Up until my diagnosis, I had no idea that ADHD was the cause behind my unhealthy relationship with food!
As many of us are getting diagnosed well into our adult years, I was able reflect on my life and realize that my undiagnosed ADHD was actually creating a life of disordered eating, anxiety, self-esteem issues, and a lot of confusion.
I also came to realize that my brain is unable to operate like neurotypical "normal" brains and that I was ignoring hunger & thirst cues because of time blindness & lack of interoceptive awareness. That unawareness of what our bodies truly need is what leads to restriction, which leads to bingeing, which leads to guilt, being undernourished, and feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed... all of which triggers what we call the 'binge and restrict cycle', where those symptoms repeat themselves hour after hour, day after day.
As I'm sure you can relate, I was genuinely exhausted & tired of being in this cycle, and feeling broken all the time. Life felt so hard.
And, as I said, I'm actually a Registered Dietitian with 10 years experience! Yet nobody in mainstream medicine, science, and nutrition ever gave me the answers or connected the dots between eating and ADHD.
(In fact they made it worse as I explain below.)
So, when I did finally get diagnosed, everything about my life, my mind, my emotions and my behaviors made sense!
It was both eye-opening and painful at the same time... but definitely the most validating thing that's ever happened to me.