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Diets

Man Loses Weight Eating at Olive Garden Twice a Day

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You can’t spell diet without “die,” and that’s exactly what our happiness does when you start throwing around words like “ketogenic,” “Weight Watchers,” or “low fat.” But consider the day saved thanks to an angel a pastor from North Carolina who’s discovered a way to eat pasta and still lose weight.

Every year since 2014, Alan Martin has purchased a Never Ending Pasta Pass for Olive Garden‘s Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion. To get his money’s worth, he eats two meals per day at the Italian restaurant chain; in 2014, he purchased the pass for $100 and ate more than $1,500 worth of food.

This year, Martin set himself a goal: to shave 10 pounds from his 222-pound frame while eating pasta two times a day. Fettuccine Alfredo and spaghetti and meatballs aren’t your typical diet fare, but they’re healthier than the barbecue sandwiches for breakfast, late-night hamburgers, and chocolate-and-peanut butter sweet treats Martin usually eats. “I’m a Southerner,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “We don’t eat normal.”

During his weeks-long pasta binge, Martin learned a few tricks that helped him shed five pounds. He turned down the free sweet teas offered by the manager, he filled up on salad and pasta toppings (meat options like meatballs, Italian sausage, and crispy chicken fritta), and and he limited himself to only one breadstick per meal. Though he fell short of his goal, he doesn’t see his diet as a failed experiment. Honestly, we’re just impressed that he managed to hold himself to one breadstick per meal!

Martin is no stranger to publicity when it comes to his eating habits. After purchasing one of the very first Never Ending Pasta Passes in 2014, he became a mini Internet star after he ate a record-setting 115 consecutive meals at Olive Garden. This year, a man from Florida named Jeff Berman beat his record; he and Martin eventually met over — you guessed it — a bowl of pasta.

Though pasta every day sounds like a dream, for Martin, it got old quick. After a certain point, “You’d rather eat your shoe,” he said. Everything in moderation, right? Which is why we’ll be enjoying a pipping hot bowl of our favorite noodles and sauce tonight. Yum!

h/t People

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