After the lights went out, plenty of anxious eating

With the power out, we cooked by lantern light.

A super storm hit North Jersey on Monday with powerful winds that cut down trees and power lines, shutting restaurants and supermarkets.

Suddenly, food became one of the few comforts in homes without lights or heat.

Grilled cheddar cheese and bacon for my teenage son. a carnivore.

I've been eating anxiously, allowing myself bread and other food that haven't been part of my diet for a couple of years.

In an effort to use what fresh food we have rather than throw it out, I ate three bowls of bran flakes in a row with lactose-free milk, then had a cup of cocoa with more of the milk.

Finally, this morning, I threw out the rest of the carton.

I cooked the last two organic eggs before they spoiled.

In an elevator at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center today, a doctor who had lost power in the storm bought a comforting slice of dark-chocolate layer cake she conceded she probably wouldn't eat in normal circumstances.

I had more bread today, making a cheese omelet sandwich for my wife and eating half of it.

On Tuesday, the day after we lost power, I made a canned fish salad sandwich on a large doughy roll I ate routinely when I was 40 pounds heavier.

I felt much better, then was flooded by guilt.