T Nation

Loss of Discipline

#1

So this is my first post (long time lurker) and I'd figure I'd ask a question that's been bothering me.

When I first got into weight lifting I did it because I was tired of being the chubby kid. After finally having that "I'm sick of this" moment I took up the weights and have never looked back. For the first few years I was very disciplined with my diet to the point that it bothered some of my family. I would never cheat and for the longest time I was cool with it. I stayed this way up until about two years ago and now it seems I sometimes have no discipline and just eat stupid amounts of junk at times. My question have any of you experienced this loss of discipline and is so how did you regain it. Thanks guys.

#2

Sure man, it happens. Life happens. How do you change? There is no secret, just start. Start now. Tomorrow wake up and immediately do some tabatas. Then clean all the junk out of your kitchen. Then go to the grocery store and buy what you know is good. Can you think of one good reason not to?

#3

Same thing happened to me last year, I just lost all motivation. I ended up stacking on 30kg and getting weak as fuck.

I used to use my anger to push me in the gym, and I was just too fat and lethargic to care.

I saw a picture of myself at my sisters wedding, and was disgusted at myself. Couple that with a few other bullshit dramas, and I got real mad. Now I’m destrominating the gym and losing the weight I gained.

Anyway, the point is, you need to find something to use as intrinsic motivation to light a fire under your ass

#4

  1. Regardless of your situation, you are either predator or prey in this world. It is much harder to kill a strong person, so, why would you want to be weak?

  2. There is no one in this world that will protect you, but, yourself. Still want to be weak?

  3. Do you have a child? lover? wife? a fucking cat? that relies on you for protection from predators? if so, do you still want to wallow in a vat of self pity? soaked in hamburger grease and ice cream?

  4. When the barbarians raided a village, they killed the weak and took their women for sport fucking. Do you still want to be fat and weak?

  5. Predator or prey? its your decision.

#5

e1729_ORIG-40b06_ORIG_success_graph_demetri_martin_squiggly_line.jpg786x564 42.5 KB

It sounds like you burned out my dude. This is natural. You can’t expect to maintain a disciplined bodybuilding lifestyle for an indefinite amount of time, unless you’re actually a bodybuilder. Life is going to get in the way. It happens to everyone, but the important thing to remember is that no matter how far you veer off course, you can always return to the path of success.

How can you get back on track? Well, I agree with Gambit on this one: be impulsive and just get rid of all the shit that’s holding you back (like the junk food) - don’t meticulously plan out how you’re going to turn your life around. It doesn’t work that way. Just jump right into it, do what you can, and pretty soon, you’ll be just where you want to be. I think someone already posted this pic on these forums recently, but I think it applies to this situation perfectly:

#6

Soooo… have you done those tabatas yet?

#7

You rack a disciprine.

You could try to find a different reason to train, maybe make it all about strength instead of physique for a while.

#8

Thanks for the insight guys. And no I haven’t Gambit. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever tried tabata haha.

#9

[quote]idaho wrote:

  1. Regardless of your situation, you are either predator or prey in this world. It is much harder to kill a strong person, so, why would you want to be weak?

  2. There is no one in this world that will protect you, but, yourself. Still want to be weak?

  3. Do you have a child? lover? wife? a fucking cat? that relies on you for protection from predators? if so, do you still want to wallow in a vat of self pity? soaked in hamburger grease and ice cream?

  4. When the barbarians raided a village, they killed the weak and took their women for sport fucking. Do you still want to be fat and weak?

  5. Predator or prey? its your decision. [/quote]
    This is so fucking alpha! You’d better put on your alpha face.

Join team alpha, now! Lol.

#10

[quote]AverageSavage wrote:
My question have any of you experienced this loss of discipline and is so how did you regain it.[/quote]

So you were on track, saw some results, and then got into a rut. Fine. Just realize that for the last 700+ mornings, you’ve woken up and decided not to get back into the habit. That’s very easily corrected. You had a chance to change it this morning, like Gambit said, but you chose not to. But you could still fix it before going to sleep tonight. 100% your call.

Dude, you’re 17 years old. You’re not in some mid-life crisis where you lost your wife, kids, home, and career. You simply started all gung-ho and then got bored with training hard and eating right. If you want to fix it, fix it. If you don’t want to, don’t.

Read any one of these and then grab a pen and paper and write out your exact short and long-term goals. After you’ve written it all down, then read the rest of the articles. If that doesn’t rekindle your fire for training, I have no idea what else to suggest.









#11

lol he’s 17?!

#12

[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
lol he’s 17?!
[/quote]
According to his profile.

But then, profiles aren’t always the most accurate sources of information. Somebody who posted in this very thread earlier today, who shall remain nameless, ahem ahem, has their age listed as 4 yrs. So, yeah.

#13

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
lol he’s 17?!
[/quote]
According to his profile.

But then, profiles aren’t always the most accurate sources of information. Somebody who posted in this very thread earlier today, who shall remain nameless, ahem ahem, has their age listed as 4 yrs. So, yeah.[/quote]

I hope to god he is indeed 17 for the lulz.

#14

I lose diet discipline all the time, but now most of the time it’s on purpose. Planned cheats are worthwhile for maintaining sanity and enjoying life. If you’re not dieting for a show there’s no reason not to use them.

The key is to draw a line that limits how many you are allowed in a week or a month. I wouldn’t go any higher than 1/week if you’re fairly close to your goal, or 2/month if you’re not. And don’t make your cheats an all-day affair. Eat normally until dinner and then go nuts.

#15

Sometimes you gotta say fuck it… If you train right and eat right its hard a few times a year its ok to go on vacation & have a good time. 1 week or a few days of chilling wont destroy your body. I just got back from Vegas and believe me I didnt count cals & work out for a few days now Im easing back into it. If you try to go ballz out 365 you will fail. Cheat days, deload weeks, and a few off days should keep you sain and in good shape

#16

Thanks Chris I’ll definitely read those. And yes rattle head I am indeed 17. Don’t worry I turn 18 in august :wink:

#17

Chris- Great bunch of links! I’ll save those for next time I need to re-kindle the fire.

Happens to everyone OP. Don’t sweat it too much. Steel Nation gives good advice- allow yourself a little diet cheating from time to time. It will help you to avoid major discipline melt-downs. Your insulin sensitivity should be quite good if you are training hard and eating right, and a little leisure eating here and there shouldn’t affect you noticeably.

Just as your body needs rest to grow stronger from hard training, your will-power needs time to recover from extended expenditures of discipline, and it will grow stronger as you exercise it appropriately.

#18

There have been many times in my life when the gym has not felt like a priority. Whether due to injury, or real life issues, it’s not always easy to get there every day, especially with the killer-take-no-prisoner attitude that we all tell ourselves is necessary to reach our goals. It’s perfectly normal, and certainly not a reason to beat yourself up. You do need to have a healthy outlook though. It is very easy to fall into the “so this is what normal people do after work/school” routine. What I always remind myself is that while I may not feel that Predator outlook this week for whatever reason, I know that it will return, and when it does, I’ll be angry that I was so much of a wuss that I needed time off.

If you need a small break, fine. If you need to back off a little (less frequency perhaps), perfectly acceptable. But keep in mind the big picture.

S

#19

This has really helped. You guys. I will just back off the gas for a couple weeks and rest mentally. I know the drive will come back.

#20

Honestly, what helps me stay motivated is someone who shares similar goals as you. Get a training partner/friend who is interest in Bodybuilding/PLing and it will keep you motivated.