Revelations

I love it when I have those "ah ha" moments. Times when the proverbial light bulb blazes into brilliance and the glorious sunlight pours into that deep dark cavern that's supposed to house your brain, all the while you hear the angels singing, "Hallelujah."

I had one of those moments a couple of weeks ago. I've gotten into the habit of making French toast on Saturday mornings. I know, I know . . . not an "on plan" meal, but it's better than a number four with cheese and an extra hash brown from Mickey D's. And, I'm still pre-op, so I allow myself a few liberties.

Anyway, as I sat down to enjoy my breakfast, I carefully eyed the pieces of French toast before me. I found one that looked like The Best and scooted it over to the side. For as long as I can remember, I've been saving The Best for last in nearly every meal I eat. It may be The Best piece of something, The Best item on the plate, The Best looking thing. I remember being amazed when I read about this trait in "Mindless Eating," by Brian Wansink. His research has found that firstborns are more likely to save The Best for last, while lastborns generally eat The Best first (mainly because they're not sure The Best will be around that long, especially if they come from a large family.) I asked my husband (a lastborn) what he did and he confirmed the findings.

Then I realized that in order to get to The Best, I eat everything else first. Everything. Even if I'm full, I feel like I have to plow through it all before I can have The Best. So, as I prepare for this surgery, I'm trying to re-orient my brain to eat The Best first and stop when I'm not hungry anymore (not full - there's a difference).

Another revelation I had occurred when I was eating a Baby Cakes cupcake (again, pre-pre-op). Baby Cakes cupcakes are without a doubt the best cupcakes I've ever eaten. Wait. Never mind. They're not that great. I don't want to be accused of leading anyone into temptation. However, I did happen to have a couple of these cupcakes left over from a birthday party and I sat down one night to enjoy one. It was a day or two old and had been sitting out on our kitchen counter, slowly drying out. It wasn't that great. The icing was kind of crusty and the cake was crumbly. But I ate every last crumbly crumb. I was really mad at myself afterwards. The revelation? If it's not excellent food, don't put it in your mouth. Period. We have a magnet on our fridge that says "Life is too short to drink bad wine." I think life is too short to eat bad food. Especially when we weight-loss surgery folks get such small portions. Make every bite count. There's no reason why we can't eat really delicious food and food that our families can eat alongside us.

Next time on The Egg and Eye . . . Cooking Great Meals