My Day by day ADHD Routine That Helped Me Lose 50+ Kilos (and Maintain It Off)

For many of my grownup life, I believed weight reduction and “wholesome dwelling” required a stage of consistency my mind merely didn’t have.

As a busy mother with recognized ADHD, my days felt reactive as a substitute of intentional. I’d begin the morning already behind, neglect to eat till I used to be ravenous, scroll myself into nervousness, after which surprise why I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and caught.

What lastly modified wasn’t willpower or an ideal routine. It was constructing ADHD-friendly day by day habits at residence, habits that help my bodily and psychological well being with out demanding perfection.

Over time, these small, repeatable modifications helped me lose over 50 kilos, preserve that loss for greater than a 12 months, reverse a number of well being dangers, and keep on monitor lengthy after coming off GLP-1 medicine. These are the habits I nonetheless depend on right this moment, they usually go means past simply weight reduction when it comes to my total wellness.

(However if you happen to’re curious, you’ll be able to see extra particulars about my weight reduction journey right here.)

In case you have ADHD and really feel like conventional “well being recommendation” was by no means made in your mind, this submit is for you.

I’m certainly not a psychologist or well being skilled; these are simply ADHD routine modifications which have made a large enchancment in my life…

1. I Make a Time-Blocked To-Do Checklist Each Night time (So My Mind Can Relaxation)

ADHD brains don’t like unfastened ends. If I don’t write issues down, my mind tries to carry onto every part, which results in poor sleep and racing ideas.

Each evening earlier than mattress, I open the Notes app on my cellphone and create a time-blocked to-do listing for the following day. Not a imprecise listing, an precise plan for when issues will occur.

Why this works for my ADHD:

• It stops the “don’t neglect this” psychological loop at evening
• I sleep higher as a result of my mind feels secure letting go
• Once I get up, I don’t waste vitality deciding what to do first
• My priorities are already chosen for me (enormous for choice fatigue)

If I keep in mind one thing in the course of the evening, I don’t spiral. I simply add it to the listing and return to sleep.

This single behavior lowered my stress and helped me keep per more healthy selections as a result of my days stopped feeling chaotic.

2. I Schedule Self-Care Like an Appointment (Morning and Night)

If self-care is optionally available, it doesn’t occur, particularly with ADHD. So I schedule it into my day, similar to every other duty.

My Morning Self-Care (30 Minutes)

This routine units the tone for my complete day:

• Weigh in
• Drink a big glass of water
• Have one thing high-protein to eat
• Take nutritional vitamins and medicine
• Drink one cup of espresso
• Have devotion and prayer time

Nothing fancy. Simply constant.

My Night Self-Care (30 Minutes)

After my children are in mattress, I select one or two self-care “rewards” from an inventory I made forward of time. It’s a mixture of many differing types as a result of self-care doesn’t all the time imply pampering to look fairly; typically it includes a psychological cleanse.

My self-care reward listing of choices:

• Mild remedy (I simply gave this gentle remedy lamp to Robert for Christmas… however I steal it for myself too.)
• Journal
• Stretch / do yoga
• Take heed to a favourite podcast or a calming playlist
• Field respiration workout routines (I just like the iBreathe app.)
• Give myself a manicure and/or pedicure (I take advantage of this cuticle oil as a 1-minute self-care ritual each evening earlier than mattress.)
• Learn a chapter of a novel
• Take an epsom salt tub (These tub salts with serotonin are one of the best.)
• Clear out a drawer or cupboard
• Lie on an acupressure mat
• Apply a hair masks
• Do a guided meditation within the Calm app
• Do an at residence facial (This espresso masks is the workhorse of all facial masks.)
• Sip a mug of sleepytime tea exterior on the again porch

Generally I stack multiple if I need to maximize my self-care time. Like I’ll stretch whereas listening to a podcast. Or I’ll do field respiration workout routines whereas carrying my purple gentle remedy masks.

The important thing right here is alternative with out choice overload. I’m not asking myself, “What ought to I do to calm down?” I’m simply choosing from a pre-approved listing.

This construction helped me cease utilizing meals or scrolling as my solely technique to decompress.

This one was uncomfortable at first however extremely efficient.

For the primary hour after I get up:

• No social media
• No e-mail
• No information

ADHD brains are particularly weak to dopamine hijacking very first thing within the morning. If I begin my day reacting to everybody else’s wants or content material, my focus is gone earlier than breakfast.

That one-hour boundary helped:

• Decrease my nervousness
• Enhance my focus
• Cut back impulsive meals selections later within the day
• Make mornings really feel calmer as a substitute of frantic

I defend my consideration earlier than the world will get entry to it.

4. I Use Meals Monitoring as a Reset, Not a Punishment

I don’t monitor my meals on a regular basis anymore. I’m largely in upkeep now. And I enable myself to have any meals I would like so long as it’s balanced and with portion management in thoughts; nothing is off limits.

However after I discover my habits slipping like after holidays, holidays, or nerve-racking seasons, I take advantage of a meals tracker quickly to recalibrate.

I used the Noom app throughout my lively weight reduction section over a 12 months in the past to show me find out how to have a more healthy relationship with meals. Now I take advantage of MyFitnessPal as a result of it’s less complicated and extra inexpensive.

The ADHD-friendly mindset shift:

• Monitoring isn’t “beginning over”
• It’s simply data
• It helps me reconnect with parts, protein, and patterns

I monitor till my wholesome habits really feel automated once more, then I cease.

5. I Use Behavior Stacking to Make New Habits Stick

If a behavior doesn’t have already got a “residence” in my day, it in all probability received’t final.

So I take advantage of behavior stacking, pairing a brand new behavior with one I already do with out considering. (Atomic Habits is a wonderful useful resource for studying how to do that.)

Instance:
Once I wished to get within the behavior of studying my Bible day by day, I paired it with my morning espresso. I used to be already ingesting espresso daily. Including one chapter whereas I sipped felt pure as a substitute of pressured.

Now it’s simply a part of the routine.

This technique works superbly for ADHD brains as a result of it removes the necessity to keep in mind; the behavior is triggered routinely.

6. I Use Sensory Integration at Residence (Particularly in Winter)

ADHD isn’t nearly focus, it’s deeply linked to sensory regulation.

In winter particularly, I’m intentional about sensory enter in my residence to help my temper and vitality:

This helps fight seasonal affective dysfunction and emotional dysregulation, each of which used to derail my wholesome habits.

If you wish to go deeper into this, I’ve shared precisely how I take advantage of sensory integration at residence right here.

What I Need You to Take Away From This

I didn’t give my well being an overhaul by being excellent. I did it by constructing methods that help my ADHD mind as a substitute of combating it.

I nonetheless have onerous days and slip-ups and occasional artistic burnout, however I bounce again from it a lot quicker than I did previously.

In case you’re a busy mother with ADHD, please hear this: You don’t want extra self-discipline. You want higher scaffolding to work smarter, not tougher.

Small, intentional modifications achieved persistently in your individual residence can change every part.

And if right this moment all you do is write tomorrow’s to-do listing earlier than mattress?
That also counts. 💙

Often Requested Questions