Trying NOFAP.. but seems to have the opposite effect that many claim.

[Jukeboxhero Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jukeboxhero]

*TLDR. Overall decreased arousal/libido/sexual thoughts/desires after trying NoFAP for 20 days**

I'm sure everyone here is familiar with NOFap and all the benefits it brings. In case you aren't, here are the basics. IF you are familiar.. skip to the "My Situation portion.

Basically, there are 3 tiers.

1. No PORN. But you can FAP occasionally. This is probably the best/least controversial version and easiest to adapt since Porn seems to be mostly detrimental to mental health and may lead to ED, which is something I've either had or am concerned about having in the future. I'm 100% on board with abstaining from Porn as much as possible. (not sure if there is a healthy level of Porn-watching.. maybe with a partner to get ideas or get aroused)
2. No Porn, or Masturbation forever, or for long, extended periods of time. This is what I'm currently considering.
3. No Porn, masturbation, sex, orgasm, etc. AKA Semen retention. This seems ridiculous to me. Essentially, it seems like people that pursue this are voluntarily celebate if I'm not mistaken. Though, I may inadvertently go down this path, this is the exact opposite of my goals and reason for doing Nofap. In fact, the main reason I’m here and on these forums, considering PE, Jelqing and even NoFap, is I want to have a better sex life.

So, if NoFap truly improves your sex life, erections, etc, then I'm all about it. (and that seems to be one of the benefits if I'm understanding correctly)

Aside from Sex-related stuff, the other supposed benefits are higher energy levels, more focus, etc. But most "Evidence" seems to be anecdotal.. but there are so many videos on Youtube with dudes describing the amazing results that I feel there HAS to be something to it.


Now, onto
My Situation

I'm 42. Single. I haven't had actual sex since I split with my ex-wife over 4 years ago.. realistically it's probably been a hair over 5 years since I had actual sexual intercourse. I hope that will change, but I don't have any prospects, so I imagine it could be awhile before I get laid again.

I've never had a high sex drive. perhaps due to low-T levels. As a result I don't actually FAP that or look at Porn that much. Maybe once a week on average. In fact, I've gone 10-14 days without fapping multiple times just because I wasn't in the mood or I was focused on other things. On the flip-side, there have been times where I’ve had great erections and felt horny and “fapped” (sometimes with/sometimes without porn) almost every other day (probably max of 2-3 times a week). Which made me feel like my sex drive/T-levels were improving). A few of those times were after I started Jelqing or doing PE.
As mentioned above, my PORN watching habits aren't excessive either, probably once a week or less on average (sometimes I look at porn and don't Fap, other times I Fap w/o looking at porn). Depending on EQ levels.

Recently, I’ve gone through a few lifestyle changes as well.

1. I just moved out of my friend’s house (we we’re roommates for the past 4 years, following my divorce and being married 4 yrs). That means this is my first time living completely alone in a long time and not having a housemate to interact with. Honestly, I don’t recall any significant amount of time where I lived completely alone in a house or apartment, but sometimes my “roommate” was out a lot or I didn’t interact with them much
2. I live closer than ever to my gym and I’ve been exercising and eating healthier (Just started tracking my food diary on Myfitnesspal
3. Driving for DoorDash/Ubereats (which has been my sidehustle for a couple of years)
4. I've been going out and getting into more outdoor stuff this year and moved away from my nerdier hobbies, like MTG, which I did over the past few years. Since I moved out, I've been trying to find Meetups and people to Socialize with.

Anyways, after watching one very compelling video about the benefits of NoFAP, I decided to give it a try.

Currently, I’m on approx. day 20 of Nofap.
The last time I did the deed was Oct 4^th.

Around Day 5-7, (Oct 8-10) I felt pretty horny and had great EQ.. amazing erections that stuck around even after a cold shower. However, that was also the day I decided to try Jelqing again, which I mainly attribute to the higher EQ. Also, I’ve heard Testosterone peaks around Day 7 after release.

Day 9-20
It seems I have 2 general levels of Mood/Energy since the "peak"
I either feel amazing and motivated and just good, happy mood in general. Usually, this happens when I’m doing the things I mentioned above; working out, being in nature, doing outdoor stuff with other people. I'm not sure if it's solely or even partially attributed to my NoFap.

Or

I feel kinda “meh” and listless and randomly watch Youtube/Netflix on my PC and not particularly motivated or energetic. I also feel like I have no Mental Energy or Focus as I quickly get bored of whatever I'm watching or reading and move onto something else. I feel like I'm not accomplishing anything.

Regardless of which mode I'm in... I feel like I have reduced sexual desire or energy. I don’t feel like I want to have sex. Even looking at sexy booty in a workout video doesn’t aroused. My mind will acknowledge.. “Damn.. nice booty.." but my I don’t feel that rush of hormones or increased sexual desire. I can try to to think about sex, but I don’t really get an erection (during the day at least). I imagine the same feeling would apply if I looked at Porn.

The good news: I still get nighttime erections, but my EQ isn’t quite as amazing as the EQ I had after Jelqing.


Now, I have few theories as to what might be happening.

1. I could be going through a period of “flatline” which may be what I’m feeling. Though, from what I recall, this usually happens after Day 90.

2. It could be just feeling down because I'm alone in my apartment and my mood is affected. Similiar to how my increased energy could be attributed to diet/exercise.

3. I wonder if there's a "Use it or Lose it" theory at work here. It seemed like before there was a cyclical rise and fall of my sexual desire/thoughts about sex and desire to masturbate. I'm wondering if I should go back to that??

4. Perhaps my sexual energy would return if I was with a real woman? Is it possible my "mind" is cleansing itself of my Porn habits?
Another reason I want to do this is to "detrain" my penis from orgasming manually and orgasm to the feeling of a tight vagina.

I really don't know what to think of this. Should I continue? Will the decreased Libido fade away?

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Never been a fan of Nofap.

Step 1 should have been to get a hormone panel and post the results here .

[Lopditop Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lopditop]

The flatline does not appear only after 90 days, it can also happen after 5 days, 20 days or whatever. It's different for everyone. But I agree with pegasus, maybe you should check also your hormone panel.

[8IsBetterThan7 Member Find all posts View Profile Close 8IsBetterThan7]

Coming from a 20 something yo who has never fapped or had sex (i always considered fapping to be a waste of energy, as i always felt like crap after having a wet dream as a teenager the next morning), i think there is sth to this.

I used to get spontaneous erections and would get aroused as a teenager through mental imagery, or even just seeing someone attractive.

But as the years went on and i entered my 20s, spontaneous erections slowly vanished and i can honestly no longer get aroused. As if that brain - penis connection slowly vanished.

I honestly think its like use it or lose it. Short term, no fap may be positive, just like some extra rest after a hard week in the gym can be beneficial.
But if you go too long, you start to atrophy.

I believe libido can also "atrophy" in a way.

[Jukeboxhero Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jukeboxhero]

Never been a fan of Nofap.

Step 1 should have been to get a hormone panel and post the results here .

I think that's a great idea. Do u know if I can just request that with a normal physical or would I need to go to endocrinologist? I know they can draw your blood and look at your Testosterone levels (I've requested that before). IS there anything specific I should ask for or just a "Hormone Panel" ??

Coming from a 20 something yo who has never fapped or had sex (i always considered fapping to be a waste of energy, as i always felt like crap after having a wet dream as a teenager the next morning), i think there is sth to this.

I used to get spontaneous erections and would get aroused as a teenager through mental imagery, or even just seeing someone attractive.

But as the years went on and i entered my 20s, spontaneous erections slowly vanished and i can honestly no longer get aroused. As if that brain - penis connection slowly vanished.

I honestly think its like use it or lose it. Short term, no fap may be positive, just like some extra rest after a hard week in the gym can be beneficial.
But if you go too long, you start to atrophy.

I believe libido can also "atrophy" in a way.

I'm concerned about this too. It always felt pretty normal to just masturbate/Ejaculate when I felt the urge, as it really wasn't too frequent.

That being, on the plus side, I awoke with some pretty nice morning wood and played around with my erection for awhile and it felt pretty good. Start having sexual fantasies again.. a bit.. so that seems like a plus. I didn't ejaculate though, as I have a busy day ahead of me. That's the one downside to Masturbation. I feel like you have to time it right or it can slow you down/mess with your day due the lowered energy you feel afterwards.

[jamjar Member Find all posts View Profile Close jamjar]

Good write-up, I'd love if you kept updating this thread over time with your thoughts and how stuff was going!

Personally, I think NoFap probably has a relatively minor role in a lot of this. Probably a lot of these day-to-day differences in how you feel are more related to little things like: how well you slept, how much stress is in your life, relationships etc. I won't say for sure though.

Like Pegasus, I'm generally not a big fan of NoFap, although I have gone for several 90+ day stints just to gauge how it makes me feel. In my experience, at the start it makes you more horny and easier to get erections for maybe the first 1-3 weeks, and then you kind of just go back to normal. My guess is that is just has to do with breaking your conditioning. For example, I used to masturbate every 2 days without fail, and then one day I didn't feel like it and skipped a day and that entire night I had a killer erection and dreamt of sex. However, eventually your body adapts and the stimulus (or lack thereof) is no longer novel.

I think semen retention is kind of a joke, there is a whole community of guys that think it gives them superpowers or something haha. I'm not suggesting NoFap per se, but I think where one could find it useful is either in resensitizing their dick or else breaking bad habits or thought patterns. Otherwise, I'd just jack-off responsibly. Also, I think it's totally OK to have sex

Great to hear about your positive lifestyle changes! Keep it up

[Big Al AdministratorPEGym EditorMale Enhancement Coach Rep.PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Big Al]

My opinion of NoFap: NoFap and Stamina Training without Porn

[8IsBetterThan7 Member Find all posts View Profile Close 8IsBetterThan7]

I'm concerned about this too. It always felt pretty normal to just masturbate/Ejaculate when I felt the urge, as it really wasn't too frequent.

I think this is what has played part in my diminishing libido and desire.

Even though i never had sex or maturbated, i would from time to time feel the need for visual stimulation, so even though i was never into porn, i would go online and randomly look at pictures of girls i considered to be attractive.

So in a way, i created an "escape route", similar to guys who overly masturbate. One may say its a less dopaminergic route, but its still a way to avoid placing yourself in uncomfortable situation (talking to girls in real life).

When i felt the need, why go and try meet real girls when you can simply pick up your smartphone and look at some pretty girls online and get that dopamine surge.

Since I realized this being an issue somewhere this spring, I decided to abstain from visual stimuli completely, like I will not look at a single picture of an attractive girl online, I want my old teenage self who felt energized when an attractive girl stood next to me, or ESPECIALLY when a hot girl sat next to me and I could feel her body touching me (we all know that feeling hahaha) back XD.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

A gp can order a standard hormone panel total testosterone is what I particularly look at but stuff like estrogen can be usefull

[8IsBetterThan7 Member Find all posts View Profile Close 8IsBetterThan7]

A gp can order a standard hormone panel total testosterone is what I particularly look at but stuff like estrogen can be usefull

Honestly i dont think testosterone is end to be all for libido. I think that libido is a result of a fine balance between various hormones, and is most likely a reflection of your overall health.

Just a little anecdote. I know a few people who train mma on an amateur level in my gym, and here nobody tests those fellas.

Some of them used AAS, one of them said how his total testosterone came back at like 2000 ng/dl, and he had no libido.

Of course you can argue that because it is synthetic it wreaks all kinds of havoc in the body, but still...people with low T who get put on hrt often times report improved libido and well-being.


Also, what about the stories of eunuchs being able to maintain erections for a long time but since they couldnt impregnate a woman, some upclass women used them for their "pleasure".

I mean if a eunuch can maintain an erection there is no reason any of us couldnt 😀

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Uhhuh look the start point is total test and it is amazing how many guys with issues that alone appears central .

Problem is a lot of endo's are overpaid half wits . They will lead you wrong on this very basic issue . Now lots of complex interactions between different hormones that really should be the provence of a highly skilled and paid experts . Well findling a highly paid endo is easy finding a highly skilled one hmm good luck with that .

[Jukeboxhero Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jukeboxhero]

Alright, everyone,

I thought I would update this thread real quick. So things are kinda weird on the NOfap. A few days after making this post, My EQ/ED seemed to get better in the mornings for a few days, and I felt a bit hornier (not super-awesome horny like the weekend anniversary after my last masturbation/porn session or my Jelq session) but still okay. OVer the past few days, it seems that my EQ/ED is getting worse. My dick feels smaller and seems like it's more difficult to get an erection. I feel like more often than not it's in "shrinkage mode" same my scrotum/testicles.. they're more scrunched up/Tight compared the more relaxed hanging style they took on most of the time after I did the Jelq session.

On the positive side, I'm still going to the gym, eating healthy, going to meetups to socialize and I'm going to be getting good photos to put on Dating sites this weekend. One of the meetups I met a cute girl and decided at the end to ask for her number and see if she wanted to do a casual hangout (You can see more about this on Burrito's dating thread in the "Relationship advice forum), but my concern is not being able to get it up now.

I'm thinking I need to make changes to what I'm doing. I don't really have any desire to masturbate or look at porn at all. Maybe this is a good thing, I'm not sure.

Never been a fan of Nofap.

Step 1 should have been to get a hormone panel and post the results here .

What is your biggest concern or dislike with NoFap?

Good write-up, I'd love if you kept updating this thread over time with your thoughts and how stuff was going!

Personally, I think NoFap probably has a relatively minor role in a lot of this. Probably a lot of these day-to-day differences in how you feel are more related to little things like: how well you slept, how much stress is in your life, relationships etc. I won't say for sure though.

Like Pegasus, I'm generally not a big fan of NoFap, although I have gone for several 90+ day stints just to gauge how it makes me feel. In my experience, at the start it makes you more horny and easier to get erections for maybe the first 1-3 weeks, and then you kind of just go back to normal. My guess is that is just has to do with breaking your conditioning. For example, I used to masturbate every 2 days without fail, and then one day I didn't feel like it and skipped a day and that entire night I had a killer erection and dreamt of sex. However, eventually your body adapts and the stimulus (or lack thereof) is no longer novel.

I think semen retention is kind of a joke, there is a whole community of guys that think it gives them superpowers or something haha. I'm not suggesting NoFap per se, but I think where one could find it useful is either in re-sensitizing their dick or else breaking bad habits or thought patterns. Otherwise, I'd just jack-off responsibly. Also, I think it's totally OK to have sex

Great to hear about your positive lifestyle changes! Keep it up

My theory is that these guys who take on NOFap and talk about how it gives them superpowered Energy and Focus is due to their relatively low levels of energy prior to this lifestyle change. I'm guessing they fapped a lot more frequently then I did. When they start to get that "normal" level of energy, it feels awesome to them and inspires them to start improving their life in other ways. That being said, everytime I search "NOFap + libido or Erection issues" it brings up a Flatline video about how your brain is "Rewiring" itself. Which, if that's the case, then great... I will continue this journey.

I would love to re-sensitize my dick and get it more accustomed to vaginas and normal sex. That's one of the reasons I'm doing this. I was hoping it would increase my sex drive as well. Do you have any ideas?

My opinion of NoFap: NoFap and Stamina Training without Porn

Thanks Big Al, I think I'm finally going to take the plunge and try this tonight. It seems like this is pretty much the same thing you suggested on my other thread concerning whether PE is right for me. I'll be sending you some questions about this. I guess my biggest question is.. should I ejaculate (using the stop-start) since I'm attempting to do NOFap? It sounds like I should since even that article said you mentioned a decline in EQ and sexdrive got lower.

[Big Al AdministratorPEGym EditorMale Enhancement Coach Rep.PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Big Al]

Thanks Big Al, I think I'm finally going to take the plunge and try this tonight. It seems like this is pretty much the same thing you suggested on my other thread concerning whether PE is right for me. I'll be sending you some questions about this. I guess my biggest question is.. should I ejaculate (using the stop-start) since I'm attempting to do NOFap? It sounds like I should since even that article said you mentioned a decline in EQ and sexdrive got lower.

Glad to help!

Keep your ejaculations limited to 3-4 times a week max for now. If this proves too much for you at first then back the frequency down.

[jamjar Member Find all posts View Profile Close jamjar]

My theory is that these guys who take on NOFap and talk about how it gives them superpowered Energy and Focus is due to their relatively low levels of energy prior to this lifestyle change. I'm guessing they fapped a lot more frequently then I did. When they start to get that "normal" level of energy, it feels awesome to them and inspires them to start improving their life in other ways. That being said, everytime I search "NOFap + libido or Erection issues" it brings up a Flatline video about how your brain is "Rewiring" itself. Which, if that's the case, then great... I will continue this journey.

I would love to re-sensitize my dick and get it more accustomed to vaginas and normal sex. That's one of the reasons I'm doing this. I was hoping it would increase my sex drive as well. Do you have any ideas?

Yea your point about the energy levels could be definitely be correct in that regard. NoFap is probably a lot more meaningful if you go from fapping 2 hours twice a day to stopping then if it's just 15 minutes once a day. In my experience, I didn't see much benefit, but my habits were never that bad. It most likely wont hurt you to do NoFap, so if you want to give it a try then go ahead.

I think the best way to get accustomed to sex is to just have more sex Really proud about you asking out that girl, keep up stuff like that and you will be killing it in no time! Everyone has issues like this sometimes, don't go into it with high expectations of her or yourself and it will probably be just fine. Just enjoy yourself and enjoy feeling like a man, even if you guys dont end up hooking up etc.. I've had my best luck when, when it comes time for hooking up with a girl for the first time, you take it slow and kiss and cuddle for a while (like over a movie or something) before upping the intensity. The best boners usually take a bit of time to get going but then stick around, vs the ones that you get really fast but aren't actually that long-lasting.

[Jukeboxhero Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jukeboxhero]

Glad to help!

Keep your ejaculations limited to 3-4 times a week max for now. If this proves too much for you at first then back the frequency down.

I very rarely have the desire, libido or stamina to ejaculate 3 times a week. Not sure if that's a good idea or not. It sounds like you're suggesting I discontinue NoFap? I saw that article you posted and you stated it was "your opinion of Nofap". I saw a routine within the article obviously, but I'm still not sure what your opinion of NoFap is??

FYI, I'm going to see my Primary care physician for a checkup on the Ritalin prescrption I recently started taking. I'll probably inquire about Nofap and getting that hormone test panel done when I go in for that.