-down, gaudy little couples resort in the Poconos that has my affection if not my undying admiration. It has memories attached to it and I love going there with my honey.

After making good use of the Champagne Tower suite for a couple hours (wink-wink) we headed off to dinner.

Sunday night's meal offering: The Grand Buffet.

It's a cruel setup.

Not the kind of thing you want to encounter on a low-carb diet.

It was very intimidating.

The first thing you pass by is the desert table. Cheesecake, black forest cake, peanut butter pie, ice cream, whipped cream, you name it. Then you see the main buffet.

Making it from one end of the buffet to the other would earn you a First Down.

There were at least four kinds of pasta.

In fact, the pasta was a full quarter of the buffet.

Next to that you had fried squid, fried chicken tenders in a gloppy, carb-laden gravy and enough fried food to warrant having paramedics standing by.

In the midst of all this were the scant few things I could eat and keep with my diet. So here's what I had for dinner:

A couple pieces of chicken, a couple pieces of Tilapia, a piece of roast beef with horseradish and steamed vegetables.

Does it sound like I left hungry?

I had an awesome dinner.

I ate every bite I wanted to eat.

I watched my wife eat bread.

I watched her eat cheesecake.

I didn't care.

I'm getting well.

I won't lie and say I didn't want it because I did.

I just want to live more than I want pasta.

And when you reach that point, you'll be successful.

When you're ready to say NO to sugar, you'll be equipped to kick the carbs too.

It all starts with a decision and that decision will steer you away from the cheesecake.

That decision will add years to your life and it will add quality to those years.

It will also turn you into That Guy (or Girl) and so be it.

I inconvenienced a couple servers.

I made them take the bread off the table.

I made them make me broccoli for breakfast (OK – with breakfast).

And I'm so glad I did.

Because every time I left that dining room and I didn't eat any carbs and I didn't have anything sweet, I won. And I literally stopped and took the time to congratulate myself.

I may not be beautiful yet but when I look in the mirror now, I see a winner.

I see someone worthy of my pride.

I see someone who inspires me.

And I see the pounds disappearing.

More tomorrow...