Trying to diet. Is it ADD or no control? | ADHD Information

I don't have a weight problem due to ADHD - so that I can't relate directly to sorry. But - we are all slaves to our urges at one point or another.

We live to avoid anxiety. We do it all sorts of ways - we lie (to ourselves or others), we deny reality (make our own illusions seem terribly true to us), memory goes wonkers, we hide at home, etc. So eating to avoid anxiety? Can be very possible.

We get urges in the form of little voices - those ones everyone hears - but ours are a big nasty ornery hive of bees (ants, wasps hear different for others) in our mind. For me it was like a million TVs on different channels and I couldn't ignore even one!

The urges we can try and fight - but for most of us it's a loop - we fight - it gets louder. We fight harder - it changes tone and gets very convincing. I used to think I was balmy mad - but it is real check the forums here it's scarily real.

With therapy and meds (check with your MD) - you can tackle the urges and ADHD becomes your tool instead of your master.

Check out www.oneaddplace.com for tools to help - as well as a new one for me - www.addconsults.com - run by Terry Matlen - she's written a few books on ADHD for adults and kids and there's a lot of good stuff in her writings.

Most important - you're not alone. We here all have the same thing - welcome to the big dysfunctional family!

Hi!

I'm new to this board. I'm so relieved to find it and have been getting lots of help on the parents board.

I'm 39, mom to four year old twin girls, one with ADD. I was diagnosed for the first time this summer when DD was diagnosed. I see the same story here on the boards.

I'm trying to lose weight- again. I have an awful lot to lose. The big problem is that I'm losing the same weight I lost two years ago, and two years before that. I am certain I eat impulsively and compulsively.

All my life I've been beating myself up for multiple shortcomings and the ADD diagnosis explains a lot now. I was wondering if my weight problem could be linked to this in some way, too.

I don't want an excuse, just a more effective way to cope.

Has anyone here had weight problems they think might be linked to ADD? Has anyone licked it? How?

Thanks a bunch.

Just read about that in a book called Understanding Women with HD/Ad
said compulsive eating had something to do with not enough dopamine.
can't find it now, but will check back when you with I do.

Hi Friar,

I am not officially diagnosed yet (dr this friday - fingers crossed) so I am not on meds. As some posters already know, I own a small gym. It has been open 10 months now and I haven't lost a single pound and I am about 50 pounds overweight.

I came to my self diagnosis of ADD thru research into why I couldn't lose weight. I started thinking that my disease was that I was a compulsive eater (which I am). But, I don't fit snugly into the full description and symptoms of a compulsive or OCD person.

Then I thought, maybe I was depressed - but I don't fit into that either and that led me to the ADD thing - which is such a relief that I finally fit into something. I score high on every evaluation I've ever come across.

As CHJOnes said, there must be a cause for this compulsive over eating and in my self analysis I started writing down all my memories revolving around food. I'm turning it into a book, because some of the anecdotes are quite funny and my members love it - but I digress. Anywho, it was then that I realized - I never suffered any trauma as a child - I just ate (high sugar foods) compulsively and in the closet because I was always in Lala land, maybe had a little secretive ODD in me (if my parents told me No, I would sneak it anyway), it was impulsive and as I grew (older and wider) it came to have a calming effect on my brain - either I would eat to help me get my thoughts in order or to escape them.

Now of course, I think sometimes my overeating comes as a way to punish "someone" either myself or my husband or something - and as illogical as that is - I have a hard time fighting it.

I just want to say that I don't ever notice any difference in my moods AFTER I eat (except depressed that I ate like a pig), so even though 8 times out of 10 I go for high sugar or high carbs - it does nothing to calm me or help me focus. But the simple act of eating is what does it for me. that constant motion of using my hands and then chewing is what I think I really like to do - that is my medication with the unwanted side effects of having to actually put food into my mouth and eat it. (I hate chewing gum, so that won't work for me).

So, that's my story. thanks for posting you question - it was something I wanted to ask but never got around to it, and I didn't see anyone else having that problem. started to think I was alone on that issue.

I feel like my ADHD causes me to overeat. I usually get distracted and then wander around, and settle on eating something in the kitchen. It helps to get my mind on something, my mind needs to keep going.

I have been helped a lot by the exercises in the book Stopping ADHD. I am trying to see if my grazing habits will stop with the increase of the exercises. So far they have helped me with organization, memory, and sitting still.

hey friartub

well adderalll and ritalin can work slightly like speed-like meds which can also be appetite suppressants so that could help anyway.

as for the eating being connected, i can see that --- it is all part and parcel of all these semi-destructive behaviours and a general restlessness of the soul damaged through over-sensitivity or bad love or whatever.

i DO think (and i am in a minority here) that ADD has a very deep root cause, and i think the same is true of over-eating in SOME cases and i do think it is important to try to address that cause. Adderall et al are excellent symptom suppressants and for some can be the key to retraining their brains to stop thinking in such a negative, destructive pattern... however, for many, they work as nothing more than a suppressor --- never getting to the root cause. and that is where i would like to get to and that is where i should imagine your eating compulsion comes from too.

so if i find a cure - i'll let you know!!!! (don't worry i am not materialistic - i won't start charging 10 billion dollars for the privilege)

there are many other cases such as large Nigerian/Polynesian women et al where there is no root cause and nothing wrong at all, they are happy as they are, and admire their full womanly figures and all the rest.... so it is not necessarily a problem, i don't mean to imply that, but it can be - it depends on the circumstances.

but the adderall should be particularly effective for you in that it will help you control your urges and also take away your appetite on top of it! a win-win situation - huh?

chjones38649.9684259259

Hi & welcome!

I've always been really thin - but I don't have any kids & I'm still (for now) in my 20s. I am into fitness, though, & I do have eating concerns with ADD.

For me, I forget to eat because I spend too long on things & miss lunch time & then can't walk out of work in the middle of the afternoon. Thus, what happens? I eat out of the machines. Lawyers have very nice machines w/ a huge selection. The food in them, however, is what you'd find in any machine. By the time I have realized I am hungry & missed lunch, I am so starving I want everything & end up eating Hostess cupcakes et al.

Also, I cannot eat in front of the TV or doing anything at the same time. I will pay no attention to what I eat. I could eat the napkin. I do the same thing when I am on the telephone & eating. Trying to make eating its own event is really important for people with attention problems. I also think keeping an eating journal helps.

Working out is the best tip for ADDers. It helps me sleep, makes me feel more connected to the world, keeps me on a schedule, & makes me more concious about how I treat my body - especially how I eat. If you have a lot to lose, don't focus on exercise for weight loss at first - just focus on the mental effects. You'll feel more clear, etc. I had a friend who was obese & had ADD & it was a concern to her doctor because stimulant meds affect your heart. She had to actually gain weight before she lost any, because she was so out of shape she didn't have enough muscle. She's been successful.

Good luck!

wow dj - sounds somewhat like me! Except I haven't figured out the 'don't eat and do something else' bit. I am always biting my inner cheek - causing pain, blood and sores (ouch). A klutz even now LOL.

Exercise is always good advice! It does 2 things - burn calories and burn excess energy. Good stuff - glad to see your input!

Another reason ADHDers eat so much is because I type in pink.

Hey chJo,

My ADHD has a deep root, too!

It goes back to ADDam's fall...
[QUOTE=chjones]i do wish fat people wouldn't beat themselves up all the time.

it's not as though thin people have to make an effort to be thin, we just have fast metabolisms. [/QUOTE]

OMG!...I thought you said thin people have fat metabolisms!!!
[QUOTE=omalley]

I started using hoodia a couple weeks ago and found it to be amazing. I just found this article if you want to read about it. It really does kill the appetite. I'm not sure why more people haven't heard about it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/2947810. stm

[/QUOTE]'

OMG!...I thought you said hooka! Hmmm, that may work pretty good for me...

Hey guys - just found this on newscientist site - think it's relevant.

Obesity linked to attention disorder

MANY obese adults may be finding it hard to stick to diets or exercise plans because they suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Behavioural psychiatrist Jules Altfas from the Behavioral Medical Center for Treatment and Research in Portland, Oregon, studied 215 obese adults and found that 27.4 per cent of them had ADHD, compared with only 4.7 per cent of the general US population. And when the group with the most extreme form of obesity took part in a weight-loss plan, those who didn't have ADHD lost more than twice as much weight as those with ADHD, he reports in BMC Psychiatry (www. biomednetcentral.com/1471-244X/2/9).

"The ADHD sufferers couldn't remember their diet plans...They were disorganised and ate impulsively," says Altfas. Treating the ADHD could help them lose weight, he suggests.

From issue 2365 of New Scientist magazine, 19 October 2002, page 26Whew! That's a relief. I'd rather it be ADHD than a deficiency in Fat Metabolism...

No wonder I don't eat on stims, but stuff when I'm an ADDer...
I thought you'd be interested.

I think she grew her own under black lights... [QUOTE=valzap]David - I read somewhere that cymbalta causes a lot of people to gain weight. Maybe that's your problem based on my other post and your response. [/QUOTE]

Thanks, valz.

That frustrates me b/c my doc said it wouldn't. He's been innaccurate a couple of times now.

At least he's cut it in half, and I really like the extra focus I get from the Wellbutrin. Only problem is forgetting to take my pm dose, b/c all my othermeds are 1/day. I'll have to ask if they have an XR version.

I'm gonna document my calories now, too, and my exercise. I think Steve was right, that there should be an equation of calories in / calories out = gain or loss.

Another thing to forget to do...
[QUOTE=omalley]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/2947810. stm

[/QUOTE]

omalley that article said it won't be available for a couple of years, where did you get yours?
[QUOTE=Davidornado][QUOTE=valzap]
At least he's cut it in half, and I really like the extra focus I get from the Wellbutrin. Only problem is forgetting to take my pm dose, b/c all my othermeds are 1/day. I'll have to ask if they have an XR version.

There is an XR version - I take it - once a day - Wellbutrin's stops lots of the 'blinks"
It's great.
[QUOTE=Davidornado] [QUOTE=omalley]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/2947810. stm

[/QUOTE]'

OMG!...I thought you said hooka! Hmmm, that may work pretty good for me...
[/QUOTE]

I hear hookas are great exercise

that is great news. It makes sense - if I can't stick with a project on a regular basis, how in the world can i expect myself to stick with a proper nutrition plan. That is not an easy thing for me. Very hard to break the cycle of improper nutrition, but I know once I can get there i can do well.

David - I read somewhere that cymbalta causes a lot of people to gain weight. Maybe that's your problem based on my other post and your response.

[QUOTE=Davidornado] [QUOTE=chjones]i do wish fat people wouldn't beat themselves up all the time.

it's not as though thin people have to make an effort to be thin, we just have fast metabolisms. [/QUOTE]

OMG!...I thought you said thin people have fat metabolisms!!!
[/QUOTE]

Down with Jonesie for being an insensitive troll!

Davidzap (ha, that's my husband - when did we get married? Did I forget that?)

You can go to any site on the web and look up your BMR (basal metabolic rate) they all vary just a tad, but here is a site:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

I'm thinking that since you live in iceland now (you move around an awful lot), you could always go crosscountry skiing - that's excellent exercise.

Playing ball with the kids is great too. but whatever activity that you consider exercise that you partake in during the week, you should increase the duration and the effort of it. So, if you ride your bike, go an extra mile, pedal faster etc. Add some challenges. You need to get some form of activity (apart from your usual day) for at least 30-40 minutes.

Thanks Valzap.

Where's your gym? I could use losing a pound a week. For 52 weeks.

Nah, I can't do gyms. Too boring. I prefer outdoor activities. What do you suggest? I usually play ball with the kids, or frisbee, or take walks, or ride bikes. I really would love to get back into soccer. I was in the best shape then. Even at 30 I'd smoke the younger set. I was always one of the first gringoes picked for a team. Of course they all had individual skills better than mine, but I played intuitively, and had stamina.

So how do I determine my daily calorie needs? And how do I deal with the light headedness I feel when I'm low on blood sugar? Or is it a missconception that it's low blood sugar? That feeling disappears after I eat.

Thanks,

Davidzap

David,

3500 calories is the magic number. If you eat an additional 3500 calories over what you need to burn, that is a pound gained.

If you eat 3500 calories less than what you need to burn, that's a pound lost. There is a calculation, which I don't have handy at the moment, to determine what you need to eat for daily living. What we do with the women at my gym is find out what their BMR is (calories needed) and subtract roughly 500 calories from that. Most of my women need to be on 1200-1600 calories. For men, you'd be higher - I'd say 2000 on average. Add exercise and hopefully, that's a pound lost per week.

But, now you have to take a lot of other things into consideration - like the medications. Some people can't lose even if they starve themselves due to whatever drugs they may be on.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/2947810. stm

i do wish fat people wouldn't beat themselves up all the time.

it's not as though thin people have to make an effort to be thin, we just have fast metabolisms. if you have a slower metabolism you get a bit fatter --- that's ok.

if you have an emotional problem - then maybe you get TOO fat and that is something you have to work on, not due to the fatness itself but because there is an underlying unhappinness or cause that needs to be addressed. otherwise give yourselves a break.

but i gotta admit that the sizes of the portions here in the US are ginormous, how can you not get fat if you eat all that. they put down a plate that could feed a family a four and when you eat a quarter of it and are full --- they think you didn't like it???

it's completely crazy. you might try slightly smaller portions in your restaurants, i guess - the waste!!

besides apparently with some of these chickens from those fast-food places. they give them growth hormones so that at three months they are the size of a huge two year old hen. and conspiracy theorists say that these hormones can get into your body and try to make you huge in the same way but as you are already fully-grown you just grow outward instead.....

i don't know if that is true by the way. i read it somewhere and it kinda stuck in my head. but it sure wasn't from a scientific, reputable source btw!

i never eat fast-food anyway. eurgh - disgusting! yuk. who would want to eat a burger like that or those horrible chicken things --- yeurgh makes me feel ill just thinking about it... why is that more tasty than an orange or a melon for example. i don't get it?

a melon is far nicer, fresher, sweeter, tastier.

isn't it?

than greasy stuff like that --- if i eat that stuff, i feel as if i need to have a shower all greasy and dirty and yuck disgusting. i hate fast-food.

Oh, yeah! Like we miss the details, and are too impulsive.

Weight management takes a lot of time managment and organization. I think there is a huge connection between weight and ADD. Like so many other things many weightloss programs are set up for non-add people.

Working with a coach who understand both ADD and weight issues could be very helpful. A coach could help you to fine tune a weightloss program that works with your specific brain wiring.