ifyourstomachoffendsyou

Hang in there everyone. Have a fun weekend. I plan to. My blog yesterday was about Second Childhood. Playing with my grandkids has turned me into a little kid again. And I don't eat or even think about food when I play. So for everyone this weekend my wish for you is that you play. IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF

The past three days I cut my carbs way down and upped my pure Protein. As in meat without much added sauce or gravy. I immediately lost weight. Not less calories, different quality calories. Couldn't eat as much either. Felt full almost immediately. I'm going to a family reunion for two days and I'm not going to worry much about food. I'll eat a little of whatever looks good. After the 3 days of protein I can tell my band will still restrict me. Then, after that, I'm going back to the very low carb thing until I get my fill on Aug. 11. I think if I alternate very low carb days with some higher carb days (but still emphasizing protein) I'll lose. Kind of a lose/maintain cycle. Laura, hope you're able to come home soon. Blessings on you, your father, and your family. I love the McCrack crack. Julie, I actually hang from an incline board because I have trouble with my whole spine. My neck has been particularly bad. It can be very difficult to tell what comes from my herniated discs and what is internal issues. A tight band gives me pain in the same places my neck does. For a while, I had referred pain going back and forth between them. Hope you get relief soon. Hang in there everyone. Have a fun weekend. I plan to. My blog yesterday was about Second Childhood. Playing with my grandkids has turned me into a little kid again. And I don't eat or even think about food when I play. So for everyone this weekend my wish for you is that you play.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 Second Childhood I want to be like a little kid. When I go babysit my grandkids I'm totally there to play with them. I'm not there to clean the house or do the dishes or cook. Its not that I don't heat up food and serve it and, of course, I change dirty diapers, but mostly I just want to play. I may read books, sing nursery rhymes, bounce them on my knee while singing Yankee Doodle Dandy, walk around the block, tickle, wrestle, dance, or pretend. Pretending is great fun. My four-year old grandson, David, made up the game "baby bird." I lay on the bed with my knees up and he crawls under my knees and pretends to hatch from an egg. His little brother tries to do the same thing. We do this many times before they get tired of it. Then David reaches up and pulls the string to turn off the light above the bed and we all pretend its night. They both crawl under the covers next to me and I start to snore. Then David sneaks out from under the covers, turns the light back on, and crows like a rooster to wake me up. I startle awake and he laughs everytime. Lately, when we go for walks, he wants me to pretend to be "that mean lady." He tells me to be cross. He means Cruella DeVille. Then we go around the block and I order him to steal Dalmatian puppies. He goes and finds a "puppy" and puts it in a "cage" behind the bulldozer he's driving. When I'm with my three-year old granddaughter, Skyler, the first thing she does is tell me, "You want to make a castle with me. Let's go get the blocks." This is not a request. She also looks for the presents I've given her so we can play with those. One year old Leah wants me to read to her. She likes the wierd voices I use. She loves to point to pictures and show off all the words she knows. Without grandkids, I wouldn't sit in sandboxes and build sandcastles. I wouldn't wade in little pools. I wouldn't squirt with the hose. I wouldn't chase the kids through splash pads at the park. I wouldn't push them on swings and bounce them on teeter-totters. I wouldn't sit in the bathroom and let them play in the tub as long as they want. I have patiently put together intricate railroad systems and built log cabins and cool castles only to watch them get destroyed in less than 5 seconds. And then I do it over again. I'm never in a hurry or rush them through things. I am totally in the moment with them. You know, I never eat or think about food while I'm actually playing with my grandkids. When they watch TV its a different story, but I have really made it a point now to do things with them and basically they make sure I do. I'm better than TV. Arthritis limits me to a certain extent as did the weight, but now that I've lost 30 lbs I'm having more fun than ever with my grandkids. Fun. Play. Dance. Laugh. These are all much better things to do than eat. Jesus said you have to have the faith of a little child to enter into his Kingdom. He said the Kingdom belonged to the children. I guess I've entered my second childhood.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 Second Childhood I want to be like a little kid. When I go babysit my grandkids I'm totally there to play with them. I'm not there to clean the house or do the dishes or cook. Its not that I don't heat up food and serve it and, of course, I change dirty diapers, but mostly I just want to play. I may read books, sing nursery rhymes, bounce them on my knee while singing Yankee Doodle Dandy, walk around the block, tickle, wrestle, dance, or pretend. Pretending is great fun. My four-year old grandson, David, made up the game "baby bird." I lay on the bed with my knees up and he crawls under my knees and pretends to hatch from an egg. His little brother tries to do the same thing. We do this many times before they get tired of it. Then David reaches up and pulls the string to turn off the light above the bed and we all pretend its night. They both crawl under the covers next to me and I start to snore. Then David sneaks out from under the covers, turns the light back on, and crows like a rooster to wake me up. I startle awake and he laughs everytime. Lately, when we go for walks, he wants me to pretend to be "that mean lady." He tells me to be cross. He means Cruella DeVille. Then we go around the block and I order him to steal Dalmatian puppies. He goes and finds a "puppy" and puts it in a "cage" behind the bulldozer he's driving. When I'm with my three-year old granddaughter, Skyler, the first thing she does is tell me, "You want to make a castle with me. Let's go get the blocks." This is not a request. She also looks for the presents I've given her so we can play with those. One year old Leah wants me to read to her. She likes the wierd voices I use. She loves to point to pictures and show off all the words she knows. Without grandkids, I wouldn't sit in sandboxes and build sandcastles. I wouldn't wade in little pools. I wouldn't squirt with the hose. I wouldn't chase the kids through splash pads at the park. I wouldn't push them on swings and bounce them on teeter-totters. I wouldn't sit in the bathroom and let them play in the tub as long as they want. I have patiently put together intricate railroad systems and built log cabins and cool castles only to watch them get destroyed in less than 5 seconds. And then I do it over again. I'm never in a hurry or rush them through things. I am totally in the moment with them. You know, I never eat or think about food while I'm actually playing with my grandkids. When they watch TV its a different story, but I have really made it a point now to do things with them and basically they make sure I do. I'm better than TV. Arthritis limits me to a certain extent as did the weight, but now that I've lost 30 lbs I'm having more fun than ever with my grandkids. Fun. Play. Dance. Laugh. These are all much better things to do than eat. Jesus said you have to have the faith of a little child to enter into his Kingdom. He said the Kingdom belonged to the children. I guess I've entered my second childhood.

There are so many reasons we eat. Part of it is we're wired that way. Some of the additional issues I've identified in my life are being ADD/ADHD, codependent, chronic pain, and depression caused by all these things. I really get into the details on all these issues in my blog at IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF Just click on it and start reading it from the beginning on June 10. Maybe you want to start your own blog or journal to explore your own issues. Abuse is often a contributing factor as well. It can be emotional, physical, spiritual, or sexual abuse. ADHD/ADD women get extremely bored in the evenings when their projects are done so they use food to stimulate themselves in the evenings. Find something that totally grabs your attention, a hobby, swimming, journaling, walking, whatever will keep you so absorbed you won't think about food.

Onederful!

Julie, have you gone back to either of your surgeons to see what's going on either with your band or the gall bladder surgery? Especially with your history of medical complications, I think I'd want more than a chiropractic adjustment and opinion.

Hi everyone. Time to get this thread going again. People check it looking for hope and help. As Christians they're already beating themselves up for having this disease and accusing themselves of gluttony and sloth and who knows what all, not understanding that that's the Accuser talking and not God. We have a disease that may require a medical solution. The guilt should lie in not using the means God has provided through modern medicine to help us. The band is a tool, a medical intervention that is proving to be a medical miracle. I am a 57 year old woman with ADHD/ADD who has recently found out that ADHD/ADD women with food addiction would be voted least likely to succeed by scientists studying those with obesity who are receiving behavioral and nutritional help to try to lose weight. We can't plan meals, keep a food journal, count calories, carbs, or points, for any length of time. Thank God for my band. To follow my journey, you can read my blog at IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF

Sooverit, keep it up, it was a great present to yourself. I'm 5'9", was as high as 237#, Just hit 207#, and am going for 167#. I'm 57. My insurance did pay because I have 3 co-morbidities. I'm getting my first fill Aug. 11 and I'm hoping to hit goal by my B-day on Dec. 30, the Lord willing. I'm already so much healthier I can't believe it. Keep posting people. You never know when someone's just reading these posts and getting the inspiration they need.

LOL Meredith. Crazy dream. Laura-hugs. Oco--hugs to you 2, so sorry about your dad. Those of you struggling with food, hand in there. Progress is getting back on track. I've actually gone to very high Protein hardly any carbs for a few days to jumstart my weight loss. I've already lost and am down 30 # now. Got a family reunion this weekend so will not even try to stick to Proteins only. Then I'm going back on high protein till I get my first fill on August 11. I always lose on high protein and am not hungry if I avoid all carbs but veggies, and since I'm a big meat eater, that works for me. In fact, I'm starting to feel a little restriction with the denser less moist proteins. For me, the moister the meat, the more I eat. Take care everyone. xoxoxo

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Dealing with Snack Foods Snack Foods. The perfect food for ADHD people. Grab and go. Don't have to cook, put together ingredients, shop for those ingredients, remember which ingredients to shop for. They're full of all the taste and flavor (mostly artificial) ADHD people crave. They provide the stimulation we seek when the TV shows don't cut it all by themselves (most don't). They also provide the majority of the salt, sugar, and fat that shoot up our blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. Just thought of something slightly amusing--or maybe alarming. My name starts with ch and so do many of my favorite snacks: cheetos, chocolate, chips (taco, potato, pita). It is so much easier for me not to eat them now that they're not in my house and my husband's not eating them in front of me. He might have a secret stash hidden somewhere but I never see it and he never eats it in front of me. America's food industry, like the tobacco and alcohol industries, has a lot to answer for. All of them know they're dealing with addictive substances and do their best to make them even more addictive with chemically designed addictive additives in addition to those old standbyes--salt, carbs and fat. Oh, and let's not forget chocolate and caffeine being increased and put in all kinds of new products. Many are designed to appeal to children and teenagers. Did you know a lot of teenagers are now having lapbands? The obesity epidemic is out of control among our young people. I see the food parents put in their kids lunches or that kids pack for themselves. Some start hauling snacks out of their lunch bags and backpacks as soon as they arrive at school. Those with healthy snacks trade with those with all the unhealthy snacks. Schools are eliminating snacks from their cafeterias and vending machines, but the kids just carry them with them. I don't have an answer for this dilemma. I am nutritionally quite well-educated. Didn't stop me from eating snacks. The best advice I get on the topic is don't expose yourself to the snacks. Keep them out of the house. Ask people not to eat them in front of you. In situations where exposure is unavoidable, it might be better to eat just a little bit of those things that most appeal to you than to ruin your good time spending all your effort not eating those things. Fortunately, I've got the lapband to let me know when I've had enough. Especially if I start with higher protein items the band will help me limit the snacks. The key will be to get right back on the food protocol once the party's over. Right now, I don't have a lot of restriction and have slowed way down on weight loss. I have a family reunion this weekend. All my siblings and some nieces and nephews and their children (along with my own children and grandchildren) will be together. Food will be a big part of the reunion. So, for three days before the reunion I'm eating protein almost exclusively, a protein shake for breakfast, meat for lunch, and meat and a veggie for supper, with milk in my iced latte in-between meals. I noticed yesteday already that when I just eat meat without a lot of moistening agents, I can still feel some restriction in my band. I already lost 2 lbs. That puts me at 30 lbs total weight loss. When the weekend is over, I'll probably go back on high protein until I get my first fill on August 11. I'll probably be back on a liquid protein diet for a few days after that, so my stomach can heal. That should jumpstart the weight loss again. I hope the Dr. puts in enough fill to give me restriction. Otherwise I'll go back 2 or 3 weeks after to get another one. I have few clothes that fit me. I'm going through my closets trying to decide what's worth taking in, which of my "skinny" fat clothes fit me now, and what to give to Goodwill. I've started going to thrift stores, since I will not be at this weight for very long and don't want to spend money on clothes. I can't buy ahead because I don't know how fast the weight will come off. But these are good problems to have. I've dropped one cholesterol med and one blood pressure med. I'm seeing if I can do without my stomach med since I ran out of it and won't be seeing my regular doc for 2 more weeks. I get to see my relatives this weekend and I'm not going to worry about food! God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Dealing with Snack Foods Snack Foods. The perfect food for ADHD people. Grab and go. Don't have to cook, put together ingredients, shop for those ingredients, remember which ingredients to shop for. They're full of all the taste and flavor (mostly artificial) ADHD people crave. They provide the stimulation we seek when the TV shows don't cut it all by themselves (most don't). They also provide the majority of the salt, sugar, and fat that shoot up our blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. Just thought of something slightly amusing--or maybe alarming. My name starts with ch and so do many of my favorite snacks: cheetos, chocolate, chips (taco, potato, pita). It is so much easier for me not to eat them now that they're not in my house and my husband's not eating them in front of me. He might have a secret stash hidden somewhere but I never see it and he never eats it in front of me. America's food industry, like the tobacco and alcohol industries, has a lot to answer for. All of them know they're dealing with addictive substances and do their best to make them even more addictive with chemically designed addictive additives in addition to those old standbyes--salt, carbs and fat. Oh, and let's not forget chocolate and caffeine being increased and put in all kinds of new products. Many are designed to appeal to children and teenagers. Did you know a lot of teenagers are now having lapbands? The obesity epidemic is out of control among our young people. I see the food parents put in their kids lunches or that kids pack for themselves. Some start hauling snacks out of their lunch bags and backpacks as soon as they arrive at school. Those with healthy snacks trade with those with all the unhealthy snacks. Schools are eliminating snacks from their cafeterias and vending machines, but the kids just carry them with them. I don't have an answer for this dilemma. I am nutritionally quite well-educated. Didn't stop me from eating snacks. The best advice I get on the topic is don't expose yourself to the snacks. Keep them out of the house. Ask people not to eat them in front of you. In situations where exposure is unavoidable, it might be better to eat just a little bit of those things that most appeal to you than to ruin your good time spending all your effort not eating those things. Fortunately, I've got the lapband to let me know when I've had enough. Especially if I start with higher protein items the band will help me limit the snacks. The key will be to get right back on the food protocol once the party's over. Right now, I don't have a lot of restriction and have slowed way down on weight loss. I have a family reunion this weekend. All my siblings and some nieces and nephews and their children (along with my own children and grandchildren) will be together. Food will be a big part of the reunion. So, for three days before the reunion I'm eating protein almost exclusively, a protein shake for breakfast, meat for lunch, and meat and a veggie for supper, with milk in my iced latte in-between meals. I noticed yesteday already that when I just eat meat without a lot of moistening agents, I can still feel some restriction in my band. I already lost 2 lbs. That puts me at 30 lbs total weight loss. When the weekend is over, I'll probably go back on high protein until I get my first fill on August 11. I'll probably be back on a liquid protein diet for a few days after that, so my stomach can heal. That should jumpstart the weight loss again. I hope the Dr. puts in enough fill to give me restriction. Otherwise I'll go back 2 or 3 weeks after to get another one. I have few clothes that fit me. I'm going through my closets trying to decide what's worth taking in, which of my "skinny" fat clothes fit me now, and what to give to Goodwill. I've started going to thrift stores, since I will not be at this weight for very long and don't want to spend money on clothes. I can't buy ahead because I don't know how fast the weight will come off. But these are good problems to have. I've dropped one cholesterol med and one blood pressure med. I'm seeing if I can do without my stomach med since I ran out of it and won't be seeing my regular doc for 2 more weeks. I get to see my relatives this weekend and I'm not going to worry about food! God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

Apples, I'm beginning to understand why you had trouble stopping the weight loss and regaining some weight. You must never stop moving. I suspect you need more calories than those of us who are more sedentary. Have fun with your Aussies. Were they surprised at your weight loss?

Welcome Lisa. I think some people have elastic skin that returns to normal and some don't. Not sure it has anything to do with speed of weight loss. I pb'd (productive burped) a couple of times. Once a laxative I swallowed before bed came up and exploded in my throat. Blech!! Once I had pita bread that expanded in my stomach. Don't know about protein bars but I'm sure you'll check the labels. Janet (Indio Girl) might know more. But whatever happens, you are not alone. You have us. Keep coming back.

An ADHD Evening My husband is losing weight on my diet. Actually, he's not on my diet but he doesn't eat goodies in front of me at night anymore and as a result he's losing weight. The articles I read on the ADHD/ADD-eating disorders connection say that night-time is the hardest time for an ADHD/ADD woman to not eat. Evenings are our worst time because our projects are done. We need to find stimulating, adventurous things to do at night to keep us out of the food. I bury myself in Facebook and my blog right now at night while watching TV at the same time. I may be in trouble when I start losing interest in Facebook (which is beginning to happen), and I imagine eventually I'll run out of things to say and start repeating myself on my blog. When church and school activities begin in August and September it'll be a relief. I knew I wasn't nuts about the connection between attention deficit disorder and my eating disorder. There is a big connection for about one/third of compulsive overeaters. We have difficulty with organizational skills which is why food plans and food journals and countaing carbs, calories, or points don't work for us. We have poor impulse control which is why we're on the see-food diet: we see food, we eat food. And we have poor self-awareness which leads to not knowing when we're hungry or when we're full. When we're busy with something that stimulates us we totally forget to eat which sets us up for ravenous hunger later, and because we don't sense fullness we eat till we're stuffed. Its very important that ADHD people speak up for themselves about being put (in all innocence) in situations where they are confronted with favorite food at a time when their impulsivity level is at their highest. I had asked my husband to not eat treats at night in front of me and he graciously complied. He is now reaping the benefits. I had a really ADHD evening. I steadily accomplished things all day today and then forgot a meeting I was supposed to attend tonight. (Sorry, Roger) I did the same thing last Saturday morning with another meeting. Mind you, this morning I told my husband to help me remember I had a meeting on Monday night and he said, "Today's Monday." I saw Roger today and we talked about the meeting. Up until an hour before the meeting I remembered. Then something distracted me and I forgot. I'm totally off any regular schedule in the summer and my mind frees itself of the school year structure that helps me remember stuff. On the other hand, my mind is popping with creative ideas. I wrote two children's stories and came up with some ideas for my school. I write this blog each night. But I forgot two meetings in three days. This kind of thing is not an infrequent occurrence with me. I wonder if you can imagine the shame this has caused me in the past? Understanding my own ADHD has greatly reduced the shame I feel, but I know other people find it frustrating and really don't understand. According to the authors of the study, ADHD people are the ones least likely to succeed on any form of food plan. Does that explain a lot. They suggest that we keep a variety of the food we should eat available at home and at work because we're the type to forget to pack a lunch. They don't even suggest trying to restrict the food because we're such failures at it, just try to stay on a maintenance diet of 1800-2500 calories/day. Well, I'm glad I've got the lapband so that I'll actually lose weight faster than a maintenance diet.(Though, frankly, I would lose weight on that because I ate more calories than that.) And so that on really ADHD days, like today, I've got a tool that will stop me from getting too badly into the food. Just for today, I did not get into the food. Fortunately, the knowledge that I missed a meeting happened just before I began working on my blog, giving me a chance to process the whole thing. I also noticed Roger was on Facebook and chatted with him online and apologized for missing the meeting. I've had to do that a lot in my life. He sent me the minutes. I'll catch up. But I lost an opportunity to share ideas with others--something to which I was looking forward. Oh, well. ADHD has its gifts as well as its drawbacks. Today was more drawback than gift. But by the grace of God, I haven't eaten.

An ADHD Evening My husband is losing weight on my diet. Actually, he's not on my diet but he doesn't eat goodies in front of me at night anymore and as a result he's losing weight. The articles I read on the ADHD/ADD-eating disorders connection say that night-time is the hardest time for an ADHD/ADD woman to not eat. Evenings are our worst time because our projects are done. We need to find stimulating, adventurous things to do at night to keep us out of the food. I bury myself in Facebook and my blog right now at night while watching TV at the same time. I may be in trouble when I start losing interest in Facebook (which is beginning to happen), and I imagine eventually I'll run out of things to say and start repeating myself on my blog. When church and school activities begin in August and September it'll be a relief. I knew I wasn't nuts about the connection between attention deficit disorder and my eating disorder. There is a big connection for about one/third of compulsive overeaters. We have difficulty with organizational skills which is why food plans and food journals and countaing carbs, calories, or points don't work for us. We have poor impulse control which is why we're on the see-food diet: we see food, we eat food. And we have poor self-awareness which leads to not knowing when we're hungry or when we're full. When we're busy with something that stimulates us we totally forget to eat which sets us up for ravenous hunger later, and because we don't sense fullness we eat till we're stuffed. Its very important that ADHD people speak up for themselves about being put (in all innocence) in situations where they are confronted with favorite food at a time when their impulsivity level is at their highest. I had asked my husband to not eat treats at night in front of me and he graciously complied. He is now reaping the benefits. I had a really ADHD evening. I steadily accomplished things all day today and then forgot a meeting I was supposed to attend tonight. (Sorry, Roger) I did the same thing last Saturday morning with another meeting. Mind you, this morning I told my husband to help me remember I had a meeting on Monday night and he said, "Today's Monday." I saw Roger today and we talked about the meeting. Up until an hour before the meeting I remembered. Then something distracted me and I forgot. I'm totally off any regular schedule in the summer and my mind frees itself of the school year structure that helps me remember stuff. On the other hand, my mind is popping with creative ideas. I wrote two children's stories and came up with some ideas for my school. I write this blog each night. But I forgot two meetings in three days. This kind of thing is not an infrequent occurrence with me. I wonder if you can imagine the shame this has caused me in the past? Understanding my own ADHD has greatly reduced the shame I feel, but I know other people find it frustrating and really don't understand. According to the authors of the study, ADHD people are the ones least likely to succeed on any form of food plan. Does that explain a lot. They suggest that we keep a variety of the food we should eat available at home and at work because we're the type to forget to pack a lunch. They don't even suggest trying to restrict the food because we're such failures at it, just try to stay on a maintenance diet of 1800-2500 calories/day. Well, I'm glad I've got the lapband so that I'll actually lose weight faster than a maintenance diet.(Though, frankly, I would lose weight on that because I ate more calories than that.) And so that on really ADHD days, like today, I've got a tool that will stop me from getting too badly into the food. Just for today, I did not get into the food. Fortunately, the knowledge that I missed a meeting happened just before I began working on my blog, giving me a chance to process the whole thing. I also noticed Roger was on Facebook and chatted with him online and apologized for missing the meeting. I've had to do that a lot in my life. He sent me the minutes. I'll catch up. But I lost an opportunity to share ideas with others--something to which I was looking forward. Oh, well. ADHD has its gifts as well as its drawbacks. Today was more drawback than gift. But by the grace of God, I haven't eaten.

Hallelujah! What a relief.

Go with you gut. I did. I'm not yet filled so I'm just abiding by the food protocol for now, but initially I lost 20, and I've dropped almost 10 more while waiting for my fill. If you'd like to read my whole journey go to my early blogs at IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF I also had my doubts but I'm doing great and I plan on doing great.

Janet-OMW. You want to come and work at my house? LOL

JoAnne, so good to hear from you from Korea. I was there for about 2 hours 1x on a stopover on a trip to the Phillipines. The plane trip is awful and I slept only about 2 hours. Hey, I read a couple of articles on a study about ADHD and compulsive overeating. I talked about it in my blog yesterday. I know the subject interested you. IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF

Luchay, I've been wondering about why carbs and fats go down so much easier. I think they are softer than protein and mix and dissove more quickly and actually start to digest with just saliva. Carbs are also usually combined with fat which is soft and makes its slide. Think greasing the pipes. Protein doesn't digest right away. I don't know enough to talk about your fill. I do know that someone's Dr. advised eating the protein in bites no bigger than an m&m, then chewing it do death to get plenty of saliva mixed in with it before swallowing. Maybe add just a little gravy to get some moisture and grease into the protei? I like turkey franks cause they're protein but softer protein. The same with fish or ground turkey. I made taco seasoned ground turkey layered with refried beans, a little low-fat cheese, and a touch of guacamole. mmmmm. My DH loved it too and we ate it for days. I hope you find a solution. I'm waiting for a fill and can't wait to experience more restriction again.

Read two articles on the internet about ADHD and compulsive overeating yesterday on the internet. I knew i wasn't nuts. There is a big connection for about one/third of compulsive overeaters. We have difficulty with organizational skills which is why food plans and food journals and countaing carbs, calories, or points don't work for us. We have poor impulse control which is why we're on the see-food diet, we see food, we eat food. And we have poor self-awareness which leads to not knowing when we're hungry or when we're full. When we're busy with something that stimulates us we totally forget to eat which sets us up for ravenous hunger later, and because we don't sense fullness we eat till we're stuffed. According to the authors of the study, ADHD people are the ones least likely to succeed on any form of food plan. OMW. Does that explain a lot. They suggest that we keep a variety of the food we should eat available at home and at work because we're the type to forget to pack a lunch. Evenings are our worst time because our projects are done. We need to find stimulating, adventurous things to do at night to keep us out of the food. They don't even suggest trying to restrict the food because we're such failures at it, just stay on a maintenance diet of 1800-2500 calories/day. Well, I'm glad I've got the lapband so that I'll actually lose weight faster than a maintenance diet.(Though, frankly, I would lose weight on that because I ate more calories than that.) And so that on really ADHD days I've got a tool that will stop me from getting too badly into the food.

I have to agree with xavier. Dave tried to make it about him, which tells you his comments were not really about you but about himself. You know that saying:When you point the finger at someone else there are 3 fingers pointing back at you.

I had a similar reaction to cream of tomato soup before my band healed. I was eating drop by drop when suddenly I was retasting it. My first pb. If it take a hot trainer to get you to excersize more--go for it.

Sunday, August 2, 2009 Vindication Ta Da! I found some articles on the internet that confirmed that my ADHD definitely is a contributing factor in my compulsive overeating and that it makes it particularly hard to treat. People with ADHD do not do well with food plans, counting carbs or calories or points. Expecting them to remember to pack a lunch everyday is an excercise in futility. ADHD affects the organizational part of the brain. In addition, people with ADHD have poor impulse control, which is why so many of us are on the see-food diet. We see food, we eat food. Many of us feel tremendous shame over our poor impulse control and focus. Its affected our ability to be "successful" with a lot of jobs, with our marriages, and even with friendship. And it helps make us fat and makes it hard to lose the fat. Double shame. We do not have the organizational and focus skills to be successful on a long-term diet or life-style change. Our failures feed our shame and shame leads to more eating. People with ADHD, especially women, are prone to anxiety and depression, because we are the proverbial square pegs trying to force ourselves into round holes--societal expectations for our roles as women into which we just don't fit. Anxiety and depression are known contributors to overeating. They're a form of self-medication. It's also hard for women because we've been socialized not to do the stimulating, adventurous things we need to do that would keep us busy and out of the food--especially at night when we're expected to keep the home fires burning. We use food to calm us down so we can sit or do the boring, tedious housework expected of us. We use food to stimulate ourselves when we're bored, which we easily are. Of course, stimulants (caffeine and carbs) calm our brains and help us focus. We eat a lot of chocolate and drink a lot of coffee. In addition, we really don't have an off switch with food. ADHD people can have poor self-awareness. We don't know we're full until we're stuffed. Conversely, when we're really busy with something that interests us, we go into hyperfocus, and we have no clue that we're hungry and we don't eat till we're done with the project, which helps set up the ravenous hunger we get later. With poor impulse control and no off switch we eat till we're stuffed. ADD/ADHD women would be voted least likely to succeed on a diet by those scientists who are studying them. Actually, the effects of chronic pain mimic ADHD and lead to similar difficulties with diets. Ding-ding-ding. I'm a two-for-one winner. Two causes for one disease. (I'm not even going to talk about codependency here.) And I would add that chronic pain limits the physical activity and stimulation and adventuring that would allow me to self-medicate my ADHD without food. I eat to sit still so I don't hurt. I'm blessed to have a husband who has made it his mission to see to it that I can fulfill my mission as a teacher to at-risk children. (Many of you saw the video I posted in a previous blog that highlighted one of my students.) Ken keeps me organized, acts as my social secretary (unless I forget to tell him about an event), does all the paperwork, researches things for me, does all the housework, laundry, and grocery shopping, makes sure my car has gas, etc. At school my assistant also takes care of the paperwork and keeps the room organized and efficient. She's become my chief consultant as I constantly bounce ideas of her. She has a son who's ADHD and she knows just how to be helpful, leaving me free to be creative and flexible and good at my job. I've had a lot of affirmations and successes at my job. I've earned a lot of respect and even a certain amount of influence. People know I'm ADHD but, frankly, teachers are an eccentric bunch, and none more so than at my school, so, basically, I fit right in. In many ways, God has pulled my life together and made it work. That leaves the food and the obesity. And now I've got a tool for that. A tool that works with my ADHD instead of against it. As long as I keep plenty of options for food that's on my protocol stored at home and stored at school (for when I forget to pack a lunch) my band will let me know when I'm full. As long as I continue to get support from my on-line friends and continue to write this blog to help me deal with all the assorted issues that accompany my food addiciton, I think I can beat the odds against me as an ADHD, arthritic woman recovering from this eating disorder. By the grace of God, I am Cheri, a recovering food addict.