So, he said that neither are necessary. Much of it comes from the loss of appetite: The body needs at least as much food as if it were not on stims, possibly even more, especially when the stims help work out more or clean in a frenzy or whatever.
So we have to treat the body as if it were not on stims. Can’t rely on intuitive eating, so I have to count the calories. A liquid engineered staple food is easiest to gulp down without any appetite, such as “This is Food” or “Jimmy Joy”.
Also, when I did a little workout, I need to have like an apple and take it easy for a moment. I would usually feel the need for both, but on stims, chances are I take the extra endorphins from the workout on top of the dopamine and start a cleaning frenzy. Don’t do that anymore.
The important point is to not on a food deficit when it starts to wear off. Otherwise, it goes from 0 to 80 real fast, and then the craving is for unhealthy snacks. Better to have something ready, and not be behind on eating in the first place. Again, engineered staple foods as an emergency option should be around for someone with ADHD anyway, without meds even more than with meds.
I ended up finding some “morning rounds” that are like pita bun things that have fruit and nuts in them. So, better than toast for nutrition and satisfaction. Thanks for initiating the search for me… I’m still looking for a good liquid option available in my country but at least I’ve got the momentum!
Nice! Yes, immediately ready food is important for our condition. It gives us the freedom to prepare something nice occasionally because we want to, not because we are already shaking and in a crash.
Understanding that I need to rest proportionally to what I do on stims, and ignore how I feel (in this particular case), has been such a breakthrough. Now I’m benefitting from meds until bedtime, not just 4 hours. I really thought the meds wore off, and that’s how it felt … but I was just dashing around with half the calories.
Thank you. I find that I’m not binging at night as much now too