ego deficit

Man on th ra-di-o today said willpower is a measurable thing. The self-regulating activity of the ego or some such.

That point where you cave in and eat a whole bucket of ice cream is the point of ego deficit. Your reserves of willpower have been depleted, so you give up on Lent, or New Year's resolutions, or your diet.

Different things replenish or empty your tank, and there seems to be a finite pool such that if one thing takes away, there's that much less for all the other things.

Cool. And I always thought I went through these weird cycles where I'd slide into depression and fall back into old habits with no get-to-itiveness. Hmm, maybe not bad at all, just the body saying 'I need a break' I've run out of steam for the moment...