BINGE EATING and ADHD...

Talking about food and weight was not easy for me... I never thought of myself as ‘a fat’ girl, but I also didn't like to see myself in the mirror. I always liked to eat and I never thought too much about it until, I think, I went to university. However, I did know what I was eating was bad, I did know what was best for me, but I couldn't control myself. In times of stress or anxiety, I would eat everything, sometimes so much that I would get sick... I thought it was just a phase, I thought it was just anxiety, that it would go away... It didn’t. With time, I let it go. There were phases where I took a lot of care with what I ate, and others where I ate just to comfort myself. What happened generally was that the times I ate to comfort myself were more frequent than the others... But I thought... It’s just life...

Strangely, I did not gain weight during the pregnancies. My kids were born big (3.8 and 4.5 kg) so after birth, I lost a lot of weight that quickly came back after finishing breastfeeding. But again, like almost everything in a woman's life, that was just normal…

I never heard the words ‘Binge Eating’ until I started to read about ADHD in women. I was quietly in shock… Binge Eating involves consuming large quantities of food rapidly, often in secret, until feeling uncomfortably full, followed by distress, guilt, or shame. People may feel a lack of control over their eating, even when not hungry. That was me... There was no doubt about it…

“Just as adults with ADHD may struggle to understand what people are saying, they may also misinterpret what their bodies are telling them. They mistake feeling upset or bored for hunger.”

John Fleming, Ph.D.

in ADDitude

ADHD and Binge Eating often occur together, and their symptoms frequently overlap. Research has shown that core ADHD symptoms, like inattention and hyperactivity, are linked to binge-eating behaviors, such as emotional overeating and being highly responsive to food. In particular, people with ADHD who struggle with these symptoms are more likely to binge eat. Impulsivity, another key ADHD symptom, is also associated with a loss of control over eating. Research also shows that Binge Eating is linked to the brain's dopamine pathways, which control pleasure and reward. In people with ADHD, a disruption in these pathways makes them more likely to seek short-term gratification, like Binge Eating, especially when bored or understimulated. Adults with ADHD often struggle to manage their emotions, with around 70% experiencing emotional dysregulation. This can make it hard to cope with negative feelings like stress or sadness, leading to impulsive reactions. Many may turn to Binge Eating for comfort, which is why ADHD is linked to a higher risk of emotional overeating and addictive-like eating habits.

04/09/2024

This is one photo of my last check-up at my gym is not to brag (there’s still a lot to do), but to remind me (and so many people that ask what’s the need for a diagnosis in adult age) that we definitely need to take care of the most important organ, the brain... And no, it’s not just self-care, it's not just ‘me time’, it’s a matter of health. Going to the gym without any knowledge was not working at all. Now I know, I’m not in the dark anymore. I’m slowly finding the triggers that lead to Binge Eating, and I’m trying to seek dopamine in other ways...