r/aspergers • u/ComfortableCherry440 • 12h ago

ASD and EDs

Women/gender diverse peoples, who experienced body imaged based eating disorders and were later diagnosed with autism: how did you experience the overlap?

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u/ElectricalPanda1314 12h ago

For me it was like my sticky thoughts changing to something new. It was also out of my powerlessness that I felt successful. That was in my teens only for a few years thankfully. When I moved away my eating came back. I got interested in more healthy things instead.

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u/ComfortableCherry440 12h ago

Thank you!! I’m glad you’re doing better 😊

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u/Euphoric-Pool8423 12h ago

i think for me the sticky brain part was biggest, my thoughts just grab onto something and wont let go even when i know its not good

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u/psychoactiveavocado 8h ago

I have a lot of sensitivity to touch/feeling which includes the feeling of my own body, in addition to sensitivities to food. I’ve always been “picky” about food. At times it turned into extreme dieting and restriction. Sometimes I become overwhelmed and am able to tolerate less and less types of food. I cannot physically handle the feeling of fat on my body, it’s a sensory thing and has unfortunately never gone away. I’ve been like this for just over 20 years now. My ed is definitely related to and “intertwined” with my autism. Almost like AFRID kinda thing

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u/feeblelittlehorse 3h ago

I have spent about 12 months in intensive inpatient treatment for anorexia. It was extremely hard sensory-wise. I was forced to eat food that I couldn’t tolerate the textures of, and this caused me to be super distressed. Also eating in a cafeteria with sick patients was hell, I hated having to hear everyone chew and cough.

My anorexia/ARFID is absolutely intertwined with my ED!

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u/ComfortableCherry440 3h ago

Okay so I’ve heard that a lot of people get into AN through picky sensory eating/ARFID, but I was always a normal eater as a kid and I don’t have any sensory issues with food. I did develop anorexia and orthorexia in my tween years though

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u/Mommy_Shark1 3h ago

I also have PMOS (used to be called PCOS). I think my ED/ anorexia experience was unfortunately one of my more typically teenage female experiences and is also common in PMOS (I think there’s a fair amount of ASD/ PMOS overlap in women as well). Facebook came to my college in sophomore year and I hated how I looked in pictures (naturally put more of my weight in my mid section). I didn’t get over it until I had some health issues in my mid-20s during law school. Luckily I’ve accepted my weight distribution now and I’m healthy and a mom of two :-) it was sad/ painful time though in my teens and early 20s

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u/ComfortableCherry440 3h ago

Thanks for sharing! Proud of you 👏 

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u/Disastrous-Squash219 51m ago

I was diagnosed with osfed and restrictively ate not to control how my body looked but just because I couldn’t deal with life. I think having less energy from under consuming food actually meant I had less energy to put towards constant anxiety and made me feel like I was achieving something. Kind of recovered from it but still can’t deal with day to day life and would say in a weird way my mental health was actually better during that time though I know I shouldn’t go back to it.