Cutting the Cheese: Day 3

I'm not sure what it is, but simply eliminating cheese from my diet is influencing my eating habits in general -- and for the better.

There's already been considerable temptation, even on the very first meal of the very first day. Having brunch with friends at Dos Caminos in Manhattan, I had a tough time not ordering my usual choice: the shrimp quesadilla. (By the way, that's not something I typically would order anywhere else, but Dos Caminos turns quesadillas into an ecstatic encounter.) I opted for the crab benedict, which was a special. Healthier than having some cheese? Maybe not, but at least I didn't break from my plan. That's not easy in a restaurant where cheese is a part of probably 60 percent of the menu items.

Running out to pick up some lunch in the middle of the workday can also be tricky. Ordering a sandwich that has no cheese just seems so unnatural to me. Roast turkey on a sandwich cries out for cheese. It needs cheese. Especially if you like mayonnaise as much as I do. However, I opted for alfalfa sprouts and dill dressing, and I didn't miss the cheese.

Pizza is going to be the biggest temptation, I predict. Going a month without pizza. The last time I went that long without pizza, I was probably in a high chair.