Elsethread another poster was downvoted for saying it[0], but amphetamines make it much easier to get so focused on a task you forget to eat. I experimented with it for a while and even I, a food addict, forgot to eat if I was truly engaged in something.

[0] Probably because his tone was accusational, though anyone who thinks chess grandmasters are any less willing to use performance drugs than any other high-end athlete is kidding themselves.

Chess players are drug tested by WADA for major tournaments. Amphetamines would not necessarily help those without ADHD because they would slow down their thought process. Time management is an important part of the game and simply remaining focused is not difficult for top players.

Also amphetamines don't "make you so focused that you forget to eat." Amphetamines directly inhibit appetite.

My own anecdata supports the idea that amphetamines can cause me to forget to eat. If I take two of my dextroamphetamine pills, eating becomes a chore.

Odd. I find the high from being hungry makes me output my best work. I feel sharper and energized.

One form of discomfort that sharpens me is the sensation of sleep deprivation kept at bay by caffeine. It has a dissociative effect that I find helps me concentrate. Reaching that state probably takes a toll on my body though.

Perhaps the effects of discomfort on concentration are malleable, not inherit traits of the individual. Maybe, with the right kind of expectations and mindset, I could make the sensation of hunger work for me instead of against me.

Same, though I'd phrase it differently.

For me at least I feel its more like I'm dealing with unmedicated ADHD and need to slow my brain with tiredness and then jolt it just enough with some Diet Dr Pepper to get the sharpness back.

I suspect id depends on why (and how long) you're hungry.

If you're hungry from missing your regular meal, your blood sugar may drop and you feel lethargic.

If you're hungry from fasting, your liver may start producing ketones which our brains seem to like.

I suspect it's your second point. I already maintain a low carb/ketogenic diet which would prevent me from having those crashes.

Interesting. For a lot of gamers and programmers it's the opposite. Intense focus and engagement often results in forgetting to eat and/or sleep. This is well known in the gaming community.

Gaming is an activity that I filed under mindless, I don't play many games these days but I have in the past and generally noticed myself eating less. Typically when I play games these days I listen to an audiobook or podcast at the same time and my attention is on the audio more than the game, for which I'm basically on autopilot.

I never been big on puzzle games though, I prefer games like doom or quake. Fast games that focus on reaction time and spatial awareness, rather than problem solving. If I were playing something slow and complex (chess, minesweeper, etc), I expect I'd probably be more aware of my hunger.

I find that there's a window where being hungry makes me mentally lethargic, but past that window, hunger tends to disappear and I find my focus and energy renewed

Hunger (at least to a small intensity) is prodromal. If I'm already tilting hypomanic, skipping lunch is a huge trigger.