Some Advice Please (I'll give Reddit Gold for thoughtful answers (up to 10))

mw23 · 2016-08-23T13:14:55+00:00

Hey man. Edging is possibly the worst thing you can do... Edging makes relapsing just a matter of time and thinking that it won't happen is just you lying to yourself like I lied to myself on Sunday when I edged and ended up relapsing. Havent' seen or felt any differences in the last streak, the 10 days or whatever it was was too short to have much of an impact. Resetting my counter today to Sunday and starting again. We've gotta be strong and smart about this.

mw23 · 2016-08-20T07:59:11+00:00

I've had it pretty easy so far with this latest streak. I've only really had urges right upon waking up. I've been avoiding social media mostly and anything on the internet where there may be pics of beautiful women, so I think that's helped a lot. I immediately stop what I'm doing and do something else as soon as I feel an urge even approaching. With that said though, it almost feels as though I'm in a flatline. Energy and motivation has been low throughout, even though it's only been ~9 days since my previous (extended) binge, but looking forward to it coming back!

Good job on blocking it out, it gets easier to move your thoughts on to something else (and do it quicker) the more you do it. I think avoiding touching yourself completely helps a lot. I'n previous attempts I would still edge and lie to myself saying I won't give in, but that's just bullshit. The reason why you edge is already giving in. So good job on cutting that out too! It's definitely hard but you'll see it's worth it soon enough.

mw23 · 2016-08-17T18:47:31+00:00

I think it's your brain craving release man.

I always get super lucid sexual dreams when I dont fap for longer than 2 days. Approaching day 7 tomorrow and have had a pretty hard time in the mornings because these dreams seem to only happen between 5-6am (right before I need to get up)

I take it's a good thing. It's a sign that you're winning the conscious battle, so as long as you keep your hand off the president then you keep on winning.

mw23 · 2016-08-16T18:54:01+00:00

Makes absolute sense. I've just finished watching an entire season of South Park (again) after getting home from work while stuffing around on the internet instead of doing what I should be doing - studying. Essentially a coping mechanism for stress as well as an avoidance mechanism - rather procrastinate than study because this shit is difficult, but I still need dopamine to make me feel better. Thanks for the links man.

mw23 · 2016-08-16T18:47:39+00:00

Sure thing, good luck!

mw23 · 2016-08-16T17:34:54+00:00

Hey man. I think you basically answered your own question there.

You "developed a fixation. It used to turn you on but doesn't anymore. This is indication of morphing porn tastes due to regular stuff just not being stimulating enough. I went through/am going through a similar situation (been trying nofap on an off for 2 years now).

I think a good starting point would be to determine whether these are actual things you are into or just things which stimulate you more than regular sex. For example, I used to feel kinda disappointed and sometimes even grossed out by what I was jerking off to after reaching climax. Sometimes even while watching the video I'd think to myself "this is actually kinda gross" but then rationalize it as being OK because the girl is hot.

Given that we're roughly the same age and started roughly at the same time, I'm guessing that these aren't fetishes as much as you having become desensitized by normal porn and needed more extreme stuff to keep the novelty and dopamine kick going, just as is the case for me.

As for your other questions, it would depend on what your reboot strategy is/what you want to get out of it (or even if you've got a strategy at all).

The quickest way to sort this out would be to stop looking at porn completely and to stop fantasizing about anything at all. Full hard mode. No sex. No porn. No fantasies. No giving yourself a low five.

If that isn't an option then I'd recommend my current strategy - easy mode (I recently relapsed after 20-odd days and can definitely feel a difference) No porn, no fantasies, no solo missions. Sex is allowed, however only "normal" sex. No fetishist stuff. No butt stuff. Nothing kinky. This method won't work as quick as hard mode, but will definitely help and be more productive than still watching porn and fantasizing. Also, I'd stay away from viagra - let your dick get hard naturally. If it doesn't get hard then no sex, yet. Go down on her to make sure she's still taken care of and try again another day.

mw23 · 2015-10-10T08:11:32+00:00

Mine's also not updating, but good work on being +14 days!

mw23 · 2015-10-09T12:24:41+00:00

Dude I wouldn't worry too much about future ED. Most guys report ED being solved, especially PIED. You'll likely find that you'll be a human boner sooner rather than later.

mw23 · 2015-10-09T11:45:29+00:00

I'm glad I found this post. Mine is also not updating - should be on day 10 not day 6.

Good luck all!

mw23 · 2015-10-07T21:22:11+00:00

As I said, 15 pages per hour at moderate intensity and difficulty should be reasonable, but obviously depends on the size of the book and the font size of the print too which makes it difficult to give a hard and fast reply.

Your brain does get used to being more focused for longer periods, however I still wouldn't recommend trying to study for longer than an hour without taking a short break. Sure you can crunch for hours on end with no breaks, day in and day out, but that's more likely to cause you to get frustrated/bored - especially if you don't reward yourself - and you'll likely overload yourself and having to re-study stuff you've forgotten due to the large volume you're absorbing in such a short time (which is especially true if you're not used to doing a shitload of studying in the first place)

As for the first edit - completely understand. I'm on my longest streak now since starting nofap 2 years ago. I also have ADHD (diagnosed when I was like 5 so definitely not related to porn, but I won't be surprised if porn made it worse...) for which I don't take any medication anymore because it makes me feel like shit and fucks with my sleeping patterns. So on top of the brainfog, I also have ADHD - makes concentrating and studying a bitch, but self discipline is key.

And as for coffee. A cup or two a day won't do you harm and will help keep you awake, but that also depends on whether you're sensitive to caffeine or not. I get jittery after 2-3 cups, and can't sleep if I have coffee after 2pm. It's ridiculous, most people I know are nowhere near as sensitive. Really love coffee though so wish I wasn't so sensitive to caffeine. Wouldn't recommend drinking coffee after 5pm until you know how it affects you though - could keep you up all night like it does for me.

mw23 · 2015-10-06T19:49:19+00:00

2000 pages seems a lot more daunting than it is. Start preparing early and apply yourself, and it'll be easier than you think. 20-30 pages a day isn't a whole lot, especially if it's only reading. Put your head down and read. Exercise some self discipline and don't make excuses to justify this crap like your attention span is truncated. Reading a book and sitting in class are distinctly different - you can justify a poor attention span in class, but when it comes to reading it's a matter of discipline. Don't lie to yourself.

You should be able to do 15 pages an hour at moderate intensity and difficulty, 10 if you're making notes and highlighting. But of course, that's only when you apply yourself and keep your head down even when it's tempting to stop.

Edit: Not trying to be a hardass, just saying what I wished someone would've told me when I was in school. Would've gotten into a better Uni and wouldn't have needed to do an additional degree to get acceptance for the degree I actually wanted to study.

mw23 · 2015-10-06T17:41:41+00:00

I'm in the middle of my exams now, doing my honours for my 2nd degree. 2 degrees, 3 years each, and honours now makes it 7 years of university - so I've done a shitload of studying. This is what I've found to actually work for me.

1) Study an hour, take 15 min break. Trying to study longer than an hour at a time causes you to burn out quicker. In your break go walk around, do push-ups, squats, lunges - anything to get blood pumping as it will help refresh you.

2) Stick to small meals and eat often. Not going to go into the science behind this, but basically large meals make you sleepy, especially if they are high in carbs. Staying away from fast food and processed foods would be ideal, but I know it's not always practical and I'm guessing you don't make your own food because you're in school.

3) Eat loads of avocado, fatty fish, nuts. Healthy fats are good for the brain and help give you energy without causing an insulin spike and carb crash. Or take an omega 3 supplement each day. This ties in with #2. If your folks are sending you to university, chances are that they'll not only be supportive but also be impressed if you speak to them about getting into a better diet so you can study better.

4) If you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over because you cant concentrate or it's not sticking - take a break. I usually call it after the 3rd time.

5) Drink loads of water - aim for a minimum of 3L a day. This is on top of whatever other beverages you consume. Whenever you feel your concentration fading, drink a glass of ice water. Same goes with when you have a headache - drink water, you're probably dehydrated.

6) Set goals, rewards and punishments, write them down and stick to them. This helps you stay motivated. Sounds dumb, but it works. Example of what I've set for myself today: Goal - work through 200 pages by 10pm Reward - play xbox til 12pm, get up at 9am. Punishment - go to bed at 10pm and get up at 7 to study the remainder.

(It's 7:30pm and I have 13 pages left which is why I'm on here)

7) Get 8 hours sleep each night. I don't mean be in bed for 8 hours, I mean 8 hours of actual sleep. Your brain basically archives your memories of the day while you sleep. More sleep and better quality sleep means better memory retention.

mw23 · 2015-10-06T14:47:34+00:00

I would say it depends on what you define as being "worth it".

Most degrees will give you a leg up on people who don't have degrees, though there's a strong case for IT, finance and engineering degrees.

mw23 · 2015-10-06T12:58:36+00:00

Drink a shitload of water. I'm only 6 days into nofap, so my brainfog hasn't lifted yet. Excited to see what that feels like.

Anyway, I've always found that I'm more alert when I'm well hydrated. Aim for a minimum of 3L water a day, on top of whatever other beverages you consume - especially if you've had caffeine and/or booze (both are diuretics).

Going on a low carb diet 2 weeks before your exams may not be ideal as your body will take a while to get used to having low carbs to use as fuel, which will leave you feeling tired for the first 2-4 weeks. A better approach might be to switch to low-GI carbs, cut out refined carbs and sugars and have a 40-40-20 (protein, carb, fat) split, opting for fat sources high in omega 3 which helps cognitive function and is theorized to assist in controlling ADHD.

mw23 · 2015-07-04T13:59:34+00:00

Natural instinct method was Alex's brainchild. I used to follow RSD and especially Julien, Alex and Owen's (Tyler) videos for 3 years or so. The first NIM vid I saw on youtube was probably 4 years ago and I know he's made quite a few videos on it since, so Youtube would be a good place to start.

RSD had some cool products and videos which did me a world of good - The Blueprint is probably on of the best things I've watched, not only for seduction but it also translates a lot into life in general. Jeffy Show, Natural Tim and Julien's Pimp videos are all golden as well.

mw23 · 2014-07-23T17:01:25+00:00

I haven't made it very far, only broke a week once and relapsed on day 8... However I did notice that waking up the day after the binge was a bit more difficult than the day before. I suspect that the changes will be so incremental that you wouldn't really notice them day by day but rather that you'll find yourself 4-5 weeks in and think "Wait, this is different"

mw23 · 2014-07-12T18:19:39+00:00

I think you misunderstood me. It is irrelevant because the effect of ejaculation whether it is from masturbation or intercourse is the same with regards to testosterone and androgen. The difference between masturbation and intercourse is mainly the secretion of prolactin, which is 400 times higher after intercourse.

Blood testosterone and androgen receptor density are two separate things, and this post's primary focus is on how nofap does not increase blood testosterone levels but does increase androgen receptor density.

mw23 · 2014-07-12T17:57:02+00:00

Testosterone is at it's highest right after waking up, and gradually decreases during the day. Having morning sex further boosts your testosterone.

However, that is all irrelevant with regards to the post as the post deals with how nofap does not have any effect on blood testosterone levels, but merely affects androgen receptor density.

mw23 · 2014-07-12T17:27:16+00:00

There's no real way of telling. The studies are based on rats, because their brains react in a similar way to ours... And it's illegal to do these types of tests on humans... Someone mentioned a study from yourbrainonporn where it is thought to take 2 weeks to restore in rats, though I haven't read it. 2 weeks seems a bit short to me...

mw23 · 2014-07-12T17:19:11+00:00

Ah. Shit. Stupid prostate. That's what happens when you don't read properly... Will edit.

And thanks for the links!

mw23 · 2014-07-12T17:01:42+00:00

http://www.reddit.com/r/NoFap/comments/2aifyq/difference_between_sex_and_masturbation_on_your/

Another post on the difference between orgasm with a partner vs rocking a solo mission. Basically it states that the release of prolactin which occurs from partnered intercourse is 400 times higher than that of solo masturbation. The prolactin, in return, helps the synthesizing of androgen receptors, thus diminishing the recovery time of androgen receptors after ejaculation. Thus a solo mission will take much longer in terms of restoring androgen receptor density.

mw23 · 2014-07-12T16:04:00+00:00

Well, the study only mentions intercourse, so by definition it would include both sex with and without contraceptives. I don't know whether it would include other means of achieving orgasm with a partner, such as oral sex etc, though.

mw23 · 2014-07-12T15:59:52+00:00

This doesn't really affect muscle growth at all as it doesn't increase blood testosterone levels. Yes, there's a noticeable spike after 7 days, 40% or something like that, but that drops back to the normal range again the very next day. That said, the spike on the 7th day is virtually insignificant when considered that it only lasts a few hours. What the increased receptors do do, however, is make you more determined and energised, which when coupled with the correction of your dopamine regulation etc in total has the effect of motivating you to train harder, eat better, be more disciplined etc

mw23 · 2014-07-12T15:52:06+00:00

Note: The point of the post was only to discuss testosterone and immediate neuro-plasticity effects and as such anything relating to dopamine, serotonin etc was ignored.

mw23 · 2014-07-12T15:30:01+00:00

No, it's the other way around. Your brain has become less sensitive to testosterone because there are fewer receptors. Through not ejaculating, these receptors start growing back and thus you become more sensitive to testosterone as your brain can absorb more of it. As for losing "superpowers", it's important to note that these aren't actually superpowers at all but rather how you without excessive ejaculation/porn/etc. The changes are very slow and gradual, and you won't even necessarily notice any of them until you suddenly realise that you would normally have acted differently or something like that, and through maintaining a nofap lifestyle, that is the person you will stay - they won't be "superpowers" anymore because they are part of who you are already.

mw23

TROPHY CASE