The Forums › Forums › Tools, Techniques & Treatments › Diet › Being overweight and ADD
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January 4, 2012 at 3:15 pm #89465
AnonymousInactiveJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:15 pmPost count: 14413I’m wondering if these two tie in together. Is the majority of ADDers overweight (like me) or is there not a connection? It kind of makes sense. You don’t want to be bothered cooking a real meal so a quick stop to a fast food restaurant sounds like a good idea or reaching for a frozen processed meal. Couple that with not wanting to bother with exercise and you have a problem. Thoughts?
REPORT ABUSEJanuary 4, 2012 at 4:02 pm #103269hi, something I can chime in on.I think eating is one of the ways we deal with stress. if you start thinking back to where you have done the most unhealthy eating ,I think you will find that a lot of it is rooted in something stress related. thats why I always describe myself as a short little fat guy. I am ok with that. the problem that I have is my father always told me if I don’t work I don’t eat. now that I am on disability I find dealing with the insurance and my work is some days more stress full then working .but I co soul myself by the fact that they give me more time to get suff done. also very motivating because without the paperwork there’s no pay day.
you know what they say. if you bubble is in the middle you know you are on the level.lol
REPORT ABUSEJanuary 4, 2012 at 4:18 pm #103270I would definitely say the two are unrelated. There may be a tendancy for some people with ADD to deal with the problems associated with ADD with poor eating habits such as overeating or eating junk food. This tendancy also occurs sometimes with many other mental and emotional problems.
It would also make sense that people would be thin because of ADD because of forgetting to eat because of “hyperfocussing”, forgetting to buy groceries, or some other reason, working too hard at too many projects, etc.
REPORT ABUSEJanuary 4, 2012 at 4:27 pm #103271It’s difficult to say really and everyone is different. However, I like trashman, would describe myself as ‘a short little fat guy’ except I’m a gal! I think what I eat is basically healthy stuff…although I do impulsively buy chocolate!
Although I eat healthy food I reckon I probably eat too much. Either I forget to eat at all and then when I remember I overdo it, or eat late at night or can’t be bothered so then I DO eat junk food; or I get very organised and cook something that should last for 2 days so I don’t need to bother tomorrow…but then I start picking at what’s left for tomorrow and then impulsively just give up eat it all. So all in all…. it leads to being overweight.
I started buying ready made meals to limit my portions and make sure I have something balanced on days when I forget until late, but they’re expensive.
REPORT ABUSEJanuary 5, 2012 at 4:11 am #103272
AnonymousInactiveJanuary 5, 2012 at 4:11 amPost count: 14413Trashman – Yes, most definitely stress can be an enabler to gain weight. I’ve seen enough “heavy” tv shows where this was a root cause. In my case, it’s unrelated. I’m overweight because I’m lazy and don’t want to spend time to cook a healthy meal. It’s much faster and easier eating unhealthy, and leaves me more time for my “projects” that normally don’t get done anyway.
Kc5jck – Never thought their actually being a flipside to gaining weight. Being so focused you forget to eat! This definitely isn’t my problem. Normally a distraction leads to raiding the food closet.
Scattybird – Yes, that sounds like me. Say for instance I get some of pasta at Pizza Hut. That’s normally enough to feed four or be enough food for four days. It doesn’t stick around. Same for candy. It’s rare for a bag of candy to be around 24 hours later after being bought. What I find true in the colder days though is I normally don’t want to get out of the warm car until I’m home. If it’s not in the fridge, it won’t get eaten so I’m trying to stash it with much healthier options. One advantage of being single I guess..
REPORT ABUSEJanuary 5, 2012 at 4:29 am #103273Speaking of less than healthy food options, I’m thinking of a new…uh…well…actually…I was going to drip some Meyers dark rum onto brownies.
I’ll
keep
you
posted.
Gotta go.
REPORT ABUSEJuly 15, 2013 at 2:31 pm #120958I too get really distracted if caught up in big project and forget to eat. Or while procrastinating the start of a big project I will eat to relieve stress of the impending deadline/expectations. I do the same with exercise. I get caught up in it and go almost excessively or I put it off and go stretches without going at all. No moderation here.
REPORT ABUSEJuly 15, 2013 at 4:14 pm #120959I get the munchies and/or eat poorly when…
stressed, bored, sedentary, depressed, working too much, not spending time outdoors.
Work and money issues are the biggest instigators for me.
REPORT ABUSEJuly 15, 2013 at 11:09 pm #120961I tell people that I am not over weight I am Siamese twins we share one big heart so they can’t separate us! I know this to be true because I am 5′ 8″ tall and 325LBS. so if they could cut me in half I would be the right weight for my height.
REPORT ABUSEJuly 16, 2013 at 4:52 pm #120971I’m about 30 lbs overweight, and as for myself, I’m aware of probably why I don’t eat right yet never feel motivated to fix things. Perhaps it’s the ADD and how ADD’ers often like things “now” instead of later. That means no, I don’t take the time to cook right. I’d rather grab something fast that I can eat right away and be done with than take the time to fuss over a “healthy” yet tasty meal. I don’t follow directions well anyway…so the few times I tried to do meals right, I lost patience and wanted my reward “now” not later. Some how I have trouble remembering that an Apricot is about as fast a “grab and go” item like a cookie. I don’t have anyone around me to remind me or support me in a healthier diet, and I’m left to discipline myself to eat better. I’ve been told to keep a food journal…that’ll help me lose weight. Again…ADD. I try but then I forget, or I say I’ll log my meals later, or I misplace the notebook, etc. But I’m trying.
REPORT ABUSEJuly 17, 2013 at 10:22 am #120972@LittleBlueYugo, there’s also the carefully engineered “addictive” factor of fat, salt, and sugar in cookies and other mass-produced “junk food”. Even homemade cookies have a delicious balance of that unholy trinity.
Add in the warm, fuzzy memories that certain foods can trigger (especially “comfort foods”), and you get a real rush of Dopamine. All addictions are really just addictions to Dopamine. The only difference between them is the substance required to give you that Dopamine rush.
Genetics play a role in obesity, too. Appetite & hunger are NOT just things you control with “will-power”. They’re the result of a complex dance of hormones, between the brain and the stomach.
I just saw on BBC News that scientists have isolated one of the genes that controls appetite and the feelings of fullness (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23312712).
The gene is called “FTO”, and there are 2 versions of it: High-Risk and Low-Risk. Everyone has 2 copies of the FTO gene, one from each parent. Those whose FTO genes are both High-Risk, are 70% more likely to be obese.
Why?
Because of how FTO affects the production of ghrelin, which is the hormone that makes you feel hungry.
After a meal, our ghrelin levels drop. However, if you have 2 High-Risk FTO genes, your ghrelin levels don’t fall nearly as far as they should, and they start to rise again much sooner. You also crave more fatty foods than people with Low-Risk FTO genes do. Our brains light up at the sight of these high-calorie foods, even after we’ve just been fed!
Scientists think that these High-Risk FTO mutations were necessary to allow our bodies to easily store fat in summer, so we could survive the famine of winter. But, now that food is in constant overabundance, and we’re more likely to be sitting at a desk all day than running around the countryside hunting & fishing & farming, those mutations are a real problem.
As you can imagine, this is a groundbreaking discovery, especially now that obesity & Type-2 Diabetes are at epidemic levels. The pharmaceutical industry is developing ways of controlling ghrelin levels, but they’re years away from it.
In the meantime, how do you suppress ghrelin? With exercise & high-protein foods—both of which, coincidentally, also help control ADHD symptoms!
REPORT ABUSEMay 23, 2014 at 4:28 am #125220Hi Carsonky,
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Preferring raw food over processed food and engaging in regular physical activities not only make you active but also improve immunity system and prevent from major health problems.May 28, 2014 at 8:05 pm #125268The reason I found out I had ADD was because I had big issues with over eating and not being able to control my eating. IMPULSE CONTROL :). Yes! ADD and being overweight are definitely connected. I have lost 60 lbs since I started treating my ADD two years ago.
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