Fasting for ADHD

Ahoy! I am a 22 M, 140kgs as of now and as you can guess by the title, I was diagnosed with ADHD about 6 months ago. It's a pretty late diagnosis but at least it didn't go unnoticed. I've read many articles about ADHD since my diagnosis, and realised that fasting might actually help with some symptoms of ADHD because of the hightened norepinephrine. I also struggled with impulse control and using food as an escape since my teenage years and after I experimented with a couple days of water fasting, I saw that the high emotional impact of things (People with neurodivergencies usually experience emotions several times stronger than their peers) was noticeably lessened and there was almost no urge to eat as an escape. I still take my medication since fasting and norepinephrine is not a replacement for dopamine, but I just wanted to share my experience. I was also wondering if there's anyone else who has ADHD and tried fasting in the sub. I take care of my electrolytes, sodium and vitamins with supplements. I would love to hear everyone's ideas about the topic. Love yall :)

Answer

I think fasting helps me focus somewhat better, but the real benefit for me when I was doing ADF was that I didn’t have to battle my executive dysfunction around planning, preparing, eating, and cleaning up from meals as much. That takes an extraordinary amount of mental energy for me, so effectively halving it by only eating every other day was an enormous win.

Answer

Yes I most likely have ADHD. I do not take meds but my son and twin sister currently are taking prescriptions. I didn’t want to take a prescription and have worked to control what I can in my life and what I can not to cope.

I think it keeps me level with my moods and helps me stay focused. I have been fasting for about 6 months now mainly for weight loss. I have felt euphoric during some of my fasts. I have also felt very productive. I love the mental clarity I have from fasting.

I started slowly fasting with OMAD moved on to ADF. Now I do 72 hour fasts 2 times a week and a 20-24 hour fast on Sundays. I also eat Keto WOE with very low carbs and OMAD refeeds. I won’t eat processed food any more or drink coffee or sodas. I do take my electrolytes and take multi supplements to get my daily requirements.

I have made a decision to fast to stay healthy. I will stop doing the extended fasting soon though. Soon I will change to ADF. I may do an extended fast but it will be less often.

Fasting has had a profound effect on my well being and the benefits help me so much. Keto has helped me keep the bad food cravings away.

Good luck to you!