These three remain.

Last night I met my son down town for dinner... the tavern I wanted stop at was closed, so he chose Primanti's. 1,400 calories for a steak sandwich, coleslaw and fries spilling out from under alarmingly fresh slices of thick white bread. Makes the phrase "Killer Sandwich, Man!" a double entendre.

Now, knowing we were going out, I had eaten light throughout the day and I only ate half of it... Compounding the problem I got stuck at work and couldn't get to the gym and had logged only half an hour of exercise. And after dinner got lured to "a friend's" at the suggestion of a night out at the jazz club, which turned into a lazy evening on the couch while he flipped channels and slipped stale Samoas to me in the dark (I only had two!)... I fully expected to wake this morning 2 lbs heavier... but I stayed stable.

But you can't say no to dinner out with your son. And you can't turn down anything slipped to you silently in the dark by someone you are longing to kiss. And my goals require me to stay on track 6/7 days, so this was the day I wiggled.

Food is not just sustenance. It is not just globs of calories. It is more than our bodies' fuel. Food has cultural, religious, spiritual meaning to humans and I think we are foolish to try to deny that in our journeys toward better health.

For instance... Ben, I still have your last 3 slices of pie in my freezer. I can't bring myself to eat them, even though it was quite possibly the best pie I have ever baked. Certainly the best peach pie I have ever baked. I can't throw them away. Can't serve them to anyone else. Even transferred them from one rented freezer to the next when I moved. I remember watching you, the man who shuns seconds, rushing back to the kitchen for more. The fork poised before your mouth, the hunger in your eyes. For the pie? I remember packaging the leftovers after you left that day... individual slices. I had imagined that each time you came by I'd thaw one. I assumed the pie would run out before your visits did.