gprixwvu

its really no biggie

I was in LV for the opening round of the ncaa tourney.

I left NJ with 15k and came home with 23k...not one eyebrow was raised by security.

needless to say, during my travels, my bag did not leave my possession. although, I did store it in the overhead cabin, but just act cool like there's nothing special in there, ya know??

good luck bro, and have a great time

A little background, I worked in bars/restaurants all through college and did everything from dish washer to bartender at the Olive Garden.

I owned a local sports bar for 4 years, 2004-2008 in NJ.

When times were good, it was great....when things slowed down, it sucked real bad

Overall, great learning experience and I often think about doing it again someday, but now with a family I realize its a young man's game and even at the age of 32 I'm retired from the night time biz. 

People think the bar/restaurant buisness is so glamorous and sexy because the cash doesn't stop rolling in, but what they don't realize is they only see then end product; that particualar night they're there.  They don't realize all the work and preparation that it takes to get to that point.

I own a power tool biz now and it's definatley not as sexy or glamorous, but much more profitable.  I'm home most nights by 6 and can enjoy my weekends with my boys for the most part.

I would reccomend at least working in some capacity in the bar/restaurant buisness at some point, just so that you can see what actually goes into it and meet all the crazy people that pull it off.  Once, you've been in the biz, you know that it takes a certain type of person to work in the service biz. Plus, you'll learn a lot and have some great stories....I know I do hahahaha

not that i think too many people are keeping up with this thread, but i'd like to update it just for my own records

so ive been keeping on the cardio with walking at a brisk pace and adding incline. in the past week, ive added 1 minute of a light jog every few minutes, im just worried about my knees...so im keeping it light for now

so in late june i was 295lbs...today im 240. i kinda stalled at 250 and was hovering around there for a few weeks. i wasnt putting the weight back on but not losing any because i was drinking and eating late, but then id get to the gym the next day, so it was a wash

ive been dieting well, but the weekends are hard for me because i love to watch football and drink beer which cause me to eat fatty foods around midnight....NOT GOOD. i feel like i have to live life too, so i gotta find the middle. i'm gonna lose another 20lbs and then start lifing seriously

where can i find a good routine online? something that will actually work

thanks again fellas 

well, just to keep you guys posted. i haven't lifted just because of the guy ive been getting advice from, said i need to trim down and lose the weight, and then when im about 10lbs away, thats the time to start lifting but then not to forget about the cardio.

what i've been doing is hitting the treadmill hard for 45-60 minutes a day walking at decent pace but raising the incline every 5-10 minutes or so. when i'm done, ive burned 500-600 calories. i've really watched my diet and almost eliminated alcohol. i think i've drank 7 times in the last 8 weeks and there was 4 day trip to LA/vegas mixed in there, so thats pretty good for me.

since i started my diet in mid-june (2 months now) i've lost 40lbs.i'm 6'2" and was 295...now 255.  i feel much better and even drinking a couple vodkas has me feeling like such shit the next day. i've totally lost the taste for beer and soda which makes me think they have some kind addictive taste to them or something

anyway. the cardio is working well, but i do plan on lifting when i get down to 220 and hopefully can be in great shape around 210. ive always been on the bigger side so 210 is pretty thin for my build.

any thoughts...would be appreciated

thanks

hey man,

ive read your posts for sometime now and appreciated your post about my upcoming trip and stay at planet hollywood. i was unable to change hotels but im sure im in for a good time regardless.

now getting to the point. im a big foodie and really wanna make sure i get to all the best food spots in vegas...(maybe not all of them, but a few goodies would be appreciated). im gonna be driving to vegas from LA on sunday morning and i should be in vegas around lunch time for my first meal. im leaving wednesday afternoon so i would imagine my last meal will be wednesday breakfast. i figure i'll probably eat 2 good meals a day and im cool with doing a good late lunch in leiu of dinner if you have a good spot. so hook me up and let me know where i should eat. im good with any kind of food: steak house, italian, seafood, sandwiches, breakfast, whatever. money is not too much of an issue but i dont wanna go crazy, ya know.

if you give me a daily menu i will do my best to keep to it and will update as each meal passes.

after re-reading this post its making me sound like a real fat bastard hahaha

thanks in advance

i just started working out again, and decided that before i start lifting, i gotta trim down. so ive been doing a lot of walking/running usually about an hour a day. ive already lost 20lbs and im trying lose 40-50 more.

now to my question, i work out in the gym in its pretty well air conditioned so i dont sweat as much as i do when im outside (plus getting a little sun in nice). i always hit up the sauna when im at the gym so i probably sweat the same. but should i be more concerned with my heart rate or the amount i sweat or is it all the same? im really looking to max out my time when im exercising.

i feel like im just gonna drink the water afterwards so whatever i sweat out, im just replacing anyway. either way, id really appreciate some advice. also, if there are any good metabolism boosting products or ideas that you guys have, id appreciate it

thanks again

i dont have health insurance, so that may not be the issue.  the ER doc wasnt really interested in the gallstones by any means, they had the surgeon come in and he seemed like my gallbladder didnt need to be removed. and to be honest it seemed as if the ER doc was upset there was anything, i felt like she thought i was acting

im just worried cause i really dont want any medical issues. i have changed my diet, added exercise and eliminated alcohol intake (not permanently, just till i get everything in check) and have lost 17lbs in less than 2 weeks. i also haven't eaten past 8pm which i think is big too

again, ive never been to vegas, i cant believe any place in vegas would blink at a $500 bet...i wouldnt think they would blink at a $5K bet.  i plan on playing nickels all weekend

wheres the best place to bet baseball, watch the games and enjoy. i dont mind paying for drinks...i just want a good atmosphere with comfy chairs

gotta clarify....

the wife is going down the shore with the kids and her mom.

im meeting a buddy in LA and we'll be driving to vegas...

so with that said, what do i have to make sure to do, see, eat, drink, etc. 

come on guys, i gotta max out this trip

thanks

i kinda feel happy for lebron? i was a scorned knicks fan who def thought he was coming here, but now im glad he got his ring

also, how do you think clevland is taking this??

who thinks miami will riot tonight

i just booked my first trip to vegas!!!  im a big AC guy and have always wanted to go to vegas. and my wife is being pretty cool about the whole thing

so im asking, how is planet hollywood? i just got a total rewards mailer and got comped rooms, $300 cash and a $50 food credit. i could stay at any of the total rewards casinos but my buddy said that PH is pretty cool.

what should i make sure i do. 

thanks fellas

i wanted to get down there real bad today but my wife is 8.75 months pregnant and its prob not a good idea to drive 2 hours away.

just kinda curious how it is? a lot of my customers built the place and I heard mixed things. let me know if i should sneak down there tomorrow

thanks

hey scal,

on an unrelated topic how do you feel about the show and the way the customers act on hardcore pawn on tru tv? just curious to see what you think of it

also, you talk about the cops covering up for a lieutenant's son, right. dont you think black cops would done the same thing? thats a pretty obvious one to me...just sayin

i like mine a lot.

i dont carry a wallet so i always have my cash and cards with a rubberband. so i always feel the rubberband around my money has something to do with how much more money is coming in....especially at the casino.

so if im having a good run, i do whatever it takes to keep the same rubberband. if im cold, i dump it for a new one.  i once had the same rubberband for 2 months, over that time i made about 30k, it was awesome, then it got all worn out and lost all it elasticity and broke, so i had to replace it and thus started a very cold streak.

salty,

i always pictured you looking like your old avatar, that guy with the balls on his chin. not trying to be a dick, but thats just how i pictured you obviously not with balls on your chin, but you get it hahaha. and i thought you'd be older. again, not trying to be a dick, just saying

sacores, i know, i think about that everytime i think about fucking around. so i took your advice, haha

earth, delaware is too far for me. i was thinking AC but rooms are like $500, in PA its $160. but the casinos there kinda suck, does anyone know how the bars are?

help a brotha out