Losing weight when ND

[Brownie258]

Anyone fancy a general chat about it and maybe a support thread?

I struggle so much because for me absolutely nothing beats the dopamine hit that a Dominos pizza, cake, chocolate bar, packet of crisps that I don’t even really like can give me.

I’ve got into the terrible habit where food is just everything. It’s a reward for doing something hard (which let’s face it is every day when you’re ND), something to cheer me up on a bad day, the highlight of any holiday etc etc.

I’d love to get a couple of stone off this year and I KNOW it is achievable if I can break these terrible habits.

I found that the only way was to get that hit from something else - in my case running in a club for external motivation to make me do it - which reduced my want to eat more without me having to actively do it (it did take a while though, as it only works once I am fitter).

I was down to the top end of healthy, but my mum died...I went back to eating crap.

Life is stressful. I eat crap. Not losing weight right now.

I think for me it would need to be try and change one thing at a time. I leave the food in the kitchen if possible and fetch out one pack of crisps or just two biscuits so I don't mindlessly eat through the whole pack.

I used to keep fruit nearby my sofa but suddenly went off apples. I might try those again.

Need to grow more spring onions so I can nibble on them as they have a big flavour hit.

I keep trim usually but often have to drop weight for sport competitions where you weigh in prior to competing.

I find that I get obsessed over certain foods and eat them repeatedly and then the desire stops and I discover a new fave food.

So I avoid trying new calorie rich food and try to try and choose foods which are more savoury.

I'm currently in a phase of steak- which is one of my healthier obsessions. Previously I had one with baking blondies which resulted in eating a full tray of them at a time.

Salty, aesthetically pleasing savoury food (protein rich preferably) are easy to become obsessed with

For a dopamine hit also think of certain foods which are better when you chill them and present them well - a fruit platter but cut up nicely and precisely so you feel you are treating yourself too

ADHD meds will also affect appetite and make evenings really hard to avoid binging

Also I tend to try to reward myself with other things but it is hard- like I love an oat milk latte and find it comforting - however there are so many calories

Honestly I just kept increasing. I tried intuitive eating and so wanted to believe it but I piled more weight on. Then antidepressants...

What's working currently is mounjaro. It seems to be working on the ND brain that isn't regulating food and now I can!!!

However you do need to be over 30bmi and it is expensive. Shemed that I use is now159 a month but there are others!

Just posting as the difference is unbelievable.

For me we are not in a great income bracket at all but I became morbidly obese and couldn't see a way out with my brain so it's so worth it.

Also using monjroro here as well .
Some days it helps
Some days the urge to binge is strong,but so far I'm resisting
Untill recently I lived of crisps,now I'm having to eat meals I'm not really keen on
It will be interesting to see how long I last crisp free

I've completely gone upf free. I heard Dr Chris say it had to be all or nothing for him and I think my brain needs that too. I think this has also curbed the binging.

Its been hard but that plus mounjaro means I'm not craving like I used to.

I do think it's the ND that led to me becoming morbidly obese. Intuitive eating only works if you have good interosception and recognise hunger/full signals...

I only realised recently
That anxiety and hunger feel exactly the same to me
I reached a BMI of 50 , before I realised this .
I'm now 4 stone down ,but yes autism gives me bad anxiety,that untill recently I thought was hunger
I only found out last year I was autistic,a whole life wasted thinking I was just depressed