When our daughter was young, she wanted a hamster. We ended up giving in and little Felix lived with us for a year or so. Like most hamsters, he ran a ten-hour road race every night. He got in his wheel and just went. Why we don’t harness that energy, I’ll never know.

The local pet store held a hamster derby, so we signed Felix up. Right before we left for the race, unbeknownst to me, my husband decided that Felix looked hungry and needed carbo-loading, so he fed him an entire serving of pellets. I would have advised against this. Instead of racing, Felix sat in a stupor while his jaws worked on the food that he had been hiding in his cheeks. He never made it to the finish line.

Fans of The Office might remember the carbo-loading episode where Michael decided to eat a giant serving of fettuccine alfredo right before the office Fun Run. Yep, it was a pretty gross episode and Michael ended up in the hospital. I guess my point is, if you’re going to carbo-load, don’t wait until the last minute.

Surprisingly, carbo-loading is not in my pre-op instructions. However, for the past few weeks, I’ve been eating like every meal is my last. Dr. Fernandez-Miranda said that he will be able to save my sense of smell, but he cautioned that he may impact some of the olfactory nerves on the right side. He said he won’t go anywhere near the nerves on the left side so I will still be able to smell, but it’s possible my ability will be reduced. I have taken this news as license to eat every good thing, just in case.

In an effort to keep my cholesterol below the red line, I’ve been on a Mediterranean diet for several months – mostly plant based, very little dairy, some fish and chicken but no red meat. For the most part, I’ve really enjoyed it. But in the past couple of weeks, all bets are off. I’ve eaten Tutti da Gio’s homemade pesto gnocchi with a garlicy cream sauce – twice. Barbecue ribs and brisket, triple pepperoni pizza, a mile-high butter cheeseburger and fries, enchiladas and quesadillas, brisket tacos, and a grilled cheese sandwich or two. I have certainly gained a couple of pounds.

For a person who usually passes up dessert, I’m all in. I’m not one for naming favorites, but if I were pressed, my favorite dessert is Marie Callender’s Razzleberry Pie. As a kid in California, I appreciated that some form of blackberry, boysenberry, or razzleberry pie was on every restaurant menu, including Marie Callender’s. Today, you can pick one up in the freezer section of your local Food Lion, pop it in the oven, and an hour or so later, dig in. It pairs well with a nice pinot noir. It also makes a nice breakfast.

My friend DeeAnn told me it’s a good thing I’m eating like this since I probably won’t want to eat after the surgery. Everyone needs a good friend like this – someone who tells you, yes, you look like you need another serving of pie. Pass the pinot!