How do I become disciplined enough to stop being obese?

[North of 60]

Hey Tuck,

There is a concept of "it takes what it takes" that varies form person to person and problem to problem.

Meaning for me chronic physical pain and the related health consequences was enough motivation for me to make a serious lifestyle change and lose 55# and keep it off.

What that is for you, only you can answer because while motivation may be in common, and it is definitely specific to a person and their particular situation.

 

[RCB]

I can't speak from experience with regard to losing a lot of weight. I'm sure it's very challenging and I wish the best for you. My only comment would be that any calorie restricted diet will achieve weight loss. They may not all be equally healthy, but, for example, you could eat strictly donuts as a diet, and as long as your calories out exceed your calories in, you will lose weight. So I would be lenient about the exact diet you follow. If you don't enjoy the diet the doctor recommends, play with it a bit. The important thing - and, of course, the hard part - is just not eating too much. Just thought I'd share in case that helps.

Ok I'll say slightly more than that...

Again, to lose weight, all you need is to have calories out exceed calories in. Any diet and any exercise plan (including none at all) that achieves this will cause you to lose weight.

So my suggestion is to try to not over-complicate things, and don't add things that make it even harder than it already is. Don't think "I must do the Psmf diet"; "I must eat lots of protein or little fat or lots of fiber"; "I must lift weights to build muscle"; "I must go to the gym x times per week"; "I must skip breakfast"; or any other specific bit of advice you hear. These may all be good things worth doing, but they are not strictly necessary and may only make it harder to stick to your plan. What may happen is that you start on a program that is quite difficult for a beginner; going from 0 to 100 can work but it can be very challenging. Then what happens is you say "screw it, it's too hard" and go back to 0. You don't have to go from 0 to 100; you can do 0 to 20, then 20 to 40, and so on. And if you have a bad week, don't go back to 0. Something is better than nothing; an imperfect plan is better than no plan.

Find any plan that allows you to lose some weight, and stick to it for a bit. Be flexible; make it as easy as possible. If you have a bad week, acknowledge it and try to get back on track; maybe simplify the plan if you can. Start with small steps. Prove to yourself that you can do the small thing and make progress. Start with losing 5 pounds, for example. Get the confidence of seeing a small win. Then keep at it. Part of discipline is proving to yourself that you can do hard things, and that comes with small steps in my opinion.

 

[Mike Islander]

Thanks for the replies but everyone is way off here. I'm not asking about what type of diet to do. I'm asking about discipline to do Psmf.

It is a scientifically proven diet for the absolute fastest fat loss.

Thanks

It's a ******* terrible lifestyle change diet with all kinds of issues. If you want he actual fastest way to fat loss just fast. You need a lifestyle change, and a shit 8-week diet won't do that.

The terrible ******* PSMF Diet​

1.​

• PSMF diets are extremely low in calories (usually 600–800 kcal/day) and consist mostly of lean protein.
• Without supplementation, you risk deficiencies in:
  
  • Electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium)
  • Essential fatty acids
  • Vitamins (fat-soluble A, D, E, K; also B-complex and C)
• Severe deficiencies can lead to fatigue, dizziness, arrhythmias, or cramps.

2.​

• Even though it’s called “protein-sparing,” very low calories and aggressive deficits can still cause muscle loss if:
  
  • Protein intake is insufficient for body size/activity level.
  • You don’t do resistance training.
  • You stay on it too long (beyond 6–12 weeks without refeed phases).

3.​

• Extended PSMF can lower thyroid hormone output, testosterone, and leptin, leading to:
  
  • Slowed metabolism
  • Increased hunger
  • Decreased libido and energy
• Especially problematic for already lean or active individuals.

4.​

• With such low calories and carbs, glycogen depletion increases water and sodium loss.
• Without electrolyte supplementation, you risk:
  
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Irregular heartbeat
• This was one of the reasons early “liquid protein” diets in the 1970s caused deaths.

5.​

• The PSMF is a short-term intervention, not a lifestyle diet.
• If you don’t have a structured transition phase (gradually adding carbs and fats back), you risk rapid weight regain.

6.​

• Extremely low dietary fat and fiber can cause:
  
  • Constipation
  • Gallbladder issues (sludge or gallstones if done for months)
  • Fatigue during workouts

• High-quality protein: 1.5–2.0 g per kg of body weight per day (minimum).
• Mandatory supplements:
  
  • Multivitamin/mineral
  • Essential fatty acids (fish oil)
  • Electrolytes: sodium, potassium, magnesium
• Resistance training to minimize muscle loss.
• Refeed days (higher calories/carbs) every 1–2 weeks to restore glycogen and hormones.
• Limit to 4–12 weeks under medical supervision.

Yes — a PSMF can work for aggressive fat loss, but it’s highly restrictive and carries risks of micronutrient deficiency, electrolyte imbalance, hormonal disruption, and rebound weight gain if not carefully managed and supplemented. It’s safest under medical or dietitian supervision, with planned refeeds and proper supplementation.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

I can promise you, that changing your body for wanting to change your body is the hard way. Motivation and discipline is a limited fuel. There will eventually come a time when you run out of it and slip at least temporarily and likely completely. Not to be pessimistic, but the statistics don't lie.

Instead, GROW your life. Start or increase a physical activity that you enjoy and look forward to doing. Choose something that is easy on your joints so there's little risk of injury and losing momentum. Biking is good, mountain biking is a blast. Anything that gets you moving without high risk of injury. Running is more time effective but there's higher injury risk so a mix of activity is good. Weight lifting is very good to mix in.

Start gradually and consistently. Rather than 2, 3, 4, or 5 days per week, go at least 6 days a week. 7 is better. Ever hear the saying, "It's easier to be perfect"? If you know you don't need to do something some days, those some days will become more frequent. Do an amount that you CAN do every day. Make it a ridiculously small amount that you deeply know that you can repeat every day so that you will not be accumulating compounding fatigue. The exercise will be come habit and add more energy to your day than cost. Small changes over a long period of time is how to get there successfully.

With the exercise, you might be surprised by how your appetite changes. When you get to steady exercise up to an hour and longer, your body's sugar cravings will decrease as it becomes a more efficient fat burner. Get plenty of protein and fat, avoid spiking your blood sugar with too much dietary sugar.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Thanks for the replies but everyone is way off here. I'm not asking about what type of diet to do. I'm asking about discipline to do Psmf.

It is a scientifically proven diet for the absolute fastest fat loss.

Thanks

I am sorry that you believe you have inadequate discipline. Have you considered that you don't have to pick yourself up by the bootstraps?

 

[Brandon_AZ]

I’m no dietitian, but I did the carnivore diet for a month and dropped 20 pounds without working out, I’m 6’7” and now 230#. I find this very strict diet is easy to fallow meat eggs salt and pepper and good old water. Eat as much as you want. Only unfortunate part is game meat isn’t ideal, you need the fat. For me strict diets work best. Having a friend to do the diet with is also beneficial keep each other honest and share your experience/ progress.

 

[Brandon_AZ]

I’m no dietitian, but I did the carnivore diet for a month and dropped 20 pounds without working out, I’m 6’7” and now 230#. I find this very strict diet is easy to fallow meat eggs salt and pepper and good old water. Eat as much as you want. Only unfortunate part is game meat isn’t ideal, you need the fat. For me strict diets work best. Having a friend to do the diet with is also beneficial keep each other honest and share your experience/ progress.

I’m giving you the diet because it’s easy to fallow. It’s easier to stay disciplined when the rules are clear. Having someone to keep you honest throughout the process helps as well. But the key is, you have to understand you need to make a change or your life won’t get any better. No bullshit no self pity just grind it out and stay motivated.

 

[swavescatter]

I think the bots are all arguing now. Wow.

 

[hereinaz]

I didn’t read all 7 pages…

Discipline is hard to come by. For some, they find discipline easy but others, it’s entirely difficult.

Addiction is a the ugly aspect of lack of discipline.
Merely wanting it is not enough. Saying I did not want something enough was a crap way to try to look at my failures.

Goggins was mentioned, that’s inspiring.

Tiny Habits and Atomic Habits can help understand an aspect of discipline.

There is a probability that considering delicious food as an addiction is the level at which you can find a real solution.

I lost weight with Medifast years ago. It works. Stress triggers eating/sweets for me, same as smokers and drinkers.