What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...

Lawrence Toppman

...and much of it stays on visitors' hips. I guess the Las Vegas motif of unrestrained consumption inspires folks to eat and drink on binges. Every hotel on the Strip has an all-you-can-eat buffet, though few are bargain-priced any more. Maybe paying $25 a head REALLY makes you want to gobble your money's worth, but I have never seen so many overweight, underdressed, unruly people cramming one sidewalk in my life.

I guess those hotels also have exercise rooms, but I didn't hit any. Instead, my wife and I drove out of the city into Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park, where we took modest hikes. (The desert's at its prettiest in spring, and the cacti were blooming.) But even though we stayed away from the cheesecake tables -- and the gaming tables -- we still got away from our healthy Charlotte routines. Hey, when Battista's Italian Restaurant offers all the wine you can drink and all the garlic bread you can eat....

Net result: Miraculously, I gained only half a pound in six days, so I'm still six pounds to the good since January 1. I pretended I was still on vacation this morning and averted my eyes from the treadmill, but we'll get reacquainted tomorrow.