Anyone managed to stop the food dopamine hit

[letmesailletmesail]

Recently diagnosed with ADHD (late 40s) and having a horrible few weeks as I realise how much of my life is affected by this. So much of what I thought was my personality is ADHD related. I'm on the wait list for meds but, if there's a side effect to any medication, I tend to get it so I'm looking at other strategies. With so much, I am trying to be accepting. After all, I've got this far (which includes marriage, 2 lovely DC, organised chaos at home, well paid job, friends) with it without any real strategies or help so i can certainly live with it & manage.
One thing it has made me aware of is my relationship with food which, over the past few years (to be honest, since DC1 started school and suddenly there was so much more to manage) is increasingly impulsive and therefore snack based and largely unhealthy. Not only is my weight gradually increasing but so is my bad cholesterol and risk of diabetes so I feel as though this is something I really need to knock on the head.
Has anyone else had this? And how have you dealt with it?

I have had this. The GP frightened the shit out of me by saying I was heading for diabetes, so I went cold turkey and stopped eating crisps and biscuits, and started going for long walks. Sorry I know that isn’t much help, but cutting down isn’t a good strategy for me, because I can’t just have a little bit. My brain needs it to be a point blank “NO you can’t have that at all”.

I also went cold turkey on refined sugar (well eliminated over a few weeks), increased protein, moderate healthy fats and reasonable complex carb intake.

A macro based diet might work for you (I follow broadly 30% protein, 30% fat, 40% carb) and I eat maintenance or just under if I went over. Think healthy mediteranean style.

It is possible to get it under control, I promise. I was you at 40 and have been managing for over 6 months. The absolute lynch pin for me is sugar - that becomes very painful to get back to an even keel if I have refined sugar. Once an addict... Also trying not to massively overeat carb - 300- 400 calories over won't ruin it, but the other day I have like nearly double (same day as the sugar and my only lapse in 6 months). I had to write the next day off.

The only thing that's helped me is an Elvanse prescription. Stopped the binge eating/dopamine seeking from food literally from day one. It's never come back, years on.