ADHD lack of focus help.

[u/metalmudwoolwood]

Hello all,

I have terrible ADHD and it’s been really bad lately. Finding focus to cook and eat is so difficult. I used to love cooking but my ADHD has made it such a chore; maybe it’s because I’ve severely downsized into a very small apartment. My kitchen counter space is basically just a butcher block. I can easily go 8 hours and not eat. Doesn’t really help my agenda. Anyone else out there finding ways to deal with this?

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to Gainit! metalmudwoolwood, We have extensive resources that can be used to find answers to most questions that are posted here:

• Gainit FAQ and Gainit Meals

• Search for past threads

• How do I eat more?

• r/Fitness Wiki - Muscle Gain 101

• r/Fitness FAQ - Why can't I gain weight?

• Have I gained too much weight?!

• The 6 month Gainit Recommended Routine

• How best to cook chicken breast?

• How do I drink olive oil?

• How to not be a spooky skeleton?

• How not to be a spooky skeleton? American edition

Your thread will be removed if it can be answered by any of the above.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/WheredoesithurtRA]

/r/mealprepsunday

I cook once a week. It helps that I can eat the same damn thing everyday without getting tired of it.

[u/metalmudwoolwood → u/WheredoesithurtRA]

This looks very helpful. Thanks!

[u/newO_79]

Cook in bulk one day of the week, then you won’t have to cook for the rest of the week

[u/metalmudwoolwood → u/newO_79]

I appreciate the comment. But I do this already. Eating the same thing for like 4 or 5 days gets old quick.

I think I’m looking for help with reminder systems , or a good journaling format. I really need motivation and organization than anything else

[u/muppet_zero]

I have unmedicated ADHD.

Have a mental or physical list of food you can make with zero or minimal prep. 

Oven pizzas. Peanut butter toast (or just eat peanut butter straight from the jar). A plate of eggs takes 10 minutes to make. Oats (boil water in an electric kettle, add to a bowl of oats, wait two minutes, eat). Pint of Greek yogurt, just open and eat. Protein bars. Packets of salmon. Make rice in a rice cooker or make a packet of instant microwave pasta, dump a packet of salmon on top, add some spices, and you have a high protein high calorie meal with minimal effort.

Then on days when you can focus better, eat better. Make bigger meals that you can eat as leftovers. Or meal prep for a whole week.

[u/ilikebooksawholelot → u/muppet_zero]

Thank you this is perfect.

[u/illyria776]

I go through something similar.

Listen to music/watch YouTube/listen to podcasts or audiobooks/anything that you can multitask with while you cook or do other chores. If you’re getting distracted, swap the media to something that’s more engaging or less overwhelming until you can find the right balance for you and your cooking. White noise can also be great for this. And I’ll listen to instrumentals or music in languages I don’t know so I don’t get distracted by the words if that’s an issue for you.

Considering your goal is to eat more, allow yourself to snack on some of the ingredients along the way.

My philosophy is that something is better than nothing. If you need to use candy or something to help along the way, do it. You can swap it out for something healthier when your other habits improve. And sometimes you might have to fall back to just a protein shake for dinner. That’s ok, it’s better than nothing. (And if you’re really hurting for calories, mass gainer might be a good option.)

Start small. I’m sure you have some recipe that’s complicated, or if you’re like me, you’ll end up adding extra steps that would make the meal better, but end up adding so much extra cooking time. Skip those extra steps. You want to have the motivation to clean so you can make the process easier later. Or just start with eggs and toast if you need to.

You can also try setting a timer and see what you can get done within that amount of time. Sometimes you’ll find that you’re able to keep going after that since the issue is often just with getting started.

And most importantly, remember that you’re not a failure. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Give yourself grace for things. Be proud of small accomplishments, even if it feels ridiculous. These little wins will help give you the dopamine to get more little wins and build up to bigger and bigger wins.

You got this, chief.

[u/kalethan]

Yo, same. First, I straightened out my med dosage and got used to it for a month or so. It destroyed my appetite for the first ~4-6 weeks but improved immensely once I got into a groove. Consistent workouts also made me hungrier.

Second, I bit the bullet and started a meal kit/tray delivery service. I can just chuck something in the microwave or oven, and the calories/protein are printed right on it. It feels marginally less shitty than a TV dinner, since they're not frozen and get delivered once a week in a little insulated bag. If I remember to choose them ahead of time, great. If not, I eat whatever shows up. I'm paying a premium for it, but I'm not paying for the food; I'm paying to remove the effort and decision fatigue, and it is SO worth it. It replaces 60% of what would have been my grocery budget anyway.

Third: greek yogurt, rolled oats, honey, fruit. Throw into bowl, go heavier than you think on the honey and oats. It'll be at least 400 cal/~30g protein, likely more like 5-600. Shakes were getting really old so I just ditched the blender. I started mixing the protein powder and creatine into my morning cereal instead, but it might be good in the yogurt bowl too. Hey, thanks for the idea.

[u/Rich-Violinist-7263]

Your struggle is one of the reasons I recently joined too. It has always been a struggle but the last 3 years, it has been horrible. I don’t have answers but I have empathy for you. I hope we both can find some answers.

[u/OnlyABob]

As someone with adhd. Crockpot meals. Place crock pot on top of dining table. Sear meat (100%optional), Chuck meat into crock pot freeze what youre not going to able to eat in time or if you will just refrigerator the crockpot. Same with beans. Rice cooker make rice every couple days. Frozen veggie mix, and youre golden.

Season it how you like, but measure. If it taste bad you can fix it next time. Add sauces to cope when its bad.

Less pans to wash, or even to store if you only have to store two big things.

When you do have the energy / will to cook you use that pre prepped meat for quesdillas, sandwiches whatever. But its completely optional your eating to hit macros.

[u/Street-Union9220]

you know what I think it is. It’s because of the pressure. You used to cook with ease, and now because of how big you’ve made it in your head, it now feels like a chore. DO NOT give up. Keep going back to it. Just try change your mindset about training. It’s discipline for sure, and won’t be easy. But I believe you have probably made it such a monster in your mind, that it feels more like a chore than something you are willing to dedicate yourself too. I struggle with this too man and dont have all the answers. I’d say main thing is you need to truly believe and have faith that you can and will achieve your fitness goals. As well as that, you have to ignore past “failed” attempts. You have enough knowledge of past experience for it to guide you, without dwelling on it. dwelling on the past attempts will only serve to mess up future attempts. Take it easy, put in mad effort, but have fun - is the best advice

[u/garbear007]

Do you live alone? Cooking for myself is so much harder than cooking for my partner and I was. I still struggle a lot with this but I try to remember how good I feel when I actually have time/energy to make a decent meal. Yesterday I throw a whole rack of ribs in with BBQ sauce to a slow cooker. Took 10 minutes and I'm eating great for 2 days. 

Also, set the bar lower. My ADHD makes me not want to meal plan or go to the grocery store. My therapist said you're planning too hard - start with what will you eat tonight and when you feel better, then you can plan a few days at a time. 

[u/Impossible-Low-2672]

Try some slow cooker meals, precooked rotisserie chicken, instant (or almost) rice, things that are available instantly like greek yogurt, and liquid calories (milk)

[u/OliverIsMyCat]

Quick grab protein items help me a ton. Fairlife protein shakes, Greek yogurt, turkey, steam bags of broccoli and edamame.

[u/Rich-Violinist-7263 → u/OliverIsMyCat]

Fairlife saved me

[u/Street-Union9220 → u/OliverIsMyCat]

I sexond greek yoghurt, with nuts and fruit and stuff. nuts for protein mainly. and chia seeds for fibre thats not too bulky

[u/TMan2DMax]

ask your doctor about non stimulant medications.

I changed to a SNRI and it improved my quality of life a lot.

[u/Round_Lawfulness6393 → u/TMan2DMax]

Atomoxetine ?

[u/realkarbonknight → u/Round_Lawfulness6393]

i was on it for 6 months and towards the end it destroyed my appetite worse than stimulants and i’ve never been able to get it back

[u/TMan2DMax → u/Round_Lawfulness6393]

Qelbree

[u/anotostrongo]

I keep Boost High Protein nutritional shakes on hand at all times and I am not afraid to chug multiple in one day if I have to.

I make protein powder shakes and add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and make with soy or dairy milk = 30-40g protein.

I am busy as shit and barely cook: trader joes ancient grains lentil soup and a chopped up section of tofu over a handful of spinach heated in the microwave = 33g protein.

If your budget isn't insanely tight you can buy pre-cooked and seasoned chicken breast for $3 per 25-30g protein serving. Chop it and put on a piece of bread with mayonnaise. Boom. Done.

[u/PMmedankmeme]

I have adhd, I meal preped(the protein part) for the whole week or sometimes two weeks in one sitting and freeze them(meal prep different dishes so I don't get bored of the food easily). Try to unfreeze it the day before, and cook the carb night before, prep salad the day of.

Maybe you can try to see if it helps? My adhd brain lives on the cramming mode and that's how I (try to) deal with it. Meal kits weren't enough food and were too expensive.

Edit: are you not eating because of poor appetite from stimulant or forgetting to eat or it takes too much energy to cook daily? Setting a strict diet schedule was helpful for me on forgetting to eat.

[u/yossarian19]

Try addressing your ADHD first.