Well, I started just a little over one month prior to this thread on my "new eating/drinking lifestyle". April 1, 2012 to be exact. I didn't follow much of anything during football season. I hit it hard, including the gym, right after Christmas. I'm down 101lbs as of Tuesday morning, 67 of that since Christmas. Also had a check up. BP was 117/72, heart rate mid 70s, Blood Sugar 90 (including A1C which said no diabetes), Total Cholesterol was 120 (good and bad levels were right where they're supposed to be), Triglycerides were in the good range too.
My net average calorie intake is @1350 per day. (averaged over the week) My actual daily intake is 1850 or less. On days I work out, sometimes my net is as low as 800. On the 4-5 days I work out, according to my trainer, I burn @1200 calories. I initially questioned her estimate on how much I was burning, but my average loss is 3.3lbs a week, so she's pretty damn close.
Amazing thing is...I eat pretty much WHAT I want, I just control portion size, and ALWAYS cut my eating off at 1800 calories. Many days that I don't work out, I eat as little as 1500. I've been controlling portion size for so long now, that a "regular" portion, or what used to be, of a meal literally makes me sick, especially if it's rich food. The "tricks" are really minimal. When I go out, for steak let's say, I order a Small Filet instead of my fave Ribeye. Sour cream only on the potato, and if it's a big one, I only eat half. I stop at Whataburger every couple of weeks for a burger and fries. I get the "junior burger" combo with everything but cheese and mayo. Satisfies my burger and fries craving, and for only @600 calories.
THS, this thread helped me get and stay motivated, plus gave me ideas to help. Thanks! MyFitnessPal and my trainer that I meet with once every 2 weeks keep me accountable.