Asperger's and anorexia?
BethanyLilyJohnson
Butterfly
Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Posts: 11
Location: The Universe
Hi I have Autism and struggle with an eating disorder, it's not like I think I look fat, but I have an unhealthy obsession with staying thin and a fear of becoming fat. I try hard to over come it, sometimes eating in large quantities- which usually makes it worse because of the guilt! I do not know if my two conditions are correlated, however I do know that I do not do it in order to fit into any media image. I do not care to conspire to that ! It is purely that I feel the need to be in control and controlling my eating is the easiest way, I suppose it goes deeper than that. I am a perfectionist and easily feel guilty or sorry if I accidentally say something to offend someone. I will get better though
When I was in the mental hospital they treated me like I was both anorexic and bulimic which was very distressing for me since it wasn't true and it means I was never allowed to get off of close observation.
I don't think I was ever diagnosed but they treated me like that because I wouldn't eat their food because I didn't like eating in front of other people, I didn't like their food, and I was very upset from homesickness. It was my first time away from home. They even weighed me every day and readmitted me once for weighing under 110 pounds. I think it's not that bad for a 14 year old 5'8" tall girl to weigh 110 pounds.
Absolutely! Many members of our family are diagnosed on the spectrum and my daughter has been in and out of the hospital with classic anorexia nervosa (restricting). One Swedish study showed 23% of anorexia patient's are on the spectrum. I confirmed a similar percentage with my daughters doctor.
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Scores- Aspie score: AS-130, NT-75 You are very likely an Aspie
AQ-43, EQ-14
ValentineWiggin
Veteran
Joined: 15 May 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,907
Location: Beneath my cat's paw
I'm in a starve-binge cycle. I'm looking at the ruins of my kitchen now.
It's sad.
_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."
It's sad.
I think I may have binge eating disorder . I have put on 4 stone since my last post on this thread. It's horrible that I cannot control my cravings this last year. However, I am also pretty stressed right now. I go through periods where I am either restricting myself and in control - or gorging myself.
The only time I am not hungry lately is when I am sleeping
I have no other addictions. I can smoke/ drink whatever without getting addicted I just can't understand why food seems to be such an issue for me sometimes.
ValentineWiggin
Veteran
Joined: 15 May 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,907
Location: Beneath my cat's paw
It's sad.
I think I may have binge eating disorder . I have put on 4 stone since my last post on this thread. It's horrible that I cannot control my cravings this last year. However, I am also pretty stressed right now. I go through periods where I am either restricting myself and in control - or gorging myself.
The only time I am not hungry lately is when I am sleeping
I have no other addictions. I can smoke/ drink whatever without getting addicted I just can't understand why food seems to be such an issue for me sometimes.
Same. I gain and lose 30 lbs in a week sometimes.
I'm about to head to the gym and try to work some of this off- it's 1:21 here and I'm down nearly 1800 calories.
_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."
I got told that people who don't eat are either on a diet, on a hunger strike, or think they're being poisoned. I still want to beat that doctor, or myself, I don't know.
_________________
Double X and proud of it / male pronouns : he, him, his
I had Anorexia Nervosa when I was 16-17 years old.
I counted calories (only between 200 and 300 a day) and exercised like crazy. After several months, I lost some hair and had brown rough patches of skin on my arms from malnutrition. At my lowest weight, I got down to between 80 and 85 lbs. but I still saw myself as fat when I would look in the mirror.
I was totally in denial, even after I collapsed while shopping with my mom. My legs just gave out.
At that time, in the early 1980's Anorexia was not well known by the public. Karen Carpenter had it at the same time that I did but she hadn't died yet. Karen (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983)
I'm no longer counting calories, but I am aware that I need to lose weight now. I have some concern that when I take the plunge, I may go overboard again....hopefully this time I will lose weight in a healthy way.
_________________
Aspie score: 161 of 200
Neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 38 of 200
Autistic/BAP -123 aloof, 124 rigid and 108 pragmatic
Autism Spectrum quotient: 41, Empathy Quotient: 19
None of those things applied to me.
When I wasn't eating it was because of low appetite, bad food, and not liking to eat in front of other people.
ValentineWiggin
Veteran
Joined: 15 May 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,907
Location: Beneath my cat's paw
I counted calories (only between 200 and 300 a day) and exercised like crazy. After several months, I lost some hair and had brown rough patches of skin on my arms from malnutrition. At my lowest weight, I got down to between 80 and 85 lbs. but I still saw myself as fat when I would look in the mirror.
I was totally in denial, even after I collapsed while shopping with my mom. My legs just gave out.
At that time, in the early 1980's Anorexia was not well known by the public. Karen Carpenter had it at the same time that I did but she hadn't died yet. Karen (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983)
I'm no longer counting calories, but I am aware that I need to lose weight now. I have some concern that when I take the plunge, I may go overboard again....hopefully this time I will lose weight in a healthy way.
I try to stay under 100 a day, and can hold out for several weeks that way, but I've been binging a lot lately, and it FUBARs up my losses.
It's virtually impossible for me to "eat in moderation", because I feel so, so deprived.
I'm thinking it's representative of black and white, all-or-nothing Aspie thinking.
_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."
Skateri
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 6 Feb 2012
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 178
Location: Århus, Denmark
I was anorexic once... With a height of 5'6'' I had a weight of about 94 lbs... My mom found out and forced me to the doctor... I was underage so I couldn't say anything... My doctor send me to a psychiatrist and that's actually how I was diagnosed... It was not until last year I finally reached the goal my doctor had set for me (about 130 lbs) and it took me 6 years to reach that...
Yes, I think there is a connection between AS and anorexia... But I also think that with the right treatment and some stubborn-ness you can finally come out on the right side of the anorexia-hell... I know I'm not completely out yet... If my weight increase to more than 130 lbs I freak and don't eat for a couple of days... So I try to have a steady body mass (if that makes any sense)...
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***Susan aka Sue***
"If you can dream it, you can do it!" - Walt Disney
It's virtually impossible for me to "eat in moderation", because I feel so, so deprived.
I'm thinking it's representative of black and white, all-or-nothing Aspie thinking.
I didn't have Bulimia nervosa very long (that was part of my recovery stage). My dad had threatened to bring me to a doctor if I didn't gain weight (and I hate going to doctors), so I began binge eating, and would be crying and over-eating at the same time, and then visit the bathroom. It was horrible.
I agree with you - for me it is an all-or-nothing thinking too, and that actually is true for other things in my life. I also have perfectionist tendencies and I'm a control-freak.
If I could learn "moderation", I think I would be a happier person.
_________________
Aspie score: 161 of 200
Neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 38 of 200
Autistic/BAP -123 aloof, 124 rigid and 108 pragmatic
Autism Spectrum quotient: 41, Empathy Quotient: 19
ValentineWiggin
Veteran
Joined: 15 May 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,907
Location: Beneath my cat's paw
If I could learn "moderation", I think I would be a happier person.
Absolutely. I broke fast last night by eating some collard greens and 2 onions.
Crackers, rice cakes, jelly, peanut butter, cauliflower greens, raspberry dressing, pancakes, peanut butter, chips, and tortillas later...
I'm feeling pretty darned rotten.
_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."
I hate that I've had emotional (and psychological) issues with food....
I mean, we need food to live, and so the problem is that it's something to deal with every day. (unless fasting, which I've also done more recently, and successfully I'll add).
I think it can be compared to being an alcoholic or drug addict. But while alcohol and drugs are not always easy to avoid (alcohol is socially prevalent), ED problems are, in a way, more difficult to tackle because we can't get away from the necessity of eating.
I'm not saying alcoholics and drug addicts have an easier time dealing with their addictions - I'm saying that if they can overcome their addictions, the things they were addicted to are just a little bit easier to avoid than food.
_________________
Aspie score: 161 of 200
Neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 38 of 200
Autistic/BAP -123 aloof, 124 rigid and 108 pragmatic
Autism Spectrum quotient: 41, Empathy Quotient: 19
Ever since I was little I've suffered from disordered eating patterns, always being very certain about what I would and would not eat, during a rough patch I began binging on junk food and did grow very overweight, eventually (due to health & bulling issues) my mam put me on a diet and it just grew into an obsession I researched every diet I could and before long I was eating less 300cals a day; some days I ate nothing. That was about 3 years ago I'm recovering now but I'm still underweight and almost religious about when I eat and what I eat. I can see a connection in Aspergers and Anorexia because losing weight and becoming "perfect" became an obsession, if I was NT I might not have become so fixated on dieting. I'll admit I now have a morbid fear of becoming fat but that's probably to do with my fixation of making myself perfect.
Logically I can tell there's something wrong with me and what I'm doing is not healthy but I cant stop.
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Using a simple method to accomplish something impressive, far outshines using a complex method to achieve the same thing!
Rider ~ Fate/Zero
Your Aspie score: 150 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 57 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie
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