I figured my overeating might be caused by my undiagnosed inattentive ADHD I have been suspecting to have it.
Like with other habits I try to make any plan or strategy falls apart in max few weeks. But I need a long term solution. However I have never thought about it as caused by ADHD. But When I think about it, I overeat only when I am bored.
During meals I eat normal portions. But when I am bored I will be eating small chunks of food every time I visit fridge. I do not stop that because of my inattentiveness I do not even know I ate a lot. While watching a movie I get bored - even if it is interesting and I am very invested in it. I get some snack and I will eat a whole bag not even knowing when that happened. This happens even if snack was some special offer that tasted bad.
Few examples I get bored and overeating:
- watching a movie - somehow movie is not enough stimuli for me
- after I eat my meal and I wait for others to finish (I eat exactly as twice as fast as my wife)
- when I am visiting someone and there is a food in front of me (conversation somehow is also not enough stimuli)
- random parts of the day - usually if I have to wait.
No standard recommender diet practices worked in the long run (portion control, mindful eating, intermittent fasting, healthy eating, building a healthy lifestyle/routine…) Especially those based on building routine failed the most.
Do you have similar issues? Do you have a strategy that works in the long run? Have you successfully substituted eating for other stimuli?
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The only thing that solved that for me was finally getting medicated. A lot of adhd meds curb appetite. So that plus the extra executive function makes it a lot easier
I’m medicated, still waiting for the loss of appetite while I know someone who has to stop taking meds to regain weight
If you’re prescribed stimulants, you should feel the loss of (over) appetite the very first day. If you’re using food for emotional comfort or as a coping mechanism, stimulants may actually increase your appetite. I used food for comfort/coping and boredom so I had to stop stimulants while I dealt with deep-buried emotional trauma. But even a decade later, if I have a really stressful week at work, no stimulant medication is going to prevent me from (wanting to) devouring a tub of ice cream over the weekend. P.S. if you have even a little bit of OCD, you can exploit that to keep yourself focused and engaged between meals.
Yeah food is full of dopamine 😕