Real talk on the cost of this lifestyle in NYC - anyone keeping it manageable?

[NYCgains]

Real talk on the cost of this lifestyle in NYC. Gym, food, gear, bloodwork, ancillaries. Looking at close to $800-1000 a month conservatively. Food alone is $500 when you are eating 4000 plus calories of quality protein. The gear is actually the cheapest part relative to everything else. Anyone in a high cost of living city finding ways to keep the overall spend manageable?

[Beantown Rick]

Boston is similar. The food bill is what gets you. High quality protein sources at the quantities we eat add up fast. Costco membership saves maybe $100-150 a month if you buy in bulk. Gear itself is cheap relative to everything else, you are right about that.

[Marc NL]

UK here but same story. I track spending and protein food alone is around 300 GBP a month. Gym is another 60, bloodwork maybe 150 every couple months. It is genuinely a significant lifestyle cost that doesn't get talked about enough when people consider getting into this sport seriously.

[FLbodybuilder]

Florida is a bit cheaper for food but not by much when you are eating 4500 calories of quality stuff. I cook big batches on Sunday - rice, chicken thighs, ground turkey - for the whole week. Saves money and time. The grocery spend is still high but at least I am not wasting food.