ADHD and overeating: when you’re hungry, you’re not yourself

Do you find yourself forgetting to eat all day, and then emptying the fridge at 1 AM?

Whenever you’re bored, you open the fridge door and snack?
You can’t stick to any diet or eating regimen for more than a week?

 

One of the common characteristics of people with ADHD is emotional overeating.

A lack of dopamine increases the likelihood of reaching for fast food to stimulate the brain’s reward centers and provide the stimulation needed to focus.

Additionally, because the limbic system is responsible for emotional regulation, you may use food as an unconscious way to cope with boredom or enter hyperfocus to the point of forgetting to eat for hours.

Dr. Virtue (2012) places emotional difficulties related to overeating in the following categories:

  • Stres, napetost, tjeskoba, strah ili nestrpljivost
  • Depresija ili potištenost
  • Umor, niska razina energije
  • Nezadovoljene potrebe za zabavom, igrom, uzbuđenjem ili rekreacijom
  • Želja za ljubavlju, naklonošću, uvažavanjem, romantikom ili seksualnim zadovoljenjem
  • Gnjev, zamjeranje, ogorčenost ili frustracija
  • Praznina, nesigurnost ili želja za utjehom
     

In the table, she lists the differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger:

Emotional hunger

Physical hunger

Appears suddenly

Develops gradually

Focused on specific food

Accepts different foods

Occurs “above the neck” (mouth, mind)

Comes from the stomach

Urgent

Patient

Associated with distressing emotions

Arises from a physical need

Impulsive or absent consumption

Conscious choice and consumption

Does not subside after fullness

Subdues after fullness

Triggers guilt after eating

Eating as a necessity

 

4 most common triggers are part of the acronym
“Do you eat when you are LJ.U.T.A.?”:

LJ anger
We prefer salty, crunchy foods (chips, peanuts, pistachios, etc.)

U tiredness
We prefer quick, fatty foods, often connected to not eating throughout the day

T- sadness
We prefer sweet, creamy foods (chocolate, ice cream, sweets, etc.)

A anxiety
We prefer anything available to us (eating out of “boredom”)

    Niže su veza najčešćih triger namirnica i podsvjesne potrebe:  

Čokolada

Glad za ljubavlju

Mliječni proizvodi

Borba protiv tjeskobe

Slane grickalice

Stres, ljutnja, potištenost

Pikantna hrana

Potraga za uzbuđenjem

Gazirana pića, alkohol

Žudnja za ljubavlju

Orašasti plodovi

Žudnja za zabavom

Kruh, riža, tjestenina

Ugoda i umirivanje

Keksi, kolači

Umirenje, užitak, zagrljaj

Slatkiši

Nagrađivanje

Masna hrana

Ispunjavanje praznine

 

Your problem isn’t a bad diet or meal plan.
Your problem is the motivation behind reaching for food.

It’s about emotional self-regulation, which you “eat” instead of acknowledging, hearing its message, and calming it in a healthier way.

 

Also, due to a weaker connection to the body, we misinterpret hunger and thirst signals, especially in hyperfocus when we miss the sensation of hunger and overeat.

 

How to break this habit?

        1. Put the acronym “Don’t eat when you’re LJ.U.T.A.” in a visible place

        1. If you’re not sure whether you’re hungry, drink a glass of water or change your activity

        1. Have more smaller healthy meals throughout the day, even when you’re not hungry

        1. Keep a record of the situations in which you most often resort to this habit and the types of food you crave

        Još nekoliko pitanja koja si možeš postaviti da se podržiš:  
      • Koje su bile prehrambene navike vaših roditelja, baki i djedova?
      • Je li se hrana koristila kao način nagrađivanja?
      • Žudite li za hranom koja vam je u djetinjstvu bila omiljena?
      • Tko je u vašoj obitelji žudio za istom hranom kao i vi?
      • Jeste li kuhali zajedno s članovima svoje obitelji?
      • Jeste li se natjecali za količinu hrane s braćom i sestrama?
      • Jeste li imali pravilo „Ne ideš od stola dok sve ne pojedeš“ i sl.?
      • Vrijedi li ova stalna kontrola više od slobode?
      • Je li moje tijelo moja životna vrijednost? Koje su moje životne vrijednosti?
      • Što ako oslobodim svoj mentalni prostor od opsesivnih misli o hrani i vježbanju?
      • Što ako počnem ispunjavati svoje snove i ciljeve?
      • Što ako bih umjesto straha birala ljubav?
      • Tko sam ja bez konstantne želje da mijenjam svoje tijelo?
      • Kad bi fintess služio samo za zabavu, koju bih vrstu aktivnosti odabrala?
      • Kako bih se i koliko kretala kad vježbanje ne bi bilo u svrhu mijenjanja mog tijela?
      • Što me veseli? Što me raduje?
             

      If you’d like to work with me, schedule an appointment here.

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