It was a few days ago I arrived in Foxwoods casino and resort and this time of year is absolutely perfect for outdoor activities.  Although its a bit colder than Vegas, the air is crisp and the ground is covered in leaves fallen from the surrounding trees which are in abundance.  Its been over 20 years since i’ve seen this many trees in one area and the changing colors of the leaves is stunning during this time of year. 

Yesterday I decided to venture out down some uncharted roads that spiraled through the foxwoods resort and the old tribal land it sits on.  After running into a few dead ends and some short lived paths, i found some roadways that just kept going forever with no end in site.  I ran passed homes that that were well over 100 years old, trees that were 300 years old and some lakes and bridges that looked like they were painted into place.    The best part of the run (besides the perfect air quality) was plowing through the leaves piled high on the roads and curbs, in some places it was knee high.  It reminded me of when I was a kid raking leaves into giant piles and jumping into them at my grandma’s house in Canada; great memories.

The run started out at a slow steady pace as I had no concept of direction, depth or length of how long I would go (I felt like Forest Gump).  Two hours later and at least 10 miles of running in a new direction I finally decided to turn around and take the same route from which i came.  I was hoping to keep running in one direction and loop around to another entrance into Foxwoods, but that imaginary track I pictured in my head never appeared and the road i was running on just seemrd to get farther and farther away from my original starting point. 

Caesars Classic was a dissapointment as I got through Day one with ease but got unlucky against Philippino Tony when i check raised him allin with two Jacks in my hand and he called the remainder of his chips (extreme gambling) with a heart flush draw.  Needless to say (but i will), he caught the flush on the river and knocked me down to 400 in chips.  I rallied to build 400 into 8500 in chips but lost a race against Tony (again), my AQ vs. Tony’s pocket 99’s which never improved.

 I flew out to Foxwoods Conneticut the next day and have been playing mega sattelites and the first few events with no check marks in the “W” column yet…but there are alot of events during the next 3 weeks…and I’m here for the duration.

I’ve been exercising since i arrived with 3-5 mile runs on the treadmill and laps in the hotel pool…which is a decent size for laps.  I brought all my supplements and been eating fruits and granola bars while sitting for long hours and trying to eat something at least every two hours.  I’m avoiding eating late or before i go to sleep as well.  I also booked a hotel room which is farthest from the poker tournament area, which makes me walk at least 20 minutes each way….all good stuff.

While my spider senses were wrong on me winning the Caesars main event, I did manage to win a seat and get some good practice in before Foxwoods.  I came up unlucky against a hand i was in the lead with, but hey…that’s poker.  On any given sunday, even a broken clock can tell time twice a day.

 I’ve prepared myself with all the “good for me” snacks at trader joe’s and whole foods with a checklist of snacks and food for the trip so i dont deter from the garden path even while playing poker 12 hours a day on average.  The list for traveling includes:  Organic instant oatmeal with flax seed, organic mixed nuts, organic granola bars, organic trail mix, canned tuna in water and some dried fruit.  I’m also hoping foxwoods has some decent restaurants and some place to get some fresh vegetable and fruit juices made….otherwise its going to be a lot of water and dried foods for the next three weeks.

I’ve hit my target and comfortable weight of 170lbs and dont think I will go below it.  I feel healthly, look healthy and my body is able to endure long walks, bike riding and runs without feeling fatigued, so i think I’m in the healthy weight range and will eventually research what the ideal weight is for my height and age.  Being healthy is a million times more important than being thin; I’ll be posting my findings on where to formulate the ideal weight/age calculations.

Today I spent a couple of hours at the gym and did an hour on the eliptical machine and did a speed workout using universal machines with little rest between sets.  This helps to shock the muscles and enhance both strenth and endurance in the body; Its a great cardio workout too. 

October 5th, 2007

This weekend should be a doozy.  I arrived in Toronto on Thursday evening and got some decent rest before the festivities started.  I didnt eat a whole lot on Thursday as i spent most of the day riding airplanes.  Food for the day consisted of nuts and juices for breakfast, lunch and dinner as i didnt want to break away from my diet.  I know this weekend will be way off the food path; especially compared to what i’ve been eating for the last six weeks. 

This morning I decided to go for a small jog/walk through smallville (small city in Canada), where my best friend and his new bride will be living.  A small jog turned into over 10 km and I found a golf range to hit some balls near the end of the run. 

We all picked up our tuxes and my pant size was 2 inches less than when i initially measured 3 weeks ago.  I anticipated being down 2 sizes, but not 4.  Luckily the tux pants have a waist adjuster, so it was easy enough to make smaller, making everything fit perfect.  It was a good day overall as i did not expect to get in so much exercise during the trip or burn off any fat…but i’m very glad i did as the evening (bachelor party) was a mix of high caloric foods and beaucoup de alcohol.  It turned out to be a very late night, getting to bed around 5AM; a little drunk and very tired. 

October 6th, 2007

Today was a chill out day, I went for a walk through town in the AM and went into Toronto for a body massage with the groom-to-be and his good friend Jaakko, who also flew in from Tokyo for the wedding.  I ate well today, mostly fruit and veggies but unfortunatly found out I am definitely allergic to eggs.  I’m not sure if its the yolk and the egg white or both, I’ll do some additional testing when i get home.  It was easy to figure out that i was allergic as my throat became instantly inflamed and a became to secrete mucous from my lungs.  It sounds worse than it is, as I’ve had these symptoms for years prior to the MC diet and changing my eating habits. 

October 7th, 2007

Today’s the big day for the last man standing.  Ron is the last fraternity brother from University to be married and enter the family life….good fun living!  Last night was relaxing, we watched a few movies, 300 and Premonition and today we are heading to the hockey hall of fame in downtown Toronto.  I dont remember ever going to the Hall of Fame as a kid so it should be fun to see my hockey idols and the memorabilia.   I had a great breakfast and drank the purest pomegrannite juice I’ve ever tasted; it was lightly pasteurized and full of nutrients…good for the liver!

The hockey Hall of Fame was unreal!  It took me back to the tender of age of 5 - 10 years of age when my hockey idols Ken Dryden, Gerry Cheevers and Tretiak were all goalie gods.  These were the first guys I ever looked up to in my early childhood and would always remember even today.  Walking through the hall brang memories of street hockey, a puck in the chin and staying up late to watch Montreal Canadian hockey games on TV at my grandmothers…those were the days.

October 8th, 2007

The wedding was a huge success!  The chapel was a perfect size for just under a 100 people and very quaint.  Although the day wasnt sunny, it was overcast with no rain so we were able to get in alot of pictures, indoor and out.  It was everything a wedding should be with great people, good food and great times.  I particularly enjoyed seeing many of my college friends from 15 years ago, most of whom i didnt recognize, all hanging out with their wives. 

I finally ate some beef after 6 weeks of not having any meat and it tasted kind of strange, although it was a great peice of cow.  I honestly dont see myself eating much meat of any kind except for fish for the next while as i dont like feeling bloated or stuffed, and that’s how i feel after eating beef most of the time.

I way over drank this weekend as well, so I’m officially off alcohol for the next 3 months to reset my system and help to restore and repair my liver.  Lots of water, supplements and lemon juice for the next while should do the trick.  I’ve read its best to drink freshly squeezed lemons into water and drink it first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything else.  After drinking a full glass of lemon juice you can eat 15 minutes later, preferebly something like oatmeal or wheat toast to get your liver jump started naturally.

Oct 9th, 2007

Heading back home to Las Vegas today to see the family; its almost been too long as i miss them terribly after about 2 days.  I went for a quick jog up and down the hotel stairs, which was about 20 flights and felt it in my calves and legs.  I also ran over to the local gym to do some weights, but decided to do more cardio instead and ran on the eliptical machine for 20 minutes.  I’ll eat fruit and some nuts today only to get my calories back down and hopefully into a proper eating routine of fresh juices and some good food in the days to come.

October 10th, 2007

Glad to be back home and see the family.  My son is so funny about seeing me after a long period of time; he tries to act cool like he didnt miss me at all.  I think he does it because he doesnt like me gone for too long periods of time and expresses it by being cool and non-chalant about it; he’s something else.

I had a liquid breakfast (grapefruit juice) along with some oatmeal this morning and went for 3 mile walk/run around the circle; it feels great to be home again.  Salads, fruit and some vegetable juice made up my food intake for the day with a nice korean dinner consisting of brown rice, kimchi and some seaweed soup….my favorite.

October 11th, 2007

I’m finally back on the supplements 3 times a day with the exception of Spirulina and Chlorella which give me super amounts of energy all day long.  I’m reserving to take these algae superfoods when my workouts and weight begins to plateau.  I figure i will work out regularly and see how much more i can lose before having to make some changes in my exercise program and/or diet.  Research has told me that changing things up on a regular basis and staggering supplements can really help to keep your system on its toes, so that’s my mission for the next 3 months while i try to acheive my next set of goals.  Today I rode my bike around the circle in the evening and took a walk in the morning for a total of 6 miles of combined cardio.

October 12th

I havent missed a day of doing some kind of exercise since coming home and i’ve made a promise to myself to keep that going.  Its mostly been running, walking or cycling since the weather is so perfect and i dont see a need to go the gym for awhile as i really want to lose another 5 lbs before gaining some muscle.    My weight is sitting at 175lbs since the wedding and I’m very happy with that as i expected it to rise up near 180 after eating more foods and out of my routine.  My target weight for the end of the year is 170lbs and i want to do it by eating more meals per day and incrementally increasing the amount of miles i run and bike everyday.  This will raise my metobolic rate naturally and strengthen my body inside and out.

Today was nothing spectacular on the diet or excercise front.  While i had intentions to go to the gym, I decided to ride my bike around the 3 mile circle (home track) and spend time with my son before I leave to Canada for my best friends’ wedding this weekend.  I suspect i wont be eating organic foods, drinking electrolyte water or enjoying spicy tofu soup; however this weekend should be a good test of control, balance and moderation with food, wine and song. 

The last time i saw my college friends was almost a life time ago and we could each drink a keg a piece.  15+ years later, our bodies dont function the same and most of us are married with children living a much different life than the good old college days.  It will be great to see everyone again…older and hopefully wiser.  I’m particularly looking forward to spending time with my old friends and hope I dont stress too much about the food and drink i’m consuming.

I need to be realistic and not obsess about the diet that i wont be able to keep or the food that will replace it for the next 5 days.  This is crucial in my process of achieving balance in every situation where i cringe about the thought of becoming one of the people that cant eat at certain places or find anything on the menu that is good enough.  With all of that in mind, i also wont be re-polluting my body, liver or intestines with junk after working so hard during the last six weeks to rejuvenate myself.  This weekend should prove to be interesting while my mind and body play tug-o-war.