Same. I’m medicated and I’ll go without food. I won’t notice I’m hungry until my stomach falls through the floor and I get dizzy.
Then I could smash a whole buffet’s worth of food.
Yeah when I take my meds it's like it turns off the signal to my brain that says "hungry" and then at night when the pills are wearing off and the signal finally comes through it's after hours of my stomach sending out distress and sos so it comes in like "OH MY GOD WE'RE GOING TO DIE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HUNGRY, EAT, CONSUME, RAVAGE, FUCKING SOMETHING HELLO?!?"
Thus begins the insane intake of calories and me eating everything deemed as food.
I actually do this during the day too. I pop my methylphenidate then go back to sleep. When I get up I start doing things and then I’ll feel my stomach drop and I know I need breakfast. Begin to devour. Then I won’t eat again until the stomach drop and then devour. Same at night before bed.
My mom took me to lunch one day right as the stomach drop happened and I shoved food in my face so fast she just looked at me like “are you ok?”
Yeah unless I get physical shakes or the "strung out" feeling I'm entirely cut off from my stomach while I'm on my Lisdexamphetamine and I'll forget to eat anything kr drink water at all because it's like something is entirely blocking out those messages to my brain. I'll go through the day, and sometimes it starts with a bit of agitation, then it becomes noticeable physically, and I force something into my stomach at speeds unknown.
There have been a couple instances where someone catches me in the act of eating during the "sos" period of the hunger, and it always feels like they walked in on me perking off or something.
One time it was my wife who goes to bed before me, walking out into the kitchen at close to midnight and seeing me standing over a fresh from the oven pizza that is already half gone and me just inhaling a slice infront of her (I only cut it into 4 slices when I'm like this so I'm eating 1/4 of the pizza in front of her in what seems like seconds) and her just going "Jesus did you eat at all today?" Luckily, she's seen me through this whole unmedicated to medicated journey, so she's not alarmed.
But we were at the in-laws for a party. I think it was New years. So there's a few guests and family, etc, running around, and I had been lightly picking at a cheese platter, but that was it. FIL makes some steaks, burgers, wings, etc. (man loves to feed), and people had already had their fill, and plenty was left over. Well, the moon comes up, and my pills wear down, and I become a werewolf, and I make my way over to the food and just... I devour an unhealthy amount of meat in a very short period.
I didn't notice anyone around, so I was chowing down, and I finished off a burger in 4 bites and turned to see one of the family friends just like "bro did you even taste it? Do you even chew?" And I'm just standing there like idk what to say I just ate 2 steaks a few burgers and all of the leftover wings how do I tell him this is "normal" when it clearly looks like I'm a human food vacuum.
Oof, for me, I'll get to the point that I vomit bile, I'm so hungry and then I just stand around and still have no interest in food unless it's got a novelty factor.
What's helped is having a Bon Appetit subscription and cooking new recipes regularly that are interesting and novel to me.
But it still happens all the time.
I have medicated ADHD and am in recovery from disordered eating though. It's hard when your brain wants to reward you for not eating and sees it as something to be proud of and an accomplishment. I know a lot of women especially dealing with eating disorders and body dysmorphia on top of ADHD just because we came of age in eras with zero body positivity and terrible nutritional and dietary advice.
I once went a day and a half where I just “forgot” to eat and when I finally remembered, it was in the middle of a double shift where I was working 7 am-11pm. The only reason I remembered is bc when I felt reaaaalllly lightheaded when I did something strenuous and tried to recall the last I’d eaten. I came up with a peanut butter sandwich that Thursday between school and work. I got out of school and went to work Thursday and was super busy so no time for dinner (I worked at a nursing home at the time so I found it difficult go on break unless I’d made sure everyone’s diapers were clean within the last 45 minutes), I didn’t eat breakfast Friday bc I didn’t have time bc of school, I didn’t eat lunch Friday bc I didn’t like school lunch, and then same deal for dinner Friday as Thursday.
I get massive headaches and it’s a fun game of “am I hungry or did I stare at screens for too long?”
Luckily if I’m just hungry, they go away really quick once I have something to eat!
Ive dealt with anorexia for about 4 years now and in recovery forgetting to eat is the worst feeling ever because sometimes i forget to eat and then i tell myself that I can't eat at 3pm because i need to eat at a food time and then i forget dinner and then i relapse
For me I am not hungry, I snack because it gives me a little bump of dopamine but is has to be very specific foods otherwise I don't get that satisfaction and I keep eating until I find the snack that scratches that itch...
How I am still reasonably underweight I do not know but it's only a matter of time before it catches up to me.
Yet other times I will go months without eating properly and only eat small things throughout the day if anything at all.
Don't know why my brain does me dirty like this but I can no longer enjoy food properly.
>How I am still reasonably underweight I do not know
>Yet other times I will go months without eating properly and only eat small things throughout the day if anything at all.
I think you answered your question.
Thing is the over eating is a much more common occurrence and the things I eat should massively outweigh the stuff I don't lol.
Either way I look healthy but I am certantly not 😭
I started meds about a month ago, and while I'm still working out the dosage and medication, it seems to help somewhat with these dopamine chases. Alas the problem is at night when I want to sleep and not be on stimulants, thus leading to some food binging.
But yeah, my whole life you just described... Looking in the fridge, freezer, pantry, for the exact right foods to scratch the itch. Each time I open them, my standards get lower 😆
If im not medicated I don't even know what full feels like, until I get nauseous but that's not the same. Also actually being hungry hurts my stomach(not belly)[english is stupid] physically. Also eat if I'm bored of emotional.
I watched a great video on [ADHD and obesity by Dr. K](https://youtu.be/bOzs2Iel40s?si=gODdjxzbolQVvlsW) which answered a lot of questions about my issues with food.
To paraphrase, food gives us some nice dopamine hits, but (like everything) we get less than normal people. We *also* tend to have stronger cravings than other people, although it’s not always food related. This is probably why we dive so strongly into new hobbies as well.
So many of us *want* food more, but it also gives us *less* satisfaction than a neurotypical. It’s a vicious cycle that often leads to overeating and weight gain.
The best counter for many is, funny enough, to **concentrate on eating.** By removing distractions and just thinking about tasting your food, we actually enjoy it more and end up wanting less. I know it’s a pain but try just putting down your phone or turning off the TV or shutting out your family for just a moment to really think about your food while you eat it.
It’s made me enjoy the way it tastes more and eat less than how I used to interact with it.
Also snacking is super common for everyone lol. We usually do it out a tiny bit of hunger and a LOT of boredom. I try to get myself involved and also drink water to get rid of the craving. Good luck!
i'm always hungry, i could eat and eat and still want more, but i'm unmedicated, my son is medicated and doesn't eat enough, but turns into a ravenous monster when he doesn't take a dose
Same. My mum and other relatives wants me to go on a diet since I'm getting fat.
Problem is I'm the living food disposal where the entire family including gramps and my aunt's and uncles gives me leftovers.(Always cooks too much)
And when I finally decide that I'm going on a diet my mum always cooks my favorite food, then I proceed to devour around triple the usual amount I eat. I don't even tell mum I'm on a diet and somehow mum makes my faves during my diet.
Breathing exercises and physical exercise is the way to go to manually release the dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. Eating right before sleeping will increase your weight for the body is in energy storing mode. Found l skipping breakfast and burning all the extra calories before bed allow my body to produce more energy by burning what it had already.
A constant food and exercise plan needs to be made. Calorie fluctuations per day should to be below 800. Once you find consistency, results follow.
I think if i lived on my own and 1) didn't go out to eat, 2) controlled what i bought and what was in the house it'd go easier, just not allow myself access to the various foods.
I know excersize helps but setting up the routine to go get that done and stay to it is obnoxiously impossible, longest i managed was about a month a while ago before i took a break day and never went back
I wonder if that's a side effect of the medication. I don't eat a lot either while medicated. But if I don't eat and my meds wear off, I become a hungry, ravenous monster too.
I suffered with this as a kid both on and off meds.
Best solution I have is to eat and drink at semi regular times. I can both ignore hunger til I'm sick and suddenly get extremely hungry without warning, even now in my thirties.
It can be hard, but try having something in the morning, at lunch, and dinner until it's a habit. It's sorta like training yourself for a diet which can suck, but it's the only way I've found to avoid making myself sick hyperfocusing and overeating at night.
Yeah, i need to buy a SHIT ton of flavoured gum though, otherwise I just keep eating if there is food in the house which there always is so... one or two full packets of gum a day it is lol
I’m like this. Also unsure exactly why. It’s a real problem.
I’m fairly certain I’ll end up on ozempic eventually, once the price comes down. 30 years of failing to control my appetite has me convinced I’ll never do it naturally.
I was constantly snacking out of boredom and sugar addiction. It's caught up with me over 13 years, having been back on meds this past week and a half for the first time since I was 14, I haven't eaten much and haven't really been hungry.
It's not hunger, it's a craving. But yes, very typical adhd behavior. I used to bring a chocolate bar to bed with me every night before I got medicated. Being on rit really helped with that. I hadn't had a sugar craving in years.
you're likely seeking stimulation in food. I'm glad its just food and not drugs 😅
Try to find healthy snacks and also engage in fulfilling activities whenever you can, if your eating habits are having a nrgative impact on your health.
If you're healthy and not overeating stuff thatsbad for your body, there is no trouble in snacking. I snacked a lot for years to stimulate and it worked great. The pandemic had me gain a bunch of weight because I was bored and just coped with food for a long time. But now that life is somewhat normal again I don't snack as much.
Take care of yourself ❤️
I am absolutely the mariana trench when it comes to food. I will eat until I hurt, then I will wait a few minutes and eat more.
Thank god for vyvanse, otherwise this would just keep happening.
It is not uncommon. Apparently people focus more on the ones that don't eat as much over the ones that use food to overeat. ADHD kids have a higher obesity rate than non ADHD kids. Something about thinking about eating not getting satisfied with actual eating, so you eat more food to be satisfied. Diminished returns compared to neurotypical folks.
As a child. Yes. I would become bottomless pit each time before I got a growth spurt.
Eventually the growth spurts stopped....
I'm pretty sure I am not growing anymore in my 20's as my last growth spurt was at like 13....
I mean op has a drawing about getting food from his mum. Not to say that that means they are fs a kid but its gonna be my 1st assumption till i see other evidence
I personally don’t eat much and I’m not huge on snacking. I don’t make the best food choices though and I’m far too lazy and need to get out waking more.
I love good food but my body knows its limits and i respect them. After i reach my limit, i'm known to go a day or 2 without eating if i'm not put in a position to eat like going on a lunch break at work for instance. But i'm also known to eat and snack all the time. It's off and on but it's adhd, hyperfocusing on one thing all day is natural to me lol
I have no clue about the limit of my body.
I once ate so much that I vomited it back out.(Eat all you can buffet)
I vomited an entire plastic bag worth.(The medium sized ones) It was so full and warm.
The good thing is that I'm hungry again after that vomit so I can eat more.(And ate more food)
The other good thing is that everyone is scared of me that I might pop the plastic during the ride home.
I always assumed I ate so much cause it’s a way of stimming. When I have stuff to eat just in my room or whatever I end up kinda just snacking without really thinking. I have always just been kind of a foodie though so that may just be a me thing.
I found out this was because i didnt have a regular eating cycle. I would wake up late and eat late which led me to not feeling hungry in the mornings. Eventually that cycle was fixed by getting up at earlier times and eating every couple of hours instead of eating a whole bunch at night.
I eat when my body tells me to, which is any time I'm bored or when I see someone else eat. However, my brain and stomach don't communicate that well with each other. I honestly have no idea when I'm full until it's too late (hard to breathe due to inflated stomach). It is an issue I've been meaning to look into. So now I try to only snack on healthy stuff right before bed.
Opposite - the problem is forgetting to eat at all or saying “as soon as I finish what I am supposed to be doing I will let myself eat. Then never finishing so not eating.
Are you me?! Cos I just asked myself this question after finishing up a big-ass bowl of baked mac & cheese, after telling myself, “I’m not that hungry, plus it’s quite late, so I guess I am gonna have some for leftovers tomorrow!” Too real 😭
Yoo wtf 😂, I said the same to myself " I'm not that hungry, so I'll just make something lite and eat" but ended up making Mac and cheese and ate enough that a person would consider eating for a whole meal. 😫😪
I have a really fast metabolism and usually eat a normal lunch with family and a second one around 10. I am still underweight.
But I don't think that's connected to adhd
I used to eat white sugar out of the container, but I’m a fit and healthy individual otherwise. I eat a pretty balanced diet, but if I have any sort of sugary snack, candy, cake or dessert I will go absolutely feral. I have no control over it, and my roommate knows to take things away from me bc I will mindlessly eat a 50 piece family pack of Hi-Chew in an hour.
Dopamine release is real with sugar for me, and even when stoned I don’t eat savory foods the same way.
Edit to add a bit more context to my rambling
I wouldn‘t say it‘s hunger. But I can say from experience that I often eat more than I need and at times I don’t it, simply for some extra dopamine. But it‘s mostly about snacks like chips or anything containing chocolate.
When I get this way, being super hungry after eating, I've found that I've mis-nourished myself. Eating actually nutritious food will stop the further cravings. Other times it's just that I'm a vacuum for any and all food, usually after long bike rides. lol
From what I’ve learned eating foods is just another dopamine hit for a lot ADHD people. It could be cause you like the flavor, texture etc. it can be addicting till (in my experience) you get *the ick* and must find a new hyper fixation food
I'm just bored. the only way i know to be busy for a few minutes is to eat, that will always give me something to do. i think it's a bit of seeking stimuli? i also drink a lot because of that :/
i know it's not good but at least it will give me something to do for a while. and once I'm hammered i have no trouble just sitting around anymore.
I've gone off track sorry. i eat for stimulation and also because medication hunger (transgender reasons). eating is easy and eating something good makes me feel better for a little bit
It definitely is for some types. I struggle with it flip flopping.
Some months I am insatiable and have to be very careful not to make myself sick from gorging on everything. And other months, I can't muster the appetite to eat more often than one small meal every three days.
I drink nearly one and a quarter gallons of water each day easily though.
I'm thinking that one day it will be discovered that a large portion of people who binge eat have ADHD.
Most of my life I've followed the pattern of: forget to eat all day until I'm ridiculously HANGRY and eat everything in sight until I fall asleep.
Since I've started meds (still working on getting them consistently) I mostly eat like a "normal" person although I still forget to eat a good bit of the time. I've maintained the same weight for over a year FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
I forget to eat, eat out of boredom, or eat kind of normaly... but not on schedule. Healthy weight but rather on the lower side. If i have a choice i choose the higher caloric meal to keep weight.
As an unmedicated ADHD haver, a drink A LOT of caffeine, morning to late night. I was ravenously hungry like I wanted to eat my own hand until I added more water. I guess dehydration can cause hunger.
Your clock is off, that’s part of the thing
One hour is ten minutes, ten minutes is one hour
You’re gonna have dinner, plan to eat 6pm, have dinner at 2am
You’re inner clock is the same - you should be hungry, but you’re not.
You shouldn’t be hungry but you are
Your clock is fucked. It’s part of the thing
Human saliva usually has a potent antidepressant and some other stuff in small quantities, which is probs why comfort eating is as effective as it is.
Source : youtube shorts, probably half false/half true
I tend to have to eat by the clock or set alarms, left to my own devices I’ve gone 3 days without eating and felt like shit. I don’t seem to get hungry.
Eating helps me concentrate on things.
Like, every chip or whatever that I eat is a small respite from work that satisfies me enough to keep going.
It's maybe like dividing the thing I need to focus on in smaller parts, each long a mouthful of whatever.
I get fat quite fast because of this :/
Im trying to get my doctor to evaluate me for binge eating disorder of food addiction because my cravings are so absurdly high. It's genuinely unbearable at times
ADHD meds + semaglutide are a game changer. The ability to focus without the “food noise”. The sema totally takes away the dopamine hit that the ADHD wants to get from food. Suddenly, you can walk past your favorite snack and your body doesn’t take over. I always hated the feeling of lack of executive control around food. I get the feeling that it goes hand in hand with ADHD for a lot of people.
Idk... I feel like I'm always eating too, but not as if I were always hungry, more like... I'm rapidly full. I take two bites and feel okay. Then 15 minutes later I feel like going for another bite.
I'm hard wired to make over complicated meals. My family usually waits for me, but they attribute it to my personality which makes me feel small and (odd word here, but hear me out:) unartistic.
When trying to keep it simple I get even more choked because executive function makes me feel like I don't have enough hands. Sometimes I keep a bowl in the fridge because I'll (get paranoid because the fridge {stabs me in the autism when it} beeps{.} while I) be mentally blocked from opening the cupboard to get a bowl.
That bowl helped me so much, but I get nagged for it. Sometimes they tell me "I know you're struggling" or some shit like they're dreaming of a nice bottled up behaviour-bot to gaze at. I have an affirmation: "I'm not struggling, I'm striving".
I forget to eat a lot.
I'm not underweight but I'm definitely pretty small. It's not like I don't want to but I just get so focused on my projects or tasks that I've gone a day or so without eating.
In my mind if it takes me away from my task, its a distraction XD
For me the constant hunger only comes when I'm very sleep deprived. It's a scale though. The more sleep I get the less I compensate with food and other things for energy and dopamine.
Is it actual hunger or is it just appetite?
Took me a while to realize the difference. Hunger is in my stomach; appetite is in my head or my tongue — I want the *taste* of something.
Appetite is independent of hunger a lot of the time. Sometimes I’m hungry but don’t particularly want to eat (this pretty much only happens while I’m on a stimulant medication). I regularly want to eat despite not being particularly hungry (even while on a stimulant medication, usually when I didn’t get enough sleep).
I have the complete opposite problem. I can't feel hungry. Once I starved myself and I kept wondering why my stomach hurt. I didn't even know what hunger pangs were, because apparently I just didn't know what being hungry was like.
I'm pretty healthy, and the only reason why is that when I go to have my three daily meals, I apparently devour everything because I also have a bottomless stomach, and I love having randoms snack inbetween my meals for that extra dopamine hit before I work.
I am on both sides of the medal here. I either don’t eat the whole time and then I remember I did not eat and go into a frenzy where I eat half the fridge. And there are days where I go to the fridge constantly
As a kid I was never hungry at daytime because of the side effect and then I got hungry after it wore off.
As an adult I now take a dosage that doesnt give me that sideeffect.
This is a lighthearted subreddit for ADHD individuals. We require all users be nice towards each other. Your comment/post has been removed as it has been found to be disrespectful.
I look forward to my partner falling asleep so that i can roll over and snack on the candy i keep in my bedside table… after we’ve had dinner *and* dessert. I promise it’s not a flaw in you, OP
Humans grow until they're about 25 years old. That's when your body stops producing an over abundance of new cells and cell-death starts to overtake cell-growth.
With me there is no stop. It's like I can eat all day, every day. Even when I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and be like hmm I need a snack. And then I'm up for 3 hours cos a snack needs to be combined with my tv show and then I forget it's the middle of the night and I just needed to pee and my alarm will go off in 1.5 hours.
But since I'm on meds I suddenly don't have those cravings anymore. Suddenly I actually feel when I'm full and many times when someone offers a snack I don't even feel like it. So yeah for sure, with me the constant eating and being hungry is ADHD related. Been overweight because of it my entire life. I'm not on meds long but I'm already getting thinner. I finally feel now how normal people feel with food. It's weird. Apparently my body and stomach does have a limit 🤣
I do force myself to eat sometimes now though. Cos now I have the problem I forget to eat sometimes and I don't wanna lose weight unhealthy fast, causing other health issues. Losing weight was never my goal with meds, but it's a nice addition. However I wanna make sure it goes slow, so I set alarms for reminding me to eat. They go off every day at the same time. And then I eat. A normal amount. Insane right? 🤣🤣
If you start looking at things as a source of dopamine, everything starts making more sense. Long story short is that you are lacking dopamine control and are more likely ,compared to neurotypicals, to overindulge in anything that gives you dopamine. Also explains many other predispositions to depression, “laziness” etc.
I haven’t seen any official messaging on this but has anyone else? Everything I’ve read and heard imply that our main factor for ADHD is linked to dopamine control but still claim they have no idea how ADHD works.
Is saying long story short and writing 3 paragraphs an ADHD thing too?
There is this old commercial for meth to cure food cravings. Ludicrous from today's point of view, except there must have been people with adhd-caused cravings for whom that was actually the correct treatment lol
It probably has to do with ADHD. For me, I wake up at about 7am, I rarely eat before 4pm, but then I'll eat 3 meals within 8 hours. Last meal right before bed.
1) The brain uses approximately 20% of the daily energy consumption of any given human.
2) ADHD (and other neurodivergent conditions as well) can commonly cause the brain to stop filtering things, resulting in an information overload for the subject at hand.
3) A very common trait of ADHD, if not perhaps the most common, is that the subject thinks a great deal, often far more than a regular human subject.
So just say twice as much. Just consider that need: from 20% of a daily usage to 40%. Add in hyperactivity and puberty, it seems to be a common trend. (Edit: puberty is not needed, as these things can continue throughout a lifetime, puberty merely happens to be a time of really encountering the world for the first time as the brain goes through it's developmental.)
Omnomnomnomnom...
I either forget to eat or I am a bottomless pit. There is no in between.
Same. I’m medicated and I’ll go without food. I won’t notice I’m hungry until my stomach falls through the floor and I get dizzy. Then I could smash a whole buffet’s worth of food.
Yeah when I take my meds it's like it turns off the signal to my brain that says "hungry" and then at night when the pills are wearing off and the signal finally comes through it's after hours of my stomach sending out distress and sos so it comes in like "OH MY GOD WE'RE GOING TO DIE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HUNGRY, EAT, CONSUME, RAVAGE, FUCKING SOMETHING HELLO?!?" Thus begins the insane intake of calories and me eating everything deemed as food.
I actually do this during the day too. I pop my methylphenidate then go back to sleep. When I get up I start doing things and then I’ll feel my stomach drop and I know I need breakfast. Begin to devour. Then I won’t eat again until the stomach drop and then devour. Same at night before bed. My mom took me to lunch one day right as the stomach drop happened and I shoved food in my face so fast she just looked at me like “are you ok?”
Yeah unless I get physical shakes or the "strung out" feeling I'm entirely cut off from my stomach while I'm on my Lisdexamphetamine and I'll forget to eat anything kr drink water at all because it's like something is entirely blocking out those messages to my brain. I'll go through the day, and sometimes it starts with a bit of agitation, then it becomes noticeable physically, and I force something into my stomach at speeds unknown. There have been a couple instances where someone catches me in the act of eating during the "sos" period of the hunger, and it always feels like they walked in on me perking off or something. One time it was my wife who goes to bed before me, walking out into the kitchen at close to midnight and seeing me standing over a fresh from the oven pizza that is already half gone and me just inhaling a slice infront of her (I only cut it into 4 slices when I'm like this so I'm eating 1/4 of the pizza in front of her in what seems like seconds) and her just going "Jesus did you eat at all today?" Luckily, she's seen me through this whole unmedicated to medicated journey, so she's not alarmed. But we were at the in-laws for a party. I think it was New years. So there's a few guests and family, etc, running around, and I had been lightly picking at a cheese platter, but that was it. FIL makes some steaks, burgers, wings, etc. (man loves to feed), and people had already had their fill, and plenty was left over. Well, the moon comes up, and my pills wear down, and I become a werewolf, and I make my way over to the food and just... I devour an unhealthy amount of meat in a very short period. I didn't notice anyone around, so I was chowing down, and I finished off a burger in 4 bites and turned to see one of the family friends just like "bro did you even taste it? Do you even chew?" And I'm just standing there like idk what to say I just ate 2 steaks a few burgers and all of the leftover wings how do I tell him this is "normal" when it clearly looks like I'm a human food vacuum.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I DO LOL I'll go a day or two without eating anything properly, then gorge on huge dinners 😭
Oof, for me, I'll get to the point that I vomit bile, I'm so hungry and then I just stand around and still have no interest in food unless it's got a novelty factor. What's helped is having a Bon Appetit subscription and cooking new recipes regularly that are interesting and novel to me. But it still happens all the time. I have medicated ADHD and am in recovery from disordered eating though. It's hard when your brain wants to reward you for not eating and sees it as something to be proud of and an accomplishment. I know a lot of women especially dealing with eating disorders and body dysmorphia on top of ADHD just because we came of age in eras with zero body positivity and terrible nutritional and dietary advice.
I once went a day and a half where I just “forgot” to eat and when I finally remembered, it was in the middle of a double shift where I was working 7 am-11pm. The only reason I remembered is bc when I felt reaaaalllly lightheaded when I did something strenuous and tried to recall the last I’d eaten. I came up with a peanut butter sandwich that Thursday between school and work. I got out of school and went to work Thursday and was super busy so no time for dinner (I worked at a nursing home at the time so I found it difficult go on break unless I’d made sure everyone’s diapers were clean within the last 45 minutes), I didn’t eat breakfast Friday bc I didn’t have time bc of school, I didn’t eat lunch Friday bc I didn’t like school lunch, and then same deal for dinner Friday as Thursday.
I get massive headaches and it’s a fun game of “am I hungry or did I stare at screens for too long?” Luckily if I’m just hungry, they go away really quick once I have something to eat!
It's not that I forget to eat, more that I'd rather die than eat any of the food I have, and I'm too broke to buy any more
Same here. Didn't matter when I was younger but now I'm almost 30 amd work overnight. Needless to say I'm getting kinda fat now.
Ive dealt with anorexia for about 4 years now and in recovery forgetting to eat is the worst feeling ever because sometimes i forget to eat and then i tell myself that I can't eat at 3pm because i need to eat at a food time and then i forget dinner and then i relapse
For me I am not hungry, I snack because it gives me a little bump of dopamine but is has to be very specific foods otherwise I don't get that satisfaction and I keep eating until I find the snack that scratches that itch... How I am still reasonably underweight I do not know but it's only a matter of time before it catches up to me. Yet other times I will go months without eating properly and only eat small things throughout the day if anything at all. Don't know why my brain does me dirty like this but I can no longer enjoy food properly.
>How I am still reasonably underweight I do not know >Yet other times I will go months without eating properly and only eat small things throughout the day if anything at all. I think you answered your question.
Thing is the over eating is a much more common occurrence and the things I eat should massively outweigh the stuff I don't lol. Either way I look healthy but I am certantly not 😭
Could be good genetics, gut health, lots of things influence weight.
“Good” genetics except for the part with ADHD
Haha, genes might be overcompensating :P
I am the exact same
Eating is just as irregular as my sleeping schedule.
Damn man, are you on ADHD meds by any chance?
On and off them depending on supply but only as of recently. I have had this problem all my life though.
I started meds about a month ago, and while I'm still working out the dosage and medication, it seems to help somewhat with these dopamine chases. Alas the problem is at night when I want to sleep and not be on stimulants, thus leading to some food binging. But yeah, my whole life you just described... Looking in the fridge, freezer, pantry, for the exact right foods to scratch the itch. Each time I open them, my standards get lower 😆
It caught up to me in college freshman 15 turned into the freshman 30
Stickbugs unite!
It’ll catch up to you as you age lol
If im not medicated I don't even know what full feels like, until I get nauseous but that's not the same. Also actually being hungry hurts my stomach(not belly)[english is stupid] physically. Also eat if I'm bored of emotional.
wait, is being hungry not supposed to hurt?
I watched a great video on [ADHD and obesity by Dr. K](https://youtu.be/bOzs2Iel40s?si=gODdjxzbolQVvlsW) which answered a lot of questions about my issues with food. To paraphrase, food gives us some nice dopamine hits, but (like everything) we get less than normal people. We *also* tend to have stronger cravings than other people, although it’s not always food related. This is probably why we dive so strongly into new hobbies as well. So many of us *want* food more, but it also gives us *less* satisfaction than a neurotypical. It’s a vicious cycle that often leads to overeating and weight gain. The best counter for many is, funny enough, to **concentrate on eating.** By removing distractions and just thinking about tasting your food, we actually enjoy it more and end up wanting less. I know it’s a pain but try just putting down your phone or turning off the TV or shutting out your family for just a moment to really think about your food while you eat it. It’s made me enjoy the way it tastes more and eat less than how I used to interact with it. Also snacking is super common for everyone lol. We usually do it out a tiny bit of hunger and a LOT of boredom. I try to get myself involved and also drink water to get rid of the craving. Good luck!
i'm always hungry, i could eat and eat and still want more, but i'm unmedicated, my son is medicated and doesn't eat enough, but turns into a ravenous monster when he doesn't take a dose
Same. My mum and other relatives wants me to go on a diet since I'm getting fat. Problem is I'm the living food disposal where the entire family including gramps and my aunt's and uncles gives me leftovers.(Always cooks too much) And when I finally decide that I'm going on a diet my mum always cooks my favorite food, then I proceed to devour around triple the usual amount I eat. I don't even tell mum I'm on a diet and somehow mum makes my faves during my diet.
Breathing exercises and physical exercise is the way to go to manually release the dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. Eating right before sleeping will increase your weight for the body is in energy storing mode. Found l skipping breakfast and burning all the extra calories before bed allow my body to produce more energy by burning what it had already. A constant food and exercise plan needs to be made. Calorie fluctuations per day should to be below 800. Once you find consistency, results follow.
I think if i lived on my own and 1) didn't go out to eat, 2) controlled what i bought and what was in the house it'd go easier, just not allow myself access to the various foods. I know excersize helps but setting up the routine to go get that done and stay to it is obnoxiously impossible, longest i managed was about a month a while ago before i took a break day and never went back
Portion out and freeze the leftovers. You don't have to eat it all at once or cook. That's a win in my book.
I wonder if that's a side effect of the medication. I don't eat a lot either while medicated. But if I don't eat and my meds wear off, I become a hungry, ravenous monster too.
I suffered with this as a kid both on and off meds. Best solution I have is to eat and drink at semi regular times. I can both ignore hunger til I'm sick and suddenly get extremely hungry without warning, even now in my thirties. It can be hard, but try having something in the morning, at lunch, and dinner until it's a habit. It's sorta like training yourself for a diet which can suck, but it's the only way I've found to avoid making myself sick hyperfocusing and overeating at night.
It's sensory seeking. Food=dopamine. I just chew a lot of fruit flavoured gum.
This was the answer I was looking. You’re not craving food, you’re craving dopamine.
Yeah, i need to buy a SHIT ton of flavoured gum though, otherwise I just keep eating if there is food in the house which there always is so... one or two full packets of gum a day it is lol
I’m like this. Also unsure exactly why. It’s a real problem. I’m fairly certain I’ll end up on ozempic eventually, once the price comes down. 30 years of failing to control my appetite has me convinced I’ll never do it naturally.
I have issues with binge eating. Some foods I can't stock since I'll eat it all really fast
I never buy any snacks because I’ll eat them all as soon as I get home
Ye same. Watch me eat a while loaf of bread in a sitting. I sick bread food when I'm having a hard time feeding myself though
Depends on the person, but I do tend to eat more often than I should cause it gives a little dopamine boost
I was constantly snacking out of boredom and sugar addiction. It's caught up with me over 13 years, having been back on meds this past week and a half for the first time since I was 14, I haven't eaten much and haven't really been hungry.
Me wants dopamine. Food gives dopamine. Om nom nom.
It's not hunger, it's a craving. But yes, very typical adhd behavior. I used to bring a chocolate bar to bed with me every night before I got medicated. Being on rit really helped with that. I hadn't had a sugar craving in years.
I always forget to eat during the day and eat two persons worth of food in the evening
Can barely eat before 11 am, but devour everything after 10 pm. Lately I find myself hungry at midnight or 1 am.
you're likely seeking stimulation in food. I'm glad its just food and not drugs 😅 Try to find healthy snacks and also engage in fulfilling activities whenever you can, if your eating habits are having a nrgative impact on your health. If you're healthy and not overeating stuff thatsbad for your body, there is no trouble in snacking. I snacked a lot for years to stimulate and it worked great. The pandemic had me gain a bunch of weight because I was bored and just coped with food for a long time. But now that life is somewhat normal again I don't snack as much. Take care of yourself ❤️
I am absolutely the mariana trench when it comes to food. I will eat until I hurt, then I will wait a few minutes and eat more. Thank god for vyvanse, otherwise this would just keep happening.
It is not uncommon. Apparently people focus more on the ones that don't eat as much over the ones that use food to overeat. ADHD kids have a higher obesity rate than non ADHD kids. Something about thinking about eating not getting satisfied with actual eating, so you eat more food to be satisfied. Diminished returns compared to neurotypical folks.
Thats more of a growing up thong i believe. Your body lieterally needs new matter to make you larger and can be quite demanding about it
As a child. Yes. I would become bottomless pit each time before I got a growth spurt. Eventually the growth spurts stopped.... I'm pretty sure I am not growing anymore in my 20's as my last growth spurt was at like 13....
I mean op has a drawing about getting food from his mum. Not to say that that means they are fs a kid but its gonna be my 1st assumption till i see other evidence
Eating can be a source of dopamine
I’m not sure if it’s the ADHD but I’m always hungry
I personally don’t eat much and I’m not huge on snacking. I don’t make the best food choices though and I’m far too lazy and need to get out waking more.
I found this incredibly informative: [https://youtu.be/bOzs2Iel40s?si=FHmMHoAgzGBaFGFz](https://youtu.be/bOzs2Iel40s?si=FHmMHoAgzGBaFGFz)
I love good food but my body knows its limits and i respect them. After i reach my limit, i'm known to go a day or 2 without eating if i'm not put in a position to eat like going on a lunch break at work for instance. But i'm also known to eat and snack all the time. It's off and on but it's adhd, hyperfocusing on one thing all day is natural to me lol
I have no clue about the limit of my body. I once ate so much that I vomited it back out.(Eat all you can buffet) I vomited an entire plastic bag worth.(The medium sized ones) It was so full and warm. The good thing is that I'm hungry again after that vomit so I can eat more.(And ate more food) The other good thing is that everyone is scared of me that I might pop the plastic during the ride home.
Nope, this is completely normal for us because people with ADHD don't have the same access to our hunger cues or the feeling of satiety
I always assumed I ate so much cause it’s a way of stimming. When I have stuff to eat just in my room or whatever I end up kinda just snacking without really thinking. I have always just been kind of a foodie though so that may just be a me thing.
I found out this was because i didnt have a regular eating cycle. I would wake up late and eat late which led me to not feeling hungry in the mornings. Eventually that cycle was fixed by getting up at earlier times and eating every couple of hours instead of eating a whole bunch at night.
I eat when my body tells me to, which is any time I'm bored or when I see someone else eat. However, my brain and stomach don't communicate that well with each other. I honestly have no idea when I'm full until it's too late (hard to breathe due to inflated stomach). It is an issue I've been meaning to look into. So now I try to only snack on healthy stuff right before bed.
It’s the exact opposite for me… I forget to eat most of the time…
When i'm active i don't eat, when I sit down I'll eat until the fridge is empty.......
Sane. Lunch meat is not safe around me
Chewing mitigates stress/anxiety the brain thinks, if I am eating at this very moment things can't be that bad.
i’ve found that i eat a lot when i’m bored as just something to do when understimulated
Maybe because I can stop eating when I feel like its enough while on medication 🤭
Opposite - the problem is forgetting to eat at all or saying “as soon as I finish what I am supposed to be doing I will let myself eat. Then never finishing so not eating.
Without my meds I forget to eat food.
Most likely, it's a mix of the dopamine hit from eating food and the impulse control issues that come from executive function deficits.
Are you me?! Cos I just asked myself this question after finishing up a big-ass bowl of baked mac & cheese, after telling myself, “I’m not that hungry, plus it’s quite late, so I guess I am gonna have some for leftovers tomorrow!” Too real 😭
Yoo wtf 😂, I said the same to myself " I'm not that hungry, so I'll just make something lite and eat" but ended up making Mac and cheese and ate enough that a person would consider eating for a whole meal. 😫😪
Get out!! I am you! You are me!! 😭😭
Good lord, save us please 😭🤣🙏
SAVE US FROM US, you mean! 🤣
100% adhe dha 🤣, ipdi nambe kitta namballe mattikittome kumar-u 😂🤣😪
Illa? 😂 Vidu Kumaru, in moments like this we say, “Poda, andha aandavane namma pakkam irukkaru” 😁🙏🏻👯♂️
Haha 😂, but indhe marri time laa veerange yenna solluvange theriyuma - g*tha pathukula - vikram style laa 🤣😂.
Catch the point! 🤣👏🏻
I have a really fast metabolism and usually eat a normal lunch with family and a second one around 10. I am still underweight. But I don't think that's connected to adhd
It’s not an ADHD specific thing.
Fuuuuuck me rn and last few nights
I used to eat white sugar out of the container, but I’m a fit and healthy individual otherwise. I eat a pretty balanced diet, but if I have any sort of sugary snack, candy, cake or dessert I will go absolutely feral. I have no control over it, and my roommate knows to take things away from me bc I will mindlessly eat a 50 piece family pack of Hi-Chew in an hour. Dopamine release is real with sugar for me, and even when stoned I don’t eat savory foods the same way. Edit to add a bit more context to my rambling
I wouldn‘t say it‘s hunger. But I can say from experience that I often eat more than I need and at times I don’t it, simply for some extra dopamine. But it‘s mostly about snacks like chips or anything containing chocolate.
Hungry? No! Eating because it's cool? Fuck yea !
When I get this way, being super hungry after eating, I've found that I've mis-nourished myself. Eating actually nutritious food will stop the further cravings. Other times it's just that I'm a vacuum for any and all food, usually after long bike rides. lol
I’m always hungry bc I’m always bored
From what I’ve learned eating foods is just another dopamine hit for a lot ADHD people. It could be cause you like the flavor, texture etc. it can be addicting till (in my experience) you get *the ick* and must find a new hyper fixation food
I'm just bored. the only way i know to be busy for a few minutes is to eat, that will always give me something to do. i think it's a bit of seeking stimuli? i also drink a lot because of that :/ i know it's not good but at least it will give me something to do for a while. and once I'm hammered i have no trouble just sitting around anymore. I've gone off track sorry. i eat for stimulation and also because medication hunger (transgender reasons). eating is easy and eating something good makes me feel better for a little bit
It definitely is for some types. I struggle with it flip flopping. Some months I am insatiable and have to be very careful not to make myself sick from gorging on everything. And other months, I can't muster the appetite to eat more often than one small meal every three days. I drink nearly one and a quarter gallons of water each day easily though.
I'm thinking that one day it will be discovered that a large portion of people who binge eat have ADHD. Most of my life I've followed the pattern of: forget to eat all day until I'm ridiculously HANGRY and eat everything in sight until I fall asleep. Since I've started meds (still working on getting them consistently) I mostly eat like a "normal" person although I still forget to eat a good bit of the time. I've maintained the same weight for over a year FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
I think eating a lot can be an ADHD thing but actually being hungry all the time suggests something else in addition to it
I forget to eat
I forget to eat, eat out of boredom, or eat kind of normaly... but not on schedule. Healthy weight but rather on the lower side. If i have a choice i choose the higher caloric meal to keep weight.
As an unmedicated ADHD haver, a drink A LOT of caffeine, morning to late night. I was ravenously hungry like I wanted to eat my own hand until I added more water. I guess dehydration can cause hunger.
I'm literally eating a bowl of cereal at 0:30 am as I write this...
I will forget to eat all day and then feel desperately hungry at night
Your clock is off, that’s part of the thing One hour is ten minutes, ten minutes is one hour You’re gonna have dinner, plan to eat 6pm, have dinner at 2am You’re inner clock is the same - you should be hungry, but you’re not. You shouldn’t be hungry but you are Your clock is fucked. It’s part of the thing
I am almost never hungry and forget to eat constantly soo 🤷♂️
Human saliva usually has a potent antidepressant and some other stuff in small quantities, which is probs why comfort eating is as effective as it is. Source : youtube shorts, probably half false/half true
I tend to have to eat by the clock or set alarms, left to my own devices I’ve gone 3 days without eating and felt like shit. I don’t seem to get hungry.
Eating helps me concentrate on things. Like, every chip or whatever that I eat is a small respite from work that satisfies me enough to keep going. It's maybe like dividing the thing I need to focus on in smaller parts, each long a mouthful of whatever. I get fat quite fast because of this :/
My kid always ate late at night because that’s when his meds wore off.
Food tastes good and can be a consistent source of dopamine when you are otherwise starved for good brain feelings.
I'm a snacker. Every few hours tops me off and I have energy for the rest of the day.
It’s an ADHD thing
There could be many reasons. GI issues are real
Im trying to get my doctor to evaluate me for binge eating disorder of food addiction because my cravings are so absurdly high. It's genuinely unbearable at times
I eat when hungry, sometimes that's at like 3.
ADHD meds + semaglutide are a game changer. The ability to focus without the “food noise”. The sema totally takes away the dopamine hit that the ADHD wants to get from food. Suddenly, you can walk past your favorite snack and your body doesn’t take over. I always hated the feeling of lack of executive control around food. I get the feeling that it goes hand in hand with ADHD for a lot of people.
In absence of physical hunger, you're hungry for dopamine, and food is a quick and easy way to get it
Idk... I feel like I'm always eating too, but not as if I were always hungry, more like... I'm rapidly full. I take two bites and feel okay. Then 15 minutes later I feel like going for another bite.
I'm hard wired to make over complicated meals. My family usually waits for me, but they attribute it to my personality which makes me feel small and (odd word here, but hear me out:) unartistic. When trying to keep it simple I get even more choked because executive function makes me feel like I don't have enough hands. Sometimes I keep a bowl in the fridge because I'll (get paranoid because the fridge {stabs me in the autism when it} beeps{.} while I) be mentally blocked from opening the cupboard to get a bowl. That bowl helped me so much, but I get nagged for it. Sometimes they tell me "I know you're struggling" or some shit like they're dreaming of a nice bottled up behaviour-bot to gaze at. I have an affirmation: "I'm not struggling, I'm striving".
I’m always hungry but I never feel like eating
[“The Link Between ADHD & Obesity”](https://youtu.be/bOzs2Iel40s?si=GQ3tKt0E_-V30prI) by HealthyGamer’s Dr. K
Eating can be a source of a dopamine hit, like doom scrolling, shopping, new hobbies etc, but it is not specifically a symptom of ADHD.
Yup. All the time. My kid too.
Constant? No. Periods of not much hunger, interspersed with glutinous gorging until I hate myself? Yes.
I binge eat when I’m not on my medicine. Dopamine fishing probs.
I forget to eat a lot. I'm not underweight but I'm definitely pretty small. It's not like I don't want to but I just get so focused on my projects or tasks that I've gone a day or so without eating. In my mind if it takes me away from my task, its a distraction XD
For me the constant hunger only comes when I'm very sleep deprived. It's a scale though. The more sleep I get the less I compensate with food and other things for energy and dopamine.
meds like adderal make you less hungry so when they wear off and you haven’t eaten properly you’re likely to be very hungry
Is it actual hunger or is it just appetite? Took me a while to realize the difference. Hunger is in my stomach; appetite is in my head or my tongue — I want the *taste* of something. Appetite is independent of hunger a lot of the time. Sometimes I’m hungry but don’t particularly want to eat (this pretty much only happens while I’m on a stimulant medication). I regularly want to eat despite not being particularly hungry (even while on a stimulant medication, usually when I didn’t get enough sleep).
I have the complete opposite problem. I can't feel hungry. Once I starved myself and I kept wondering why my stomach hurt. I didn't even know what hunger pangs were, because apparently I just didn't know what being hungry was like. I'm pretty healthy, and the only reason why is that when I go to have my three daily meals, I apparently devour everything because I also have a bottomless stomach, and I love having randoms snack inbetween my meals for that extra dopamine hit before I work.
its forget to eat too long then over eat and sore tumby
I am on both sides of the medal here. I either don’t eat the whole time and then I remember I did not eat and go into a frenzy where I eat half the fridge. And there are days where I go to the fridge constantly
i’m like this with thirst. i’ll always fuck up some lemonade or any fruit flavoured drink, it’s like an instant hit of dopamine
As a kid I was never hungry at daytime because of the side effect and then I got hungry after it wore off. As an adult I now take a dosage that doesnt give me that sideeffect.
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This is the cause of me and my mother's strained relationship, she's always complaining about me eating too much.
I have a fridge drawer full of celery for snacking.
porque no los dos
Yes, it’s so annoying too because I’m a ‘food is fuel’ kind of person so I wish I didn’t need to eat so much.
I look forward to my partner falling asleep so that i can roll over and snack on the candy i keep in my bedside table… after we’ve had dinner *and* dessert. I promise it’s not a flaw in you, OP
I am either hungry but forget to eat or not hungry at all even though I haven't eaten in days.
I eat once a day usually Love me my energy drinks and alcohol tho
Considering you're posting this about you and your mum, I would assume you're still growing. So I would attribute this to a growth spurt incoming.
I'm 19. I've probably gone past growth spurt. Everyone in my country lives with their parents.
Humans grow until they're about 25 years old. That's when your body stops producing an over abundance of new cells and cell-death starts to overtake cell-growth.
I'm not hungry, but my hands are. Idk how else to describe it.
I frequently forget to eat. I literally can go days and then I'll wonder when was the last time I ate anything...
With me there is no stop. It's like I can eat all day, every day. Even when I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and be like hmm I need a snack. And then I'm up for 3 hours cos a snack needs to be combined with my tv show and then I forget it's the middle of the night and I just needed to pee and my alarm will go off in 1.5 hours. But since I'm on meds I suddenly don't have those cravings anymore. Suddenly I actually feel when I'm full and many times when someone offers a snack I don't even feel like it. So yeah for sure, with me the constant eating and being hungry is ADHD related. Been overweight because of it my entire life. I'm not on meds long but I'm already getting thinner. I finally feel now how normal people feel with food. It's weird. Apparently my body and stomach does have a limit 🤣 I do force myself to eat sometimes now though. Cos now I have the problem I forget to eat sometimes and I don't wanna lose weight unhealthy fast, causing other health issues. Losing weight was never my goal with meds, but it's a nice addition. However I wanna make sure it goes slow, so I set alarms for reminding me to eat. They go off every day at the same time. And then I eat. A normal amount. Insane right? 🤣🤣
If you start looking at things as a source of dopamine, everything starts making more sense. Long story short is that you are lacking dopamine control and are more likely ,compared to neurotypicals, to overindulge in anything that gives you dopamine. Also explains many other predispositions to depression, “laziness” etc. I haven’t seen any official messaging on this but has anyone else? Everything I’ve read and heard imply that our main factor for ADHD is linked to dopamine control but still claim they have no idea how ADHD works. Is saying long story short and writing 3 paragraphs an ADHD thing too?
There is this old commercial for meth to cure food cravings. Ludicrous from today's point of view, except there must have been people with adhd-caused cravings for whom that was actually the correct treatment lol
It probably has to do with ADHD. For me, I wake up at about 7am, I rarely eat before 4pm, but then I'll eat 3 meals within 8 hours. Last meal right before bed.
1) The brain uses approximately 20% of the daily energy consumption of any given human. 2) ADHD (and other neurodivergent conditions as well) can commonly cause the brain to stop filtering things, resulting in an information overload for the subject at hand. 3) A very common trait of ADHD, if not perhaps the most common, is that the subject thinks a great deal, often far more than a regular human subject. So just say twice as much. Just consider that need: from 20% of a daily usage to 40%. Add in hyperactivity and puberty, it seems to be a common trend. (Edit: puberty is not needed, as these things can continue throughout a lifetime, puberty merely happens to be a time of really encountering the world for the first time as the brain goes through it's developmental.) Omnomnomnomnom...