I figured my overeating might be caused by my undiagnosed inattentive ADHD I have been suspecting to have it.
Like with other habits I try to make any plan or strategy falls apart in max few weeks. But I need a long term solution. However I have never thought about it as caused by ADHD. But When I think about it, I overeat only when I am bored.
During meals I eat normal portions. But when I am bored I will be eating small chunks of food every time I visit fridge. I do not stop that because of my inattentiveness I do not even know I ate a lot.
While watching a movie I get bored - even if it is interesting and I am very invested in it. I get some snack and I will eat a whole bag not even knowing when that happened. This happens even if snack was some special offer that tasted bad.
Few examples I get bored and overeating:
- watching a movie - somehow movie is not enough stimuli for me
- after I eat my meal and I wait for others to finish (I eat exactly as twice as fast as my wife)
- when I am visiting someone and there is a food in front of me (conversation somehow is also not enough stimuli)
- random parts of the day - usually if I have to wait.
No standard recommender diet practices worked in the long run (portion control, mindful eating, intermittent fasting, healthy eating, building a healthy lifestyle/routine...) Especially those based on building routine failed the most.
Do you have similar issues? Do you have a strategy that works in the long run? Have you successfully substituted eating for other stimuli?
i have only just now considered that my adhd could be contributing to my binge/restrict eating disorder...wow
that aside, it has been a long time since ive had an binge episode and my greatest tips are:
HYDRATION!!!! -- NOT JUST DRINKING WATER, EAT IT TOO! i find it hard to chug a lot of watwr in a day, so i make sure to eat veggies and fruits and other drinks that have a lot of water in them, wet food satiates in ways dry foods cant
change the order in which you eat certain foods...if you can, during meals, eat greens and veggies first then short chain sugary stuff like fruit, and carbs, then long chain protein...you might find it slows down your eating and fills you up quicker, as well as its main bonus: improving digestion and regulating fat storage
during movies or sitting to wait, busy your hands with something like folding laundry, knitting, a fidget tool, SUDOKU, clip your nails, etc. get creative, planning ahead of time what you might fill your attention with besides a snack
but to be real, the best thing that has helped me from overeating is not to shame myself when it happens, to be kind with my habits and behaviors, not become dogmatic about rules or shoulds/shouldnts and let myself go toward what im allured to more often than not
sometimes our inattentiveness is due to shame and not actual boredom, we are ashamed to be still, to relax, and be content, so sit with your feelings and see if that is true at all for you, then you might be able to implement some things that would communicate to yourself that relaxing is okay in this situation, like soaking your feet while you watch tv, get a handheld massager to use on your legs and arms and body or one of those ones you can set on your seat and back to massage you while you watch, or any other relaxing thing you can think of...
hope this helps someone ♡
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