Why do some adults with ADHD say their weight only stabilized after starting treatment, not before?

This tracks with the broader pattern research has found. Improved impulse control, better executive function for consistent meal planning, and more regulated emotional coping (reducing emotional/impulsive eating) that often come with effective ADHD treatment can collectively support more stable eating patterns than were possible before treatment. It's not a universal outcome for everyone, but it's a commonly enough reported experience that it's discussed as a plausible benefit of treatment beyond the core attention symptoms. References: https://obesitycanada.ca/healthcare-professionals/adult-clinical-practice-guideline/

This was genuinely true for me, decades of yo-yo eating patterns and it wasn't until treatment that things actually leveled out. Wasn't even the goal of starting meds, just an unexpected side benefit.