Eating disorder

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I had a severe eating disorder as I was growing up which I think was due to asperger's syndrome...
I would become obsessed with eating only a few foods, and could never eat anything else.... I'm not sure what the reason was, I can only remember one time where I was encouraged to eat something else, and I was overcome with anxiety, like I was being
put on stage to perform, I was scared of people's reaction... I hate when people point out changes in my behavior.
I was also very strange about the way I would eat the food. One of my food obsessions
was salt and vinegar chips.. I would always lick them first, and pick off any burnt pieces, before eating it. Another was
cheese whiz sandwiches... I could never eat them with the crust. This went on until the age of 12 I guess, when I was put into
a grouphome and they forced me to eat... being around new people also helped me get over it, since they wouldn't really point out
I was doing something differently because they didn't know me before. I think it causes alot of physical problems for me too from
malnurishment, my fingers curve inwards.

Has anyone else had problems with eating due to asperger's syndrome?

I often just don't think of eating, and I seem to lack appetite. Even when I'm hungry I don't have much of an appetite, and could as easily eat sawdust. I worry a lot about my weight, and often say that if they would just invent something like Purina People Chow, life would be a lot easier in terms of eating, because I could just eat a cup or so a day, and not have to think about eating, planning what to eat, or shopping for groceries. I have an incredible aversion to grocery stores. Thank God my husband does all of the grocery shopping or I'd probably starve to death. I often am able to fast for a week or more at a time, and drink very little, especially at those times, as well. At risk of sounding melodramatic, I often think of starving myself. I imagine shrinking to nothingness. It works as a fantasy, but in reality it is incredibly difficult. I want you to know that this has been my thinking when deeply depressed. (I am also diagnosed bipolar.) I was once hospitalized because I'd stopped eating and drinking and another time spent an evening in the ER on an IV, because I hadn't been drinking anything. Severe dehydration and self starvation are somewhat difficult to hide from others in general, but people still are often in worse shape than I was before there is any intervention. In my case people were monitoring me more closely in the first place, because I'd been depressed and suicidal so I think that I wasn't in as bad a shape as I could have been. Still I must give attention to eating and drinking, because when particularly depressed I'm subject to persistnt thoughts of rewinding my existence through starvation and by denying my body other sustenance necessary for life.

I've found it very difficult to talk to people when I'm in these moods; it's hard enough talking to people in general. Sometimes when I try to talk to people about these things, I'm already so down that I can't comprehend why I would want to. With these kind of difficulties, sometimes the hardest part is knowing when/if you should ask for help. Perhaps in my own case it is a little easier, because I am actually attempting to harm myself through my actions. Sometimes though, a person is actually not aware of their motivation or are in denial, hopefully they have family or friends that are paying attention and intervene.

I once saw a disgusting picture when I was younger that haunts me even until today. This picture made me become a vegetarian. If I see meat, I cringe and freak out. Same with tofu and other squishey/weird textured foods that I refuse to eat. I practically live off of Eggplant parmegan, pasta, fruit and sugary stuff (eating this has led to bad problems such as high blood sugar, etc. and I know it is not healthy but I can't eat anything else).

I've never had the desire to cook a decent meal for myself. To me the time and effort one has to put into it is just not worth it.

Therefore, in order to eat half-way decent, I've been eating at cousins subs, and getting food from the take-out salad bar at the store I work in.

I have always been an extremely picky eater, though I have gotten much better over the years. How much I eat can be determined by my mood as well, and I will eat less if I am feeling frustrated or sad. I am pretty sure that I am allergic to bananas, but this has never been confirmed. I greatly dislike their smell, and my mom says that I refused to eat them as a baby. Unfortunately, my father has never been able to acknowledge this and frequently pesters me about my dislike of bananas. I too am not very fond of actually cooking something to eat, though I will from time to time. Fortunately, the college that I go to serves relatively good food in the cafeterias.

my son Nicco has very perculiar eating habits... he has gotten much better because I would make him try one bite and we really worked on eating for awhile..

there was a point that he thought lunch was macaroni and cheese..
he would eat it everyday for lunch and thought that was what "lunch" was..

he also would go through stages where he would only eat certain types of mac and cheese... first it was blue colored mac and cheese, then it was another shape of mac and cheese...

also, when he eats things ( cereal, chips, etcc.) they all have to be whole ( no broken pieces) or he will not eat them.

also, he gets weird with things like sandwiches- you have to cut them a certain way but when he eats peanut butter sandwiches you can not fold it or put another piece of bread on top - he likes to see the peanut butter.

he eats no vegetables, hardly any fruit, and barely any meat...

he likes pastas- but the sauce has to be plain ( not one thing in it- no spices, nothing) he does not like when his food touches as well.

Oh, and he will go through these spells when he will eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch or dinner- for weeks/months.

right now he has been eating toast( this he eats with butter, but he likes it whole- not cut in half) for about 3 months, every morning....

and every Friday I take him for lunch at the same resturant and he eats the same thing= every friday for the last............ 3-5 months....
I am so sick of the place.....
Well, there are many more...
so you are not alone.
Michele

I always eat two sandwiches to breakfast. I have turkey, sallad (but not always) and tomato, then put the other bread on top and slice it so I get two triangels. I also eat blueberries and milk for breakfast. Sometimes I eat oatporridge but I can't eat this to often cause my stomach goes wonkey.
For lunch I eat pasta or a baked potato. If these things arent avalible I eat sandwiches to lunch to. I also eat blueberries and milk.
For dinner. Well, I am somewhat flexible when it comes to dinner, but if I don't like the food I wont eat. My brother thinks this is so unfair, that I don't have to eat but he has to atleast taste it.
In the evening I may eat sandwiches but I always eat bluberries with milk.

I don't have an eating disorder, but I get filled up easily and can't eat too much in one serving. I find having small portions of my meal in two or three installments much easily.

Perhaps having a slow digestive system is the reason for this.

Shellfd - your son sounds exactly like me. Every week I go to the same italian store and get the same thing. I also was hooked on pasta and macaroni and cheese (and only the certain kraft kind) for a long time. No toast here though (too crunchy), and my lunch cannot touch or must be cut a certain way.

Dizzy, that is to funny- I get so sick of eating at the place ( and I order different stuff each time) and he does not get tired of eating the same thing...

he is very picky and particular about his food- but all in the family KNOW how/what he likes, so we keep the peace.

oh, we had mac and cheese for lunch ( YUCK)
Kraft only of course....
Michele

Me too! And prob. for dinner too with some salad or something since I am too lazy to make anything else.

Dizzy, that is too funny.... my son also had it ( mac and cheese) for dinner.....
He will probably eat it tom. for lunch and dinner as well....
not me, tonight I cooked a real meal ( chicken, rice, and veg) and I will cook again tom.
Michele

I used to do this thing where I only ate one item on my plate at a time, always starting with the meat and nothing could be touching. My mum said it was disgusting and started taking my plate away from me if one thing disappeared before everything else was at least half done. I now eat everything together, but lick my fork clean between bites, and my food still can't be touching. I also eat the same thing for lunch everyday, a peanut butter sandwich. My school banned peanut butter and I didn't eat hardly anything for the remainder of the school year.

I'm very thin and my strange eating habits make my classmates all think I'm either anorexic or bulimic. I'm not either, but I get asked how I'm doing and where I'm getting therapy all the time!

I've been anorexic. I stopped by myself, with no medical help.

I won't eat pasta if it's too soggy. I eat rice only when it's sticky. I am obsessed with rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, semolina and tomatoes. I wish my parents cooked those things more often. When I'm on my own, I will cook only rice, pasta with tomato sauce, mashed potatoes and semolina. That's what I did when I was on holliday.

i've got so many pecularities about food that i can't be arsed listing them.

anyone else?

Believe it or not, I have actually met someone with anorexia. The story is very confidential, but I trust you all, so I would like to tell you.

I was placed in a psychiatric hospital because I had shades of a severe behavior disorder before I was admitted. This hospital had a wide variety of people in it. Some were calm, cool and collected. Others were rowdy, selfish, and just plain angry.

When I was there, I met a young lady with anorexia. In fact, she was in the same hospital bedroom I was in before I was admitted. She seemed like a sweet person, she was just very bothered by life and upset.

It turned out, her parents abused her and it was no wonder why she didn't know what to do. However, she understood my point of view, and she always had good ideas for me when I spoke with her. I wish we could have gotten closer somewhat, but I find it a blessing that we didn't. She did not have very much of a clue of what to do with her life.

However, I am glad we had a good relationship. I was most fortunate to meet someone who I could talk about their feelings with.