Watson's Waistline: Spring breaks willpower

I counted down the days to the beginning of spring break this semester with equal amounts of excitement and dread. I knew I'd be going to Austin, playing a ton of disc golf and enjoying a lot of time with some old friends.

However, I knew I'd be putting myself at risk of undoing a lot of the hard work I've done eating right and exercising, because I'd be blocks away from my favorite restaurant in the world.

I knew I'd be close to Torchy's Tacos.

As anyone who has been on a diet knows, nothing is more potentially damaging to your success than vacations. The entire purpose of vacations is to relieve the stress of months of work by throwing caution to the wind, cutting loose and enjoying yourself. That idea is completely opposed to the discipline and willpower needed to force down a tasteless salad every day for lunch.

That's not entirely true, of course, as I've mentioned; I've found a lot of meals around town that taste great and are really healthy. But the idea of eating right on vacation just seemed like I wasn't enjoying all the things I loved about Austin. I felt I was punishing myself.

So, needless to say, my eating habits went down the toilet in Austin. I learned Torchy's Taco of the Month was something called the "Ace of Spades": a combination of jalapeno sausage, brisket, a fried egg, sour cream, shredded cheese, queso fresco, green chile queso and Diablo sauce.

There was no way I wasn't getting in on that action.

Plus, the fact I was sleeping on friends' couches meant I was at the mercy of the group when dinner came around. When everybody in the house wants pizza, nobody wants to be the guy that says, "No, we can't do that; I'm on a diet," especially when they are kind enough to let you share their house.

So, yeah, it's a setback. When I stepped on the scale Monday morning, I saw in cold, hard numbers how much damage I did. I gained back all but five of the pounds I'd lost. In a way, though, it was kind of encouraging. I was still slimmer than when I started, and, if I got right back on the horse, I could immediately start back on the road to slimdom.

Diets are a process. Nobody is strong enough to make a drastic change like this without expecting to slip up every now and then. Really, it's a lot like life. You have to accept that every once in a while you're going to screw up. What's important is not trying to avoid mistakes, but making sure the setbacks don't stop you from reaching your ultimate goal.