A real breakthrough

Last weekend was party time. A house full of relatives, lots of family meals, all culminating in a wonderful birthday celebration honoring my brother-in-law, Bill, at one of the finest restaurants in New York City.

I had all intentions of writing about it Monday, but a sinus infection and splitting headache got in the way. So today, I'll share some great news.

I gained no weight last weekend. I didn't lose any weight, but the key here is that I gained 0. Nadda. And that is cause for celebration.

And I also ate. But I found time to fit in some yoga classes and did some walking, and the combination kept me in check. But I have to admit that although I was so looking forward to Saturday's party at Daniel, in the back of my mind I was scared stiff. I didn't want to gain 5 pounds, something I can easily pack on after a night of rich eating and drinking. Here's what I did:

I started the day drinking a huge glass of water -- the first of many -- followed by a scrambled egg with some herbs for breakfast, and that kept me going until lunch. Lunch was in a restaurant, but I had a salad, dressing on the side, so the calories were insignificant. A half hour before we left for the party, I had a whey protein shake, made with water, which got me through the cocktail hour. I was saying hello to so many family members and old friends, that I had no problem saying no to ALL the hors d'oeuvres. I did not eat a one.

Dinner I ate: the appetizer of a crab stuffed zucchini blossom, followed by a wild mushroom risotto, and the entree -- chicken done two ways. Each course tasted as glorious as it looked, because after all, this was Daniel. And the wines, a different one to complement each course, were utterly amazing.

But just before dessert, the band really kicked in, and I decided it was time to dance. In fact, my dessert was placed in front of me, I glanced at it, and got up. In the back of my mind I was thinking I would dance a bit and then eat my dessert. Guess I danced a tad too long, because by the time I returned to the table, it was long gone.

And I didn't miss it. I heard about it from my kids, but I didn't eat one bite.

On the party bus on the way home, I passed around a bag of biscotti -- leftovers from Friday night's dinner -- and I had a few, but that was it. They were small, and I knew I only had 1 Weight Watchers POINT. When I got home, the bag and its wonderful contents got tossed in the garbage. I was taking no chances.

So what lesson did I learn? I can have fun, real fun, without stuffing myself. And if I plan events ahead of time, and decide how I am going to tackle each, I can eat like a normal person. I enjoyed every morsel of food, every sip of wine, and I felt not an ounce of guilt.

And the next day, I woke up with a huge smile on my face, because I knew I had accomplished something amazing the night before. Absolutely not rocket science for most people. For me, it seems it is.