This might be long, TL;DR of tips at the end for my ADHD comrades.
Ahoy! I’m a 22(M) 143 kgs (317 lbs) student of Mechatronics Engineering. I’ve posted about how extended fasting helped mellow down my ADHD sypmtoms before, and this time I’m diving in! I’ve completed many 3 & 5 day fasts in the recent months but I’mma try for a 30 day one which I started this morning after my breakfast. First off, let’s get these out of the way.
Meds & supplements I take: ADHD meds (Concerta 36mg) Magnesium Citrate & Zinc supplements Electrolyte supplement in form of dissolved salts in 1.5 liters of water, sipped throughout the day(5 gr Potassium & 3.5 gr Sodium with a touch of Iron from Iron fortified salt) Multivitamins Sparkling mineral water
I have done research, calculated my intake and came up with this combination.
I’ve been big most of my life but I’ve lost around 12 kgs in the last 6 months, with some ups and downs because of a period of severe depression (Although I still struggle with it a bit, I am thankfully in a much better mental state now). I have always struggled with binge and emotional eating but extended fasting weirdly seems to lower my inclination to reaching out for food for comfort. I’ve done OMAD too for some period in these 6 months and with that, we come to the tips for other ADHDers.
Tips for fasting with ADHD
Tip 1: TRY EXTENDED FASTING IF YOU HAVE NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE!
If you struggle with binge and emotional eating like me, you might be better off with extended fasting instead of OMAD or IF. For me, the waves of hunger always seem to go down after the fırst day so it’s much easier to resist impulsivity after the first or second day. OMAD was exteremely hard for me because of the impulsivity but if you can start an extended fast when you are hyperfocused on a project or a hobby, the first waves of hunger go by quite easily and you are left with much more manageable impulses.
Tip 2: Calculate and monitor your electrolyte & water intake.
This is crucial especially with neurodivergency. Our brains are more complex in general, so electrolyte supplementation is extremely important to keep brain fog and fatigue away. It might be hard to remember supplements so,
Tip 3: Keep your supplements, water & meds in sight, in your workspace within an arms reach.
Out of sight, out of mind, right? “Aah my supplements are in the cabinet! Well, I’ll take them later.” right? Put them in your field of view or in a place you frequently visit throughout the day, in a VISIBLE AND EASY TO REACH PLACE. NO, NOT IN THE DRAWER, NOT BEHIND YOUR MONITOR, NOT IN THE LITTLE BOX THAT YOU THROW LITTLE USELESS BITS, BOBS, PENS AND THAT WEIRD PIECE OF PLASTIC YOU FOUND ON THE FLOOR THAT “MIIIGHT” BE A PIECE OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT WHICH YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN AROUND TO FINDING.
IN SIGHT WITHIN AN ARMS REACH WITHOUT GETTING UP
Tip 4: If possible, ask someone to remind you about meds and electrolytes throughout the day.
Tip 5: TAKE. YOUR. MEDS.
Self explanatory. You can use tip 3 to remember them.
Tip 6: Throw out snacks. No, seriously, all of them. NOT hiding, throwing or giving out. DELETE DELIVERY APPS TOO.
If you can make it hard enough to get food for yourself, executive dysfunction handles the rest. If not, impulsivity does and it doesn’t really like you that much.
Tip 7: If you live with other people, ask them to not eat around you.
No, they will not hate you. They will not think you are weird. If they refuse, that’s their right to do so. Expect it and try to control your anger if you have anger issues. Maybe text them while you are away to better control your anger.
That’s all I can think of. If you have any other tips, please tell!
TL;DR of tips:
Try extended fasting if you haven’t when you get hyperfocused on something to pass the first waves of hunger
Calculate & monitor water & electrolyte intake
Keep supplements, meds & water in sight, within an arms reach of your workspace or somewhere that you visit throughout the day
Ask someone to remind you about supplements water & meds
Take your meds
Throw out snacks, delete delivery apps. Make it as hard as possible to get food. You might even come to like your executive dysfunction
If you live with other people, ask them not to eat around you
That’s it! These are what worked for me. Try at your own risk, see what works for you. Take care, love you!
Fasting has helped with my binging for sure. In regards to having someone remind you to take your meds/electrolytes, I set a reminder in my phone, that really helps me, it might help someone else too. Good luck on your 30 days! 👍
As someone with ADHD I have to say that I simply don’t experience many of these challenges when fasting. It’s worth remembering that ADHD is a spectrum of disorders and we all experience it differently. In particular, after 6 months I’m so used to fasting that I simply don’t care at all when other people eat around me.
I have ADHD too and i agree with what you wrote, good tipps! Altough im not the kind of ADHD person who snacks a lot, here it comes handy that the hyperfocus sucks me in that i completly forget that food exists or that its already evening. But on the downside, fasting makes boring or repetitive tasks way harder and i always end up confused over easy things.
ADHDer here too. I’m not medicated but I think I’m milder than most. The single biggest thing that made a huge difference for me was surprisingly, dropping caffeine. I’ve been a habitual coffee drinker for 15 years, averaging 4 cups a day of black coffee. I could fast but max was 5 days, and every day was a struggle. I’m currently 15 days caffeine free and 4 days in, easiest fast I’ve ever had. And when I’m fed, my anxiety is WAY lower. It feels like the single biggest thing I’ve done in the last 10 years.