Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

SPT is going to Vegas?

blimey.

where? taking many? or relying on locals to fill the field?

I think APAT had 90 travel across for the one i did at Caesars and you came to, and 180 played

Yup, the next SPT will be in Las Vegas on Sunday June 24th. It will be held in The Venetian. (Players will be staying at Palazzo).

It's a "closed" Tournament, only those who qualified on Sky Poker will be eligible to play.

Don't know the exact number yet, but it'll be around 50 players.

As it happens, the last Satellite "Final" is tonight, though there are stil a few packages to be won via various Promos.

Quite surprising really, but some deep research suggested that the Sky Poker players enjoy the hospitality events & general roffling around in Vegas to actually playing a WSOP event, hence the change of format this year. I guess that reflects well on the Management who attend the Vegas thing ech year &, quite literally, spend all their time drinking, clubbing & suchlike with the players, which is something I can't do due to my aversion to alcohol. I've never been in a Spearmint Hippo either, not really my thing.

It means I have a very light workload this year, too - I'll attend the welcome party for the first few hours then slide away quietly once the alcohol kicks in, and do the Live Update all day on the 24th.

Here's what the 2018 SPT Package includes;




· Entry to the exclusive $40,000 Sky Poker Tour Las Vegas tournament taking place on 24th June, hosted in the plush Venetian Card Room
· Seven nights stay for you and a guest at the 5* hotel, The Palazzo, on the Las Vegas strip
· Package dates run from 21st - 28th June 2018
· £1,000 that you could use to cover your flight costs
· A Sky Poker welcome party
· Access to the Sky Poker hospitality suite where food and drink will be available during certain times
· Top Golf experience
· Departure party  



Has to be said, the Top Golf thing is really rated by the players, though I've never actually been to one. Top Golf is the business that MANTIS works for, though he only runs a baby version.

[tikay]

After my health hiccup last year, I quit the ciggies, & took things easy. And ate a lot.

As a result, my weight ballooned. On January 1st, I weighed a whopping 14st 12lbs.

So I decided to do something about it. Eat better & exercise more.

First, I changed what I ate. ONLY "good" food, same food every day, never once varied it.

Exercise? Started with 1 x half mile walk each day, & gradually increased it to 2 x 3 mile walks every day, often 3 x 3 mile walks at weekends. Total mileage walked between Jan 1st & May 24th? 450 miles. Yikes. And that explains why I've had no time to do so many things, 3 hours a day walking knocks an awfully big hole in my spare time.

As always planned, the regime ended at midnight on Thursday, 24th May.  

Here's the progression, & result.


Starting weight = 14st 12lbs

Weight after Week 1 = 14st 6lbs

Weight after Week 2 = 14st 1lb

Weight after Week 3 = 14st 0lbs

Weight after week 4 = 13st 12lbs

Weight after week 5 = 13st 10lbs

Weight after week 6 = 13st 9lbs

Weight after week 7 = 13st 8lbs

Weight after week 8 = 13st 5lbs

Weight after week 9 = 13st 3lbs

Weight after week 10 = 13st 0lbs

Weight after week 11 = 12st 13lbs

Weight after week 12 = 12st 12lbs

Weight after week 13 = 12st 11lbs

Weight after week 14 = 12st 9lbs

Weight after week 15 = 12st 7lbs

Weight after week 16 = 12st 6lbs

Weight after week 17 = 12st 4lbs

Weight after week 18 = 12st 4lbs

Weight after week 19 = 12st 1lb

Weight after week 20 = 11st 13lb

Total loss is exactly 2 stone & 13lb ( = 41lbs) in 20 weeks, = just over 2lbs per week.



For context, 2st 13lbs is roughly equivalent to 20 x 2lb bags of sugar. Imagine placing 20 bags of sugar in a carrier bag & lugging it around with you all day every day. Amazing really. Not sure I feel THAT much better, but I felt pretty shite when I started, so I guess it's helped.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Whilst trudging, or waddling more like, round the streets every day, I dreamed of the day the diet & exercise would end, & I could stuff my face with shite food - pork pies, sticky buns, da de da.

Midnight Thursday arrived, & I was so excited it was ridic. Friday will be stuff my face day.

And I did.

And you know what?

I felt dreadful afterwards. Mentally bad, & physically bad.

So bad, I might just revert to eating properly & exercising full time.

But not before I've persevered with eating bad.

It's a bit like when you quit smoking & then, after a long break, start again. At first, it's horrible. But if you stick at it, it soon becomes OK.

I'm nothing if not stupid.

[EvilPie]

Incredible stuff mate losing so much in such a short time.

3 hours a day walking >>>>>>>>> 3 hours a day replying to emails. You'll live longer and feel better so to hell with not having time to do other things.

Is it just the food side of things that has now finished? Hopefully you'll keep up the walking, you'll probably find a nice balance where you can eat what you like and hover around the 12 and a half stone mark forever which will give you long term health.

I shall of course be in for the staking as per normal.

[nirvana]

Yep, well done, you def need to find the same motivation to be moderate as you find to lose the weight in the first place. I'm obviously way younger than you with much more muscle mass so I'm bound to be heavier and I have lost about 1lb a week since Jan 1st - want to lose about 6 more lbs but already find I have been able to re-introduce a lot of treats without any detriment to the overall downward slope.

Anyway, don't be a dick and put it all back on

[tikay]

Thanks chaps, though lol @ nirvana "way younger & more muscle mass".

The plan was to abandon everything - "good" eating & all exercise, & I could not wait. I fantasised daily of eating pork pies & cream buns. 

I've not exercised a yard since Thursday, & have eaten a ton of shite. And I feel chuffing awful, I really do.

I'm already of a mind to go back to daily exercise, & eat sensibly. Well, almost sensibly.

Seriously, I might just crack it this time & stay (a bit) sensible.

Weird how the mind works.

[Marky147]

Rogan is a diet nut, and is very strict, like yourself. He says that occasionally he'll gorge on something awful, and he is the same.

Can't say I notice much, but wish I did. If I felt like crap after pigging out, I might not want to do it so much.

Great effort to get down so far, so congrats. I'll help you chuck a bit back on next month, no arguments.

I was 14st 12lbs yesterday morning, and pretty happy about it, lol.

[bobAlike]

Well done n the weight loss and consider me in for the stake as usual.

[typhoon13]

Stick to the good stuff Tony

Last thing required is a return to square one

[horseplayer]

Stick to the good stuff Tony

Last thing required is a return to square one

[Karabiner]

Well done on the weight loss Tony - you are indeed lighter than I am by eight lbs. although that would have been twelve before I started my own regimen a couple of weeks ago.

It's the first time I remember going on a diet but I now can't wait to jump on the scales. compared to previous months when I would get on reluctantly before telling them to eff off.

[Chompy]

Beetroot socks to match the beetroot diet? Got a pineapple pair too?

[tikay]

Beetroot socks to match the beetroot diet? Got a pineapple pair too?

Zero beetroot or pineapple this time.

It was all Ryvita, Philly Lite cheese & organic toms for lunch, chicken, peas & a few Jersey Royals for dinner, & bucketloads of fresh fruit.

No exceptions, had the same every day. Saved me looking around the supermarket shelves & getting tempted by bad things.

The 3 daily walks were every day, too, no exceptions, even during that spell of nasty weather in March/April.

Disliked setting off every day, but the satisfaction when I got back home was always great.

[tikay]

Well done on the weight loss Tony - you are indeed lighter than I am by eight lbs. although that would have been twelve before I started my own regimen a couple of weeks ago.

It's the first time I remember going on a diet but I now can't wait to jump on the scales. compared to previous months when I would get on reluctantly before telling them to eff off.

Well done Ralph. Even Fatty McCready is on a diet now.

[tikay]

I thought Windsor looked stunning today. The Americans must have thought it was straight out of a fairy tale book. What an advertisement for Britain and with a reach of 2billion people a stunning investment for the country. Meghan looked blazing hot as well.

Absolutely the best, a truly wonderful day.

I had no plans to watch it, but Gill, who is a Royal nut, & watched every single "Royal" TV Show in the weeks & months leading up to it, was messaging me every 2 minutes, so I decided to watch a bit, & ended up watching hours on end. Abso perfect scenes, & it made me quite emotional at times.

It's so rare for (almost) everyone to be so onside & positive these days, but the Media were all over it in a positive tone. Think that, above much else, made me happy. There's way too much illogical & unfounded hate in this world. Some folks even default to a hate setting, & hate everything & everyone. Very sad to see.

There was a Street Party across the road to me, too, which I passed through whilst doing my walks. Her Maj was there, so was Meghan & Harry. No, they were there, I saw them.