After 182 weeks of sharing the highs and lows of trying to get a handle on my weight as a serious eater, I need a break from this column. This column has changed my life and my weight. So I'm taking the rest of August off with the idea that I will use this month-long hiatus to recharge, rethink, and retool the column. More

Although I wouldn't wish what I have gone through this week on anyone, I have to say that five visits to a dentist in four days is certainly an effective caloric journey enhancer. My teeth and gums had been hurting all last week, but I certainly wasn't going to go to the dentist before the Sandwich Fest. I didn't eat much there anyway, but not because of my sandwich fest planning. I was just too busy. But by last Sunday my mouth was killing me, so I went to the dentist on Monday. More

Yup, tomorrow is our big all-star sandwich fest on Governor's Island. I'm really looking forward to it, but it is certainly going to be a challenge, caloric journey-wise. Why? Because we are serving up so much seriously delicious stuff eating that everything in moderation would still be overeating. So what am I going to do? I'm going to focus on the sandwiches I haven't had before. More

Like a lot of other folks I am facing a weekend full of picnics, barbecues, and parties of every stripe imaginable that invariably involve copious amounts of food. If I'm not careful, these kinds of weekends can kill me, caloric journey-wise. More

Now that it's summer I have a favorite pair of shorts and linen and cotton pants—they're reliable barometers for my weight. Each time I put one of them on, I can tell how I've been doing. If they are tighter, if I have to reach just a little bit further to close the clasp, I know it's time to increase my fruits and vegetable quotient. More

Lately, as this column continues to evolve, as I am not so slavishly devoted to getting on the scale every day, I have begun to see that there are other ways to measure my caloric journey progress. I've been noticing that I'm feeling full more quickly. What that means for me is that I can eat more of the food I love, as long as I stop when my body says enough. More

I looked longingly at the huge pot of stew. I looked away. I looked again. That stew was calling my name. "So tasty," it was whispering to me. "Stop," I said in response. "I'm on a caloric journey, and seconds, my tasty friend, don't help. Ever, unless you're talking about salad without dressing, or vegetables without sauce, or fruit salad. So who won this battle of wills, the beef stew vs. me? More

Yup, it's true. I was in Rome for ten days and lost two pounds. How did I do this? Believe it or not there was method to the madness. Here were my five Roman Rules. More

I've gone fishin' for pizza in Rome, so there will be no extended Caloric Journey post today. I promise to detail my Roman caloric journey next week to let all of you serious eaters know how many pizzas (and other Italian edible species) I've caught, and how many I've thrown back because I'm full and I'm trying not to gain weight in Rome. More

All right, fans and occasional naysayers of my caloric journey. I am going to take this journey down a different path for awhile. It's my journey, so I determine the route. I read everyone's comments last week with great interest, both the positive and the negative ones. Of all the comments last week I found Teachertalk's to be the one I couldn't stop thinking about. This is what she said. More