Hi Rita

I also have ADHD, and take prescribed dexamphetamine. I’ve been on 5:2 for 1 yr, and take my dex as usual no problems with that so far, i.e. I take it at the same times I always have regardless of whether I’m taking food at the same time. I started out on FD’s with 2 small meals and nibbles in between, but I discovered I didn’t get hungry if I didn’t eat till later in the day. Eating anything woke the hunger dragon. For many months now I’ve just had a main meal at 6 pm, and gone to ged a little earlier. It doesn’t seem to have altered anything in my response to the dex.

Maybe it’s just me, but I found the title of your thread off-putting. I didn’t link the methylphenidate to ADHD, so hadn’t even read your post initially. The forum is international and people call the same drugs different things in different countries. If ADHD had been in the title I would have clicked on it much sooner.
Good luck,
Merry

No worries Rita :-). Your writing is fine. I think it’s just people from different countries call things by different names. I’m in Australia. Where are you from? How are you going with 5:2?
Merry

Hi Rita, well done, and saving cash is great! Something I love about 5:2 is there’s no cash outlay other than a book or DVD if you choose, both relatively inexpensive, $20 each in Australia. After that you eat according to what you decide,and we’re buying less food anyway. The fridge doesn’t have as much in it now! 2 of us doing 5:2 herere , my husband and me. So, no longer buying food for his 2 FDs, my 2 FDs and I eat 16:8 on the other 5 days, so 5 breakfasts given up also. On the 5 nonFDs I don’t eat till after 12noon, and eat in an 8hr window, so a bit like a minifast on the 5days. I’m very happy with this programme. OH eats breakfast on nonFDs and varies the timing on FDs, but often just has 1 meal after 6pm with me.

I have the dubious distinction of having ADHD and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, commonly known and badly named as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. While totally different dsease mechanisms on the surface, it’s being at 2 opposing ends of a spectrum at the same time. Very paradoxical, but I manage. Yes, I still need my ADHD meds. Weird hey. Fortunately, having lost 16kgs (35lbs -1kg=2.2lbs), the energy I used to use to cope with the extra weight is freed up to lift my quality of life a little, so that’s great. Currently I’ve been maintaining my present weight a few months and in a while I’ll go back to losing the last 6kgs. Feels great to be in a normal weight range now and so good to wear normal sized clothes.

Psychologically , 5:2 seems to almost have something in built that works at normalising what food I eat, the quantity, and when. A bit of stress eating going on here atm but things will get easier in a while. One curious thing has been finding I’m one of a group of people on 5:2 whose weight loss stops if they eat starchy carbs and sugar, regardless of the calories. Same calories, no starchy carbs and sugar and down it goes again. The other weird but good thing is until I eat on any day I’m rarely hungry, but eating wakens The Hunger Dragon.

It’s just really great to find something that works, is doable lng term, and costs nothing!
Cheers,
Merry

Hi Rita,
You’re very kind:-) Thank you. No, I haven’t read Eat Stp Eat, but I’ll look it up.Sounds interesting.

Preoccupation with food. Yep, been there. We watched a doccumentary recently called Which Diet is Right For You, and I think I have bits of each of the different overeaters characteristics. 5:2 fixes just about all of it for me., though I haven’t totally licked the stress eating thing yet but I’m working on it.

It must be very helpful having a lot of knowledge of food science. Even then, as you say, eating too much of the right thing is still way too much. I used to believe the ‘must eat breakfast’ thing too, and I still think it’s a must for growing children and teens, but for all of us past adult age I no longer think it’s necessary. I ‘ve never been hungry 1st thing in the morning anyway, so putting breakfast off is no big deal. The whole breakfast cereal industry is really pretty strange when you look at what other countries and cultures eat for breakfast. One of my staples is boiled eggs ready in the frig, and I used to eat an egg and an orange for breakfast after I gave up breakfast cereals. Now I very happily don’t eat till after 12.

Cheers,
Merry