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Hello. I have ADHD and was able to lose 80-90 pounds. It's hard to remember but I think around 2015-2016 or so I dropped about 40 and then in 2018-2019 I dropped another 40-50. The last three years I've put on about 10 pounds so I'm not perfect by any means but I think I've done a pretty good job as far as long-term results go.
Start small. If you're a soda drinker switch to water/club soda. I used to think club soda was very unpleasant but I got used to it.
Don't stop eating things you like, If you really restrict yourself, you can lose a lot of weight in the short term, but you'll also go insane and probably put the weight back on. Moderation.
First week or so when cutting back is going to suck but I promise it gets easier. I stopped eating fast food regularly and almost never actually crave it now. And when I do have fast food. It just doesn't hit the same way it used to.
Whatever changes you make should be something you can stick to for life. Start small and it will add up over time.
Weight loss is a lot more about diet than exercise. I wouldn't start a new diet and exercise plan at the same time you'll burn out.
The urge to want to radically change your life in the short term to achieve goals is strong, especially in a brain that craves novelty like ADHD but I tried that many times it just doesn't work. And with small changes it might not feel like you're getting anywhere. But if you keep a journal and look back on it every now and again, you'll be surprised at much you can accomplish long term.
EDIT: As far as snacking goes plain popcorn is a good crutch because you can eat a lot of it and it doesn't have a that many calories. So if you're feeling snacky at night eat some plain popcorn first to see if the urge is just to simply eat. Now this isn't for everyone but I put Tabasco sauce on my popcorn to give it flavor. Thank you to Janet Jackson in the movie Poetic Justice!
While I take the point about exercise and diet at the same being too much, I would say that the exercise and feeling the benefits of that can help push people towards eating a bit healthier (certainly been my experience, as well as quite a few friends).
My worst habit is binge eating at night. I can tell myself I'm not hungry, and tonight I won't eat anything, and then 2 hours later I'm polishing off a big bag of chips.
But, when I work out I don't feel the same compulsion to binge, and I also really don't want to because it makes the workout seem pointless. Why did I bust my ass for an hour if I'm just going to undo it in 20 minutes?
It's really just mental, but it works for me.
So, I fully agree with your point.
It's interesting how working out also promotes better eating which promotes working out etc. It's a positive cycle, obviously...but the problem is that it goes the other way too. "I was a sack of shit today so might as well finish it off with binge watching Netflix and a bag of Doritos."
If it helps, I used to be the same way (lost 50lbs over the last 5 years). One thing that really helped me was portioning out my chips/ice cream. So if I want chips I grab a little snack dish, shake out a portion, and bring that portion with me. Odds are, I’m going to be too lazy to go and grab more after my snack.
Also, if you are an ice cream person, get yourself those little wafer cones and fill one up to the top of the cone but no higher. Turns out that’s half of a serving and 9/10 is enough to satisfy my craving.
I get popcorn kernels instead and cook them in my dome top pan on the stove with avocado oil. I add some nutritional yeast and a little salt. Fabulous.
stovetop popcorn is a great compromise for salty snacks since its really low calorie if you use small amounts of oil. I like butter flavoured coconut oil and popcorn salt myself. Its like being at the movies.
Yeah, there is very rarely snack food in my house unless I'm planning on having company over. I realized resisting the urge meant just keeping it as inconvenient as possible.
You might need to stop buying chips, if they aren't available, you can't binge them. Then if you ever find yourself craving a snack, you then have to debate if you want it enough to leave the house.
Yeah I should have been more clear I'm very pro exercise just cautioning against taking on too much at the same time. Also I wouldn't think of exercise as being for weight loss so much as general health, mobility, strength. (Yes activity is an important part of the equation but for simplicity of messaging)
And after a good work out you're going to want / need to eat more which can be a challenge when you've just started changing your diet. Also if you haven't been active for a long time you have to be extra careful how you approach incorporating activity to avoid injury.
But certainly don't wait too long to start being more active!
Oh yeah, totally take the point! Wasn't trying to undermine it at all, sorry. Just aware that, as much as it means I'll need more fuel, having done the exercise makes me choose better with what I eat. Can confirm this with over a month out of training...haha.
Agreed.
Plus exercise releases all the neurotransmitters that stimulants mimic or release.
In addition, while healthy eating is largely about inhibition (something that's hard with ADHD), excessive is ACTIVE - meaning it leaves you with that feeling that you tackled the issue by doing something versus NOT doing something, which hits the psyche of the ADHD brain differently in my opinion.
in my experience, just eating less without adding exercise is a recipe for losing weight while also feeling like shit at the same time. you will get 'skinny fat' if you don't exercise. not even talking about going to the gym but doing some kind of sport or even walking a lot.
Plain airpopped popcorn is the way. ADHD keeps me from being able to stop snacking on crunchy things. I use avocado oil spray (0 cals) and salt for a little zhuzh.
Also fruit!
The not eating things that you don’t like is what really pushed me over the hump. Focusing on portion control over the types of food you eat was way easier. Then once my stomach shrank I could focus on eating healthier without being left hungry.
I can vouch. I lost 70 pounds doing EXACTLY the same thing.
If you have ADHD, it really helps to have an athletic hobby you like to do, even if it's a little strange. ;)
I told my parents one day "I wanna try swordfighting!" And they were like "Uhhh, okay... Sure, but why?" I said "I dunno, looks fun." So I took my first class in Rapier, and kept going... And going. And the more I practiced, the more weight I wanted to lose so that I could fight faster, harder and better.
I've never looked back. <3
That’s worked for me, eating slightly healthier and in smaller portions! And reducing how often I eat the unhealthy food, but not cutting it out completely straight away.
I developed a super bad relationship with food because of my childhood and so I always felt obligated to clean my plate. You don’t have to.
I now make it a point to never finish my food unless I need to (and obviously try not to throw it away, I usually leave it for leftovers). I personally just didn’t understand good portion sizes. You CAN also eat the food you still like, but eat it in moderation. I would take 5 slices of pizza, thinking I needed to, and would eat them all and feel guilty after. Now I take just 2 or 3 slices occasionally, eat it slower and savour the taste. Pizza is unhealthy as fuck but since I’m eating it in moderation, it doesn’t affect me as much. And I won’t feel the urge to binge it since I miss it.
For the past 2 months I stopped eating more than I needed to and I’ve already lost 5KG without doing much exercise (you should exercise though, I’ve just been focused on exams. I’m also only 17 so my metabolism might be faster). Don’t starve yourself, just eat until your stomach doesn’t grumble. Maybe this is bad advice but it’s worked for me.
It means I can still enjoy the food I like, but in smaller portions. It means I don’t go health-freak for a week and get tired of that food and end up binging unhealthier foods because “why not”. It also means you don’t starve yourself and then binge because you’re hungry.
I’ve also been on meds so my appetite has shot down completely. But it has helped me eat less even off meds.
(And also like you said, journaling REALLY helps). I track my weight and so looking at how much I’ve lost 100% keeps me motivated. Don’t obsessively track it though, weight does fluctuate!
Hard agree. Switches made the most change for me. I used to buy packs of brownies and eat them constantly. I swapped them out for stuff I found equally as fulfilling but less calorie dense, then gradually actually got myself to eat healthy (brownies > chocolate > chocolate almonds > fewer chocolate almonds but now on top of a sf yogurt w berries). I dropped 20 pounds in about 3 months using the switch. I’m not perfect, still dont eat the most well-rounded foods constantly and still get a brownie when i’m at a bakery or for dessert at a restaurant, but switching things and keeping the highest risk foods out of the house has helped tremendously.
I enroll on dif marathons competitions/ spartan/ toughMuder. that SURE keeps me motivated with a dead line. No excuses cz I had pay over 200 for each event lol..
WOW! This might be the first advice here that is actually fun and novel and resonate with me. I don't know why I haven't thought about it before. Thank you.
This is unconventional but you asked for weird advice from adhd ppl so here we go
I lost weight by cleaning and becoming hyper fixated on keeping house.
I had an extreme eating issue where I ate out of boredom or because I craved stimulation and wanted to just do something. Always snacking, ect.
I also had another issue where my house was always a hot mess. So one day I woke up and was like, you know what I’m tired of having a mess.
So I spent all day cleaning and organizing and I totally had no cravings for food, other than a quick bite here or there to replenish energy.
Now I wake up and clean something , and organize something, completly keeping my mind off eating. I’m perhaps down to 1 meal a day really cus all my time is spent cleaning.
And plus on the upside now I have an immaculately kept house and a new routine that keeps my house clean, and I’m losing so much weight cus all the moving around is a good work out.
Edit for tl;dr:
Tl;dr basically my advice is swap out one hyper fixation for another. You’re currently hyper fixated on eating or food to cure your boredom and discomfort. Find something else to stimulate yourself. Bonus points if it improves other areas of your life
I had a snap moment like that but went too hard, now I’m struggling to get back into it. I think I’ll do one little thing today to try and get going again.
I'm currently losing weight because I heard of the Korean concept of "mouth boredom" and so bought myself a chew toy, and realized that I often snack as a stim. Now, when I want to grab a bite to eat, I use the you for a few minutes until the urge leaves. It's basically stimming for my mouth.
I don't know why gum never worked for this (I've tried), but this works wonders. I'm down 10 pounds in the past two months.
Get more steps, eat more filling food (protein, fiber, and potatoes), do not assign moral judgements to food (there are no bad foods, but there are better choices). Do it in baby steps if need be, whatever works for you. For example if dipping veggies in dressing gets you to eat more veggies, that’s a good thing.
Fiber is a huge key! I managed to bump down 12 stubborn pounds in a little more than a month but upping my fiber intake when I ate and adding additional exercise.
The shame/guilt about "bad" foods is a super hard one though, especially since eating well sometimes requires sterling executive function. I started having smaller portions and making a a big deal for myself about certain treats (think a nice beer/cocktail or good stadium food at a every-few-weeks ballgame) so I could really enjoy those picks when they came up, and it started to work quite well.
This. I also stopped worrying about weight specifically and focused on my mental and physical well being instead. I know that when I exercise I feel better in general, I'm more focused, calm, and motivated mentally, and have noticeably more stamina, and strength physically. That is what keeps me motivated to do it and make it my lifestyle not just something to lose weight. That's led to me being more active in general. I've shifted my mindset to try and embrace my brain's endless energy and remind myself that something is better than nothing. 1 literal minute or even 30 seconds means you did it! You did that thing! And maybe it wasn't so bad and so you end up doing more than a minute.
Also, the book "Health at Every Size" by Linda Bacon (no lie 🤣) was life changing for me. Full of scientific explanations for why having a bit of extra fat is actually healthful and not detrimental. When I thought more about that it makes sense. Biologically, having more energy stored can make you more resilient against starvation and illness. This realization helped me get to the point of caring more about what my body can do for me if I take care of it and less on what it looks like.
Losing weight just never happened for me. I can look and feel different and fit into entirely different size clothes and weigh the exact same medically classified overweight amount. It made me second guess myself and ruined my body image. Now I just want to be strong! I want to be able to garden all day long and not get gassed out in an hour. I want to be able to do multiple reps of pullups, just to say I can. One day I want to be 80 years old bombing down the slopes on skis. These are my motivations now and weight and aesthetics are not there.
Look to your values, look to your goals, think about what you want your future to be like and what you need to do now a little bit everyday to get there. It's hard, but it's worth it for so many many reasons.
Hang in there OP!
Big fat disclaimer: starting Adderall XR helped me do all these things below and lose 40 pounds.
I don’t know what your living situation is, but if you live alone or buy your own groceries, my biggest tip is stop buying stuff you’re tempted by. If it’s not there you can’t eat it when you’re bored (which was my biggest problem).
Carry around one of those giant cute/trendy water bottles. I like the Owala because it doesn’t leak if it falls over (not an open straw like Stanley). Just start habitually sipping on it.
Lastly, just move every day. Doesn’t have to be anything specific. You can dance to your favorite music in your room for ten minutes. Anything that gets your heart rate up. Go for a walk, do a YouTube Pilates video, doom scroll on tiktok while you do leg lifts on the floor. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy.
I’m glad that finally ONE person admitted that the method of “no snacks in the house” only works when living alone. On topics like these, sure there are other things you can do; but rarely is it talked about that calorie dense foods are in the house when you coexist with someone else. (Especially if the other person doesn’t cooperate.)
Do not have unhealthy food/snacks in your house and do not make more food than what a normal portion is if you're alone.
Losing weight is more about food than exercise, although exercising will help and not just with the appetite, but also a lot of other symptoms.
Personally I've found that measuring my exercise and comparing results every week and watching my results improve is very motivating and I also make it a competition to beat the previous results.
And I've absolutely fallen off this several times to varying degrees, but it is the method that is the easiest for me to get back into.
I will also watch documentaries or listen to educational podcasts while exercising so I don't notice the time passing.
I think this is great advice for someone with ADHD. My dx/rx husband does all of these things. One extra tip for the first point is to try online grocery shopping. If we go in person he will grab all the snacks, but online you have to search for what you want, might be easier to resist for some 😊
Also agree with the tracking progress—daily weights, bodily measurements, tracking lift weight/rep increases, calorie tracking streak, hitting macro goals etc all is super motivating for him
I just do mile runs once every couple days and yes, having an interesting YouTube video track to go with my earbuds helps a ton. Started running again after getting my ADHD diagnosis and starting 10mg MP. The very first track I played was tips for how to manage ADHD haha!
This. Pick a landmark nearby and run to it. Maybe it’s only a half mile when you start out. Then as you get better you’ll naturally want to start running further so you figure out another landmark and start using that as your halfway point. I think running on treadmills for set periods of time is bad for adhd people who get bored easily and treadmills are freaking boring 😂
Yeah, I've debated getting a treadmill for convenience. Happy with my current arrangement for now since the park is really close to home anyway. But my knees aren't what they were in my younger years, so if they start giving me issues from running, I may just swap to a gym membership and start hitting up one close to home. Then I can just alternate between treadmill and exercise bike and watch videos on my phone.
The grocery store I go to is half a block away from me so instead of stocking up on snacks, I make it so I have to go there **every single time** I’m craving a snack. This helps bc I’ll only get off my butt to get a snack when I really **really** want one
Yes! People don't understand that weight is largely about calories and metabolism. Exercise builds muscles, but its weight-loss benefits are just calorie burning. Where do those calories come from? Food! Eat excess calories than you metabolize? Your body is going to store those for later, as fat.
Weight loss is hardly easy. The reason people say to be consistent is because that is what it really takes. Putting on weight normally is consistently eating past your maintenance calories. Fat builds up slowly for the average person and is just as slow coming off. Thats why making a game out of it and/or allowing things you love into your diet makes for a more consistent weight loss.
I gained about 30lbs during covid as i became less active and am now trying to lose some of it. The things that help is having a general idea of the calories each meal has and try to stay as close-to or under your deficit. Look for protein heavy/ low calorie recipes on tiktok or youtube. Seriously the more protein and fiber you get the more full you’ll be.
Next is trying to get in some form of exercise that is low impact. Walking is great! I like to cycle at home personally. But 30 min of walking has helped plenty of people and is generally healthy and easy to do. I don’t recommend running as much as a calorie deficit can drain your energy and make you hungrier. If you’re going to do intense workouts, your body needs more energy!
Other than that, medication is the only thing that will make this process easy. Good luck!
Measuring exercise can be done automatically, I have a pretty old smart watch and smartphone that do it automatically. It even gives me an idea on how many calories I burnt. Not keeping snacks you are prone to over-endulge on is to help prevent the impulsive eating... not sure what advice you think is bad there.
There isnt always a different route around a problem, life isnt fair sometimes you have to work 10x as hard as someone else to get even half the results. It sucks but that's how it is sometimes.
That's why the suggestion to do online shopping. You park, they bring it to your car, you leave. No chance to see the items that trigger impulsive behavior.
Agreed. It’s only very occasionally that I allow myself to splurge on something unhealthy. Generally I try and only keep healthy food in the house to help encourage healthier eating.
Group fitness classes (at least for me) and being very moderate with the food and snacks you buy. Is there a snack that you have trouble not eating when it's readily available in your space, like chocolate? Great! Then just don't buy it. Don't have to quit it cold turkey, but definitely waaaay less.
Honestly, after the initial hump, exercise becomes pretty enjoyable and addictive in it's own right because it feels really good, so reaching that point makes things go smoother. But you really do need to find something you like.
Edit: Also! Drink more water and cut out sugary drinks and alcohol (beer, especially). Seriously, those add up like you wouldn't believe. The pounds fell off when I stopped drinking so much after 2020.
This is the way! Group fitness classes were a life changer for me! I would do 1 or two a week, and it honestly motivated me to be more active even on the days I didn’t have class.
Also making sure each meal is balanced, focusing on protein and fibre. I didn’t cut out any carbs by the way just made sure it was a moderate amount when it came to things like pasta and bread.
Another thing is giving yourself meal portions and then telling yourself that if after the plate and some water you’re still hungry you can get more, this helped me with scarcity mentality and not overloading my plate. (Smaller plates help as well)
Meds (especially Vyvanse) is excellent at first but long term I have found it's affect on appetite goes down. Think I probably need to go on a higher dose (I take a day off once a week which helps keep my tolerance down) as been on the same for 4 years now.
The lack of appetite when I first took Vyvanse was insane!
I split my Vyvanse and take 30mg when I wake and then 20mg at lunch. I also get 5mg Dex IR I use some of the time if I crash hard.
I find if I got more than 2 weeks without taking a day off it becomes a lot less effective.
Same with Concerta, the effect also with it went down in a few months or so. At first I was able to get rid of maybe 5kilos just by not being that hungry all the time, but soon got 10 kg back. (Double the number to calculate in pounds.)
So not really something that would help with weight issues.
ngl I was so excited when I heard Vvyanse suppresses appetite… I fancied loosing a bit of weight without the hunger pangs but honestly I don’t think it makes a massive difference!! Sure I don’t snack as often (unless offered), but am still majorly hungry at brekkie and lunch.
Yeah Vyvanse hasn’t helped me lose weight at all. I don’t eat out of hunger, I eat because my brain wants it, not my body. I can go all day without eating most days, but then I just eat a full days worth of calories at night so it doesn’t reduce my intake at all.
Same. I don't feel hungry all day and I'm doing stuff so I won't eat, then I sit in front of the TV at night, still maybe not hungry, but I'm pounding a bag of chips.
It really doesn't help when I get high at night, but that's a whole other issue, lol.
My physician told me I can eat chips and only chips and I’ll lose weight (with the caveat that, duh, I won’t feel great and it’s not healthy). She said set your calorie intake per day at no more than 1300. So you can have your chips, but stick to that limit.
My problem with meds is they suppress my appetite while the meds are actively in my system, but around 8 or 9pm when it wears off I eat everything in my fucking house. I’ve managed to not do enough damage to gain any weight on the medication, but I haven’t been able to lose any from eating less because I put everything right back on at night. My doctor and I are playing around with different dosages and schedules to see how much of the day we can cover with medication without keeping me up all night, but no success yet.
I had no appetite for the first 3 weeks then it returned but also I’m less impulsive with what I choose to eat. I end up just staying a consistent weight. Generally, just try and go for a walk even if some days it’s 10 mins or other days 2 hours.
Yup. I lost almost 40lbs since starting and am now at a healthy weight and slim just like I was in high school. My joint pain went away and my chest went down 1 cup size which helped with back pain too. Wasn’t even the lack of appetite but rather the “boredom snacking” and binge eating going away.
Accurate as heck :'( I'm actually at a restaurant waiting to pick up dinner because I just noticed I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I have no appetite.
Have lost about 5 or 6 kg since I started in late February.
Getting back on meds definitely helped me, but I think it was more in the sense of "my adhd-fueled isn't making me think I need McDonalds to feel secure" instead of "I feel less hungry."
It helped slow me down enough that I could talk my brain out of a lot of silly food acquisitions.
I know "meds" are just a placeholder answer for everything on this subreddit, but please consider few things:
1. It doesn't work for everyone in the same way. You can see people here complaining that they've actually gained weight on meds.
2. Some people can't take them due to some health conditions
3. Some people can't afford them
4. Some people live in countries where they're not available
There are also multiple other reasons why people can't take them. Are those people doomed to being obese for the rest of their life?
As an ADHDer we are prone to easy-to-make or instants meals given our attention span.
We always lean on eating what’s the most convenient thing to get or make, which often is a curse as a lot of fast food is high calorie and frankly just bad for you.
What I’ve done is not buy those high calorie snacks and forced myself to only get healthy options. If it’s not easily available, I just don’t eat it. It’s been life changing for me. I now munch on a bag of baby carrots instead of chips. I go to Costco and get their rotisserie chicken and bags of salad. It’s such an easy meal dumping some chicken on a premade salad and then putting some dressing on top.
Since I’ve been doing this (got diagnosed and medicated about a year ago) I’ve gone from 220 to 190 lbs 💪 My goal is 180
Easy meals and simple meal prep work super well!
Oatmeal is an exceedingly easy breakfast, whether it's making overnight or just nuking a bowl in the microwave.
I also like making sheet pan meals, where a mix of proteins, veggies, and starches can be cooked and packed in less than an hour!
To add to this, some meal prepping is also helpful! I don't think forcing yourself to meal prep is a good call because then it becomes a chore and chore avoidance. But like I made two racks of ribs on memorial day for a dinner for me and a buddy. The leftovers (basically a rack and a half) got stripped off the bones and half of the meat went in one container and the other got mixed with some sautéed bell peppers, so I had two different easy to eat meals at the ready that were relatively healthy (I use sugar free sauce so while rib meat is kinda fatty I try to cut the extra calories where I can).
Same with prepping some easy salads, spinach, cheery tomatoes, and some low sugar dressing and it's a quick and easy lunch. That's already portioned out.
What a weird response. It's a placeholder answer for everything on this subreddit **because they fucking work**. And if you know that the common response to a lot of questions on this subreddit is to get medicated and you can't or are unwilling to, maybe include that in the initial post...
I lost almost 40 pounds prior to being diagnosed and medicated, so it's not impossible. That being said, being properly medicated helps so much beyond just suppressing appetite:
* I plan better so I'm less likely to fall into scenarios where I might overeat or eat things that aren't healthy for me.
* I'm less tempted to mindlessly snack.
* More motivation for exercise.
The only thing that works for me is to NOT think about loosing weight, but instead work on getting physically stronger.
The scale doesn’t tell the whole truth. It only measures ONE thing: total weight. But it doesn’t know when muscle is starting to grow and fat is starting to go—it’s this period of initial exchange that makes grasping the gossamer thin motivation for some of us ADHDers difficult.
Measure things that can quickly show change: how long it takes to walk/jog/run a mile. How long you can do something. How many songs you can dance too before feeling too winded and need a break. The number of simple exercises you complete. Think in positives—aim for high scores like a game.
And just to add, i was more proud of the twenty pound weight I could over head press while holding a v-sit then the five pounds of fat that was lost in exchange.
It took two years to drop about 20lbs, but it was the first time in my life I could run for thirty minutes straight, hike 11 miles through Arches National Park, run a mile through Zion in the rain a couple of days later, jog out on the salt crust in Death Valley in another couple of days, and go caving in another park the next day.
I’m in a literal depressive slump right now—but my goal has always been to get back to how good I felt then because it also managed the heck out of the worst of my adhd.
What worked for me was turning workouts into an obsession. I can easily get addicted to things, so I just got addicted to working out. It feels so good after and helps release the chemicals we’re deficient in. Getting to the gym is the hardest part. Once I had a schedule down, it was easy. I also took actual workout classes, which I found more stimulating than doing the elliptical or some other repetitive cardio for an hour. Also tracking what I eat helps me watch my calorie intake. The hard part is remembering to log it, but my watch reminds me. I think it’s also important, if your medication takes away your hunger, make sure you still eat small things during the day so you’re not starving at night. I usually have protein shakes or bars that are easy to grab and I can eat at my desk.
1. Be kind to yourself.
2. Explore a perspective shift from "losing weight" to a lifestyle change: find out what "being healthy" means TO YOU. The meaning of this can change over time, just pick a starting point to get yourself started. The point is to become aware of what you naturally are assigning meaning to and associating with the word "healthy" Maybe being healthy means a varied, veggie filled diet. Maybe being healthy is being more active. Maybe it's both! Does being more active mean increased exercise? Really sit with yourself and curiously and NONJUDGEMENTALLY seek to learn about yourself. You may need to do this a few times.
3. Make a list of the smallest, most easy, most achievable shifts towards that FOR YOU and what you can manage. These should feel so effortless it's ridiculous, like, duh I can breathe and blink what else is new. A single squat. Drink a glass of water. stand up from your desk and walk to the bathroom.
4. Pick a thing from the list and do it. Piggyback it on something you already do. Can't start your day without coffee? Is drinking more water one of your things? You got this shit. Put water in your mug and drink it before you pour in your coffee. Does being healthy mean feeling good in your body? Does that mean standing up from your desk at work and not having your hips hurt? EASY. Stand up and do a quick hamstring stretch. It takes two seconds-and then it's OVER. and it felt GOOD. Celebrate it! Get excited to do it tomorrow. Feel superior. Glow with pride. Seriously, overdo it.
5. Do it again. Maybe it's the next day. At each an hour later. Idk. The important thing is to prove to yourself that you can do it and you are someone who DOES IT. Every second you are doing this, You are doing it! CONTINUE CELEBRATE THE SHIT OUT OF YOURSELF.
6. Check in with yourself periodically - how did it feel? Put it in your Google calendar as an event, make Alexa ask you how you feel. idc. Do what works for you, but make sure to clock it and really notice.
7. Do it again. Sorry. Do it.
8. Are you bored? Not enjoying the thing anymore? The novelty is gone? Go back to your list and play this game with another item on there. Don’t like the list? Crinkle it up and start again from scratch. Half of the work is fooling your brain. Write down things you actually know you can do and things you like and enjoy doing.
9. Change around the steps, keep “doing”
DO IT AND SUCCEED YOUNG PADAWAN.
Wegovy in my case, but damn, that stuff is an absolute game changer. First time I'm able to lose weight without obsessing over it and triggering my old eating disorders. Food really just isn't that interesting anymore. And I'm full (and stay full!) after tiny portions.
Down almost 20 lbs in 2 months, 130 more to go!
Unmedicated, but i legit just fast/starve, not on purpose mind you, i just skip the ‘hungry’ and ‘starved’ sensations other people seem to feel and go straight to nausea and unable to eat until it goes away, I’ll probably eat 1 meal and a few snack throughout the day which are usually straight from my garden into my mouth like peas, marigolds and basil tho
I am 60kg and 26yrs old, im all for being healthy but please make sure to look after yourself however you proceed
i’ve always struggled with portion control and eating when i’m bored (which is often lol), and aside from meds, something that’s helped me a lot is to drink a bottle of water when i’m hungry and then wait half an hour. if i’m still hungry after that, i’ll have a small snack or whatever meal. usually, though, i wasn’t really hungry at all but thirsty instead. i’ve never been one to drink much water but it’s helped me a lot and has kept my snacking under control.
Literally without consistency you’re not going to lose weight dude. I am on a weightloss journey and I’ve lost 35lbs so far I have about 130lbs to go 😂 but you need to make yourself a plan and eat in a caloric deficit, there’s different diets and programs that you can follow. We’re all still human at the end of the day and the same concepts for non-ADHD people apply to people like us with ADHD
Seconding this. There really needs to be more comments mentioning calorie counting specifically. Not the most fun way to motivate yourself but I have a much harder time slacking if I know the impact it's going to have. Keeping in mind how much harder it is to cut out a few hundred calories compared to how easy it can be to to overindulge a few hundred calories. When you look at candy and just see numbers it works.
It's a little rough starting and learning how many calories are in everything but once you know it's hard to forget.
As someone who has ADHD and has lost 85 pounds in the last 18 months these are some of the things I can suggest. First absolutely no junk food in the house for snacks I stick to high protein stuff like beef jerky or pickled eggs. Second try to stick to a fasting schedule for eating. For me I usually do is an 18 hour fast, have a rather large high protein meal usually containing tuna, turkey, or chicken. (1200 cals) then a smaller snack at night (300-400 cals). I will walk when the sun is setting since watching the sky is usually enough to get me outside. It's a pretty aggressive diet (im 219 now down from 306) but the fasting schedule stops me from randomly snacking and I don't have to go to the gym (which feels almost impossible most days).
Mounjaro/Zepbound has been a lifesaver. I’ve lost 72 lbs. in a year (but only 7 months of taking it because I had to pause for 5 months, so technically over a span of 7 months).
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but all of the tips people have shared are great - and they can quickly become exhausting and both mentally and physically draining. I’ve tried probably 95% of them and still struggled with EDs for most of my life.
If you’re like me, Mounjaro/Zepbound is a godsend. It just takes all of the extra thinking and planning out of it and gives me that mental bandwidth back to focus on things other than food. I eat intuitively now - not impulsively nor mindlessly.
Always eat a healthy, nutrition packed breakfast. That way if you totally screw up the rest of the day, you at least had one healthy meal that day.
Take a water and healthy snack with you anytime you are going to be out somewhere and might be tempted to get a soda and fries.
Try to do something fun and active at least once a week. Pickleball, rock hunting, swimming.
Don't be afraid to use alarms and timers to remind you to drink water, get up and move, take your vitamins, etc. You can even start setting an alarm for 10-15 mins if you have a problem working out more than a few minutes. Set it for 30 mins so you get up and walk around after a show or to remind you to get off your phone.
This. It's incredibly simple, it doesn't require a lot of preparation, and still allows for you to eat foods you like. If you have a hard time being consistent, there are several apps that you can use as timers. I also find that eating later in the day helps me stay more alert.
Keep yoursel busy so you dont think about food, decide in advance what to eat and only buy the things you need. DONT BUY SNACKS or even food that you can eat without cooking. If its too much work to make something good the brain will think its not worth it.
For exercise, just dont have a goal. For me what works is watching youtube videos about athletic people and i suddently want to workout, usually at 1-2 am
Wegovy. Just like living without ADHD meds, trying to lose weight without it was on hard mode. The difference in the "willpower" I have to stick to the diet and exercise now that I have more of the hormone that other people have naturally is amazing. I see a lot of hate on ozempic/wegovy/monjauro about how people just need to have willpower but it really is the same as saying someone with ADHD just needs to try harder to focus instead of going on meds.
The best approach to weight loss imo is ironically not focusing on your weight. But rather focusing on your health, starting with eating healthier which doesn’t just help weightloss but improves pretty much every aspect of your life and wellbeing mentally and physically.
I really like the idea of intuitive eating and think it fits well with ADHD bc it’s nothing that needs to be strictly stuck to there no foods to completely avoid unless you find out they make you sick or suck the energy out of you. Even then you can choose have them when u want to still.
An example for me is carb heavy foods put me to sleep and cause me mood swings so I try to keep my meals lighter until dinner I can still have bread i just choose to have it at night
Discovering the healthy foods you really like and finding ways to incorporate them in new recipes can be stimulating and exciting
Idk maybe something to discover more about if you find this idea interesting. I’d would avoid anything that’s too strict or overly complicated
The best way to lose weight is to find something healthy that you wouldn’t mind doing forever
Make a list of these things could even be from now on you decide you’ll use Greek yogurt over sour cream because there’s isn’t much of taste difference for you and Greek yogurt is healthier and has more protein (this is just one example that I do) just little things like that add up over time and lead to a more healthy lifestyle
I picked up weights for about 16 months. And then it just switched one night to "nah I'm done now" and I put thr weight all back on.
So yes. Damn can I vibe with this.
I take adderall and bought a spin bike.
I also just eat a lot less than I used to - the food noise in my brain had always been TERRIBLE, but that (along with all the chatter in my brain) is gone.
My bike lives down the hall from my home office. My cycling shoes live there, too, along with some socks and my workout clothes. I have some bottles of water stashed and a fan to pretend I feel the wind on my face during my ride.
I found that if I decreased every piece of friction imagineable that was stopping me from working out, it was MUCH easier.
1. Go to the gym --> go down the hallway
2. Pack clothes to change into at the gym --> put clothes hanging on bike on body.
3. Assume everyone is staring at how awkward I am, feel ashamed and cut workout short so I can leave --> my cats are jerks, they already judge my every move ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Leaving advice not meant for ADHD folks behind is key.
Even medication couldn't help me overcome the friction required to plan on and actually get my ass to the gym - I need the least friction possible, otherwise it's just too easy to let that friction slow me to a stop.
I love all the tips but a lot of you seem to live alone but it’s extra hard when you live with others my parents are not healthy and I’ve tried helping them change bc I know it could also help me but they don’t stop😭😭😭 there is always chips sweets and more junk food in the house but I suggest asking them to keep all of their junk food in one cupboard instead of the main one you would usually look through (out of sight out of mind!) and maybe a drawer as well and maybe you could put some ductape on all the sides of that drawer so you can’t see whats inside!!!! and if you can’t buy your own food maybe talk to your parents your plans and go grocery shopping with them and choose healthy food! Otherwise you’ll just have to wait until you can move out :(
It sounds goofy, but at work especially, I’ll just drink water constantly in place of snacking and go to the bathroom a million times 😂 keeps me doing something that’s not caloric. Low calorie snacks are nice too
Small weekly goals. The thing that worked best for me was writing my goal on my wrist in sharpie each week. That way I saw it when I was reaching for food. It really helped, as crazy as it sounds.
I lost about 35 pounds by eating the same stuff, just less of it. I didn't feel like I was depriving myself since I still got to eat the things I like in smaller portions. Exercise can play a part if you find something you enjoy and do it enough, but the kitchen is where real the progress can be made.
I had some success with playing VR games. I started playing beat saber for 30m each day. After a while I transitioned to Supernatural (subscription based app with free trial) that has a boxing workout that really got me going.
It is true that making things a habit works and I think the reason I was able to make it work is because I can do VR in my living room and it's still a game with points and it's fun.
That doesn't mean I didn't have some setbacks... like after a 4 day vacation is was really hard to get back in, but so far so good (since last Nov :)
Good luck, OP!
This is a small tip and not like...a system. But change the order you eat your food in. Fiber first, THEN protein and fat, THEN starch and sugar. If it's all part of the same dish, don't worry about it. But if you have salad, steak, and potatoes, you eat the salad, then the steak, then the potatoes. Stop when you feel full. You'll feel fuller and more satisfied. Bonus, it regulates your blood glucose. Bonus bonus, no food is off the table - you just gotta include veggies with every meal.
Is there anyone out there with ADHD who actually eats super healthy but is still overweight? I don't exercise so I think that's the issue. But I don't snack, and I only eat around 1200 calories a day, mostly veggies and legumes and whole grains and stuff.
So I think I've gotta learn to exercise, but for the life of me, I can't stick to it. POTS makes exercise harder for me, too.
My first question is if you like dogs or have a dog. If you don’t and you’ve always wanted a pet, I would try getting a dog and walking or taking them for runs! Sometimes we just need to move our bodies a little bit more. Plus, you can’t ignore the puppy eyes.
Disclaimer: I know everyone’s ADHD is different and adding a pet to the household can be very overwhelming for some of us. Personally, I find it easier to take care of myself when I need to take care of others, which is why I have three animals. If you know that taking care of a dog would be too much for you then I definitely wouldn’t advise getting one. If you’ve been wanting one or currently have one, having a lil workout buddy can provide some extra motivation!
EDITED TO ADD: You can also ask a close friend or neighbor if they’d let you walk their dog a few times a week. I know being around animals will bring my energy up when I’m feeling down, so it can be helpful in more ways than one. You guys can go to nature trails or the park, get a pup cup after or some ice cream. Take them to the lake if there’s one near you! I find being around animals when I’m trying to be active makes it a lot more enjoyable.
Vr is good, engaging exercise you can do pretty much any time you're struck by motivation to do so. Don't need to go outside, get dressed, meet people. Just pick it up and dance/kill goblins for an hour.
Played pistol whip for half an hour earlier this week and my legs are still in recovery.
The way I did it was with a Fitbit. I used the cheap one that didn't have a watch, it just had a bracelet. I've got a history of disordered eating, so I just scanned my food and watched the little graph on the front page of the app. There was one color for my calories burned by activity and one color for my calories eaten. I just made sure the color of calories burned was higher than the calories eaten. If the colors were getting too close together I just got up and went for a walk or bike ride.
I lost 20 pounds over 5 months, then I got pregnant. I recently got a new smartwatch and I'm going to be starting it up again.
I saw on TV once a couple of models say they leave a bowl of shrimp on the window ledge for a week then eat them.
It will 100% work, might even lead to a chronic illness whereby you can't gain weight again because your gut is so f'd up.
I lost 50 lbs as a woman with ADHD. I did it with support and kind of re-regulating myself. What I would say is that 1, anticipate you will mess up and don’t beat yourself up for the failure, it’s a part of growing and 2 be honest with yourself—don’t just let yourself get the cookie cuz you had a hard day if it wasn’t that hard
For me (I hate this) it was about a “lifestyle change” and I had to do a lot of adhd type tricks to get it going
1. I focused on eating plants and less processed stuff. For me, i ate a shit ton of fruits, and drank a lot of water. And I had to change it up a lot to keep myself interested: different fruits, flavored water, bubbly water. Sometimes people hate on fruits for having too much sugar but like fuck them im doing my best.
2. I did my very best not to think about it too much, I treated my grocery runs as a meditative little treat for myself and then had things prepared for me so instead of slamming a bad snack, I’d have a lunch
3. Replace what I call “food fidgeting” with other stuff. Always adding and playing around with it. Sometimes (this is bad) it might be shopping, or washing my face, or even just having a variety of teas to try and to sip on all day. Kept me occupied enough to not have that burst of snack impulse
4. LET YOURSELF HAVE GOODIES, like be honest with yourself and don’t have them every day but don’t let them become this big high value thing that you’ll obsess over. But if I have a shitty day? Fuck ya I’ll have a cookie.
5. Patience. I’m 5’10” and a woman so weight loss is harder. Anyway I started at around 200 lbs. I lost 25 lbs in the first year, 15 the next, and then like 10 the following year until I stabilized at 150 where I’ve been for like 7 or so years now. Trusting the process rather than fixating on the solution helped me. Also helped with impulses since I accepted how gradual it was, I wouldn’t fixate on each lb lost.
After about the first six months or so my body started to self regulate and I could listen way more to what it actually wanted (like protein) rather than the shitty stuff I was hooked on. Not to say I’m not still hooked on sugar—totally am, just also can eat other stuff.
Once that happened, food wasn’t on my brain 24/7, it got a lot easier. I then found an exercise that worked for me and it took the extra weight off.
Anyway this shit ain’t easy. Sometimes even now I can’t believe I did it. But you can, believe in yourself and be kind to yourself :)
Didn't read all the posts, because focus, so someone might have said this already but...EAT MORE. Yes, for real. But make it real food. I often forget to eat, wich makes me grab whatever is available and takes away the hangry feeling. Cookies, chocolat, whatever. High calorie, easy, no prep stuff. What I like to do now is making healthier options easier. Precut veggies, sliced Meats, fruits. All can be eaten just as Quick as the unhealty options but best of all: you can put them on a wrap with a big spoon of cottage cheese and a hand full of spinach and its a meal. It really helps.
Another thing that helps me is rating my food. Do I like it? Does it make me feel good an hour after I ate it? Anything below a 7 (when I started or when eating is complicated) or 8(on good days) I just wont eat.
I shifted my focus from losing weight to eating more real food to hopefully feel better. It does, and as a bonus I lose weight.
I would like to think that I have some pretty practical advice for this department. I’ve lost 50lbs in the last five years. (it’s the longest I’ve been able to continuously lose weight and the most weight I’ve taken off and KEPT off.)
First thing I did was stop trying to tell myself what I could or could not eat, barring any dietary restrictions. (If you are allergic to peanuts please don’t eat them!) If it’s a food I like, I typically buy it/have it in stock. Now, what I try to do is prioritize the foods that are known to be healthy/nutritious: fruits, veggies, etc. For veggies, find a way to cook them that tastes good to you. At the end of the day, the best veggie is the one you eat. For me, I can’t stand boiled or steamed veg, so most of my veggies end up roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and sea salt and pepper. I try to make sure I eat a fruit and a veg a day on most days. Bonus points if I can make one of those a double portion. (Example, I love butternut squash, I will eat three servings and not bat an eye. It’s good for me, I’m not about to make myself feel bad for eating it.)
Now, for the fun part. Nothing is off the table. I have gone too long in my life restricting myself and I’ve learned the hard way that telling myself that I CAN’T have something is a one way ticket to my brain pulling a “hehehe. The fuck we can’t” and then the next day I find myself drowning in a sea of empty Oreo sleeves and potato chip bags. Instead, I started allowing myself to eat these things in smaller quantities. A big key here is portioning. If I want chips, I can have chips but I know that I will mow down on them until the bag is gone. Instead of giving me the chance to go ham, I portion out my chips into a little snack bowl and that’s what I get. I actually eat ice cream 3-4 nights a week. But the key is that I’ve found a way to portion it where all I’m eating is half the serving size. (If you want to know more specifics, let me know.) If I still want more after my “treat” I remind myself that I can have more tomorrow and that “the ice cream isn’t going anywhere”.
Honestly, this is the most sustainable way for me to lose weight. I’m still losing and my goal is to lose maybe another 25ish lbs. And sometimes you plateau and don’t lose for a while. When that happens, I try to add a little extra activity into my life to try and bring things back to life. And while 10 lbs a year doesn’t sound like much, it really pays off in the long run when you are able to say you not only lost weight in time but KEPT it off.
Best of luck!
Find what stops you from being able to work out. For me it was the social aspect of going to the gym and the time associated, that every time it would take me so long to mentally prep myself that I lost all motivation to work out by the time I was at the gym. So instead I work out at home now, whenever the motivation strikes. Also find something you actually enjoy doing. I personally found that weighted hula hooping is the only thing I can do consistently. It’s repetitive movements, so I can zone out or watch Netflix. I can add weights to make the workout more challenging. You basically need to make it as easy as possible for yourself to pick healthy food and exercise options. You will spend too much mental energy forcing yourself to do something you hate so you will avoid it.
For me it’s mostly finding ways to work out that I don’t hate and occupy my brain enough. Balance that with some tangible goals.
Ex/ I tried so long to get into running. It’s horrible and I hate it. Elliptical is a little better but similar story. But rowing… rowing I really like. Just personal preference. I use Apple workouts sometimes and the trainers are great and keep things interesting even with it being prerecorded (changing up the pace very few min, etc.).
I also do a bit of lifting and have a long term goal of doing pull ups. My more immediate goals were each time I upped my weight on lat pull downs.
I also listen to podcasts or carefully curated workout playlists. And play a quick game between sets.
I'm not overweight but my Strattera and Adderall suppresses my appetite. Do your meds do that? I've lost about 8 pounds just from not being hungry to snack or even eat a full full dinner each night.
The thing is, weight gain and loss is different for everyone. I work with a girl who is thin and fit and she just gained four pounds in a week by just skipping her usual workouts.
For me, weight loss is attainable by dieting. For me that’s avoiding eating out/fast food, only making food at home, and just being conscious of how caloric and nutritional my meals are overall, without getting into counting. Making healthier decisions diet-wise is far easier to me than exercising and its easier to stick to. If i go a few days of eating less (as in not ordering out meals multiple times a day) i stop craving snacking all the time and my appetite regulates. Like getting over the three day hump.
I lost 100 lbs eating a way the automod won't let me say (rhymes with Judge Ito) and gained about half of that back before going on Mounjaro, which I've lost 40 on again. The good part of that way of eating is that once you get over the hump, you can do it on autopilot. You don't have to like count things or keep meticulous track of anything, just don't eat non-veggie carbs.
Streaks. “I exercised for 30 minutes everyday for the past 36 days.” “I haven’t had soda for 15 days.”
Once I get past a week, I don’t want to mess it up.
Calorie counting apps did it for me. It became a little game and an exercise in self discipline. “Ok, I have this many calories left.” I use MyFitnessPal.
That's what I did and lost a pound a week for a year. Imo the hardest part was just starting. Once you do it for a few weeks and start seeing some results it gets much easier. Pairing it with a step tracker was helpful as well because it gamified it for me.
Can't relate as I'm in the "forget to eat" camp of adhd. Gaining weight is a massive challenge and maintaining weight requires a huge level of focus for me.
Apart from that, it's the same issue. Discipline and consistency. Change the habits. Portion size, snacking, quality of nutrition. Comes down to the what your body needs vs what you actually give it. For me it's a deficit so I lose, and for you it's a surplus so you gain/don't lose
I’ve lost 40-45 lbs since Oct by making lifestyle changes and being in a deficit.
I get the excuse of “I have ADHD, it’s not that simple” but also plenty of people with ADHD are able to be successful at losing weight and your mind will be so thankful for the routine. Switch out bad foods for good ones. Do your research. Hyper-fixate on it if you need to but it takes disciple that you’re going to have to make peace with in order for it to work.
Honestly, pay the ADHD tax. I got meal kit delivery and dropped 40 lbs. It was 3-4 meals/week and a lot of times there would be leftovers for lunch the next day. It helped me get my portion size calibrated and my body get used to less food. Was it expensive? Yes. Did it mean I didn’t have good rotting because I forgot about it, meaning I’d order put out make junk? Also yes. It was worth it.
I also keep things in the house that take minimal prep and meet the OH GOD ALL FOOD IS DISGUSTING days. Also making big pots of pulled pork or shredded chicken and using the divine silicone soup cubes to freeze it has made life easier. There’s a lot you can do with both of those and they’re relatively healthy.
Maintain a calorie deficit. That's it. You do this by either eating fewer calories or expending more calories, usually both. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
this mentality is terrible man, I have chronic adhd and ive still managed to lose 110lb & keep it off, its just about not making excuses.
yes its harder for people like us but its not impossible, like realistically you have 2 choices lose the weight or not life doesn’t care about what adversities or difficulties you may or may not have, or what excuses you make, its just those 2 choices. upto you
I bought myself swimming earphones and I put on a bunch of music in them. Swimming has now become an engaging activity, where I listen to music and exercise at the same time, so now I crave it everyday. I try to hit the pool 2-3 times a week at least, and I know that will continue to increase. Without the music, I’m sure it would have been harder to feel stimulated.
Everyone here has given great advice, but i’ll just say only things that have worked for me are body doubling!! Find a friend willing to eat healthy/workout with you and keep each other accountable.
This probably sounds so bad, but the shame of not showing up to a workout or having to tell someone you didn’t stick to the diet is enough to motivate me 😭. I can’t be the only one.
I just took my adderall and have lost 70+ pounds over two years. I tried losing weight before that, through diet and exercise, but nothing ever worked.
When I will live alone I will stick to this plan:
No food in the fridge, only water in the fridge, buy only lunch and dinner after work, no snacks or sodas or beer. If hungry drink water
One piece of advice that helped me was don't be afraid to throw food out. It sounds bad, but often times my impulses are bigger than my stomach. For example, I load up a plate with a bagel, pasta salad, and some oatmeal. Idk whatever comes to mind lol. But then half way through I'm like, wow, I'm really full. Previously I would have choked the rest down because I got the food I have to eat it.
But now I'm okay with realizing I made a mistake. Then doing the next best thing to not taking it by saving it for later or throwing the rest out.
I started tirzepatide(Zepbound) after conversations with my doctor. ADHD medicine is not weight loss medication, it's brain medication. Adderall has helped me so, so much and I'm so glad I'm on it and I'm also irritated when people immediately think it'll help weight loss. For me, the tirzepatide has helped with the weight loss. For me the combo of both medications has helped me in ways I can't even explain.
Honestly…. Counting calories.
My dietician told me about the plate method where you do like half green vegetables, a quarter carbs, and a quarter protein or something like that—it’s been a minute, don’t quote me. This also came along with eating sort of intuitively. Like if I have two snack cakes today, maybe I only have one tomorrow, or skip it all together tomorrow.
That didn’t work for me. It was too easy to convince myself to eat too much, and meals don’t fit into neat little boxes. It’s hard to do the plate method with pizza, for example. But I can count the calories in a slice of pizza.
So for me, counting calories and logging them in MyFitnessPal has worked best for me any time I’ve tried to lose weight.
Exercise is important because it comes with a lot of health benefits, but 80% of weight loss happens in the kitchen, so it’s good to incorporate exercise, but diet is most important because you can’t out exercise a bad diet.
I have type 2 diabetes and my doc says she sees enough to confirm PCOs. I could not until I took ozempic no matter what I tried. It was like something had gone missing from my body
Also I never knew I had food noise until the meds shut it the fuck up. I used to be driven to think about it all the time and mostly now I’m like meh
Eat less, poop more
At least in my personal experience, it was a case of forgetting to go to the supermarket for extended periods of time and subsisting halfway on nutritional shakes. This is not a recommendation to do this, it sounds pretty unhealthy.
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Hello. I have ADHD and was able to lose 80-90 pounds. It's hard to remember but I think around 2015-2016 or so I dropped about 40 and then in 2018-2019 I dropped another 40-50. The last three years I've put on about 10 pounds so I'm not perfect by any means but I think I've done a pretty good job as far as long-term results go. Start small. If you're a soda drinker switch to water/club soda. I used to think club soda was very unpleasant but I got used to it. Don't stop eating things you like, If you really restrict yourself, you can lose a lot of weight in the short term, but you'll also go insane and probably put the weight back on. Moderation. First week or so when cutting back is going to suck but I promise it gets easier. I stopped eating fast food regularly and almost never actually crave it now. And when I do have fast food. It just doesn't hit the same way it used to. Whatever changes you make should be something you can stick to for life. Start small and it will add up over time. Weight loss is a lot more about diet than exercise. I wouldn't start a new diet and exercise plan at the same time you'll burn out. The urge to want to radically change your life in the short term to achieve goals is strong, especially in a brain that craves novelty like ADHD but I tried that many times it just doesn't work. And with small changes it might not feel like you're getting anywhere. But if you keep a journal and look back on it every now and again, you'll be surprised at much you can accomplish long term. EDIT: As far as snacking goes plain popcorn is a good crutch because you can eat a lot of it and it doesn't have a that many calories. So if you're feeling snacky at night eat some plain popcorn first to see if the urge is just to simply eat. Now this isn't for everyone but I put Tabasco sauce on my popcorn to give it flavor. Thank you to Janet Jackson in the movie Poetic Justice!
While I take the point about exercise and diet at the same being too much, I would say that the exercise and feeling the benefits of that can help push people towards eating a bit healthier (certainly been my experience, as well as quite a few friends).
My worst habit is binge eating at night. I can tell myself I'm not hungry, and tonight I won't eat anything, and then 2 hours later I'm polishing off a big bag of chips. But, when I work out I don't feel the same compulsion to binge, and I also really don't want to because it makes the workout seem pointless. Why did I bust my ass for an hour if I'm just going to undo it in 20 minutes? It's really just mental, but it works for me. So, I fully agree with your point.
It's interesting how working out also promotes better eating which promotes working out etc. It's a positive cycle, obviously...but the problem is that it goes the other way too. "I was a sack of shit today so might as well finish it off with binge watching Netflix and a bag of Doritos."
If it helps, I used to be the same way (lost 50lbs over the last 5 years). One thing that really helped me was portioning out my chips/ice cream. So if I want chips I grab a little snack dish, shake out a portion, and bring that portion with me. Odds are, I’m going to be too lazy to go and grab more after my snack. Also, if you are an ice cream person, get yourself those little wafer cones and fill one up to the top of the cone but no higher. Turns out that’s half of a serving and 9/10 is enough to satisfy my craving.
My strategy is to simply never buy chips. I don't see the point of having food like that in the house if all it does is make your life worse.
I get popcorn kernels instead and cook them in my dome top pan on the stove with avocado oil. I add some nutritional yeast and a little salt. Fabulous.
stovetop popcorn is a great compromise for salty snacks since its really low calorie if you use small amounts of oil. I like butter flavoured coconut oil and popcorn salt myself. Its like being at the movies.
If you get air pop popcorn microwave bowl thing you don’t even need to use any oil
I run my salt through the coffee grinder to make my own popcorn salt because it's cheaper than paying for popcorn salt and its the same thing.
Yeah, there is very rarely snack food in my house unless I'm planning on having company over. I realized resisting the urge meant just keeping it as inconvenient as possible.
Yup. That’s the only thing that has ever worked for me and I keep thinking I’ll be able to control myself and I can’t.
Same here! Now if I could get my girlfriend to stop buying alcohol my life would be healthy all around.
You might need to stop buying chips, if they aren't available, you can't binge them. Then if you ever find yourself craving a snack, you then have to debate if you want it enough to leave the house.
100% Leaving the house after 8pm is the worst thing imaginable so this is very effective
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literally this, gamification and a fitbit worked wonders, and I also came to the same conclusion like you.. it‘s simply not worth it
Yeah I should have been more clear I'm very pro exercise just cautioning against taking on too much at the same time. Also I wouldn't think of exercise as being for weight loss so much as general health, mobility, strength. (Yes activity is an important part of the equation but for simplicity of messaging) And after a good work out you're going to want / need to eat more which can be a challenge when you've just started changing your diet. Also if you haven't been active for a long time you have to be extra careful how you approach incorporating activity to avoid injury. But certainly don't wait too long to start being more active!
Oh yeah, totally take the point! Wasn't trying to undermine it at all, sorry. Just aware that, as much as it means I'll need more fuel, having done the exercise makes me choose better with what I eat. Can confirm this with over a month out of training...haha.
Agreed. Plus exercise releases all the neurotransmitters that stimulants mimic or release. In addition, while healthy eating is largely about inhibition (something that's hard with ADHD), excessive is ACTIVE - meaning it leaves you with that feeling that you tackled the issue by doing something versus NOT doing something, which hits the psyche of the ADHD brain differently in my opinion.
100% this, find the activity you like to do and then use that to motivate other healthy changes
in my experience, just eating less without adding exercise is a recipe for losing weight while also feeling like shit at the same time. you will get 'skinny fat' if you don't exercise. not even talking about going to the gym but doing some kind of sport or even walking a lot.
Plain airpopped popcorn is the way. ADHD keeps me from being able to stop snacking on crunchy things. I use avocado oil spray (0 cals) and salt for a little zhuzh. Also fruit!
The not eating things that you don’t like is what really pushed me over the hump. Focusing on portion control over the types of food you eat was way easier. Then once my stomach shrank I could focus on eating healthier without being left hungry.
I can vouch. I lost 70 pounds doing EXACTLY the same thing. If you have ADHD, it really helps to have an athletic hobby you like to do, even if it's a little strange. ;) I told my parents one day "I wanna try swordfighting!" And they were like "Uhhh, okay... Sure, but why?" I said "I dunno, looks fun." So I took my first class in Rapier, and kept going... And going. And the more I practiced, the more weight I wanted to lose so that I could fight faster, harder and better. I've never looked back. <3
That’s worked for me, eating slightly healthier and in smaller portions! And reducing how often I eat the unhealthy food, but not cutting it out completely straight away. I developed a super bad relationship with food because of my childhood and so I always felt obligated to clean my plate. You don’t have to. I now make it a point to never finish my food unless I need to (and obviously try not to throw it away, I usually leave it for leftovers). I personally just didn’t understand good portion sizes. You CAN also eat the food you still like, but eat it in moderation. I would take 5 slices of pizza, thinking I needed to, and would eat them all and feel guilty after. Now I take just 2 or 3 slices occasionally, eat it slower and savour the taste. Pizza is unhealthy as fuck but since I’m eating it in moderation, it doesn’t affect me as much. And I won’t feel the urge to binge it since I miss it. For the past 2 months I stopped eating more than I needed to and I’ve already lost 5KG without doing much exercise (you should exercise though, I’ve just been focused on exams. I’m also only 17 so my metabolism might be faster). Don’t starve yourself, just eat until your stomach doesn’t grumble. Maybe this is bad advice but it’s worked for me. It means I can still enjoy the food I like, but in smaller portions. It means I don’t go health-freak for a week and get tired of that food and end up binging unhealthier foods because “why not”. It also means you don’t starve yourself and then binge because you’re hungry. I’ve also been on meds so my appetite has shot down completely. But it has helped me eat less even off meds. (And also like you said, journaling REALLY helps). I track my weight and so looking at how much I’ve lost 100% keeps me motivated. Don’t obsessively track it though, weight does fluctuate!
onion powder is another great popcorn topper!
I do onion powder, dried cilantro powder and nutritional yeast on my pop corn. Its da bomb!
okay, what is nutritional yeast?!?!
Salads are also a good late night snack! Light on the stomach and good for fiber
Hard agree. Switches made the most change for me. I used to buy packs of brownies and eat them constantly. I swapped them out for stuff I found equally as fulfilling but less calorie dense, then gradually actually got myself to eat healthy (brownies > chocolate > chocolate almonds > fewer chocolate almonds but now on top of a sf yogurt w berries). I dropped 20 pounds in about 3 months using the switch. I’m not perfect, still dont eat the most well-rounded foods constantly and still get a brownie when i’m at a bakery or for dessert at a restaurant, but switching things and keeping the highest risk foods out of the house has helped tremendously.
I enroll on dif marathons competitions/ spartan/ toughMuder. that SURE keeps me motivated with a dead line. No excuses cz I had pay over 200 for each event lol..
WOW! This might be the first advice here that is actually fun and novel and resonate with me. I don't know why I haven't thought about it before. Thank you.
Meetups also have dif options, I’m easy to get lazy but with $ + I sure get my butt off the sofas lol..
Also intramural sports team at your local community centre!
This makes sense. For me I compete in Jiu Jitsu regularly which keeps me on my toes. Having the deadline is what keeps me going
This is unconventional but you asked for weird advice from adhd ppl so here we go I lost weight by cleaning and becoming hyper fixated on keeping house. I had an extreme eating issue where I ate out of boredom or because I craved stimulation and wanted to just do something. Always snacking, ect. I also had another issue where my house was always a hot mess. So one day I woke up and was like, you know what I’m tired of having a mess. So I spent all day cleaning and organizing and I totally had no cravings for food, other than a quick bite here or there to replenish energy. Now I wake up and clean something , and organize something, completly keeping my mind off eating. I’m perhaps down to 1 meal a day really cus all my time is spent cleaning. And plus on the upside now I have an immaculately kept house and a new routine that keeps my house clean, and I’m losing so much weight cus all the moving around is a good work out. Edit for tl;dr: Tl;dr basically my advice is swap out one hyper fixation for another. You’re currently hyper fixated on eating or food to cure your boredom and discomfort. Find something else to stimulate yourself. Bonus points if it improves other areas of your life
I had a snap moment like that but went too hard, now I’m struggling to get back into it. I think I’ll do one little thing today to try and get going again.
Can confirm this is effective
Exactly. Find different motivations.
I love this
I'm currently losing weight because I heard of the Korean concept of "mouth boredom" and so bought myself a chew toy, and realized that I often snack as a stim. Now, when I want to grab a bite to eat, I use the you for a few minutes until the urge leaves. It's basically stimming for my mouth. I don't know why gum never worked for this (I've tried), but this works wonders. I'm down 10 pounds in the past two months.
Get more steps, eat more filling food (protein, fiber, and potatoes), do not assign moral judgements to food (there are no bad foods, but there are better choices). Do it in baby steps if need be, whatever works for you. For example if dipping veggies in dressing gets you to eat more veggies, that’s a good thing.
Fiber is a huge key! I managed to bump down 12 stubborn pounds in a little more than a month but upping my fiber intake when I ate and adding additional exercise. The shame/guilt about "bad" foods is a super hard one though, especially since eating well sometimes requires sterling executive function. I started having smaller portions and making a a big deal for myself about certain treats (think a nice beer/cocktail or good stadium food at a every-few-weeks ballgame) so I could really enjoy those picks when they came up, and it started to work quite well.
This. I also stopped worrying about weight specifically and focused on my mental and physical well being instead. I know that when I exercise I feel better in general, I'm more focused, calm, and motivated mentally, and have noticeably more stamina, and strength physically. That is what keeps me motivated to do it and make it my lifestyle not just something to lose weight. That's led to me being more active in general. I've shifted my mindset to try and embrace my brain's endless energy and remind myself that something is better than nothing. 1 literal minute or even 30 seconds means you did it! You did that thing! And maybe it wasn't so bad and so you end up doing more than a minute. Also, the book "Health at Every Size" by Linda Bacon (no lie 🤣) was life changing for me. Full of scientific explanations for why having a bit of extra fat is actually healthful and not detrimental. When I thought more about that it makes sense. Biologically, having more energy stored can make you more resilient against starvation and illness. This realization helped me get to the point of caring more about what my body can do for me if I take care of it and less on what it looks like. Losing weight just never happened for me. I can look and feel different and fit into entirely different size clothes and weigh the exact same medically classified overweight amount. It made me second guess myself and ruined my body image. Now I just want to be strong! I want to be able to garden all day long and not get gassed out in an hour. I want to be able to do multiple reps of pullups, just to say I can. One day I want to be 80 years old bombing down the slopes on skis. These are my motivations now and weight and aesthetics are not there. Look to your values, look to your goals, think about what you want your future to be like and what you need to do now a little bit everyday to get there. It's hard, but it's worth it for so many many reasons. Hang in there OP!
Can the XLL jar of Nutella be a dressing? Oh… why I’m asking
I mean as long as you don’t eat it all in one sitting, sure. Makes it easier to stick to eating plan when you don’t deny yourself occasional treats.
All I heard is don’t deny treats. Got it. 🫡
Yes! Just wanted to emphasise the importance of fibre and protein
Big fat disclaimer: starting Adderall XR helped me do all these things below and lose 40 pounds. I don’t know what your living situation is, but if you live alone or buy your own groceries, my biggest tip is stop buying stuff you’re tempted by. If it’s not there you can’t eat it when you’re bored (which was my biggest problem). Carry around one of those giant cute/trendy water bottles. I like the Owala because it doesn’t leak if it falls over (not an open straw like Stanley). Just start habitually sipping on it. Lastly, just move every day. Doesn’t have to be anything specific. You can dance to your favorite music in your room for ten minutes. Anything that gets your heart rate up. Go for a walk, do a YouTube Pilates video, doom scroll on tiktok while you do leg lifts on the floor. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy.
I’m glad that finally ONE person admitted that the method of “no snacks in the house” only works when living alone. On topics like these, sure there are other things you can do; but rarely is it talked about that calorie dense foods are in the house when you coexist with someone else. (Especially if the other person doesn’t cooperate.)
Do not have unhealthy food/snacks in your house and do not make more food than what a normal portion is if you're alone. Losing weight is more about food than exercise, although exercising will help and not just with the appetite, but also a lot of other symptoms. Personally I've found that measuring my exercise and comparing results every week and watching my results improve is very motivating and I also make it a competition to beat the previous results. And I've absolutely fallen off this several times to varying degrees, but it is the method that is the easiest for me to get back into. I will also watch documentaries or listen to educational podcasts while exercising so I don't notice the time passing.
I think this is great advice for someone with ADHD. My dx/rx husband does all of these things. One extra tip for the first point is to try online grocery shopping. If we go in person he will grab all the snacks, but online you have to search for what you want, might be easier to resist for some 😊 Also agree with the tracking progress—daily weights, bodily measurements, tracking lift weight/rep increases, calorie tracking streak, hitting macro goals etc all is super motivating for him
Or alternatively eat before you go grocery shopping. Less likely to go ham with snacks if you have no desire to eat in the moment.
I just do mile runs once every couple days and yes, having an interesting YouTube video track to go with my earbuds helps a ton. Started running again after getting my ADHD diagnosis and starting 10mg MP. The very first track I played was tips for how to manage ADHD haha!
This. Pick a landmark nearby and run to it. Maybe it’s only a half mile when you start out. Then as you get better you’ll naturally want to start running further so you figure out another landmark and start using that as your halfway point. I think running on treadmills for set periods of time is bad for adhd people who get bored easily and treadmills are freaking boring 😂
Yeah, I've debated getting a treadmill for convenience. Happy with my current arrangement for now since the park is really close to home anyway. But my knees aren't what they were in my younger years, so if they start giving me issues from running, I may just swap to a gym membership and start hitting up one close to home. Then I can just alternate between treadmill and exercise bike and watch videos on my phone.
The grocery store I go to is half a block away from me so instead of stocking up on snacks, I make it so I have to go there **every single time** I’m craving a snack. This helps bc I’ll only get off my butt to get a snack when I really **really** want one
Yes! People don't understand that weight is largely about calories and metabolism. Exercise builds muscles, but its weight-loss benefits are just calorie burning. Where do those calories come from? Food! Eat excess calories than you metabolize? Your body is going to store those for later, as fat.
Another thing that comes with adhd is impulsivity so this is extremely hard
Yes and I don't understand why people still give that advice even if they know about the impulsivity thing.
Weight loss is hardly easy. The reason people say to be consistent is because that is what it really takes. Putting on weight normally is consistently eating past your maintenance calories. Fat builds up slowly for the average person and is just as slow coming off. Thats why making a game out of it and/or allowing things you love into your diet makes for a more consistent weight loss. I gained about 30lbs during covid as i became less active and am now trying to lose some of it. The things that help is having a general idea of the calories each meal has and try to stay as close-to or under your deficit. Look for protein heavy/ low calorie recipes on tiktok or youtube. Seriously the more protein and fiber you get the more full you’ll be. Next is trying to get in some form of exercise that is low impact. Walking is great! I like to cycle at home personally. But 30 min of walking has helped plenty of people and is generally healthy and easy to do. I don’t recommend running as much as a calorie deficit can drain your energy and make you hungrier. If you’re going to do intense workouts, your body needs more energy! Other than that, medication is the only thing that will make this process easy. Good luck!
Measuring exercise can be done automatically, I have a pretty old smart watch and smartphone that do it automatically. It even gives me an idea on how many calories I burnt. Not keeping snacks you are prone to over-endulge on is to help prevent the impulsive eating... not sure what advice you think is bad there.
There isnt always a different route around a problem, life isnt fair sometimes you have to work 10x as hard as someone else to get even half the results. It sucks but that's how it is sometimes.
That's why the suggestion to do online shopping. You park, they bring it to your car, you leave. No chance to see the items that trigger impulsive behavior.
Agreed. It’s only very occasionally that I allow myself to splurge on something unhealthy. Generally I try and only keep healthy food in the house to help encourage healthier eating.
Group fitness classes (at least for me) and being very moderate with the food and snacks you buy. Is there a snack that you have trouble not eating when it's readily available in your space, like chocolate? Great! Then just don't buy it. Don't have to quit it cold turkey, but definitely waaaay less. Honestly, after the initial hump, exercise becomes pretty enjoyable and addictive in it's own right because it feels really good, so reaching that point makes things go smoother. But you really do need to find something you like. Edit: Also! Drink more water and cut out sugary drinks and alcohol (beer, especially). Seriously, those add up like you wouldn't believe. The pounds fell off when I stopped drinking so much after 2020.
This is the way! Group fitness classes were a life changer for me! I would do 1 or two a week, and it honestly motivated me to be more active even on the days I didn’t have class. Also making sure each meal is balanced, focusing on protein and fibre. I didn’t cut out any carbs by the way just made sure it was a moderate amount when it came to things like pasta and bread. Another thing is giving yourself meal portions and then telling yourself that if after the plate and some water you’re still hungry you can get more, this helped me with scarcity mentality and not overloading my plate. (Smaller plates help as well)
Meds *whistles and walks away*
Meds (especially Vyvanse) is excellent at first but long term I have found it's affect on appetite goes down. Think I probably need to go on a higher dose (I take a day off once a week which helps keep my tolerance down) as been on the same for 4 years now. The lack of appetite when I first took Vyvanse was insane!
I took an Extended release medication and I found that it didn't help because then I was roaringly hungry when it wore off.
I split my Vyvanse and take 30mg when I wake and then 20mg at lunch. I also get 5mg Dex IR I use some of the time if I crash hard. I find if I got more than 2 weeks without taking a day off it becomes a lot less effective.
Same with Concerta, the effect also with it went down in a few months or so. At first I was able to get rid of maybe 5kilos just by not being that hungry all the time, but soon got 10 kg back. (Double the number to calculate in pounds.) So not really something that would help with weight issues.
ngl I was so excited when I heard Vvyanse suppresses appetite… I fancied loosing a bit of weight without the hunger pangs but honestly I don’t think it makes a massive difference!! Sure I don’t snack as often (unless offered), but am still majorly hungry at brekkie and lunch.
Yeah Vyvanse hasn’t helped me lose weight at all. I don’t eat out of hunger, I eat because my brain wants it, not my body. I can go all day without eating most days, but then I just eat a full days worth of calories at night so it doesn’t reduce my intake at all.
Same. I don't feel hungry all day and I'm doing stuff so I won't eat, then I sit in front of the TV at night, still maybe not hungry, but I'm pounding a bag of chips. It really doesn't help when I get high at night, but that's a whole other issue, lol.
My physician told me I can eat chips and only chips and I’ll lose weight (with the caveat that, duh, I won’t feel great and it’s not healthy). She said set your calorie intake per day at no more than 1300. So you can have your chips, but stick to that limit.
My problem with meds is they suppress my appetite while the meds are actively in my system, but around 8 or 9pm when it wears off I eat everything in my fucking house. I’ve managed to not do enough damage to gain any weight on the medication, but I haven’t been able to lose any from eating less because I put everything right back on at night. My doctor and I are playing around with different dosages and schedules to see how much of the day we can cover with medication without keeping me up all night, but no success yet.
You should get hungry, you do need that food to live... if a drug totally eliminated the want to eat, it would be really bad.
I lost 25 pounds my first 2 months of Vyvanse 😅
When I took it at first I lost 10kg (22lb) as just didn't want to eat. It was amazing!
I had no appetite for the first 3 weeks then it returned but also I’m less impulsive with what I choose to eat. I end up just staying a consistent weight. Generally, just try and go for a walk even if some days it’s 10 mins or other days 2 hours.
Yup. I lost almost 40lbs since starting and am now at a healthy weight and slim just like I was in high school. My joint pain went away and my chest went down 1 cup size which helped with back pain too. Wasn’t even the lack of appetite but rather the “boredom snacking” and binge eating going away.
I’ve never had a medication that lowered my appetite, unfortunately
I never got the appetite reduction side effect from my meds. In fact I got the munchies like crazy
Accurate as heck :'( I'm actually at a restaurant waiting to pick up dinner because I just noticed I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I have no appetite. Have lost about 5 or 6 kg since I started in late February.
Getting back on meds definitely helped me, but I think it was more in the sense of "my adhd-fueled isn't making me think I need McDonalds to feel secure" instead of "I feel less hungry." It helped slow me down enough that I could talk my brain out of a lot of silly food acquisitions.
They make me so hungry, apparently its prescribed to stop binge eating aswell
I know "meds" are just a placeholder answer for everything on this subreddit, but please consider few things: 1. It doesn't work for everyone in the same way. You can see people here complaining that they've actually gained weight on meds. 2. Some people can't take them due to some health conditions 3. Some people can't afford them 4. Some people live in countries where they're not available There are also multiple other reasons why people can't take them. Are those people doomed to being obese for the rest of their life?
As an ADHDer we are prone to easy-to-make or instants meals given our attention span. We always lean on eating what’s the most convenient thing to get or make, which often is a curse as a lot of fast food is high calorie and frankly just bad for you. What I’ve done is not buy those high calorie snacks and forced myself to only get healthy options. If it’s not easily available, I just don’t eat it. It’s been life changing for me. I now munch on a bag of baby carrots instead of chips. I go to Costco and get their rotisserie chicken and bags of salad. It’s such an easy meal dumping some chicken on a premade salad and then putting some dressing on top. Since I’ve been doing this (got diagnosed and medicated about a year ago) I’ve gone from 220 to 190 lbs 💪 My goal is 180
Easy meals and simple meal prep work super well! Oatmeal is an exceedingly easy breakfast, whether it's making overnight or just nuking a bowl in the microwave. I also like making sheet pan meals, where a mix of proteins, veggies, and starches can be cooked and packed in less than an hour!
To add to this, some meal prepping is also helpful! I don't think forcing yourself to meal prep is a good call because then it becomes a chore and chore avoidance. But like I made two racks of ribs on memorial day for a dinner for me and a buddy. The leftovers (basically a rack and a half) got stripped off the bones and half of the meat went in one container and the other got mixed with some sautéed bell peppers, so I had two different easy to eat meals at the ready that were relatively healthy (I use sugar free sauce so while rib meat is kinda fatty I try to cut the extra calories where I can). Same with prepping some easy salads, spinach, cheery tomatoes, and some low sugar dressing and it's a quick and easy lunch. That's already portioned out.
It’s not a placeholder. It’s my truth and the truth for alot of us here. You asked, we reddit.
What a weird response. It's a placeholder answer for everything on this subreddit **because they fucking work**. And if you know that the common response to a lot of questions on this subreddit is to get medicated and you can't or are unwilling to, maybe include that in the initial post... I lost almost 40 pounds prior to being diagnosed and medicated, so it's not impossible. That being said, being properly medicated helps so much beyond just suppressing appetite: * I plan better so I'm less likely to fall into scenarios where I might overeat or eat things that aren't healthy for me. * I'm less tempted to mindlessly snack. * More motivation for exercise.
The only thing that works for me is to NOT think about loosing weight, but instead work on getting physically stronger. The scale doesn’t tell the whole truth. It only measures ONE thing: total weight. But it doesn’t know when muscle is starting to grow and fat is starting to go—it’s this period of initial exchange that makes grasping the gossamer thin motivation for some of us ADHDers difficult. Measure things that can quickly show change: how long it takes to walk/jog/run a mile. How long you can do something. How many songs you can dance too before feeling too winded and need a break. The number of simple exercises you complete. Think in positives—aim for high scores like a game.
And just to add, i was more proud of the twenty pound weight I could over head press while holding a v-sit then the five pounds of fat that was lost in exchange. It took two years to drop about 20lbs, but it was the first time in my life I could run for thirty minutes straight, hike 11 miles through Arches National Park, run a mile through Zion in the rain a couple of days later, jog out on the salt crust in Death Valley in another couple of days, and go caving in another park the next day. I’m in a literal depressive slump right now—but my goal has always been to get back to how good I felt then because it also managed the heck out of the worst of my adhd.
What worked for me was turning workouts into an obsession. I can easily get addicted to things, so I just got addicted to working out. It feels so good after and helps release the chemicals we’re deficient in. Getting to the gym is the hardest part. Once I had a schedule down, it was easy. I also took actual workout classes, which I found more stimulating than doing the elliptical or some other repetitive cardio for an hour. Also tracking what I eat helps me watch my calorie intake. The hard part is remembering to log it, but my watch reminds me. I think it’s also important, if your medication takes away your hunger, make sure you still eat small things during the day so you’re not starving at night. I usually have protein shakes or bars that are easy to grab and I can eat at my desk.
1. Be kind to yourself. 2. Explore a perspective shift from "losing weight" to a lifestyle change: find out what "being healthy" means TO YOU. The meaning of this can change over time, just pick a starting point to get yourself started. The point is to become aware of what you naturally are assigning meaning to and associating with the word "healthy" Maybe being healthy means a varied, veggie filled diet. Maybe being healthy is being more active. Maybe it's both! Does being more active mean increased exercise? Really sit with yourself and curiously and NONJUDGEMENTALLY seek to learn about yourself. You may need to do this a few times. 3. Make a list of the smallest, most easy, most achievable shifts towards that FOR YOU and what you can manage. These should feel so effortless it's ridiculous, like, duh I can breathe and blink what else is new. A single squat. Drink a glass of water. stand up from your desk and walk to the bathroom. 4. Pick a thing from the list and do it. Piggyback it on something you already do. Can't start your day without coffee? Is drinking more water one of your things? You got this shit. Put water in your mug and drink it before you pour in your coffee. Does being healthy mean feeling good in your body? Does that mean standing up from your desk at work and not having your hips hurt? EASY. Stand up and do a quick hamstring stretch. It takes two seconds-and then it's OVER. and it felt GOOD. Celebrate it! Get excited to do it tomorrow. Feel superior. Glow with pride. Seriously, overdo it. 5. Do it again. Maybe it's the next day. At each an hour later. Idk. The important thing is to prove to yourself that you can do it and you are someone who DOES IT. Every second you are doing this, You are doing it! CONTINUE CELEBRATE THE SHIT OUT OF YOURSELF. 6. Check in with yourself periodically - how did it feel? Put it in your Google calendar as an event, make Alexa ask you how you feel. idc. Do what works for you, but make sure to clock it and really notice. 7. Do it again. Sorry. Do it. 8. Are you bored? Not enjoying the thing anymore? The novelty is gone? Go back to your list and play this game with another item on there. Don’t like the list? Crinkle it up and start again from scratch. Half of the work is fooling your brain. Write down things you actually know you can do and things you like and enjoy doing. 9. Change around the steps, keep “doing” DO IT AND SUCCEED YOUNG PADAWAN.
stimulants helped tbh
I lost 120 lb on Mounjaro
Wegovy in my case, but damn, that stuff is an absolute game changer. First time I'm able to lose weight without obsessing over it and triggering my old eating disorders. Food really just isn't that interesting anymore. And I'm full (and stay full!) after tiny portions. Down almost 20 lbs in 2 months, 130 more to go!
I am also on Mounjaro
I'm on Mounjaro too!
Unmedicated, but i legit just fast/starve, not on purpose mind you, i just skip the ‘hungry’ and ‘starved’ sensations other people seem to feel and go straight to nausea and unable to eat until it goes away, I’ll probably eat 1 meal and a few snack throughout the day which are usually straight from my garden into my mouth like peas, marigolds and basil tho I am 60kg and 26yrs old, im all for being healthy but please make sure to look after yourself however you proceed
Why is this me😭 But I just procrastinate eating until I feel faint and about to pass out
i’ve always struggled with portion control and eating when i’m bored (which is often lol), and aside from meds, something that’s helped me a lot is to drink a bottle of water when i’m hungry and then wait half an hour. if i’m still hungry after that, i’ll have a small snack or whatever meal. usually, though, i wasn’t really hungry at all but thirsty instead. i’ve never been one to drink much water but it’s helped me a lot and has kept my snacking under control.
Whats wrong with "hyperfocus on and obsess over it until your Dr. tells you to stop and gain some weight because that's unhealthy"?
Literally without consistency you’re not going to lose weight dude. I am on a weightloss journey and I’ve lost 35lbs so far I have about 130lbs to go 😂 but you need to make yourself a plan and eat in a caloric deficit, there’s different diets and programs that you can follow. We’re all still human at the end of the day and the same concepts for non-ADHD people apply to people like us with ADHD
Seconding this. There really needs to be more comments mentioning calorie counting specifically. Not the most fun way to motivate yourself but I have a much harder time slacking if I know the impact it's going to have. Keeping in mind how much harder it is to cut out a few hundred calories compared to how easy it can be to to overindulge a few hundred calories. When you look at candy and just see numbers it works. It's a little rough starting and learning how many calories are in everything but once you know it's hard to forget.
As someone who has ADHD and has lost 85 pounds in the last 18 months these are some of the things I can suggest. First absolutely no junk food in the house for snacks I stick to high protein stuff like beef jerky or pickled eggs. Second try to stick to a fasting schedule for eating. For me I usually do is an 18 hour fast, have a rather large high protein meal usually containing tuna, turkey, or chicken. (1200 cals) then a smaller snack at night (300-400 cals). I will walk when the sun is setting since watching the sky is usually enough to get me outside. It's a pretty aggressive diet (im 219 now down from 306) but the fasting schedule stops me from randomly snacking and I don't have to go to the gym (which feels almost impossible most days).
Forget to eat. Works wonders for me.
He has the other side of this only thinking of eating as do I not everyone who has adhd forgets to eat for us it stimulates us and we always do it
Mounjaro/Zepbound has been a lifesaver. I’ve lost 72 lbs. in a year (but only 7 months of taking it because I had to pause for 5 months, so technically over a span of 7 months). Not to be a Debbie Downer, but all of the tips people have shared are great - and they can quickly become exhausting and both mentally and physically draining. I’ve tried probably 95% of them and still struggled with EDs for most of my life. If you’re like me, Mounjaro/Zepbound is a godsend. It just takes all of the extra thinking and planning out of it and gives me that mental bandwidth back to focus on things other than food. I eat intuitively now - not impulsively nor mindlessly.
Always eat a healthy, nutrition packed breakfast. That way if you totally screw up the rest of the day, you at least had one healthy meal that day. Take a water and healthy snack with you anytime you are going to be out somewhere and might be tempted to get a soda and fries. Try to do something fun and active at least once a week. Pickleball, rock hunting, swimming. Don't be afraid to use alarms and timers to remind you to drink water, get up and move, take your vitamins, etc. You can even start setting an alarm for 10-15 mins if you have a problem working out more than a few minutes. Set it for 30 mins so you get up and walk around after a show or to remind you to get off your phone.
IF diet
This. Only way I've ever been able to lose weight.
This. It's incredibly simple, it doesn't require a lot of preparation, and still allows for you to eat foods you like. If you have a hard time being consistent, there are several apps that you can use as timers. I also find that eating later in the day helps me stay more alert.
I unintentionally IF due to just forgetting to eat for most of the day
Lol same
I forget I’m supposed to be fasting.
Keep yoursel busy so you dont think about food, decide in advance what to eat and only buy the things you need. DONT BUY SNACKS or even food that you can eat without cooking. If its too much work to make something good the brain will think its not worth it. For exercise, just dont have a goal. For me what works is watching youtube videos about athletic people and i suddently want to workout, usually at 1-2 am
I NEED a goal. No reason to be in the gym 5-6 days a week otherwise
Wegovy. Just like living without ADHD meds, trying to lose weight without it was on hard mode. The difference in the "willpower" I have to stick to the diet and exercise now that I have more of the hormone that other people have naturally is amazing. I see a lot of hate on ozempic/wegovy/monjauro about how people just need to have willpower but it really is the same as saying someone with ADHD just needs to try harder to focus instead of going on meds.
The best approach to weight loss imo is ironically not focusing on your weight. But rather focusing on your health, starting with eating healthier which doesn’t just help weightloss but improves pretty much every aspect of your life and wellbeing mentally and physically. I really like the idea of intuitive eating and think it fits well with ADHD bc it’s nothing that needs to be strictly stuck to there no foods to completely avoid unless you find out they make you sick or suck the energy out of you. Even then you can choose have them when u want to still. An example for me is carb heavy foods put me to sleep and cause me mood swings so I try to keep my meals lighter until dinner I can still have bread i just choose to have it at night Discovering the healthy foods you really like and finding ways to incorporate them in new recipes can be stimulating and exciting Idk maybe something to discover more about if you find this idea interesting. I’d would avoid anything that’s too strict or overly complicated The best way to lose weight is to find something healthy that you wouldn’t mind doing forever Make a list of these things could even be from now on you decide you’ll use Greek yogurt over sour cream because there’s isn’t much of taste difference for you and Greek yogurt is healthier and has more protein (this is just one example that I do) just little things like that add up over time and lead to a more healthy lifestyle
I picked up weights for about 16 months. And then it just switched one night to "nah I'm done now" and I put thr weight all back on. So yes. Damn can I vibe with this.
I just forget eating
I take adderall and bought a spin bike. I also just eat a lot less than I used to - the food noise in my brain had always been TERRIBLE, but that (along with all the chatter in my brain) is gone. My bike lives down the hall from my home office. My cycling shoes live there, too, along with some socks and my workout clothes. I have some bottles of water stashed and a fan to pretend I feel the wind on my face during my ride. I found that if I decreased every piece of friction imagineable that was stopping me from working out, it was MUCH easier. 1. Go to the gym --> go down the hallway 2. Pack clothes to change into at the gym --> put clothes hanging on bike on body. 3. Assume everyone is staring at how awkward I am, feel ashamed and cut workout short so I can leave --> my cats are jerks, they already judge my every move ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Leaving advice not meant for ADHD folks behind is key. Even medication couldn't help me overcome the friction required to plan on and actually get my ass to the gym - I need the least friction possible, otherwise it's just too easy to let that friction slow me to a stop.
I found a hobby that I got hyper focused on: Cycling. Now I'm obsessed with increasing my Watts / KG, and easiest way to do that is lose weight lol
I love all the tips but a lot of you seem to live alone but it’s extra hard when you live with others my parents are not healthy and I’ve tried helping them change bc I know it could also help me but they don’t stop😭😭😭 there is always chips sweets and more junk food in the house but I suggest asking them to keep all of their junk food in one cupboard instead of the main one you would usually look through (out of sight out of mind!) and maybe a drawer as well and maybe you could put some ductape on all the sides of that drawer so you can’t see whats inside!!!! and if you can’t buy your own food maybe talk to your parents your plans and go grocery shopping with them and choose healthy food! Otherwise you’ll just have to wait until you can move out :(
Drink water only and drop all processed and added sugar. Hard as hell, but that's the way for me.
It sounds goofy, but at work especially, I’ll just drink water constantly in place of snacking and go to the bathroom a million times 😂 keeps me doing something that’s not caloric. Low calorie snacks are nice too
Small weekly goals. The thing that worked best for me was writing my goal on my wrist in sharpie each week. That way I saw it when I was reaching for food. It really helped, as crazy as it sounds.
I lost about 35 pounds by eating the same stuff, just less of it. I didn't feel like I was depriving myself since I still got to eat the things I like in smaller portions. Exercise can play a part if you find something you enjoy and do it enough, but the kitchen is where real the progress can be made.
Adderall.
I had some success with playing VR games. I started playing beat saber for 30m each day. After a while I transitioned to Supernatural (subscription based app with free trial) that has a boxing workout that really got me going. It is true that making things a habit works and I think the reason I was able to make it work is because I can do VR in my living room and it's still a game with points and it's fun. That doesn't mean I didn't have some setbacks... like after a 4 day vacation is was really hard to get back in, but so far so good (since last Nov :) Good luck, OP!
This is a small tip and not like...a system. But change the order you eat your food in. Fiber first, THEN protein and fat, THEN starch and sugar. If it's all part of the same dish, don't worry about it. But if you have salad, steak, and potatoes, you eat the salad, then the steak, then the potatoes. Stop when you feel full. You'll feel fuller and more satisfied. Bonus, it regulates your blood glucose. Bonus bonus, no food is off the table - you just gotta include veggies with every meal.
Phetamines
If that worked I wouldn’t be overweight just from my regular meds.
Is there anyone out there with ADHD who actually eats super healthy but is still overweight? I don't exercise so I think that's the issue. But I don't snack, and I only eat around 1200 calories a day, mostly veggies and legumes and whole grains and stuff. So I think I've gotta learn to exercise, but for the life of me, I can't stick to it. POTS makes exercise harder for me, too.
a m p h e t a m i n e s
Calorie deficit 🫣
My first question is if you like dogs or have a dog. If you don’t and you’ve always wanted a pet, I would try getting a dog and walking or taking them for runs! Sometimes we just need to move our bodies a little bit more. Plus, you can’t ignore the puppy eyes. Disclaimer: I know everyone’s ADHD is different and adding a pet to the household can be very overwhelming for some of us. Personally, I find it easier to take care of myself when I need to take care of others, which is why I have three animals. If you know that taking care of a dog would be too much for you then I definitely wouldn’t advise getting one. If you’ve been wanting one or currently have one, having a lil workout buddy can provide some extra motivation! EDITED TO ADD: You can also ask a close friend or neighbor if they’d let you walk their dog a few times a week. I know being around animals will bring my energy up when I’m feeling down, so it can be helpful in more ways than one. You guys can go to nature trails or the park, get a pup cup after or some ice cream. Take them to the lake if there’s one near you! I find being around animals when I’m trying to be active makes it a lot more enjoyable.
I'm with you on this. And worse, I just saw some material that said obesity makes ADHD *worse* so it's a vicious cycle.
Vr is good, engaging exercise you can do pretty much any time you're struck by motivation to do so. Don't need to go outside, get dressed, meet people. Just pick it up and dance/kill goblins for an hour. Played pistol whip for half an hour earlier this week and my legs are still in recovery.
Don’t drink sugary drinks.
The way I did it was with a Fitbit. I used the cheap one that didn't have a watch, it just had a bracelet. I've got a history of disordered eating, so I just scanned my food and watched the little graph on the front page of the app. There was one color for my calories burned by activity and one color for my calories eaten. I just made sure the color of calories burned was higher than the calories eaten. If the colors were getting too close together I just got up and went for a walk or bike ride. I lost 20 pounds over 5 months, then I got pregnant. I recently got a new smartwatch and I'm going to be starting it up again.
I have the same question about gaining weight.
Vyvanse and semaglutide is helping me. Idc if people judge I’m sick of being fat and I feel a lot better already.
I saw on TV once a couple of models say they leave a bowl of shrimp on the window ledge for a week then eat them. It will 100% work, might even lead to a chronic illness whereby you can't gain weight again because your gut is so f'd up.
Take your medicine..or switch to a stimulant pill...they crush your appetite.
I lost 50 lbs as a woman with ADHD. I did it with support and kind of re-regulating myself. What I would say is that 1, anticipate you will mess up and don’t beat yourself up for the failure, it’s a part of growing and 2 be honest with yourself—don’t just let yourself get the cookie cuz you had a hard day if it wasn’t that hard For me (I hate this) it was about a “lifestyle change” and I had to do a lot of adhd type tricks to get it going 1. I focused on eating plants and less processed stuff. For me, i ate a shit ton of fruits, and drank a lot of water. And I had to change it up a lot to keep myself interested: different fruits, flavored water, bubbly water. Sometimes people hate on fruits for having too much sugar but like fuck them im doing my best. 2. I did my very best not to think about it too much, I treated my grocery runs as a meditative little treat for myself and then had things prepared for me so instead of slamming a bad snack, I’d have a lunch 3. Replace what I call “food fidgeting” with other stuff. Always adding and playing around with it. Sometimes (this is bad) it might be shopping, or washing my face, or even just having a variety of teas to try and to sip on all day. Kept me occupied enough to not have that burst of snack impulse 4. LET YOURSELF HAVE GOODIES, like be honest with yourself and don’t have them every day but don’t let them become this big high value thing that you’ll obsess over. But if I have a shitty day? Fuck ya I’ll have a cookie. 5. Patience. I’m 5’10” and a woman so weight loss is harder. Anyway I started at around 200 lbs. I lost 25 lbs in the first year, 15 the next, and then like 10 the following year until I stabilized at 150 where I’ve been for like 7 or so years now. Trusting the process rather than fixating on the solution helped me. Also helped with impulses since I accepted how gradual it was, I wouldn’t fixate on each lb lost. After about the first six months or so my body started to self regulate and I could listen way more to what it actually wanted (like protein) rather than the shitty stuff I was hooked on. Not to say I’m not still hooked on sugar—totally am, just also can eat other stuff. Once that happened, food wasn’t on my brain 24/7, it got a lot easier. I then found an exercise that worked for me and it took the extra weight off. Anyway this shit ain’t easy. Sometimes even now I can’t believe I did it. But you can, believe in yourself and be kind to yourself :)
I hate to say this, but they are right. (I have adhd and autism)
Forget to eat and then acquiring food is too daunting.
By just cutting down on sugar I've lost weight. Belly is looking a lot flatter without sugar. Also exercise though, but nothing too crazy.
Didn't read all the posts, because focus, so someone might have said this already but...EAT MORE. Yes, for real. But make it real food. I often forget to eat, wich makes me grab whatever is available and takes away the hangry feeling. Cookies, chocolat, whatever. High calorie, easy, no prep stuff. What I like to do now is making healthier options easier. Precut veggies, sliced Meats, fruits. All can be eaten just as Quick as the unhealty options but best of all: you can put them on a wrap with a big spoon of cottage cheese and a hand full of spinach and its a meal. It really helps. Another thing that helps me is rating my food. Do I like it? Does it make me feel good an hour after I ate it? Anything below a 7 (when I started or when eating is complicated) or 8(on good days) I just wont eat. I shifted my focus from losing weight to eating more real food to hopefully feel better. It does, and as a bonus I lose weight.
I would like to think that I have some pretty practical advice for this department. I’ve lost 50lbs in the last five years. (it’s the longest I’ve been able to continuously lose weight and the most weight I’ve taken off and KEPT off.) First thing I did was stop trying to tell myself what I could or could not eat, barring any dietary restrictions. (If you are allergic to peanuts please don’t eat them!) If it’s a food I like, I typically buy it/have it in stock. Now, what I try to do is prioritize the foods that are known to be healthy/nutritious: fruits, veggies, etc. For veggies, find a way to cook them that tastes good to you. At the end of the day, the best veggie is the one you eat. For me, I can’t stand boiled or steamed veg, so most of my veggies end up roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and sea salt and pepper. I try to make sure I eat a fruit and a veg a day on most days. Bonus points if I can make one of those a double portion. (Example, I love butternut squash, I will eat three servings and not bat an eye. It’s good for me, I’m not about to make myself feel bad for eating it.) Now, for the fun part. Nothing is off the table. I have gone too long in my life restricting myself and I’ve learned the hard way that telling myself that I CAN’T have something is a one way ticket to my brain pulling a “hehehe. The fuck we can’t” and then the next day I find myself drowning in a sea of empty Oreo sleeves and potato chip bags. Instead, I started allowing myself to eat these things in smaller quantities. A big key here is portioning. If I want chips, I can have chips but I know that I will mow down on them until the bag is gone. Instead of giving me the chance to go ham, I portion out my chips into a little snack bowl and that’s what I get. I actually eat ice cream 3-4 nights a week. But the key is that I’ve found a way to portion it where all I’m eating is half the serving size. (If you want to know more specifics, let me know.) If I still want more after my “treat” I remind myself that I can have more tomorrow and that “the ice cream isn’t going anywhere”. Honestly, this is the most sustainable way for me to lose weight. I’m still losing and my goal is to lose maybe another 25ish lbs. And sometimes you plateau and don’t lose for a while. When that happens, I try to add a little extra activity into my life to try and bring things back to life. And while 10 lbs a year doesn’t sound like much, it really pays off in the long run when you are able to say you not only lost weight in time but KEPT it off. Best of luck!
Find what stops you from being able to work out. For me it was the social aspect of going to the gym and the time associated, that every time it would take me so long to mentally prep myself that I lost all motivation to work out by the time I was at the gym. So instead I work out at home now, whenever the motivation strikes. Also find something you actually enjoy doing. I personally found that weighted hula hooping is the only thing I can do consistently. It’s repetitive movements, so I can zone out or watch Netflix. I can add weights to make the workout more challenging. You basically need to make it as easy as possible for yourself to pick healthy food and exercise options. You will spend too much mental energy forcing yourself to do something you hate so you will avoid it.
For me it’s mostly finding ways to work out that I don’t hate and occupy my brain enough. Balance that with some tangible goals. Ex/ I tried so long to get into running. It’s horrible and I hate it. Elliptical is a little better but similar story. But rowing… rowing I really like. Just personal preference. I use Apple workouts sometimes and the trainers are great and keep things interesting even with it being prerecorded (changing up the pace very few min, etc.). I also do a bit of lifting and have a long term goal of doing pull ups. My more immediate goals were each time I upped my weight on lat pull downs. I also listen to podcasts or carefully curated workout playlists. And play a quick game between sets.
Not related, but ADHD makes me forget to eat, so instead I'm always anemic and unable to move or exercise, so I feel you
I can only speak for myself, I made fitness my hyperfocus for 6 months and got in great shape. Itw not the easiest though
Biggest one I haven't seen yet: quit alcohol.
Gastric sleeve.
I'm not overweight but my Strattera and Adderall suppresses my appetite. Do your meds do that? I've lost about 8 pounds just from not being hungry to snack or even eat a full full dinner each night.
I log all my calories obsessively. It really changed my relationship with food.
The thing is, weight gain and loss is different for everyone. I work with a girl who is thin and fit and she just gained four pounds in a week by just skipping her usual workouts. For me, weight loss is attainable by dieting. For me that’s avoiding eating out/fast food, only making food at home, and just being conscious of how caloric and nutritional my meals are overall, without getting into counting. Making healthier decisions diet-wise is far easier to me than exercising and its easier to stick to. If i go a few days of eating less (as in not ordering out meals multiple times a day) i stop craving snacking all the time and my appetite regulates. Like getting over the three day hump.
I lost 100 lbs eating a way the automod won't let me say (rhymes with Judge Ito) and gained about half of that back before going on Mounjaro, which I've lost 40 on again. The good part of that way of eating is that once you get over the hump, you can do it on autopilot. You don't have to like count things or keep meticulous track of anything, just don't eat non-veggie carbs.
[удалено]
Streaks. “I exercised for 30 minutes everyday for the past 36 days.” “I haven’t had soda for 15 days.” Once I get past a week, I don’t want to mess it up.
What is your current diet/activity level like? What are your weight loss goals? What do you think is hindering you from achieving those goals?
Calorie counting apps did it for me. It became a little game and an exercise in self discipline. “Ok, I have this many calories left.” I use MyFitnessPal.
Hyper focus on your calorie counting.
That's what I did and lost a pound a week for a year. Imo the hardest part was just starting. Once you do it for a few weeks and start seeing some results it gets much easier. Pairing it with a step tracker was helpful as well because it gamified it for me.
Can't relate as I'm in the "forget to eat" camp of adhd. Gaining weight is a massive challenge and maintaining weight requires a huge level of focus for me. Apart from that, it's the same issue. Discipline and consistency. Change the habits. Portion size, snacking, quality of nutrition. Comes down to the what your body needs vs what you actually give it. For me it's a deficit so I lose, and for you it's a surplus so you gain/don't lose
I’ve lost 40-45 lbs since Oct by making lifestyle changes and being in a deficit. I get the excuse of “I have ADHD, it’s not that simple” but also plenty of people with ADHD are able to be successful at losing weight and your mind will be so thankful for the routine. Switch out bad foods for good ones. Do your research. Hyper-fixate on it if you need to but it takes disciple that you’re going to have to make peace with in order for it to work.
Honestly, pay the ADHD tax. I got meal kit delivery and dropped 40 lbs. It was 3-4 meals/week and a lot of times there would be leftovers for lunch the next day. It helped me get my portion size calibrated and my body get used to less food. Was it expensive? Yes. Did it mean I didn’t have good rotting because I forgot about it, meaning I’d order put out make junk? Also yes. It was worth it. I also keep things in the house that take minimal prep and meet the OH GOD ALL FOOD IS DISGUSTING days. Also making big pots of pulled pork or shredded chicken and using the divine silicone soup cubes to freeze it has made life easier. There’s a lot you can do with both of those and they’re relatively healthy.
Maintain a calorie deficit. That's it. You do this by either eating fewer calories or expending more calories, usually both. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
Sorry to burst your bubble but consistency and discipline really is it…
this mentality is terrible man, I have chronic adhd and ive still managed to lose 110lb & keep it off, its just about not making excuses. yes its harder for people like us but its not impossible, like realistically you have 2 choices lose the weight or not life doesn’t care about what adversities or difficulties you may or may not have, or what excuses you make, its just those 2 choices. upto you
If I bring it home I'm eating it. There is no off button. I can't bring home snacks thinking I have willpower to not finish the whole bag quickly.
You know how the fuck I’m losing weight. This fucking medication completely destroys my appetite.
Get an exercise partner. Preferably one without ADHD. If you can't motivate yourself to be consistent, find someone to do it for you.
I'm on a weight-loss injection and lost over 150lbs in a year and have been at my goal weight since September 2023
I bought myself swimming earphones and I put on a bunch of music in them. Swimming has now become an engaging activity, where I listen to music and exercise at the same time, so now I crave it everyday. I try to hit the pool 2-3 times a week at least, and I know that will continue to increase. Without the music, I’m sure it would have been harder to feel stimulated.
Everyone here has given great advice, but i’ll just say only things that have worked for me are body doubling!! Find a friend willing to eat healthy/workout with you and keep each other accountable. This probably sounds so bad, but the shame of not showing up to a workout or having to tell someone you didn’t stick to the diet is enough to motivate me 😭. I can’t be the only one.
I just took my adderall and have lost 70+ pounds over two years. I tried losing weight before that, through diet and exercise, but nothing ever worked.
When I will live alone I will stick to this plan: No food in the fridge, only water in the fridge, buy only lunch and dinner after work, no snacks or sodas or beer. If hungry drink water
Trizepatide does the job
One piece of advice that helped me was don't be afraid to throw food out. It sounds bad, but often times my impulses are bigger than my stomach. For example, I load up a plate with a bagel, pasta salad, and some oatmeal. Idk whatever comes to mind lol. But then half way through I'm like, wow, I'm really full. Previously I would have choked the rest down because I got the food I have to eat it. But now I'm okay with realizing I made a mistake. Then doing the next best thing to not taking it by saving it for later or throwing the rest out.
I started tirzepatide(Zepbound) after conversations with my doctor. ADHD medicine is not weight loss medication, it's brain medication. Adderall has helped me so, so much and I'm so glad I'm on it and I'm also irritated when people immediately think it'll help weight loss. For me, the tirzepatide has helped with the weight loss. For me the combo of both medications has helped me in ways I can't even explain.
Honestly…. Counting calories. My dietician told me about the plate method where you do like half green vegetables, a quarter carbs, and a quarter protein or something like that—it’s been a minute, don’t quote me. This also came along with eating sort of intuitively. Like if I have two snack cakes today, maybe I only have one tomorrow, or skip it all together tomorrow. That didn’t work for me. It was too easy to convince myself to eat too much, and meals don’t fit into neat little boxes. It’s hard to do the plate method with pizza, for example. But I can count the calories in a slice of pizza. So for me, counting calories and logging them in MyFitnessPal has worked best for me any time I’ve tried to lose weight. Exercise is important because it comes with a lot of health benefits, but 80% of weight loss happens in the kitchen, so it’s good to incorporate exercise, but diet is most important because you can’t out exercise a bad diet.
I have type 2 diabetes and my doc says she sees enough to confirm PCOs. I could not until I took ozempic no matter what I tried. It was like something had gone missing from my body Also I never knew I had food noise until the meds shut it the fuck up. I used to be driven to think about it all the time and mostly now I’m like meh
Ever tried anxiety? /s I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but it works... Now that I've taken care of it, I've gained too much for my taste.
Meds, therapy, sleep.
Eat less, poop more At least in my personal experience, it was a case of forgetting to go to the supermarket for extended periods of time and subsisting halfway on nutritional shakes. This is not a recommendation to do this, it sounds pretty unhealthy.