I only recently connected just how much my chocolate cravings were driven by a craving for caffeine as a stimulant that can offer short term improvement of adhd symptoms-- essentially self-medicating without realising. It's easier to hold compassion for yourself when you recognise that even maladaptive coping methods are just a way to meet a very valid need.
Yes, same here! 52 years old and finally it all makes sense!! But I can't tolerate stimulant drugs as I hallucinate with them. So, not sure how to fix this.
Me too. Recently diagnosed with ADHD and autism at 51. Menopausal and I have gained about 4 stone. I’m a mess and feel awful. Waiting for some meds to see if it helps but with supply chain issues here in the uk I’ve been waiting for 3 months and still no idea when I’ll get some help. Also have depression and anxiety and the weight gain is not helping. Everything is affecting everything! 😂
Please check out the other videos in our series about Binge Eating - the purpose of this particular video is to discuss the connection between ADHD and BED; many of our other videos get into the nuts and bolts of "how to" end binge eating once and for all by getting to the psychological roots of what's driving the compulsive behavior. Thanks so much for watching and we hope to continue to be a valuable resource for you :)
Personal experience; medication definitely helps with cravings. If you have rebound try adjusting dosis or go for a long working version of your medication. On top of that I am also in over eaters anonymous. Do sports yoga meditation etc
Super helpful video! 26 year old male here. Through my doctor, we discovered my undiagnosed ADHD may have been the root cause for my binge eating disorder. The examples including having trouble meal prepping and making impulsive decisions to eat fast food or snack foods sound just like me. I've been taking Vyvanse for the last two months and have noticed a huge increase in my overall day-to-day life. I've been more in control of my life, feel more assertive with my actions, and have been eating only when my body tells me I need fuel, and not solely eating for only pleasure purposes.
I am 16 years old and 215 pounds. I started taking my adhd when i was 12 and i started binging shortly after. This was really bad for me, but it got worse in quarantine. During quarantine i was almost 300 pounds, but i decided to exercise once a day at the same time, and make myself eat 3 meals a day on time, and now im almost back down too 100 pounds.
@@huntergourdie2785 I’m glad I found this comment. I told my psychiatrist about my adhd symptoms and my binge eating and he diagnosed adderall to fix both. I don’t know if it’s placebo, but since I started even on 10mg I’ve only binged once (it’s been a couple weeks and I’m on 30 mg now)
I have adhd and binge eating disorder, right now I’m about 25 pounds away from being my ideal weight. I’m very short so I can definitely notice 25 pounds when my ideal weight is 110 pounds. It’s very frustrating, I yo-yo back and forth every few months from 135 to 116 and I can never seem to loose the weight in a healthy way. I recently tried to loose the weight in a healthy way and ended up becoming my highest weight ever in my life. On this journey to understand my body and healthy habits, I hope I learn to love myself.
Thank you for your comment, Gabriela. It is most certainly our hope, too, that you learn to love your beautiful Self. No matter your weight, you are most deserving of feeling calm, confident, and loved in your own skin. Check out our Online Educational Community, Circle of HOPE, for more videos like these and a beautiful community of people just like you in search of FULL Recovery - join at thehealthyweighoutcircleofhope.mn.co.
Goood for you!! I hope it’s going well! I lost 40 pounds despite my adhd and I made a video On it ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IuSHQr0MWHc.html would love to hear some tips from you in the comments xo
Wow. This really hits home. I have a follow up apt with my dr in a month and I am going to confess that I binge eat. I’m afraid and embarrassed, but I am so tired of living this lie. Please pray for me.
Binge eating is a coping mechanism; there is no shame in finding a way to survive. Stepping into your truth is where you will find full recovery. 💖 Dr. A
I’m glad you mentioned Vyvanse. I have a friend who told me she was taking it as a way to deal with anxiety as well as stop overeating. She had good results with controlling her appetite. She did have a weird side effect with very intense dreams. I wonder if I can go to a doctor and explicitly request this medication with an official diagnosis of ADHD. Due to binge eating I have gained 40 lbs in about 1 1/2 years. It would have been more but I am pretty active. I need something right away, I’m so down about this.
For years I have felt defective , didn’t understand why I just can’t stop thinking about food. Even if I don’t wanna eat… Becoming easily overwhelmed and emotional. Or napping my leg really hard because I can’t relax. I thought I just had anxiety but EVERYTHING explained in this video is what I go thru. I’m 30 just not figuring it out
Oh, goodness, it's all about me. I have all this problems. Some of my teachers and my mum say that I am just lazy (and I, actually, used to think like that too), but they don't really understand how hard it is for me to do something that takes lots of attention and concentration. And I hardly can handle all this, so, I hate myself for not being able to work.
Thank you for your comment, Mary Adam. In my experience, people struggling with these issues are anything BUT lazy...they are incredibly hard-working people who put a lot of energy into trying to manage these symptoms and feel better. It is my hope that you can develop love and compassion for yourself, so that your mind and body feel supported in their efforts to do their best for you. Keep working hard to understand yourself and your struggles, and believe in the possibility of full recovery - we see it happen every day here at TheHealthyWeighOut and A New Beginning. Warmly, Dr. Ashley
Well, shock! I'm 50 and only know since a fiew years that I have ADD, because of the diagnosis of my daughter (ADHD). I saw a documentary about binge eating and thought: that's very simular to my eating habits. The symptoms are better, I have it most of the time under control, since my doctor prescribed Strattera. Now I have a new life, my inner restlessness has decreased. Never knew that life could be so stressless. For everyone outside: NEVER GIVE UP, you can get therapy and if neccesary medication. You are not alone! Greetings from Austria.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm so happy for you that you feel so much better. Therapy and medication together can be a very powerful combination for many people, and you are absolutely correct to never give up! There is a beautiful and fulfilling life awaiting for each and every person! 💜
As I listed to this my wife got up and rewinded this video and played it again and said "that's you." Finally!! It's good when someone understands you.
This was absolutely wonderful, you have made things so clear for me and why I eat the way I do , I have always struggled with my over or binge eating of certain foods, I literally will eat nothing but a particular item all day , I was diagnosed as a kid with ADHD, and sadly my parents didn't continue my treatment, so I have been dealing with it my whole adult life.
Thank you for your kind words, Lindsey. I love hearing from viewers when these videos are helpful :) You may find our Global Virtual Community ~ TheHealthyWeighOut Circle of HOPE ~ helpful in your recovery journey. We (Dr. Julie & Dr. Ashley) provide live educational videos alongside our dietitians every week. Plus, you get to connect with others from around the world who are also working on their own recovery from emotional and binge eating. You can learn more at www.TheHealthyWeighOut.com. 💜
As a child, I would hyperfocus so much on reading that I would get in trouble at school. I have a diagnosed hearing disorder that I was born with, so my parents blamed it on me being deaf to a small collection of tones. Then in middle school I got really depressed and anxious and my parents blamed it on be becoming a teen. In my teen years, I stopped being able to focus in school and was always a disorganized mess, I was told to just do better. Then I got to college and met my partner, he told me I should get a screening. At 19, I was given an informal diagnosis and at 20, I'm still trying to get treatment. I've also struggled with binge eating since middle school and am roughly 60 llbs overweight because of it. ADHD is hard, especially if you're not the stereotypical off the wall boy. Speaking of which, my brother was diagnosed with ADHD at 13, my parents had been fighting for a diagnosis for him since he was in Kindergarten. Not that I blame them, my brother is the much more stereotypical ADHD boy, while I put a lot of effort into masking my symptoms and have gotten really good at pretending to be neurotypical and there definitely wasn't much around about ADHD in girls when I was young. Even an informal diagnosis makes so many things make so much more sense. The fact I work best in a clean environment but my desk gets messy within a day of me cleaning it. My ability to hyperfocus on my video game mid conversion and not realize the conversation ended and my partner has gone off to do his own thing (I'll come out of focus and realize I'm alone and don't know when he left or what the conversation ended with). I'll get really into something like beading and impulsively buy $70 worth the supplies only to get halfway through my project and leave it on the kitchen table until I'm getting ready to pack all my things to go back home for the summer and realize I haven't touched it in weeks and that impulsively buy will join my knitting, crocheting, watercolor painting, and sewing materials in the craft drawers for the next 6 months before I get another urge to go wild with it again. The fact I'll go through the process of getting ready in the morning, will put my phone down somewhere along the way, realize I don't have it when I leave, then get immensely panicked and frustrated trying to find it before realizing on the 4 time of retracing my steps that it was in an only slightly out of the way spot on the vanity. The list goes on. Once you start looking into your disorder, whatever it may be, so many manorisms, issues, and inconveniences you deal with suddenly make so much more sense.
Interesting to see this. I was diagnosed with ADHD about 6 months ago and started Adderall (I'm 59). I don't think I have BED, but I do tend toward snacky little things like say, M&Ms or Goldfish. I act like getting to the bottom of the container is my job. Adderall completely eliminated that. Much like I can think "I'll check that out later" when a distraction comes up, if I remember I have candy in the cupboard, on meds, I can think "Maybe I'll have some later" rather than needed to drop what I'm doing and nom nom nom.
This is my second video of yours that I’ve watched, the previous one was the one around how binge eating helps with avoiding big personal questions. I have to tell you, the mantra of “what are you afraid is going to happen if you were in a smaller body?” is really resonating with me. I had a good five minute cry, realizing that, because I’ve reached my goal weight in my adult life, and struggled with still self-hating and viewing myself as fat and unworthy, and also being angry at others for giving me the type of attention that I got when I was smaller, compared to when I was bigger, made me resentful, bitter and, again, perpetually angry. That is really helpful for me to be more conscious and thoughtful in moments of distress, because it’s in those moments that I find myself binging. And this video I really enjoy because I have ADHD, and I’m prescribed Adderall, and what I like about the Adderall is that it helps me visualize tasks being completed, and it helps me be real with myself about what is realistically possible, and not approach tasks from a panicked point of view. So when you spoke about how the hyperactivity part of ADHD makes people feel like they’re constantly going, when I’m on Adderall, I’m aware of when I’m putting artificial pressures on myself, because I think that that’s what others expect out of me, and yet that sense of peace and ease of mind is something that I have control over. My problem is, is that when the medication wears off, I return to my “normal state” of brain fog and chaos. Perhaps the answer that I’m looking for, (for this question) is that I have to come up with my own systems and routines that I can put into place, but I’ve always struggled with finding a plan that works for me, because I’m nervous that at the core of it, my answer is not that there’s a Magical Calendar or meal plan template that I need to follow, but actually in the discipline from sticking to a tangible plan, and eventually having it become a habit. But if you do happen to have any good meal plan and exercise templates for people with ADHD, I’d love to hear some suggestions, but even just typing this comment out is already getting the juices flowing in my brain in terms of, coming up with plans to execute. I really appreciate your videos, and particularly I’m really grateful at your soft, judgment-free, thorough and empathetic approach to these deeply personal subjects, because they’re often times rooted in shame. Thanks so much Dr. Ashley.
I finally finally am gaining clarity on my diagnosis/ interlapping symptoms = it has taken so long, and knowledge is power. This vid reinforces what I've come to learn..and gives me a place to work from.it can be so hard getting the right diagnosis(s) when there are dual symptoms and its literally been so empowering to figure out where I'm at. Thank you for this helpful information.
You're very welcome. Eating disorders and related symptoms are very complicated, so it can take time to figure out all that is at play. Good for you for sticking with it and working hard to untangle it all. Keep going and know that FULL Recovery awaits you at the end of this healing journey. 💜
Oh my god when I was growing up I was 12 years old I'd already gone to the cerebral palsy clinic at 7 and was diagnosed with severe ADD and mild to moderate h. So what happened apparently was more of my hahaha physical hyperactivity was coming out through my mouth and through my behaviors like eating so I was binge eating and a doctor when I was 12 told me and my mom that I couldn't be ADHD because I was too fat and ADHD kids are always skinny because they're running around all the time. Despite the fact that now this has been disproven I know this doctor and he refuses to apologize. Despite the fact that I was absolutely right and so is my mother
This correlation makes so much sense, great to see I am not alone. Thank you! I am weening off medication now because I can not make progress with intuitive eating while suppressing my appetite every day. Mindfulness is the key, I can do this. Thank you for sharing :)
Yea I’m always writing things down to avoid forgetting, my alarm clock is a memory game and I use timers to stay laser focused during the day, this helps me.
Thank you so so much for this video! I'm trying for so long to understand myself. I thought I might have ADHD and I do binge-eat sometimes but I never knew those can be related. Now I have a new possible solution to research!
You know what’s wild is when I found out I had ADHD it actually helped me stop all of my addictions because instead of hating myself I realized it’s a symptom of my ADHD. It’s really dang hard to stop everything at once and unfortunately sent me in a terribly mental brake down for a a couple days and a lot of sleep. But my body is doing better and I’m staying on track. Diet really is everything. My sleep sucks now but at least I feel healthier lol
Thank you thank you thank you for this video! I have PCOS which I have now realized was brought on by Binge Eating since childhood. I have been doing more research on Binge Eating and came across this video. The symptoms of ADHD you describe line up perfectly with everything I experience!
You are most welcome! I'm so glad you found it to be a helpful resource. Dr. Julie and I LOVE helping people make sense out of their binge eating behavior and then teaching them how to do "the deeper work" within to heal emotional wounds so that food is no longer your soother and protector. We host a global virtual community for people struggling with emotional and binge eating, where we offer new videos every week to our members all about how to create full recovery from compulsive overeating. It's called TheHealthyWeighOut Circle of HOPE. We'd love for you to join us. Just go to thehealthyweighout.com for more information :) ~Dr. Ashley
when i was 13 i could easily eat 6 full fletched meals a day for a few years which got worse with depression. I got tested for ADHD just because i was at a psychiatrist anyways at that time because of my depression. I got Ritalin which didnt help at all. (still ate a lot too.) then when i was in a mental hospital for my depression and ADHD when i was 15 i changed to Concerta which was the best thing ever, i have a normal eating habit i can get through the day way easier and generally it helped me a lot.
The more I hear about this the less hope I have. Basically all therapeutic options are telling me that I basically have a second job now on top of my life. I was hoping to get help, not more work. That's just incredibly depressing. How realistic is it for someone with ADHD to stay consistent with treatments like that? This just sounds like chasing a carrot stick to me.
I just understood this the other way around completely, like seeing the glass half full. I've suffered with random things all my life, thinking Ill never be a functional adult and that I can't function on my own. Knowing now as an adult that I have ADHD, now I can stop blaming myself. It was my fault, I was just born this way. And I'm glad my parents didn't discover it when I was a child, because they would condition me to be comfortable with less because I had a disability. I'm an adult. I know I have an obstacle and can learn to go around it. There are adults going to college at 40s, 50s. There's people finishing high school at their 30s. We are learning something we didn't know we had at the age we are at. We are lucky to know we can adapt, and that we aren't stuck with it
Thank you so much, Sarah! It's always wonderful to hear that our videos are helpful. We have a ton of videos on this channel all about Emotional and Binge Eating, so be sure to check them out. 💜
For me, I thought the binge eating was just a habit. I feel that it is a copping mechanism for the stress of school. I find that I can help reduce the urges by doing something just as stress releasing. For me it is playing beat saber on my oculus. For you, it could be something like taking a bath.
There's a lot of useful info here. Thank you. One note: all the other resources I have seen say that the types of ADHD are split into 1) Inattentiveness, 2) Hyperactivity and Impulsiveness, or 3) the three combined. Your vid has split these differently.
The clinical criteria for BED never really have seemed to describe my issues with food as someone with ADHD and MDD. I definitely have a problem with impulsive overeating. It is now starting to impact my physical health. But the BED criteria really seem to describe someone else. It sounds so extreme.
She's saying the aspects of it, not how it's classified. Basically she's spot on, impulsiveness and inattentiveness are the 2 roots of the evil in ADHD.
Thank you for this video! I’m 36 and just got diagnosed with ADHD and BED. I am on 40 mg of Vyvanse and it is not helping. It did at first but now it is not. I told my doctor and she said go to therapy and don’t take the meds every day. She will not raise the dosage either due to other people abusing it. She told me people with BED get prescribed 50 mg but she disagrees with that. On the days I don’t take the Meds, I want to eat everything. I’m not losing weight at all and have researched everything and I can’t find any help. I unfortunately cannot afford therapy at the moment so that is not an option right now.
I'm on methylphenidate (54mg daily) for my ADHD. It definitely gets me up and going for the day and for 6 days out of 7, it helps me to stick to my carnivore diet. However, there's always one day (not the same day each week) in my week when I have that overwhelming urge to just eat stuff I shouldn't. (Dis-regulation or anxiety will hit) It's not necessarily sweet stuff I crave, it's more texture. So yes, I'll go for something sweet/savoury but it can't be cake. It has to be pastry based. I wish I knew why that is. As hard as I try I will always give in and then I end up feeling like the worst person that ever walked this planet. Lately, I'm learning to be more forgiving of myself.
I just want to bring this up , is it to do with something that we did to disturb that prefrontal cortex imbalance in dopamine and focus , like mastrubation, watching corn , the fact that so many people are having it now a days . I hope they take group of adults who are no addict and a group of people who are and do a study on this. Adhd/add could be a possible side effect of it.
Mindless eating, I am in my mid 40’s have been binge eating since teenage, and have always had adhd symptoms. For the first time I’m being treated with Vyvanse on the 30mg dose. Start tomorrow, just picked up my script today. Does this med work immediately same day, or does it take time to build? I have a follow up in 2 weeks with my doctor to check in and see how medication is doing.
I have everything you just said ma’am Im not in medication , I just set up my morning alarm and will try all your tips. Thank you🙏 Oh by the way I’m Eating junk food while I watch your video
I would love to get your input on my children. Do you have an email? I have an adopted son with multiple diagnosises and does see a therapist. But not one that deals with food issues. And I don't want to put too much on here. Thanks in advance.
Hi BreAnna, thank you so much for your comment. Send me an email at contact@thehealthyweighout.com and I will do my best to offer some resources that might be of help to you. Warmly, Dr. Ashley
I am severely ADHD. Like, there is not a single thing about me that isn't a known and everyday kind of symptom of it and my impulsivity brings the absolute worst out of me :( I scare most everyone that loves me. I will eat or shop or spur of the moment plan to do something stupid or whatever... without even knowing I'm doing it. And tell myself no... not gonna happen. My brain does NOT register rules or authority. Now, I don't mean I'm a badass... I don't do shit that would land me somewhere that would make me crazy. I mean that if the choice is to straighten up or be alone in a room, vegging on electronics and eating non stop from dusk till dawn... I WILL ALWAYS choose alone! I finish and follow through on nothing so even that would get me pacing. Because I'm like f*** people and their rules, restrictions and authority they think they have over me. But, alone makes me bored. Bored is an instant recipe for something spontaneous. Spontaneous with no self control lands me in trouble... It's like I'm addicted to a rush. Bad thing is... I don't like drugs or drinking -_- I do not like when a room moves on me (no roller coasters for me, thank you) (I wish I could be addicted to drugs, I'd get help quicker or simply not care enough to care) I'm the idiot that will go under the roller coaster and fish out the hat you dropped just to get that exhilaration from the noise and the fear ringing in my brain, etc... that funness! (I'm hitting up a Demo Derby next weekend, OMG, I LOVE THEM! They're loud and drown out any sorrow I might have and I can just be present)) You know! OMG! Also, I will do it the very second it pops into my head to do it. I even know afterwards when I've goofed but it's too late then so I just own it. (and trust me, there are many things of this nature that I could NEVER put out in public) It's why I have friends beg me to join any outing, any party or any thing they do because I'm the crazy and fun one! Geesh, I've rambled on again... Forgot where I was even going... This video is so me and I could feel her compassion through the screen... but what do I do to fix me or make me even a little better. I cant get anybody to listen to me or help me because I haven't ruined my life yet. Believe it or not I've thought if I could hold a job that would keep me from being so bored but I can hold a job without meds, just no way, like none. Wont even try anymore -_- Anyway, whatevs, I'm out again :/
Hi I take Adderall. It really helps to under press my urge to binge. But days, when im ''off'' my binge urges just, come back out of nowhere.. (sorry if my English isn't good Im Dutch). I also experience low libido when on adderall. But how do I fix that? Is it btw weird that I binge, when I feel 'good' about myself....?
Thank you 💜 We're so glad you're finding these videos helpful. We provide 4 educational videos every week in our Online Educational Community for people affected by Emotional and Binge Eating so you may want to check it out. For more info, go to: thehealthyweighoutcircleofhope.mn.co
My doctor said because it's a stimulate he's not comfortable prescribing it . I'll talk to a psychiatrist because I do have anxiety and scared that would get worse
Hey im 13 and wayyyy overweight, I have sever ADD and I have tried so many things I don’t know what to do it seems like I can’t lose weight at all it’s bringing me down, any suggestions?
Binge eating spikes dopamine, so it’s likely that people who binge eat have low levels of dopamine. Chronically low dopamine is one of the hallmarks of ADHD, so it makes sense.
Ive been anorexic and bulimic and I wanted to ask if exercising still helps in recovery? Exercising makes me feel good but I hope my brain and my body doesn’t deem it as “purging” when its just me appreciating the energy the food gave me. Its extra hard for me who has adhd symptoms along with borderline (diagnosed) to properly recover. Ive been feeling exhausted and suicidal because its just so exhausting to even live and breathe when eating is just hard in itself.
The difficulty there is that exercise can become a problem in anorexia. I think you should probably be working with a therapist who can help you learn where the line between *healthy exercise" and "starving and exercising yourself to dangerous levels" is. It's not easy. But I'm sure it's do-able by changing your perceptions of yourself, food, and exercise.
Adderall and other adhd meds can help binge eating. I have binge eating disorder and I started adderall xl a few weeks ago, and I’ve only binged once (vs my usual every day binging).
Thanks so much for watching! The DSM-5 lists hyperactivity and impulsivity together as one sub-type, and inattentive as a second sub-type. Hope this clarifies!
Are there any supplements that can help with the BED? I have this along with ADHD and I want to find an alternative to medications. I heard Curcumin and Turmeric may help but I see there are so many brands and some may be more effective that others. Any suggesions? Thanks
I like taking the actual root of the turmeric. I mix it with ginger lemon and some black pepper. I made this video on adhd heathy diet hacks and I share my tips on losing weight despite my adhd. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IuSHQr0MWHc.html i hope you love it and subscribe for more!