Stop Binge Eating with ADHD
You may (or may not) be surprised to know that many folks with ADHD struggle with binge eating. This isn’t because anything is wrong with you, or wrong with having ADHD. It’s simply a pre-disposition due to the chemistry of the ADHD brain in combination with the environment you’re in. Here we will talk about the most common reasons why binge eating happens with ADHD and how to prevent binge eating from happening.
why binge eating happens
Binge eating for ADHD-ers usually happens for 1 of 2 reasons: accidental (or intentional) restriction and dopamine seeking. Of course, there are many other reasons someone might binge, but these are the most common for folks with ADHD. Usually, restriction is something you can control, while dopamine seeking is not. In both cases, you can choose how you respond, and it might not be what you think.
food restriction with adhd
Intentional food restriction is common amongst people who diet or are intentionally pursuing weight loss. This is a bad idea for many reasons, but the main reason is that the most predictable long-term outcome of restricting food is binge eating. That’s right, not weight loss, binge eating. So if you are on some sort of diet or restricting your food to pursue weight loss and find that you are binge eating, it might be time to re-think that strategy.
Accidental food restriction is also common with ADHD. This happens for many reasons. The most common is through loss of appetite because of stimulant medication. Stimulant medication can suppress the appetite, so if you take it before breakfast and aren’t very hungry throughout the day, as soon as it wears off, of course you’re going to want to eat everything in your kitchen. When the body becomes ravenous, it’s significantly harder to tune into your fullness cues, making it easier to overeat. Just because you don’t feel the hunger cue in the moment due to medication doesn’t mean your body doesn’t need food.
The second most common reason accidental food restriction happens with ADHD is hyperfocus. If you’re sucked into a project, it’s easy to simply forget to eat. Or, you might procrastinate eating because whatever you’re doing is way more interesting than eating. That’s fair! And, prioritizing eating is still extremely important if you want to avoid binge eating (and just for your wellbeing in general).
Ways to avoid accidental food restriction:
Do your best to eat consistently throughout the day
Set reminder alarms to interrupt hyperfocus so you can eat
Keep convenience snacks around you at all times
Take medication after breakfast if you are able (consult with your doctor about this one)
Have convenience meals available for those middle-of-the-day meals (and in general)
how to manage dopamine seeking food behaviors
Eating for dopamine is sometimes seen as a bad thing. Well I’m here to tell you it’s not! It’s perfectly normal, especially amongst ADHD-ers. The brain is seeking dopamine, and delicious foods will definitely do the trick sometimes. If you find yourself constantly eating less-nutrient-dense and highly palatable foods to the point where it feels uncomfortable, there are some things you can do to help. Again, eating for dopamine is normal, but if it constantly feels like you are not in touch with any hunger/fullness signals and you’re eating past comfortable fullness, it might mean something needs to shift.
Ways to avoid binge eating for dopamine:
Do not restrict those “high dopamine” foods
Give yourself unconditional permission to eat “high dopamine” foods throughout the day
Add in any missing nutrients (like protein, fruits, veggies, etc.) to your high dopamine meals and snacks
Don’t judge yourself for eating for dopamine
Have a wide variety of foods available and convenient if possible
The key to managing binge eating with ADHD usually is through eating more, not less. After a binge, the most important thing you can do is not restrict and continue to eat consistently. Eating consistently and eating a wide variety of foods (which includes your high dopamine foods) will keep you consistently energized and satiated. Because you’re a human being, you might “mess up” sometimes. Don’t get down on yourself when that happens (notice I said “when,” not “if”). Just notice what happened and keep doing your best. ADHD adds an extra sticky layer when healing your relationship with food, so be patient with yourself!