I think a few days ago I noticed a correlation with increased ADD symptoms and eating a lot of crackers, lol. And protein: I've totally noticed it helps add as well. Thanks for the great post, h82diet!
McPerson38772.6606018519I think the atkins diet has a lot to offer, but I have a number of friends who tried it and found that they couldn't stand the headaches, bad breath and wind. There is also concern that getting large amounts of energy from protein may be bad for you, check out this article http://www.inch-aweigh.com/dangeratkins.html. Personally I have found the GI diet (http://www.the-gi-diet.org) to be useful in controlling body weight but it still requires discipline, like any diet.Hi,
I'm new here and so I don't know if this topic has been beaten to death or not but i thought I'd mention it since it worked so well for me.
I decided to go on Atkins for a month and I lost 20lbs right away. I knew when I started that I would go off it beacuse it's not all that healthy for you and I had constipation problems. However, I also noticed that my ADD symptoms were improved dramatically. It was absolutely facinating how I didn't need my meds at all. I felt fantastic, could concentrate very well, I never got tired and my moods were nice and level. I kept up the Atkins for about 6 months (I didn't lose any more weight because I ate too many calories per day... it's not true that you can eat an unlimited amount of no carb foods and still lose weight) just because I loved the way I felt. As I added carbs, my symptoms worsened to the point that I started taking the meds again.
I'm currently experimenting with low glycemic diets to see if keeping the blood sugar stable is the answer or if it was the ketone bodies you get from Atkins that did the "trick." Either way I was just astonished at the effect diet had on my symptoms. It has been IMPOSSIBLE to get my daughter to go on anything even remotely like a low carb diet which would be great because then I could see if it worked on her too.
has anyone tried this for their ADD/ADHD?
I posted this on the alternative forum too...
Yes, I also notice a huge improvement in the way I feel and function when I'm not eating a lot of carbs - I don't do strict Atkins but I do watch the carbs and it helps me a lot.
I used to snack on candy and sweets all day long and ate desserts a lot, too - I was having trouble with my blood sugar going up and then getting really low (plus I was fat!) so I did the lower carbs to help with that, and like I said, it has helped clear my mind quite a bit and I can tell the difference. I do still take stimulant meds, though, but the combination of the meds and the diet and getting better sleep has helped me a lot. I just started fish oil too, so we'll see how that goes.
I don't have sugar or refined carbs at all (such as pasta or bread, but yes brown rice). Some carbs are good and necessary. Being thin is worth everything. I've never felt this good! Don't forget exercise. That's key, imo.OlderMom38755.3929861111I do find that my adhd son and I feel better if we eat protein at every meal - less fuzzy. Also, too many carbs (like a night at IHOP) make him come down off the sugar too fast, leaving him listless and down.Hi OM, that's amazing that your colesteral went up because when I was on Atkins is went WAY down, same for triglycerides. Interesting. The more I get into nutrition, the more complicated I can see that it is and how everyone responds differently.
Congrats on such a great weight loss!
Hey :) I did Atkins for two years. It worked great at first and I felt very good. THen I hit 150 lbs. and couldn't lose anymore, no matter how much I followed the diet and worked out an hour a day. My cholestral also rose dramatically. I quit Atkins, went on a traditional diet, and went from 150 to 117 (I still work out almost every day). I personally didn't notice any attention differences on either diet. I have a very poor attention span, although my dx. is bipolar, not ADHD (I probably also have ADHD). I compensate with stick-it notes and try to do one step at a time. I can't multi-task. I hope you find your answer. I would not encourage your daughter to do Atkins. It's not very safe. You ingest tons of fat. OlderMom38755.2666435185