What's The Point If You're The Product Of A Low-energy Upbringing?

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hei

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Have you not seen all the transformation videos of super fat or super skinny, non-masculine men becoming greek gods? If you really want to change, you can. Maybe you have to take thyroid, steroids and other supplements but if you really want it, you can undo a lot of your past. You can also experiment with psychedelics or seek out a shaman to leave your old ego patterns behind. There are plenty of 50+ year old men in my gym who were fat slobs when they joined and made incredible progress over the course of a year. You just have to make the decision to become the best version of yourself or make the decision to stay miserable.
Yeah, of course. I don't know how they do it, my body doesn't respond like that to exercise. I get some initial improvements in performance, then the progress stops and goes backwards or I find some way to injure myself. It has been a cycle for years regardless of type of exercise, program, diet, weight changes, etc.
Not everyone is lucky in life. Some of us got screwed. That doesn't mean you should just give up because you were dealt a not so great hand in life. Life is a gift. I believe everyone's goal should be to maximize what they were given to the best of their ability. From the sound of your post, it's mostly your mindset that needs fixing and thankfully, that's much easier than making a weak body strong. You have to fix your mindset before you'll be able to make changes elsewhere. Spend some time here and focus especially on lowering serotonin and you will escape learned helplessness and see things completely different than you do now. When your mind is strong, the body will follow suit.
I have to say, I have always wondered how the mental state of "learned helplessness" can be escaped without fixing or gaining control over whatever conditions taught it.
 

meatbag

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Yeah, of course. I don't know how they do it, my body doesn't respond like that to exercise. I get some initial improvements in performance, then the progress stops and goes backwards or I find some way to injure myself. It has been a cycle for years regardless of type of exercise, program, diet, weight changes, etc.

I have to say, I have always wondered how the mental state of "learned helplessness" can be escaped without fixing or gaining control over whatever conditions taught it.
Have you checked out martin berkhans stuff "leangains"?Leangains.com
(just sayin a lot of people who could never get in shape get good results with his methods)
 
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Runenight201

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To the topic at hand, my answer would be as simple as this: your life will be better if you fix your health compared to if you did nothing. It’s self-evident that we would rather have better lives than worst lives, and so the point is to fix yourself so that your life is better than it is now.

If you have no hope, than there will be little incentive to fix your health. Experiencing euphoria, love, vibrant energy, etc... all give a glimpse of what life could be like should you decide to pursue the obtainment of such objects. Have you felt these things? If not, then it is crucial that you do, so that the beacon of hope shines bright, and it is with that beacon that you will guide yourself towards that heavenly place we all are capable of residing in.
 

opethfeldt

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Yeah, of course. I don't know how they do it, my body doesn't respond like that to exercise. I get some initial improvements in performance, then the progress stops and goes backwards or I find some way to injure myself. It has been a cycle for years regardless of type of exercise, program, diet, weight changes, etc.

I have to say, I have always wondered how the mental state of "learned helplessness" can be escaped without fixing or gaining control over whatever conditions taught it.
Working out helps a lot. As does any goal you set and then achieve. It shows you that you are in control. Serotonin and cortisol need to be reduced first and foremost, though. They are what contribute most to the feeling of being "in control" of your life.
 
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The first thing to think about is that we are all dying

Not sure if that's quite the motivator for someone possibly of a depressive mindset/lack of energy in sorts.

Also, if we are all dying, we are all living then as well (or surviving at least) -- and by that argument you can get stuck in a place of no change or new direction.

I've found that instilling the idea of an upcoming death to be more anxiety-inducing in some cases since you're reminding people that their life is a countdown/timer to good things they might miss -- and they need to hurry and do things. No one in a poor state should feel they're being rushed in any way to have to improve themselves -- it needs to naturally unfold I'd say without concerns for time/theoretical losses/etc. Why even think about something like "time running out?" The hell with the concept.

Make time move in your favor -- not move according to your perception of it.

Not even that long ago from now I would constantly worry/feel anxious/angry/etc. that I'm running out of time or missing out on certain things. I decided to not give any power/care to such ideas much for the most part, and try to continue this line of thinking. I don't think of myself as someone who is dying, but someone who is still living and not worrying about death as even a real obstacle or factor that would negatively change any pursuits or direction in my existence/life. Maybe it's delusional to some, but it's getting rid of any "blocks" or constraints in the future time one might worry about losing out on/reaching. Not worrying about some vague idea of future death/loss lets one assimilate at any pace they want which might be the problem with some stuck in certain poor life circumstances/limitations/etc. in some sense.

Look at the stress driven, high stakes, do or die, YOLO type drive many people get (possibly exacerbated by PUFA, estrogen, trauma/emotional issues, etc.). They fear that they need to make every day count because the reaper is going to appear at any unknown time and bite the dust, but it seems like sometimes it's every day that's making the mark on some people stress-wise with such extremes some might go through to "live every day" like drinking, partying, random drugs, risky business in general, poor sleep, hormones/emotions out of whack, violence, etc. Not saying you don't take chances, but you can also go too far and let a chance take you (not in a good way exactly).
 
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hei

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Have you checked out martin berkhans stuff "leangains"?Leangains.com
I followed it for a while. I did get leaner but ran out of energy and my strength dropped way off (very demotivating). I should have started eating more but I wasn't used to eating a lot anyway (there's no way I was even eating 2000kcal most days until I was at least 25yo) and it didn't occur to me.
 
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TheBeard

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Yeah, of course. I don't know how they do it, my body doesn't respond like that to exercise. I get some initial improvements in performance, then the progress stops and goes backwards or I find some way to injure myself. It has been a cycle for years regardless of type of exercise, program, diet, weight changes, etc.

I have to say, I have always wondered how the mental state of "learned helplessness" can be escaped without fixing or gaining control over whatever conditions taught it.

Buy yourself some testosterone already and quit whining, you've been given so much help already in this thread you should be grateful for.

And watch this when you wake up and before you go to bed:
 
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milkboi

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Buy yourself some testosterone already and quit whining, you've been given so much help already in this thread you should be grateful for.

And watch this when you wake up and before you go to bed:


Jocko has to be on juice too right?
 
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TheBeard

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Jocko has to be on juice too right?

Hard to say, just look at pictures of his younger self as a soldier where it was unlikely he was taking anything.
Just like Donte Franklin, there are outliers, genetic freaks.
Just like some guys are 2.20m tall, some naturally have the genetics that make them bigger than someone on 5 grams a week.
 

tankasnowgod

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The point of correcting metabolic issues, I mean. If you're still young then improving your metabolism and hormones could help you mature properly and really change the course of your life. If you're an adult who is/was basically healthy/vigorous/strong while young then it's good to keep it that way or get back to a healthy state if you've fallen into a rut.

If you had a low-energy, sedentary upbringing and are now an adult stuck for life with a weak/frail body, not a very masculine physical form, a stressed/low-confidence psychological profile (from being weak and unable to control your environment, having a "serotonergic personality", etc), and the kind of negative life experiences that arise from being this way your whole life and making decisions/being treated by others accordingly, what's the point?

I've been wrestling with a similar idea over these past few months. It's been a big internal back and forth between the positive side of me, and the negative side. I've seen the negative side make some great points, but they have been pretty much overwhelmed by the positive side. Despite some circumstances at present that aren't great (personally), there are some things in various areas of my life that I am truly excited for coming up, in the health, fitness, and financial areas. So, I am looking forward to that. Yes, I am speaking very generally, but your point is general too.

As to your question "what's the point?" Well, as long as you are alive, you have to do something. At the very least, you could see every problem as a challenge to overcome, and improve your outlook and body, even if you don't get it perfect. I'll turn this around and say "What's the Point of beating yourself up and NOT trying to improve yourself? Isn't that just wasting time?"

I've been reading a lot of "self help" books recently, and there are a few I can recommend. Think and Grow Rich and The Laws of Success by Napoleon Hill are worthy reads, and worthy of several re-reads. A great little book is Shad Helmstetter's "What to say when you talk to yourself." You can find free PDF copies of this with a quick search, and even if you don't want to read the whole thing, he has several great "Self Talk Scripts" which take a few minutes to read. Find his scripts on self confidence in the book, and try reading them 1-3 times a day for 2-3 weeks. Isn't 5-10 minutes a day for 2 weeks worth an experiment? Worst case, nothing changes at all. But if you get any good effect, isn't that worth it?

I'd also highly recommend "You Are A Badass" by Jen Sincero. It's probably the most hilarious self help book I've ever read, and I have read quite a few. She does swear a lot in that book, but her recommendations are mostly on point. At least you'll have a rollicking good time while reading. I plan on re-reading that one this month myself.

Which brings me specifically to this point.........

Even if the root cause was defective metabolism and you correct it, it won't undo the accumulated damage (physically, abnormal life (in)experience, etc) that will continue to affect your body and mental states for a long time. Of course the past is out of your control but the more time passes the more it limits the future too.

You got any proof of that? Haidut has been posting some amazing studies that challenge this very idea-

Down Syndrome (DS) cognitive handicap is due to (cellular) stress, may be reversible – To Extract Knowledge from Matter

High Metabolism And/Or Progesterone Can Regrow Amputated Limbs

Humans Have A 'salamander-like' Ability To Regrow Cartilage

Progesterone Bioreactor Too Regrow Limbs

So, even if you're dealing with Down Syndrome or a missing limb, there is a good chance you can drastically improve and/or grow it back. If it's not that bad, well, there is a chance you can go far, FAR farther than you think you can in the moment.

Lastly, just cause something can take months (or years) to improve doesn't mean it's not worth doing. One of the best things I did for my health was lowering body iron stores, which took 8 months initially, and some ongoing maintenance, along with research and discovery, but I am thrilled with the results (both short and long term), and I even started to notice benefits even in the initial 8 month timeframe, like at 2-4 months in.

Hope some of that helps, but personally, I think there is a huge point in trying and taking control over your own life.
 

akgrrrl

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Yeah, of course. I don't know how they do it, my body doesn't respond like that to exercise. I get some initial improvements in performance, then the progress stops and goes backwards or I find some way to injure myself. It has been a cycle for years regardless of type of exercise, program, diet, weight changes, etc.

I have to say, I have always wondered how the mental state of "learned helplessness" can be escaped without fixing or gaining control over whatever conditions taught it.

Turn over every cell in your body in 6, 7 months. Its not instant, its constant.
 
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You could take a small dose of Phenibut and watch as your perspective slowly brightens, and new interpretations & possibilities suggest themselves.

When you catch a glimpse of what is possible, you can have something to strive towards and escape complete hopelessness.
 

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