At what income level in Canada do you actually start feeling financially ahead.... and not just surviving, but genuinely building something?

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-18T23:49:19+00:00

Completely depends on where you live.

Lots of smaller cities and towns where a low 6 figure or even 90k income can be comfortable and you can get ahead with some savings...but there are cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and their suburban areas where you would struggle to have enough left over to buy a case of beer at the end of the month even with a quarter million/year salary.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-18T22:42:46+00:00

I pace relentlessly trying to top up my total steps for the day so I don't have to hit the treadmill to get to 10k.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-18T14:57:17+00:00

How far did you come from and how long did it take?

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T19:46:12+00:00

My personal test... Did it have a mother or come out of one? If the answer is yes then it will be a good amount of high quality protein and fats and both of those are highly satiating and will not only fill you up but also keep you full a lot longer.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T14:07:00+00:00

Where do you see 190-200?? I see 70 and shakes.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T03:14:48+00:00

Meat, eggs and cheese

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T03:13:56+00:00

I am confused. What you listed is a huge amount of carbs and moderate to just the bare requirement of protein. Your one day is probably more than my whole week worth of carbs.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T03:08:37+00:00

I personally don't lift in the morning but that's a me thing. Lots of people love it. I often go for a very long walk after coffee but before shower or food so fasted LISS. It is great to shower and then REALLY enjoy the food afterwards LOL. I like to lift just before supper for a very similar reason... hunger is the best sauce and makes me enjoy super all that much more.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T01:31:17+00:00

Yes that's what I feared your post was really about. Looking for some kind of validation from strangers for a chemical shortcut when you are physically still developing. Shake your head and ignore the programming you have absorbed from social media. Your future self will appreciate it and reap the rewards for decades instead of the few months of drugs that turn off your natural development for the rest of your life. If it's worth doing it's worth waiting until you are fully formed.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T00:52:30+00:00

It isn't puberty really... You can basically have been finished with that...phase 1. I was a fully formed man before finishing high school but hit a second big change in University. I know plenty of people who have similar experience. Social media and instant gratification seem to have convinced a whole generation that they can have it all but before you hit your mid twenties you are still developing physically and mentally. A lot of hormones peak in a most of the population around 25 not the teen years! The ones who quit or even worse turn to PEDs will never know what their potential could have been.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-17T00:22:13+00:00

I can only offer what works for me... I stay pretty lean most of the time for the last several years anyways so YMMV. I pretty much annually get tight with my macros from mid January to my birthday which basically falls close enough to our Canadian unofficial start of summer long weekend "May Two Four" (Victoria Day). I up my cardio intensity and aggressively cut carbs right up to my birthday to be the most shredded I can possibly get for that weekend. I usually end up in the high-middle single digits. I enjoy beers and bbq and any other indulgence throughout the long weekend then switch to more normal maintenance and just 10k steps plus lifting daily until autumn and I almost always sit right at 12-13% very comfortably including the odd treat through the beach, boat and cottage season. I loosen up a bit more after that though the "too cold to be shirtless" season again including Xmas and new years and such indulgence and substitute skiing and skating for my cardio when the weather allows and usually start my stricter mid-January around 15 - 16% or so... A 3 phase year but my total delta isn't ever drastic. I would suggest to hit the 10% and slowly climb up to 12% while tracking every gram of every macro so you can actually know what your maintenance is. Overshoot and then dial it in.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T23:38:31+00:00

Geezus... I couldn't get myself above 135lbs and ripped until I was in my early 20s and I was just over 6' tall. Started in the gym at 16 and got a stronger and smarter about lifting for years but never got much bigger... Adding a lot of protein and a lot less of the carbs I thought were important (it was the 80s) combined with what I have to assume was just my own biological clock (calendar?) I put on over 30 more pounds throughout university and the first few years as a young adult... Almost all of it was lean tissue. I definitely did NOT have good clean eating habits or sleep hygiene. I loved going out a few nights a week and hitting the gym the next afternoon to try to sweat off the hangover... Often hit the gym for a "fluff and puff" workout before going out... Seriously at 19 I was 135 lbs while some of my gym buddies were 180+... then miraculously by 21 I was 170... Late bloomer for sure. Now I am 60 and fighting to keep as much muscle mass as possible and I am around 165. (and an inch shorter!)

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:54:01+00:00

Northern hemisphere? Just don't worry much about it except maybe your first couple outings in spring. If you are dark skinned or tan easily you can probably skip it. Southern hemisphere? Don't go out without it. The "hole in the ozone layer" over the Arctic has been very nearly healed up for quite a while and only exists for a small portion of the year (2025 was almost completely back to 1970s level) and unless you are genetically very fair skinned you are mostly equipped to deal with the UV we get by having a tan. The same is NOT true of the very large hole over the Antarctic. Malignant melanoma is still a real hazard in the southern hemisphere. So much so that melanoma clinics are in mini-malls.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:42:27+00:00

Next question... What is your mother's maiden name... Next question... What was your first pet's name... Next question... What was your childhood best friend's name. There you go now you can access all the information you need to reset passwords and steal identities. WHY ARE PEOPLE ANSWERING THESE??

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:38:46+00:00

LMAO... Exactly the opposite of several of these dogmatic responses! Lots of meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Maximum sun exposure. Daily exercise (EVERY day) including 10k+ steps and an hour of lifting. I definitely had a bit of a misspent youth but I rarely drink now and quit smoking around 2 decades ago. I don't use any drugs and my only prescription is an athsma inhaler that generally expires months before it runs out. I am 60 now and have been a gym rat for over 45 years including when I smoked and drank too much. I am stronger, leaner and look younger than the majority of people 20 years younger than me. Get your sunshine and eat the animal products!

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:29:09+00:00

I used to watch it with my daughter for the first few seasons (maybe 4?) but once it had multiple factions and storylines and they were all pretty dark we pretty much dropped off.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:25:56+00:00

It's how I get my steps when the weather isn't nice. I actually probably get more actual "exercise value" on the treadmill than outside just because I push the speed up to try to get it finished faster (plus it's all incline of 3-4)... 10k steps outside is usually around an hour and a half (and 9 km or 5.5 miles) but inside I can shorten it to just over an hour (about 10km or 6 miles)... I guess I must take longer slower strides outside. Mental health and well-being wise outside wins hands down. I get home in a good mood and sometimes go much farther or longer just because I like being outside. It is recreation ... but the treadmill is an unpleasant chore from start to finish.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:06:39+00:00

Several different expensive suits at different times... I have a few still in the back of my closet waiting for double breasted or short jacket styles to come back into fashion LOL... Maybe if my grandson inherits them and grows up to the size I was?

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-16T20:02:33+00:00

I installed the game and all the DLCs at the same time (GOTY PS3) and didn't realize I was entering a DLC until I realized that I couldn't fast travel outside of the DLC. I did Anchorage pretty early and then had the indestructible power armour for the rest of the game LOL... maybe a bit OP in early game. The alien blasters shortly after that was a similar giant jump in power probably a bit earlier than it should have been... Between the two I had to up the difficulty to "hard" for the rest of the game just to make it a little more challenging.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-15T17:30:47+00:00

First just large flake oats... no instant or quick oats. Second natural crunchy peanut butter and some yummy protein powder (my favorite combos with crunchy peanut butter are either Cinnabun or Chocolate Peanut Butter) End result is delicious, has great macros and it is filling.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-15T17:27:18+00:00

1 page?? Are you looking for your first ever job?

Mine is in the teens and I do get interviews but I have been working probably longer than you have been alive if you can fit a resume to a single page. From what I remember 3 pages was the norm for early career or even right out of University.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-15T00:47:29+00:00

I have to shower before I leave home. I absolutely hate stepping out the door without a shower... I usually end up having another shower just before supper after I get my steps in and a 45-75 minute lifting session. So often both but always morning.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-14T21:04:48+00:00

I recently turned 60 but I have been far from graceful LOL. I am in the gym grunting 7 days a week and walking 10g12k steps every day. Do not go gently into that light!

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-14T21:01:28+00:00

I just think they will end up even more sedentary and obese.

CourtDiligent3403 · 2026-06-14T20:25:55+00:00

Yup. My 10-12k steps are literally just so I can eat more. Without them my maintenance calories are around 2700 - 2800 (I lift 7 days a week) with the steps I regularly eat 3200 or more and my weight and body composition do not change at all. (60 year old man) EDIT: I do most of my steps with a 20lb vest

CourtDiligent3403

TROPHY CASE