I admit it. My life is not exactly made to order for conventional dieting programs. In any given week I end up going to a couple potential diet-busting events that could make my Friday morning Serious Eats weigh-in problematic. So I've adopted some strategies and tactics that may sound nutty but have been surprisingly effective.

For example, I weigh myself every day, which Weight Watchers frowns on as regular practice. I know my weight can fluctuate two and even three pounds depending on how much water I am retaining, even without going to one of these food events. But by getting on the scale every day, I get some sense of how I have fared each day and can adjust accordingly. If daily weigh-ins worked for Muhammad Ali when he was in training for a fight they can work for me as well. I'd love to be able to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Wouldn't you?

There were two events this week that could have been disastrous. And to make matters worse, the most difficult event to navigate took place yesterday, Thursday, a mere 18 hours before my public weigh-in.

This week's first trial was a luncheon to celebrate the publication of legendary French chef Joël Robuchon's new book, The Complete Robuchon. He was actually cooking at his restaurant in New York (L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the Four Seasons) which is quite unusual for Robuchon, who is more business person than chef these days. But the portions in a five-course tasting menu were quite small, and I left after the fourth course, so my weigh-in on Thursday had me up a pound for the week.

Thursday's hurdle was much more difficult. I went to the friends and family tasting at David Chang's new bakery, the Milk Bar. I won't go into the gory details, but suffice to say that butter, fat, pork, sugar, and flour played meaningful, substantial roles in just about every dish. Soft ice cream, breakfast sandwiches, pies, cookies, and cakes abounded. We sampled a dozen items for our post this morning. I thought I was reasonably successful at limiting myself to a bite or three, but in those situations, you never know.

We went to the tasting a little after 2 p.m. and got back at 4 p.m. Since it was Thursday, I vowed to eat very little for the rest of the day in anticipation of my Friday weigh-in. I kept my vow. All I had for dinner was a box of raisins.

Now I know a box of raisins is not anyone's idea of a balanced and healthy meal. Yet for me, it made perfect sense. It's one meal, I had eaten enough food yesterday overall, and today I can eat healthily and reasonably once again.

It may sound crazy to everybody else, but it works for me. I'm losing weight without losing my mind. Let's see if my raisin dinner did the trick for me this week.

The Weigh-In

Here we go: 238. Down a pound for the week and two pounds from my Thursday a.m. weigh-in. Yes, indeed, I'm floatin' like a butterfly and stingin' like a bee.