Nicole Demasi – Eating with ADHD: The Online Course 2022

Why Do We Struggle to Eat with ADHD?

And What Are the Results of the Challenges…

#1: Low Dopamine: Cycle of Perpetual Boredom

Low dopamine causes us to seek stimulation. Eating temporarily increases dopamine & serotonin which stimulates us temporarily and allows us to focus. Our brain perceives this food as a reward & this behavior of eating for stimulation can quickly become a habit.

#2: Impulsivity

A strong urge to eat something is often caused by extreme hunger. We tend to make decisions based on an immediate reward, rather than taking the time to figure out what we really need. This happens more when we don’t plan ahead, when we’re anxious, or overwhelmed.

#3: Lack of Interoceptive Awareness

Our ability to feel our body’s cues for hunger, thirst, the need to urinate is dulled…This makes it harder to self-regulate. We wait too long to eat and then end up overeating as a result. We’re more susceptible to a lack of connection with our body when we’re stressed, hyperfocused, or distracted.

#4: Executive Dysfunction

We all struggle with meal planning, shopping, cooking, and organizing. It’s overwhelming & stressful because it takes a lot of executive functioning & mental energy …and then perfectionism adds another layer of stress. We then resort to take out or have a bunch of snacks instead of a nourishing meal…sometimes leading to a binge…then guilt…then restriction again.

#5: Easily distracted

Distracted eating…we’re less satisfied with meals & more likely to overeat when we’re not paying attention. Time blindness causes us to lose track of time & not realize how long it’s been since we’ve eaten.

#6: Emotional Dysregulation

ADHD makes it hard for us to regulate our emotions…we’re always facing extremes. This makes food much more enticing when uncomfortable feelings come up. Self-soothing with food is actually pretty normal for most people but can lead to bingeing and feeling out of control around it when it’s the only way you cope.

How to Eat with ADHD

9 Steps to Stop Binging & Eat Consistently with ADHD

Access my 9-step system that I share with 1 on 1 clients to transform your relationship with food!

The Contents. The Steps.

What You Will Access & The Critical Steps You Will Take…

Phase #1: The Foundations

Before any transformation is made, we need to lay the foundations to set us up for success. In this first phase, we’ll build your awareness of where you’re currently at with your relationship with food so you can understand how to move forward. It will also give you a new perspective on diet culture that is likely different to anything you have heard before. And, I’ll introduce you to the key principles and approaches that you can use to change your life.

STEP 1: Building Awareness

This critical new awareness & understanding will bring you complete clarity, reassurance, and self-compassion to set you up for a lifelong transformation of your relationship with food & ADHD.

• Learn the challenges of eating & ADHD
• See the link between ADHD & disordered eating
• ​How ADHD affects the way YOU eat
• ​Discover your food rules
• ​Identify what you need to work on

STEP 2: Rejecting Diet Culture

This is the 1st step to food freedom & feeling in control! We’ll look at some home truths to debunk diet culture myths and it’s impact on your health, while sharing what you can do to break the binge-restrict cycle!

• See how diet culture has impacted your life
• Uncover the hidden forms of dieting
• ​Learn how to stop bingeing
• ​Discover your food rules & remove negativity
• ​Learn to feel more in control around food

STEP 3: Identifying Hunger & Making Peace with Food

We have trouble understanding what our bodies are telling us. Eating intuitively helps us overcome challenges to meet our needs, mentally, physically, & emotionally to make us feel in control.

• Learn what intuitive eating is & the key principles
• ​How it will help you stop bingeing
• How to eat all foods without guilt (it’s possible!)
• ​How to eat more consistently
• ​How to eat to feel good mentally & physically

Phase #2: Rewire

After building the foundations for your transformation and becoming aware of your challenges, your environment, and the new approaches to eating with ADHD, I will show you the methods to start thinking, feeling, and behaving differently around food. You’ll start to see immediate improvements with your relationship with food and learn how to stay in control to start thriving.

STEP 4: Feeling Hunger & Fullness

One of our biggest challenges is recognizing our hunger & fullness, which leads to inconsistent eating & binge-restrict cycles that spiral out of control. I’ll give you the insights to overcome one of the biggest threats to our mental & physical health.

• Learn the early signs of hunger & fullness
• ​How meds can affect your appetite
• How to eat based on internal vs external cues
• ​Choosing foods that will keep you full & satisfied
• ​Reduce sugar cravings & control trigger foods

STEP 5: Emotional Eating & Hormones

RSD, emotional dysregulation, & constant boredom? You’ll identify why you eat, your feelings, and your triggers, and get new tools to cope with stress and stimulate dopamine without using food!

• How to increase dopamine & focus
• How to stop all or nothing thinking
• ​How hormones affect ADHD & the way we eat
• ​How to sit with your feelings & manage emotions
• ​How to cope with stress without eating

STEP 6: Self-Care & Self-Love

Lack of self-care & self-love makes food more enticing and leads to overeating. Negative self-talk & body image is exhausting & not productive! Lets build self esteem and body respect through practicing self-care, and self-love techniques.

• Access the self-care techniques for ADHD
• How to reframe negative thoughts & comparisons
• ​How to build self-worth & well-being
• ​How to accept & appreciate your body & feel good
• ​How to stop fatphobia & weight stigma

Phase #3: Integration

With the foundations built and the mind set up to see and feel things in a new, fresh, and healthy perspective, this phase focuses on integrating this new information into the real world and in our day to day lives. I will set you up to succeed with a range of practical tools, tips, and life hacks to help you make the changes you need for your lifestyle as you start to eat with ADHD in this new way. From shopping, cooking, prepping, & planning, to staying on track and keeping your brain nourished, these practical steps are the final pieces that will allow you to build and sustain a healthy relationship with food. Empowering you to eat consistently without binging, and ultimately allowing you to live a life where you feel in control and good about yourself every day.

STEP 7: Shop. Cook. Plan.

Overwhelm with shopping, planning, and cooking leads to inconsistent eating, often skipping meals or undernourishing meals, & can lead to bingeing. Let’s learn to meal plan, shop, prep and cook the easy way… and without the overwhelm!

• ​Creating a meal system for you (& your family)
• ​Organizing your kitchen and reducing food waste
• ​Finding your food prep style
• ​Creating quick & easy meals (without fatigue)
• ​Creating meals without a recipe
• ​How to add variety & satisfaction

STEP 8: Creating Routines & Habits

We hate routine, but we NEED it! We can’t rely on our working memory. Routine makes life easier & builds habits faster. So here you’ll learn to use ADHD tools & tricks to create a flexible, realistic routine to eat consistently to prevent binging & overwhelm.

• How to creating your personal daily routine
• Eating consistently with inconsistent schedule
• ​Planning for self-care, meds, meals, and snacks
• ​Tips & tools for staying on track
• ​Examples of routines that work for my clients

STEP 9: Nutrition & Movement for Brain Health

Nourishing your brain is important for building neurotransmitters & overall health. Movement is important for dopamine! So, here I’ll cover the essential nutrition and movement tips for brain health.

• Adding nourishing foods & movement you enjoy
• Learn which foods increase dopamine & serotonin
• ​Improve overall focus, mood, & happiness
• ​See the research backed supplements for ADHD
• ​Improve digestive & gut health (your 2nd brain!)
• ​Eat consistently & confidently! Feel good!

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