12-week Program Completed - 500 calorie daily deficit

Hi gang,

Below is my success story. Some of it maybe "yea, no duh" but I hope it may help some of the newer members. Thanks!

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It's been a grueling 12-week program of consuming a daily 500 calorie deficit and I'm finally done. 16 pounds leaner and reduced my military body fat percentage to 15% (considered "fit" and nearly "athlete" by military standards). With weight training progression, I'd reached the point where I'm gradually gaining weight rather than losing so it's maintenance mode time!

Here are a few things I've learned along the way:
- The common response from people who learn of your plan tend to ridicule you. I don't know why. Perhaps it's the perception that calorie counting is about starvation. It really isn't.

- Eating clean is addictive. I now love to eat salads. However, I am also now picky with salads and will only eat those prepared myself. Restaurant salads taste like crap and are overpriced.

- Eating clean can be expensive. I'm spending an average of $30 every 4-5 days on groceries now that I load up on fruits, vegetables, chicken breasts, fish, etc.

- The average person burns 2,000 calories per day just by living a sedentary lifestyle. One must have a calorie deficit of 3,500 per week to lose each pound. Likewise, a surplus of 3,500 in a week equates to 1 pound gain in fat. My goal was to lose 1 pound per week so I set my deficit to 500 per day. After I lost my first 10 pounds, I had to lower my daily intake to 1,350 from 1,500 to compensate.

- "Calorie is a calorie" principle works. At least, it worked for me. It does not matter if it's from junk food or from vegetables, or if you ate it during the morning or at midnight, it's all the same for weight management. Some days, I would eat salad all day and then have an epic dessert at night. Other days, I would have a full meal at midnight. As long as I ended up with a 500c deficit, I was happy.

- When you no longer lose weight due to muscle gain, one should rely on other metrics such as waist, hips, neck, and body fat %. "Military body fat" is a widely accepted and accurate calculation and can be found here:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/

- Alcohol is ridiculously bad for your diet. The average pint of beer has 275 calories. A shot of vodka has 97. So, how much booze do you consume no a typical night of partying? Maybe 1,300 or more? That's greater than my allowance per day! lmao

- Here are a few of my favourite fast food items. The only one I find acceptable is the KFC Toonie Tuesday.
~Big Mac = 540. Whopper = 660. Sausage McMuffin - 380 (with egg = 450), KFC Toonie Tuesday = 520 (coleslaw instead of fries)

- Seafood is very low in calories! For example, lobsters are only 114 per pound. However, beware if you have sodium issues.

- Cardio exercises allow you to consume more calories, obviously. If I reach my calorie limit yet I still need/want to eat something more that day, just burn off a couple hundred calories by doing something active.

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Good luck to all those striving towards a healthier lifestyle.