Procrastination or yeah, I'll get to that later....

Oh there is a big ADD word. I still feel funny blaming a disorder for my seeming inability to start a large project. There is got to be a way to get through that. After all, I am intelligent. I am not lazy. ( Although I was accused of that often as a child.) So why in the world can't I get started???
I have told myself that I was going to catch up on a little housework over the summer. Well, it took me nearly a month just to go in there and clean the bathroom countertops!! I would walk by and think, " that just really looks awful, I need to get on to that" and then it was on to other things... It's like I just have to be in the mood to do it in order to get it done. That really does seem lazy or immature or, or something.. But supposedly it's ADD.. aaaaaahhhhhh!
I have a garage that I want to clean out also.. Haven't even touched it.
I have lesson plans that I want to write before school starts again, along with some mini lessons that I can grab at the last minute if I need to. I started that yesterday. But I didn't even finish doing the first day's worth of plans.
I have a grant that I want to write to ask for materials for school... Sigh.. I started that one directly after the workshop I attended.. Have not gotten back to it since..
and, What am I doing?? I am playing on my blog.. Looking at email, and doing all sorts of little things to avoid all the stuff that I keep putting off.
As the Nike commercial says, "Just Do It" Why can't it be that simple?
I try, I really do, I will sit down to do something school wise, get bored, distracted, whatever.. And I just cant make myself do it.
I try the decluttering bit... I start, I get bored, I cant make myself do it..
Then there are other days. When I think of something and do it right then.. I don't even think about it.. I just seem to get it all in gear. THAT happened today when I cleaned the bathroom counters... I saw a bit of trash, and thought, well, "I'll just take this out of here." Well, that was all it took, I just started working, cleaning and wiping down everything til it was done.

Now why in the world couldn't it be like that all the time? What makes one day different than the other? Why can't I be CONSISTENT?? I know there are ways to attack problems with procrastination.... And I really do need to learn more and try different things to see what works.

I guess I'll look into that later.......

Nutrition and ADHD

There are postings all over the net about natural alternatives to treat ADHD. I really do wish they would work for me! I tried the Omegas for approx. 6 months or so and seriously, they did make me feel calmer. BUT, they did nothing for my problems with attention and general stupidity. LOL!!
So, I am still taking the prescription stuff. Hey, its a heck of a lot cheaper when you have insurance. In researching nutrition etc. On the net.. I did come across some interesting things. I learned that Omegas are great for bipolar, depression, and anxiety disorders ( ah so that's why I felt calmer!! It slowed down that darned anxiety that follows me around.. )
Each of those problems affect attention and concentration also. So, to me, the ADHD symptoms would improve as a result of treating some of the comorbidities.

I have learned that it is especially important to make sure that one has all their vitamins and minerals each day also. There is a reason why so many say that they feel better when they are taking a multivitamin: they are giving their bodies what it needs.

Using my diet power software has taught me some of my own diet deficiencies. One of them was Iron. I found this info on Health 24 ( emphasis mine):

Signs of iron deficiency
Poor academic performance, particularly in young girls, appears to be eased by iron supplements. Iron has been shown to improve concentration. Other symptoms include repeated infections, loss of appetite, pallor, microcytic anaemia, brittle and ridged nails, smooth, red tongue - glossitis, hair loss and shortness of breath.

Source: http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/Whats_in_food/15-47-108-114.asp

The above started me thinking: what if some of my inattentiveness could be attributed an iron deficiency?? I know that it is not all of it. After all, I have had this problem all of my life, BUT being deficient in iron could exacerbate my ADHD symptoms.

It looks like a good multivitamin should be an integral part of any ADHDer's treatment plan - Whether he or she tries RX, homeopathic or dietetic treatment strategies.

Mindfulness and dieting

Ok, so I started off talking about impulsiveness, dieting, and ADHD.
so how do we change that into a more mindful situation? How can I stay more aware of what I am doing?

So far, I have tried, among others, weight watchers and LA weightloss.
both of those programs suggest journaling as a way of being more mindful of what you are eating. Tried that, but what I would end up doing is writing everything that I ate down from memory the day before the meeting! Hmmm.. Not working there.
Now, I DID lose weight on those programs, especially the LA weightloss. ( It cost so darn much that my frugal nature kicked in and made me stay on it 'cause I didn't want to waste all that money!) But I gained nearly every lb back after a stopped.

I have done all the fad diets, cabbage soup, Atkins.. ( ugh that diet made me physically ill! I don't know how others are able to stick to it!), heart association diet, etc etc... None to no avail.

so now what? Well, I have found that novelty helps me immensely, so I tried playing with a diet program on my palm pilot that uses WW points.. hmm, well at least it kept me from GAINING weight...

But still, I know that journaling does help with mindfulness, so I found one other thing:

The thing I am doing now is a computer program called Dietpower. I just type in what I eat, it tells me my metabolism, and how many calories I can eat each day. I am not really sticking to any particular diet. I am just eating what my body needs.

For me and my ADDled mind, it's working so far. It provides novelty, bright colors, charts, graphs, and a fun interface. The amount of calories that I can eat changes each day, so technically its not even the same diet. Plus, it provides the journaling that is supposedly so important.
I've been doing it for 2 weeks now and have lost 6lbs.

Will it last? I hope so. I guess that time will tell ;)

Here's the link if there is interest: http://www.dietpower.com

dieting and ADD

I don't even know if this is ADHD related or not. I hear several women sigh and say that they just cant seem to stay on a diet. Well, yep, that's me!
I think its a common problem; why else would our country have such a problem with obesity?
Affluence as a country, instant gratification in the form of fast food, fast service and being "on the go" all the time has added to our stress and our behavior of "popping something in our mouths so we can get to the next activity"

Ok, so its a problem. but is it a bigger problem for ADHDers? Here is an example:
The other day, I was at a class and they had put a bunch of fun size snickers bars on the tables.
I've been on a diet to try to lose a little wieght during the summer. Well, as the class was going on, I impulsively opened TWO of those fun size bars and ate them.
Then, I think, " oh crap!! I forgot I'm on a diet!"

How do you FORGET that you are on a diet????

It's the big I word: Impulsivity, we do things without thinking, then the brain engages and we smack ourselves in the head and go, "what am I thinking?" Well, that's the problem, we ARENT thinking. Mind you, I don't want to blame everything on ADD, The disorder is NOT an excuse, it's a reason.

If it was an excuse, then I would just give up and allow myself to continually gain weight. Because, after all, its not my fault.. I have a disability.

If it is a reason, then I can take that information and try to work around it, try to adapt and make changes because I know myself.

So, here are my changes:

No, candy in the house!!
Fresh fruits and veggies available
only sugary foods in the house that I don't particularly like ( so I wont touch them, but my family can!)
A way to keep myself mindful that " yes sher you are on a diet"

more in a moment.

sher