Hi Bel,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. And you're absolutely right, I don't know that porn is my problem here. It's possible it's not. But also, it isn't like it contributes anything to my life, so why not get rid of it in case it is? However I do have to admit that after a few weeks it hasn't solved my issues. Of course maybe I need to give it more time.
I'll try to answer some of your questions here:
I'm 6'4", 195 lbs., what I would call athletic build. I don't have a gut, but I also don't have abs. I cycle about 15 miles a week, lift weights once a week, play basketball twice a week, and try to get 10,000 steps on the days when I don't do anything more active.
My diet has been not great great. Basically for 20 years I've been eating whatever I want. My wife cooks very healthy food at home for dinner. But I was regularly eating frozen meals late at night, high in sodium and fat. I've since cut those out. I also have cut back on fast food, to 1-2 times a week instead of 3-4.
For years I was eating dessert every day. Sometimes twice a day. I would have a cookie/brownie in the afternoon after eating lunch out, then maybe some ice cream after dinner. Not great. I've cut my dessert intake about in half in the past month. I don't generally drink sugar, I drink mostly unsweetened black and green tea.
As for drinking, I have probably 5-10 drinks spread throughout the week. Mainly red wine, occasionally beer, less frequently hard alcohol.
One thing to note. My libido/erection issues have coincided with back/shoulder/neck problems that I've been experience which haven't been fun, and they've resulted in a less-active lifestyle for me over the past couple months due to the discomfort. I've had recurrent pain, stiffness, and soreness in a particular area of my back that shoots up my neck. One day, I just woke up with it and it's been bothering me since. Not long after my sexual issues started and I've wondered if this inflammation, etc. might be causing my sexual issues. I'm currently seeing a chiropractor twice a week for adjustments. I think it's slowly getting better, but after a particularly physical basketball game I can be in pain for the next week. And then less active that week. During that same time period I've noticed fatigue, and a general listlessness.
Sleeping goes in waves for me. I tend to sleep 4-5 hours per night and then wake up. From there, sometimes I can get back to sleep after an hour or two of being up and get in a total of 8 hours. But I go through waves for whatever reason, I can't get back to sleep and I'm just up until I need to go to work and then I drag throughout the day. Over the past couple months my sleeping has been pretty solid, I'm generally getting 7-8 hours and not feeling tired during the day. I don't really stay out late.
I hope that provides some context. If you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it. This stuff is frustrating because the medical industry just doesn't seem set up to handle these issues. It seems like they want to prescribe viagra/TRT and send you on your way. I'd rather not use medication, but make the necessary lifestyle changes.
Thanks again,
ATL
