ADHD and weight loss

Hi there. 25-year-old ADHDer here with also depression and anxiety. Diagnosed at 18 when I started college. My mom also knew I was smart but off in some way but unsure what some to find out its ADHD. SW very similar to yours and I'm 5' 9" if you are wondering.

Anyway somethings I do differently. I don't know if I do them differently or not because I have no idea what everyone else does but somethings that work for me

1. I also get on the scale everyday
2. Making things as easy as possible. Open a bag of veggie chips and put them on the food scale in individualized bags. Another example is I work 3- 12 hour days each week usually in a row, the day before I work I get my food situation in order so it takes no thought before work to make healthy choices.
3. Eat slowly and try to pick up the individual flavors in a dish. Helps me to eat slower
4. Never talk on the phone, watch TV while I eat. Really enjoy the meal.

Best of luck to you

I'm a mum of 3 grown up kids , one son with ADHD, OCD and anxiety.
I'm a friendly, listening ear if you need a chat.
My heart goes out to those of you in other countries who feel they would be better on medication but can't afford it, thats really sad.
My son chose to come off his medication at age 18 he is now 23 , he still has issues of course.
His main issues are eating junk food and finding it hard to sleep.
He burns off a lot of energy with an outdoor physical job and that would be one of my recommendations for you guys too get lots of physical activity in, so that when you come home you can properly rest and not feel strung out and wired.
Stock up on lots of easy, quick, healthy snacks.
Pitta breads, apples, hummus, peanut butter, bananas, yogurts, oatcakes for when you get the munchies.
Some healthy ready meals in your freezer and keep some baked potatoes in your fridge they can be done in the microwave in 10 minutes with various toppings, tuna sweetcorn baked beans etc

I was diagnosed with ADD (without the H) when I was in the 3rd grade. I got put on good old fashioned Ritalin (This was the 90's). I remember feeling like I could pay attention better, but it made me SO calm my mom took me off of it. Fast forward to my adult years. I am 99% Certain I have adult ADD. I feel like I should be multitasking constantly, thinking about several things at once, and if I do not have a routine I start many things at once and finish maybe half of them. I often have a hard time with time management and am easily distracted. It has affected my work performance in the past, as well as managing my time in general life. I have never been to a doctor for it as an adult. But there are things I do that help me maintain my focus.

I kept a "time management" journal a few years back. For about a week, I wrote down literally everything I was doing and how long it took me to do it while I was at work. Did this waste a bunch of time? Probably. But it helped me see where I was getting distracted and wasting my time at work. This also helped me see how much time it SHOULD take me to complete things VS how much time it was actually taking to complete them in. This could apply to daily life as well.

I invested in a day planner and wrote down EVERYTHING I wanted to accomplish for the work week. I got highlighters and color coded everything by priority. (High, Medium, Low, etc) This helped me to know which tasks to prioritize instead of just starting whatever, getting distracted and then beginning a new task. I could refer to my planner to see what I was doing and get back on task. If I got anything new from management that needed to be done I would write it down and repeat it back to them. If I don't, I only remember 30-50% of what I'm told. I even write down every word if I'm doing something like making a doc appointment.

Since I began this it helped me establish routines either in my day to day life or while at work. I have a job that's pretty much the same day in and day out, so I don't always have to be so detailed with my to do lists or even write one out at all. If I find myself not getting things done as fast as I would like, I start with the to do lists again and give myself time frames to complete tasks in. This could be applied at home too.


At home, I try to write down a meal plan at least for dinner weekly. (I admit I've been slacking lately though..) It helps me to remember to take out something to thaw the day before and create fewer excuses to eat out.

How do I apply the above to weight loss? This go 'round I broke it down into small goals. I began by just watching my portions. I wasn't even calorie counting. I did this for a month until it became routine, then added calorie counting, then I added exercise. I make it a goal to do something active or work out AT LEAST once a week. I do not have a designated time for this. But it allows me flexibility without becoming overwhelmed. The fact I have to do it once a week or more still establishes routine for me, but prevents the "eh, screw it" response if something comes up and gets in the way of a planned work out.

I still struggle to fit everything in in a day sometimes but the above has helped me immensely. I also drink a lot of coffee in the morning for that morning focus. I try not to drink caffeine past 12-3pm though. I have found if I drink TOO much, I can't fall asleep at night. I'll just lay there thinking about stupid stuff. It's like a TV surfing through channels but never settling on anything. I have also been known to take brain focus supplements if I'm feeling extra scatter brained. It could just be placebo effect, but they help me out sometimes. And I really try to make sure I get enough sleep. If I am slightly sleep deprived I notice my focus and attention is crap.

Sorry this was so long, but hopefully it helps someone out. Especially if they can't afford medication or are transitioning off of it for some reason.

I have ADHD but I didn't get diagnosed until last year. I am 28. I tried the keto diet a few months before my ADHD diagnosis and while I was in ketosis my ADHD symptoms were drastically diminished (even though at the time I just thought I was losing my mind). Maybe if you can handle it a ketogenic diet could help you control you ADHD? I wish i could sustain a keto diet because it treats my ADHD way better than medication does.

stacyemmynik wrote: »

I have ADHD but I didn't get diagnosed until last year. I am 28. I tried the keto diet a few months before my ADHD diagnosis and while I was in ketosis my ADHD symptoms were drastically diminished (even though at the time I just thought I was losing my mind). Maybe if you can handle it a ketogenic diet could help you control you ADHD? I wish i could sustain a keto diet because it treats my ADHD way better than medication does.

stacyemmynik wrote: »

I have ADHD but I didn't get diagnosed until last year. I am 28. I tried the keto diet a few months before my ADHD diagnosis and while I was in ketosis my ADHD symptoms were drastically diminished (even though at the time I just thought I was losing my mind). Maybe if you can handle it a ketogenic diet could help you control you ADHD? I wish i could sustain a keto diet because it treats my ADHD way better than medication does.

What did you KETO diet involve?

It must have been hardcore to get you into ketosis.

Apparently this diet was invented to treat epilepsy. Makes sense it would help with other neurooogical disorders.

I am 47 and got diagnosed 2-3 years ago. I need my routines and meal plans which have gone by the wayside. I’m just not feeling motivated yet AM feeling overwhelmed. Enjoyed scrolling through this thread to find ideas on how to help. To b honest I have been On so many meds to find the right one and I’m currently on adderall it help yet not enough.

mmmpork wrote: »

Sometimes healthcare providers will work with you to find medications that are covered, or they might have coupons or know about some resources. But yeah I hear you, my preferred medication, Vyvanse, is only covered by a handful of insurers because there is no generic option. That also means pretty steep copays even with the coupon my provider gave me. I use an FSA to cover it so at least it's pre-tax. For me it's not an option to be off my meds, I was diagnosed late in life (late 30's) after seeking treatment for issues that had been plaguing me my entire life and were starting to get worse. Basically I get very fatigued and lethargic, emotionally erratic, and am prone to anxiety attacks. I've also struggled with binging and food fixation, although not anything super extreme. The Vyvanse has been particularly effective at curbing that tendency.

My advice would be:

1) seek out CBT. Cognitive Behavior Therapy is about reprogramming your brain. So even if you can't take meds to manage your brain chemistry you can at least work towards self-awareness of when you might be engaging in dopamine seeking behaviors.

2) Exercise daily. Don't kill yourself but do 20-30 minutes of low impact cardio to get your heart rate up and your dopamine levels up. Even now that I'm medicated, I find the medication lasts longer and is more effective especially through the afternoon and during hormonal fluctations when I'm exercising regularly. On meds I can get away with every other day or every 2 days. Not on meds, you need to do it every day, no exceptions. You need those brain chemicals.

3) Use a low does of pseudoephedrine and caffeine on occasion when you find yourself really struggling. Before I was diagnosed, I was self-medicating with this combination to get through meetings and harder tasks at work. Using pseudoephedrine over a long period isn't really the best thing for you, so use it sparingly. Certain nasal spray decongestants are also stimulants and can be used to improve norepinephrine uptake. Again, don't go crazy here.

4) If you are prone to binging (like me), and you are not medicating, you cannot have certain foods in your house or else it needs to be locked up or in some way that you absolutely cannot get to it. Your brain needs dopamine and if you aren't producing enough, you are setting yourself up for failure by keeping stuff around that's gonna give your brain the dopamine it needs. Even now that I'm medicated I'm prone to binging before my period when my meds are less effective. My solution is to keep carrots and celery in supply at all times. No it's not as tasty as other things but the sensation of crunching and chewing seems to help whatever is triggering the need to binge. Carrots in particular are slightly sweet so that helps. Figure out what works for you.

Good luck and I hope you are able to eventually get treatment again.

I'm 37 and have ADHD and do not take medication but I do take a lot of herbs like ashwaganda and shilajit. I starting having smalls amounts of coffee but it makes me too wired. Chocolate is my main go to but it keep throwing off my macros! I'm doing all this work to log my food and then binge of chocolate and ruin all my progress. It really does help me focus. My nutritionist said just log your food for whatever you eat because I cannot engage in restrictive eating because I have a history of that and it triggers my binging. I'm trying to allow my chocolate cravings but they seem to just get worse. Any advice? My next idea is to just stop buying it completely.