It’s safe to say that I now appreciate food more than ever. Everything tastes better. And in the small quantites in which I’m permitted to eat, I savor every bite.

There’s goodness in this, I suppose. As much as I said I loved food and wine, maybe I wasn’t really appreciating all the tasty things I gobbled down to get me to where I am now. If you always have filet mignon and never ground chuck, how can you truly appreciate the difference and enjoy the filet as it should be enjoyed? Not that I ate filet all the time, but I certainly have consumed my fair share of rich, decadent and tasty things, and never felt hesitation about slathering on a layer of butter on a baguette.

Now that I’m forced to hesitate, I’ve begun to find that the choices I make are first really about enjoyment, rather than just feeding the beast. Of course, the majority of the time I could easy gnaw off the table leg, but at least now I know that if it goes in my mouth, it had better be really tasty. Because I savor every single calorie. And every calorie tastes better because of it.