Dieting isn’t for the faint of heart, especially on a low carb journey. Spending more than a decade in professional kitchens is in no way conducive to a strict regiment for dieting. In my early years as a chef, after cooking my 100th shrimp and grits of the night or searing a multitude of poultry and fish, nothing tasted better than a simple frozen pizza.

The lifestyle of a chef is not as glamorous as some famous memoirs make it out to be. It’s robotic and unyielding. Bad habits become second nature and lifestyle choices become relative to one’s environment. Late nights, early mornings, and little time for anything other than sleep is certain to change the trajectory of a healthy way of living. Every sauce, base, icing, starch, vegetable, and so on must be tasted repeatedly in order to maintain quality and consistency. Ironically, eating healthy becomes inconsistent and the body pays the price.

Into later adulthood and a second chance career at landscaping, I reached a body weight that became concerning. I was 265 pounds. I left the kitchen but the bad habits followed. I’m five feet nine inches, so I knew a change was needed quickly. I just felt unhealthy.

But my love for food became an obstacle. I love food so much that I was convinced there was no way to enjoy it in a healthy manner. Fortunately, my wife Shannon had been begging me to join her on a low carb diet for years. After a shameful but playful photograph that our oldest son, Colton, took of me balancing a half gallon of King cake ice cream upon my stomach as I engulfed it on New Years Eve, I knew it was time for a change.

Low carb meant more protein and veggies, and less sugar and starches, so my primal instincts took over and I slowly cut the carbs. Before long the pounds fell off and I was 185 in just under a year.

In the landscaping world, customers come and go for various reasons. We’re not perfect so mishaps occur and we don’t always get it right. Occasionally I’ll get a call and find myself on the receiving end of a second chance.

One day a few years back, I was meeting with a customer who hadn’t done business with me since I began my low carb diet. We parted ways amicably but he remembered me being much larger a year before. He scheduled his appointment through the office and wasn’t aware of who was to be meeting with him that day.

When I arrived we got right to it without exchanging pleasantries, as I assumed he knew It was me. We walked the property and he began the laundry list of things he felt that “Clay” hadn’t executed to his liking. It quickly dawned on me that he had no clue who I was due to my weight loss. After we identified the problems and proposed solutions for the mismanagement of his property, I assured him that Clay would get the message loud and clear.

I returned with a crew a few days later to begin the work. The client came out to speak and I had no intention of maintaining the charade. Like me, he also deserved a second chance for this encounter. I humored him with my weight loss journey and we laughed at the honest outcome achieved without “Clay” being at the initial meeting. Just imagine if we could always be that honest in life’s uncomfortable situations. Little would be left unsaid.

Weight loss isn’t for everyone and each of our lives are for us to experience as we see fit. Everyone should look and feel exactly how they desire. For me, I just wanted to feel better and it started with my bad habits.

I call my low carb diet a journey because it was just that. Even Magellan would lose his way navigating the rough waters of carbohydrate temptation. But a healthy check up and a smaller waist line made it worthwhile. And who knew I would gain a super power in the process? I think the Nutty Professor may have been on to something.

I received a rare gift that day. I heard criticism of myself from the catbird seat. It’s said that what other people think of us is actually none of our business, Luckily I learned that lesson first hand. Through it all, he never had to give me a second chance, but he did. So I gladly accepted and made a lasting “first” impression.

On a different note, I’m asking forgiveness rather than permission and breaking my word count for this column. This Sunday is my mother’s birthday. She shares her love for cooking and gardening with me, so I’ll share a small ode to her: “May flowers always line your path, and your kitchen be the heart of your home.” Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

Clay Bowen is a Columbus native who cooked professionally as a chef in fine dining for 12 years and appeared on the third season of Top Chef. He is also a licensed landscape horticulturist. Bowen writes in his free time and is working on a book about his experiences and travel. Email him at [email protected].