You’re entirely wrong about that, and I think that’s the entire point of this post. Eating does not repulse or disgust me. I have zero anxiety that xyz food is going to make me gain/lose weight. The idea here is that our brains absolutely do not easily create a routine around food. Let’s say it’s 10am and I’m starting to get hungry- I’ll tell myself “okay, lunch in the next hour or two!” I briefly go back to whatever I was doing, look at the clock again, and it’s 6pm.
It’s an unfortunate stereotype that all eating disorders are anorexia, but not all of them come from a concern about weight gain/loss. I have a binge-eating disorder from growing up in poverty, and it’s given me the compulsion to stuff as much food into me as possible because I grew up not knowing when my next meal would be.
When I super focus on it (meal prep, shakes, etc), it starts to become a major point of anxiety in my life, and my relationship with food starts to get kind of toxic.
I go through the same thing whenever I try to control my binge eating, and it turns hella toxic.
My understanding of binge eating when it comes to eating disorders is that people will eat when they don’t want to, are already full, eat till they are sick, feel negative about binging, eating fast for hours, etc - this isn’t what I experience. I do get hungry and I eat till I’m satisfied. I would not classify the way I eat in this manner as binging - it doesn’t bother me, I don’t eat myself sick, and I can stop when I want.
No, I don’t fast after, which is what differentiates my BED from bulimia. I’ve never felt shame from my eating specifically, it’s always been a method of self-soothing anxiety about future availability of food. I do feel shame when I’m reminded that’s not a healthy mindset around food, but the shame is complicated and partly about my economic status, not the food itself. You may not have BED, but I would recommend looking into eating disorders.
The only reason it’s getting brought up is because you said that your relationship with food can be toxic when you try to meal plan, and that’s a big indicator light that you may also have an eating disorder. Autism, ADHD, and eating disorders are very commonly found together, so it’s not like you can only have one or the other.
Okay, this is getting to be a bit much. I’m over 30 years old, have been seeing my PCP for the entirety of my life- he was the one who first diagnosed my autism and have me sent to be evaluated for ADHD. Due to insurance, I’ve had multiple psychs/therapists, but often see them for 3-5 years. I spend hours with these people talking about a variety of things, including eating habits. Never ONCE has any medical professional diagnosed or hinted that my relationship with food is related to an eating disorder. My anxiety around meal prepping was due to me training for competitive bodybuilding and having to eat 6 large meals throughout the day mentally wore me down. This mental hangup continued after I stopped training, and has less to do with the eating and more to do with the planning my schedule around eating. I very much dislike ANY form of structure which feels rigid or like I have to be conscious of times/date. I have no problems with the food itself, I have no problems controlling my intake of food, and my only issues stem from the scheduling and routine of eating.
I’m honestly going to go by the fact that not a single time in my life has it been brought up by my doctors, psychs, or therapists - some of whom I’ve been seeing for decades. I’m sure you’re incredibly qualified to make these types of diagnoses based off of a few sentences from someone on a message board, but please use your time for your actual patients.
I’m more than happy to be corrected by someone with a real professional background, but going to a bunch of therapists doesn’t make you any more of an expert than me. But what is clear from your message is you definitely dont know what an eating disorder is, because you described incorrect symptoms.
You’re entirely wrong about that, and I think that’s the entire point of this post. Eating does not repulse or disgust me. I have zero anxiety that xyz food is going to make me gain/lose weight. The idea here is that our brains absolutely do not easily create a routine around food. Let’s say it’s 10am and I’m starting to get hungry- I’ll tell myself “okay, lunch in the next hour or two!” I briefly go back to whatever I was doing, look at the clock again, and it’s 6pm.
It’s an unfortunate stereotype that all eating disorders are anorexia, but not all of them come from a concern about weight gain/loss. I have a binge-eating disorder from growing up in poverty, and it’s given me the compulsion to stuff as much food into me as possible because I grew up not knowing when my next meal would be.
I go through the same thing whenever I try to control my binge eating, and it turns hella toxic.
My understanding of binge eating when it comes to eating disorders is that people will eat when they don’t want to, are already full, eat till they are sick, feel negative about binging, eating fast for hours, etc - this isn’t what I experience. I do get hungry and I eat till I’m satisfied. I would not classify the way I eat in this manner as binging - it doesn’t bother me, I don’t eat myself sick, and I can stop when I want.
No, I don’t fast after, which is what differentiates my BED from bulimia. I’ve never felt shame from my eating specifically, it’s always been a method of self-soothing anxiety about future availability of food. I do feel shame when I’m reminded that’s not a healthy mindset around food, but the shame is complicated and partly about my economic status, not the food itself. You may not have BED, but I would recommend looking into eating disorders.
The only reason it’s getting brought up is because you said that your relationship with food can be toxic when you try to meal plan, and that’s a big indicator light that you may also have an eating disorder. Autism, ADHD, and eating disorders are very commonly found together, so it’s not like you can only have one or the other.
Okay, this is getting to be a bit much. I’m over 30 years old, have been seeing my PCP for the entirety of my life- he was the one who first diagnosed my autism and have me sent to be evaluated for ADHD. Due to insurance, I’ve had multiple psychs/therapists, but often see them for 3-5 years. I spend hours with these people talking about a variety of things, including eating habits. Never ONCE has any medical professional diagnosed or hinted that my relationship with food is related to an eating disorder. My anxiety around meal prepping was due to me training for competitive bodybuilding and having to eat 6 large meals throughout the day mentally wore me down. This mental hangup continued after I stopped training, and has less to do with the eating and more to do with the planning my schedule around eating. I very much dislike ANY form of structure which feels rigid or like I have to be conscious of times/date. I have no problems with the food itself, I have no problems controlling my intake of food, and my only issues stem from the scheduling and routine of eating.
Ah, I assumed “relationship with food starts to get kind of toxic” meant a toxic relationship with the food, not the structure.
Your 2nd sentence implies you have no clue at all what an eating disorder is.
I’m honestly going to go by the fact that not a single time in my life has it been brought up by my doctors, psychs, or therapists - some of whom I’ve been seeing for decades. I’m sure you’re incredibly qualified to make these types of diagnoses based off of a few sentences from someone on a message board, but please use your time for your actual patients.
I’m more than happy to be corrected by someone with a real professional background, but going to a bunch of therapists doesn’t make you any more of an expert than me. But what is clear from your message is you definitely dont know what an eating disorder is, because you described incorrect symptoms.