Losing Motivation!

Hello guys!
So i've been cutting for like 7 moths on a low carb diet.I lost alot of fat off me and even begin to see how abs should sort of look like,but the past 1 month,i think im starting to lose my focus.I Cant stop waking up from sleep,binge,after binge.Its like 1step forward,2 steps back....and i cant get out of this pattern.Today I woke up @ around 4a.m because i couldnt sleep and f*cked up 2 days of dieting (1250c surplus)in 1-2 meals.I have a 4500 calorie defecit thats needs to be made before i go bulking with my brother,who finished cutting 2weeks ago,and i want to finish this,but i dont think i know how anymore.
I ussualy have verry strong willpower,but now im just starting to lose my self confidence,my focus and my will to coninue on.
Am i hiting a plateu and some sort of hormonal reaction due to dieting,or am i just giving myself an excuse?
Please help me get back on my feet  !

7 months is a long time to cut for. I personally would have a training break and a diet break for a couple of weeks. Eat sensible but don't worry about counting macros. Just enjoy your time off and then get back into it.

7 months is a very long time. I see no harm in starting a clean bulk now!
 
How often do you have a cheat meal where you have a pizza or something?

Hello guys.I actually never cheat with a pizza,i just eat more xD.
once a week i cheat and i have 1 high carb/low fat day.But i think im hiting a plateu since,this binging nonsence started to happen to me about 1 month ago and before that things went smoothly.Now it takes only 2-3 days to get so hungry,weak.I'm left with a 4500 calorie defecit that i need to clear before i start bulking but i just cant do it :@ :( !

My diet is actually consisted mostly of cottage cheese (im from bulgaria b.t.w. and cottage cheese here is cheap and fatty)
Dry chicken brests,whole eggs,white cheese,sour skim milk,and green vegetables and some tomatoes.....and thats just about it.
Im 5.9 tall,18years,around ~165 lbs and about 13-14%'ish bf
my maitanance should be ~1950calories daily,and i try to achieve a defecit of ~300-500calories daily.(Just providing some useful information ^^ )I dont have any specific goals about pounds or bf%'s because i cant measure them regulary because i dont have scales or other stuff,so i just count calories and macros and track my progress with pictures and the mirror xD
Thanks guys!!

There's no shame in a cheat MEAL every 7-14 days. In fact it's beneficial in more ways than one.
 
I suggest you try it!

The problem is i cant go through 2-3 days without waking up and eating,maybe this is becoming some sort of eating pattern which i need to brake.After a day of dieting (500c defecit) this night i woke up again and ate around 2300-2400,attleast i didint binge that bad :S.
Im thinking of doing a 24h fast,maybe this will help?
 

Again, introduce a cheat meal.
 
It will reduce your cravings and help focus you away from bad food..

Add more vegetables to all your meals to fill you up, you can't really overdo calories by eating veg, I also have a fibre supplement before bed (when cutting), to keep a full feeling, something like psyllium husk.

My point is that it's not a matter of willpower and just having something to look forward to.
You cant cheat if you arent dieting.l.I could cheat if i went straight for 5-6 days but since i cant go through 1-2 days without waking up from sleep and binging i dont see the point of having a cheat meal.
Ok so my week went alitle like this:
monday -600
tueseday - 700
wednsday +1000
thursday - 500
today trying to hit maitanance since i binged again
Tomorow im thinking of doing a 24hrs fast and sunday i will try not to go over a 100-200 calorie surplus.What do you think :?

indie


Add more vegetables to all your meals to fill you up, you can't really overdo calories by eating veg, I also have a fibre supplement before bed (when cutting), to keep a full feeling, something like psyllium husk.

Im actually on a low carb diet 5 days of the week and 2 moderate carbs day (sort of a carb cycle)
and i cant just stuff my face with vegetables all since i cant go over 70gr of carbs on low carb days.
Actually yesterday i had no appetite at all  even though i was on a defecit of 600,but i just woke up and starting to eat.
You are missing my concern,my problem is not lacking willpower,regulating my apetite through the day.
My main problem is that i wake up and cant go back to bed after 1-2 days of dieting.And i can't understand why is this happening.Is this becoming an eating patter,some sort of hormonal reaction,or just plain exhaustion from this long cut?

Your worried about eating too much veg, when your binge eating!!

You would have to eat a hell of alot of spinach, lettuce and cucumber and other greens to reck a low carb day.

If you feel full from eating lots of veg, your less likely to wake up hungry.

I've done the stuff your face binge, when dieting and I can go over 10,000 cals easily.

eating a huge mound of veg is unlikely to be near 100 calories, will keep you full so you will then be less likely to overeat.

Don't stress the carbs in vegetables, they are minimal.

I have tendencies to eat during the night but found if I was err in company, or away from home I wouldn't do it so knew it was only a habit which could be broken. I keep a bottle of diluted sugar free squash by my bed sometimes put some BCAA powder in it. Now instead of getting up I take a few swigs and go back to sleep.
 
If the munchies get bad I eat sugar free jelly, and loads of veggies (not together). This does result in some bloating but not the nasty water retaining type.
 
Initially I also made sure I never had snacky food in the house, no biscuits, chocolate, peanut butter and even at one point no fruit. I can now have these things around and it not bother me.
 
Just some ideas for you.

Thank you!

I think this is when intermittent fasting can work at its best, ie, not eating for that large chunk of the day when your busy and not much of an appetite. Then eat the majority of your days calories at the part of the day when the appetite goes into overdrive, for me 5-11 in the evening is when my appetite is at its highest, the rest of the day appetite is not quite so insatiable!

I know what you're talking about.
Calorie deficits, esp long term, are perhaps more challenging than any brutal leg workout you could do.
Your body is sensing it's being starved and isn't going to let you ignore it!
Your leptin levels are no doubt real low too.
Whats your fat intake like? Low carbs AND low fats just leave protein. Not good!
I think we can overdo the dieting sometimes believing more is better.
If you really feel like you need carbs you most likely do! Listen to your body. It's unlikely to be just you being greedy! A good appetite suppressant can help too. I'm using a great one and got about 2 years supply in stock but it's now banned so no point even mentioning it.
Also your hormones get fcuked up when cals go too low which aint good at all for preserving muscle and therefore basal metabolic rate.

a rise in calories is always good as it results  in the increase of leptin  

indie


I think this is when intermittent fasting can work at its best, ie, not eating for that large chunk of the day when your busy and not much of an appetite. Then eat the majority of your days calories at the part of the day when the appetite goes into overdrive, for me 5-11 in the evening is when my appetite is at its highest, the rest of the day appetite is not quite so insatiable!

No just low carb mate.
But i need to make a final push no matter what,even if i have to stay awake for the whole night rolling in bed waiting for breakfast.Just 4000 calories for all these months of dedication.Yes most deffinetly my leptin levels are low since im in a state which i can (and was) eat a 1000-1500 calorie surplus in just 1 simple meal.I wish my stomach wasnt that large xD.
The problem now is that i used to be bulky sort of sloppy but noticable big before i started cutting.
Now i just appear plain skinny,and disproportioned.I feel my abs weak and its like they are just not there :S.
My skinny is sort of sloppy too maybe water retention.I will carry on low carb untill i finish.My parents bought me a phone for christmas (going offtopic) i hope i can use this phone to help me not pay so much attention on how im hungry ^^ !
After this i'm starting bulking,and i will slowly increase my calories for a week untill a surplus of 200,then i will change my split to emphasize my abs and shoulders to imrove my proportions.Does that sound like a good plan?
BTW thanks guys for your advice! :)

Spalding13

indie


I think this is when intermittent fasting can work at its best, ie, not eating for that large chunk of the day when your busy and not much of an appetite. Then eat the majority of your days calories at the part of the day when the appetite goes into overdrive, for me 5-11 in the evening is when my appetite is at its highest, the rest of the day appetite is not quite so insatiable!

No just low carb mate.
But i need to make a final push no matter what,even if i have to stay awake for the whole night rolling in bed waiting for breakfast.Just 4000 calories for all these months of dedication.Yes most deffinetly my leptin levels are low since im in a state which i can (and was) eat a 1000-1500 calorie surplus in just 1 simple meal.I wish my stomach wasnt that large xD.
The problem now is that i used to be bulky sort of sloppy but noticable big before i started cutting.
Now i just appear plain skinny,and disproportioned.I feel my abs weak and its like they are just not there :S.
My skinny is sort of sloppy too maybe water retention.I will carry on low carb untill i finish.My parents bought me a phone for christmas (going offtopic) i hope i can use this phone to help me not pay so much attention on how im hungry ^^ !
After this i'm starting bulking,and i will slowly increase my calories for a week untill a surplus of 200,then i will change my split to emphasize my abs and shoulders to imrove my proportions.Does that sound like a good plan?
BTW thanks guys for your advice! :)

You misunderstand, I'm suggesting that you should give intermittent fasting a try as your situation would benefit from it.

I know what you mean,and i agree with your oppinion,but the problem is that if i woke up and went to school without having breakfast i cant concentrate,im absent minded as it is already :S.
But yes i eat most at 9-10am in the evening i just have breakfast at 7p.m.
before i go to school and 1 small meal at 3-4p.m. when i get back.
3 days of diet passed smoothly for now,and im not that hungry,i sence that this time i wont screw up ^^ !