Autism and Eating Disorders: The Surprising Connection

[@stacybruegl4100]

Anyone facing an ARFID diagnosis needs to ask their doctor to screen for eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) and other potential physical causes. My son's selective eating and failure to gain weight were initially blamed on sensory issues (tied to autism), but I knew something allergic was also happening. 6 years later he underwent an upper endoscopy to test for EOE and celiac. His throat was inflamed greatly, which it had been since he was a toddler. No wonder he ate everything and then suddenly stopped - his poor throat was swollen and he couldn't tell me why he didn't like those foods. Please don't let doctors use autism as a 'reason' for food issues - autistics and autoimmune are common and we need to advocate for everything to be considered!

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Thanks for sharing your experience here, Stacy.

[@oneluv4499]

This is an excellent point. I can say from personal experience that even eating soft foods can be extremely painful due to inflammation and irritation caused by EoE. Imagine swallowing a bite of a bagel or muffin and it feeling like you swallowed a bowling ball. Transit time becomes greatly increased. Meaning it's not just a second or two of discomfort or pain. Food can take 10 or more seconds to reach the lower esophageal sphincter. And sometimes it gets completely stuck. Then imagine being a child with sensory issues experiencing this and having no idea what is happening to you! Also, keep Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) on your radar. The prevalence of Autism in people that have MCAS is higher than in the general population. These kids will have "allergic reactions" to many, if not all, foods in extreme cases. [This would be despite not testing positive for food allergies.] Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) and gastroperesis are other medical diagnoses that often go undiagnosed due to doctors assuming an eating disorder is present without taking into consideration the debilitating pain and nausea eating causes. Which would make anyone refuse to eat. Once you get to the bottom of any medical conditions causing the disordered eating, you are better able to address the health of a person as a whole. And of course, you can have both a medical condition causing disordered eating AND an eating disorder. But you 100% need to know what you are dealing with rather than allow doctors to jump to conclusions and make assumptions based on just the existence of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Which are extremely common in the Autistic Community. The constant need for self-advocacy and advocacy for Autistic children is exhausting, but so very necessary for those of us in marginalized and underrepresented populations. Great video!

[@ivyyoung521]

Yes! I have Ehlers Danlos, MCAD, POTS, major food allergies and Eosinophilic Colitis.

[@oneluv4499]

@Mother Ship All of the things! It's no picnic, for sure. There should be a limit to how many medical conditions a single human being is allowed to have!

[@shingaki.channel]

I have ARFID since always. I'm 46. Now I have three autoimmune diseases and getting better through life style changes including mainly nutrition. I realised I had digestion issues. I have dairy intolerance (I did not like dairy as a child) gluten intolerance, not mixing certain foods helps digestion which I used to do as a child and had been blame of being a bad kid, I did not like to mix fruits (the same, that helps digestion), not liking fruits mixed in cakes (again that mix is bad combination for digestion), not mixing flours food with meat (again that combination is hard to digest), leafy greens (again hard to digest)... and I could keep naming combinations and textures I did not like as a kid that now I know are bad... So I keep thinking. That little kid was just listening to her body and didn't know how to explain it... and the grown-up me pushed by cultures rules of what and how was "right to eat" messed up with my health. So I agree, check food intolerances... there might be a good reason for the kid rejecting certain foods. Of course we are all different... so this is my experience so far...

[@marthamurphy7940]

One of the other comments reminded me that I rarely feel thirst. I have to remind myself to drink water or I may not drink any all day. Then I wake up very thirsty in the middle of the night, but tend to gag when drinking water at that time.

[@abigailsanderson5943]

Unless I'm dying I don't know I'm thirsty

[@ZaphiraX]

This is also my experience. I now have a jug with water on my desk, which will remind me to drink more. If I don't, then I will not drink anything for the entire day

[@wtfhappenedtome]

Wow..."we might be experiencing something really intense but not be able to talk about what is happening"-- you just explained a lifetime of bulimia and binge eating to me, thank you so much. I have never watched a KZbin channel where I say wow, oh my God, and yes so much!

[@letsallgoforawalk]

I'm frustrated with the idea that the connection between autism and ed is interception and alexithymia. I feel like I have a hyper awareness of my emotions to the point that I am frustrated with people I'm close to that don't know their own emotion when I can see it. I also have a hyper awareness of things happening in my body. I feel very small things that I feel I shouldn't be able to feel and know when I am sick earlier than others and know when others are sick before they know. When I was a kid I helped my dad with his type 1 diabetes. I could sense small changes in his bloodsugar through behavior. I feel my hunger, thirst, Bathroom needs very easily. I feel that this causes me to wait too long to use the bathroom or eat or eat too much because I can feel so much that I'm used to basically any option being something I have to endure. So it's hard for me to know what level of sensing this information is when I should act on it. I feel that it is actually things I have a hightened awareness of that I end up acting incorrectly because neurological actions are more subconscious and some things were never meant to be consiously observed and it throws it off. I have this with social cues too. I am hyper aware of body language and tone of voice etc which makes me a great masker but also ultimately throws off the correct flow of the process and I'm ultimately still weird lol. Anyway this frustrates me because the talk about what makes being autistic difficult is usually linked to a lack of something but in my experience its more like a lack that is caused by a hyper function.

[@JDMimeTHEFIRST]

Before I knew I had autism, I had bouts of eating disorders. I think I accidentally lost weight while feeling nauseous about foods. Then, I got compliments. So I kept it up. I felt more accepted the thinner I got. Instead of people bullying me for being weird, they seems like they actually cared or were concerned. I also exercised out the stress of neurotypicals bullying me all day by working out 3 hours a day.

[@simoneholenstein6977]

I‘m one of the 70%… I am very „good“ at ignoring hunger when I‘m in hyperfocus to the point of reaching for high calorie food once I get around to eatinc because I‘m so hungry I no longer have the spoons to find something healthy. restrictive taste is also an issue… also emotional eating… I don‘t think I have ED by diagnostic standards but food and feeding myself is to be thought about and not something figuring itself out in my everyday life.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

i get this, simone. I am also good at ignoring hunger when I'm hyperfocused and making myself eat something high in calories for the exact same reasons you said. thanks for sharing this.

[@simoneholenstein6977]

@@MomontheSpectrum My eating habits and relationship to food have become so much more clear to me since self-identification but only once I was diagnosed I become more confident in making accomodations for myself. like making sure that I have something convenient but at least halfway healthy around for the times I need it. it‘s kinda funny, I now reaöize that there were times when I would rather not eat at all than have something unhealthy, too… I just really feel that exploring our patterns and finding a way to make peace with food one way or another is so important - chances are we really need the energy 😅

[@simoneholenstein6977]

@@BipolarCourage I have never experienced manic episodes and have a professional asd diagnosis. please do not go around „diagnosing“ strangers on the internet.

[@Me-vn3gz]

i think we have disordered eating but not an eating disorder

[@gwenhwyfarsdottir]

This is just based on a hunch and some personal experiences, but orthorexia seems like it might also have a high prevalence in the autistic community. Due to its restrictive nature it gives a sense of control and routine, and there's also a tendency to avoid certain foods.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

i have to agree with you on this

[@Meditateandmanifest11]

I was just going to bring this up too! I was never officially diagnosed, but know I had orthorexia for a while. Had to teach myself that it’s okay to not eat perfectly and to not take food and calories/macros so seriously 😬

[@sarcodonblue2876]

Orthorexia is not an official diagnosis in the DSM. I don't see how avoiding preservatives and processed foods should be classed as an eating disorder. Processed foods and fast foods should be the eating disorder. Natural flavour was found to be an anal secretion from a beaver in a processed food item in the US. It is only deemed socially acceptable to avoid these things of you have particular sensitivities or allergies.

[@sarcodonblue2876]

Not eating processes foods doesn't have to be restrictive as you can then replace these with while foods that you would have never eaten before . It means that a person could start growing more of there own foods.

[@amandamandamands]

@@sarcodonblue2876 You need to look into it further if you currently think that orthorexia is just cutting out processed foods. It is something that starts out like that but becomes restrictive and really regimented in eating patterns. People with it can become malnourished.

[@fieryhellkitten]

I was diagnosed with binge eating disorder. I didn’t think that could be related to ASD, but the more research I have done, I see that is.

[@narutogoldylocks]

I have never heard of ARFID before…. But it really resonates with me. I hate eating in public settings, it makes me so uncomfortable & I honestly have no appetite if I’m around other people. It’s hard to eat at restaurants. It makes dating really difficult. I prefer to eat alone. If I’m at home alone, that is the only time I can actually feel hungry or feel comfortable to eat. When I’m at work I have to force myself to eat because I know if I don’t, I’ll feel dizzy. But I don’t actually experience hunger while at work. I have to remind myself to drink water, when at home I can notice when I’m thirsty. My job has switched from being fully remote to hybrid 2 months ago & it has been so hard with masking & trying to not have meltdowns…. Ive been going to my car to eat my lunch for a break from the overstimulation. Our office is an open floor plan and it is SO loud with all the people. I hate it. Also can’t eat in the breakroom because it smells like meat/fish which makes me so nauseous. Ive been a vegetarian since I was 13

[@jillhamster246]

Dear Goldilocks : I relate to most of that . Break rooms can be unpleasant. I eat in my car a lot . I live with a family member,who bully's me. I'm always looking for a safe place to eat in my home. Some times , I have to pack food up n go to the park near my home . It just makes eating so stressful ..

[@amandav753]

Much like being sensory-avoiding when it comes to certain textures and tastes of foods, I think it's possible to be sensory-seeking with foods. I have trouble stopping myself from eating things that are crunchy or feel good in my mouth. I think it's a stim for me. I eat those foods when I'm anxious or happy or need to focus or self-regulate. I'd like to swap out this behavior with other stims, which I'm working on.

[@juliefore]

Your comment just gave me an epiphany! Thank you for recognizing this in yourself and sharing it. I need to start looking at the physical textures of what I think of as my coping foods. They very well may be chosen because they are a stim for me.

[@wtfhappenedtome]

I had an epiphany too, reading your comment. I crave "crunchy" when I'm emotionally upset, in sensory overload, or already melting down, because the rhythmic crunching soothes me somehow. I never connected the dots before. Thank you.

[@thereellarissa]

I also discovered recently that crunchy, salty things were a stim of mine. Now I don't beat myself up for wanting to eat an entire family sized bag of chips in one sitting, which I did a lot when I had burnout/depression. When I do have that craving now, I know I'm dysregulated and I can actively pick a different stim instead. Lately, I've been listening to clocks tick. Something about the rhythm is really soothing.

[@marthamurphy7940]

@@thereellarissa My son, who is highly sensitive, hates ticking clocks, but I love to listen to them tick.

[@rachelb4235]

this is really interesting. I gravitate to chips and crackers when I'm stressed. I assumed it was because the "crap food" makes my brain happy but maybe it is stimming. hmmm Thank you for sharing this!

[@bryonyvaughn2427]

Thank you so much for addressing this, especially in the compassionate, empathetic, supportive, and informed way you did. Content Note: Ableism, discrimination, sheer ignorance. I was in an abnormal psychology class last semester. The prof was really awful targeting me and one other student throughout the term. She only knew my accommodations for being related to my visual disability; she didn't know I was autistic. I went mute during the ASD class; it was traumatizing watching those videos. Anyway, during the eating disorders class I asked if she knew why binge eating disorder was so common among folx on the spectrum. She said it's because PEOPLE WITH AUTISM DON'T HAVE FEELINGS. They have to overstuff themselves to feel anything. I thought, "_____, please! You've been hurting my feelings all semester." I kept that thought to myself. Even with my professionally assessed lack of feelings and lack of social interpretive ability, she'd consider her degrees, licensure, and professional experiences to outrank my being an expert on my lived experience and SELF-ADVOCACY for SELF-IDENTIFYING as an autistic person or even an autist rather than a person with autism spectrum disorder. (And of course she pressured me not to take my accommodations. )

[@with_compassion]

I'm so sorry for that experience-and it stinks that many of can relate to these sorts of ignorance. When in college yrs ago before my official diagnosis I kept asking for my support needs from teachers and school counselor only to end up having to leave because I couldn't get anyone to explain some class work to me in a different way-it just kept getting repeated & i even was made fun of by a teacher. I'm sure we have more stories and i hope that the future awaiting us is one where the levels of ignorance about Autism/Neurodivergence is no longer. I'm still learning how to navigate my support needs, & you've helped me, thank you. I hope you were able to ask for your needs thru the school if need be & that teacher/professor has learned some lessons so to speak. I understand if this can be too much. Best to you! Thank you for sharing.

[@mathilda4621]

I recently realised that I also mask when eating. Basically instead of eating only very selective foods I eat everything, as I learnt as a child not to be a cause for trouble. I just now started to notice that I eat really fast and trying not to chew in order not to taste and feel the food. Even though I have been living alone and buying my own groceries for 7 years it took until now that I understand this. And I need to try really hard to actually figure out what food I like and sort out foods that I have never actually liked, but tolerated for so long that I stopped noticing. Now I am finding that I enjoy eating the same meals pretty often and prefer snack like foods to cooked meals (which has been the case since forever, i just really trained myself to convince myself otherwise) I thought this might be an interesting though for some of you. Also I love your content Taylor!!!

[@AlexandraUtschig]

I binge sometimes, probably more often than the average person, but maybe not often enough for diagnosis. I'm plus size, but whenever I try to diet, I get super obsessed with being perfect at whatever diet it is. I weigh and measure food to make sure it's exactly correct, I think constantly about what I can and can't eat, what fits into the diet, etc. I've stopped trying to diet because it puts me in such a bad headspace.

[@juliefore]

I had to stop going to Weight Watchers because of this. I’d become really obsessed with food and trying to do the diet perfectly. It became an unhealthy obsession, and frankly a rather frightening experience (not WW, the obsession.). Now, Any time I consider trying on an organized diet plan, I have a panic attack.

[@beckyh8041]

I relate to this a lot. I struggle with binging, but then I can restrict as well. It’s a constant battle. I just started my autism diagnosis process, I’m ready to find out more about myself and embrace me as I am, quirks and all 😊

[@FennicArson69]

Everyone talks about the common eating disorders, but I didn't have any of the disorders mentioned in this video. I have autism and pica. Pica is the consumption of non food items. I've eaten paper, erasers, glue, styrofoam, cardboard, blood, and pencil shavings. I do it mostly for oral stimulation, but I end up swallowing most of these (probably part of the satisfaction). As a child I was considered picky, but I would rather eat tissues than my veggies. I've gotten a lot better as I got older though.

[@barbarawalker7122]

Very helpful! I'm 58 years olf and recently self-diagnosed autistic but have identified as (what I call) a compulsive overeater for nearly 15 years. My life-long eating issues indicate that I have Binge Eating Disorder. Work I did to address that and some other issues in my life definitely helped with emotional awareness and regulation and have greatly helped me regulate my eating. Since realizing I'm autistic I've wondered about this connection....was very grateful to see this video. Thanks!

[@gonewithdacats]

Does anyone have barriers with being so hungry, but not wanting to eat? I’ve had this issue for over 10 years & I’m so happy for cannabis because it helps so much.

[@carmenrieraquintana9431]

Story of my life, here 🙋‍♀️. When I was a kid I would tell my mom: "If only there was a pill I could have and not feel hungry!". I do enjoy food very much when I finally have it, but needing to put something into your body to keep it going and feeling like doing so would actually be enjoyable are two entirely different things for me. They've always been Thanks for another very useful, very mindful video, Taylor 🙏❤️🤗

[@whitneymason406]

I remember being a little overweight as a child and my mom and my babysitter drew attention to that occasionally. I started skipping meals at around age 9. I already had trouble with textures and was considered a picky eater. I would get off the bus and run home and weigh myself. When I reported that I lost weight to them, I got praised. In high school I dealt with binge eating and bulimia. I was on the way to recovery when I was out of school and also when pregnant, but afterwards I fell back into old habits. Now I'm doing really good and I hope to keep it up! My son was diagnosed with ARFID a year or so ago and I was crushed. I was floored that a 5 year old could have an eating disorder and blamed myself. I'm trying to use this knowledge to better help him and not let it get me down. We don't expect him to sit at the table and eat with us, he gets to eat on the move! That really seems to help and he's eating more. He also gets his safe foods for meals and a good supplement because he refuses to eat vegetables. I've had some luck with blending it up with fruits and making smoothies and popsicles with it too. Thank you for covering this very important topic!

[@sueannevangalen5186]

My ten-year-old (who has ARFID) doesn't eat with us at the table, either, and I often have guilty feelings about that, especially when we get invited for dinner outside our home. Other kids sometimes don't understand why he's not being made to come to the table and eat like they are. I guess I knew the social aspect of eating is too much for him but it's helpful to actually have that put in words.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Hey Whitney - thanks so much for sharing your story. I'm sorry to hear about what you've been through, but proud to hear of the important changes you're making to better accommodate yourself and your family. Sending autistically appropriate hugs. 💓

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Yes sueanne the social component of it can be very tricky to balance, especially when it involves others. I feel this way when we have playdates and my kids need space - it comes across as rude when really they just need a few minutes alone before they can re-enter the social component of the relationship.

[@emilyeah]

😭🫶🏽❤️

[@lauranilsen8988]

We have an almost 11 yo who doesn’t stay at the table very long. We let him come and go when he feels ready for the next part of the meal. We just got invited over by a young couple with no kids from church. 🙃 We have 8 kids, 6 still at home and none of us eat grains except my husband. We can’t get together for a few weeks but I am kinda dreading it. I did warn them about all of my food sensitivities but they have no idea 🤦🏻‍♀️. Hopefully they’ll let me bring half the meal and won’t mind our son having a meltdown in their tiny house (I know the neighborhood).

[@EForrest88]

I was 100% ARFID as a kid, but my parents just dealt with it themselves, eventually working around it rather than trying to force me to eat things that I would gag on or refuse to eat. Early 90s, so “picky eater” was the common term that wasn’t tied to anything deeper. I now have a much wider palette, but still don’t really care about or am adventurous with food. I’m 34 now and last year my 6 year old nephew was diagnosed as ARFID and high functioning autistic. I very recently stumbled across yours and similar videos and the more I watch the more it adds up that I’m probably undiagnosed high functioning autistic as well, which is a weird revelation.

[@Gwenx]

Well you just explained my whole life right there... I don't have an eating disorder but I do have ha huge eating disorder.. Besides not feeling hungry, I restricted my intake because everybody was always commenting on my food intake, I wouldn't want to eat because I was always told I wouldn't eat fast enough or enough food, or my food would get cold - My anxiety also sat in my stomach, so every time i got sad, angry or any other emotion, it would sit and hurt in my stomach and block me from eating.. I always told people "yes I have an ED but its not a normal one, I don't have anorexia or bulimia" because people would tell me i shouldn't worry about my looks, but I didn't.. Thank you, I will educate people next time I run into someone pointing a finger at me :)

[@MarcinWojtczuk]

Very interesting. Binge eating is exactly what my problem is. Great tools for starting do something about this!

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@CarolineCarnivorous]

I've suspected I've had some sort of eating disorder for probably 15 years. I've struggled with food since I was a baby, but my body image has always been good, I even WANT to be bigger because I am underweight, but I just can't gain weight. Not long after being diagnosed with aspergers I heard about ARFID, and that seems to fit with what I experience. I'm so ashamed of my food intake and limitations, and I have tried to get better and try things, but it doesn't really go well. I'm currently pregnant with my first child, and we were first worried that my food struggles would be harmful. I got prescribed nutrition drinks which really helped me! I already rarely feel hunger, know what I want to eat and struggle with executive dysfunction especially when it comes to cooking, so being able to consume a full meal so easily was great. My food intake has gotten better later in the pregnancy, and I've gained enough weight and managed to nourish a healthy baby. My midwife thinks it's a great idea that I together with my baby explore foods, the same textures and techniques used for babies could help me get used to fruits and vegetables. I was btw supposed to see a nutrition physiologist, and wanted to raise the topic of ARFID with them, but the referral got lost, and I really don't have the energy to pursue this right now. Maybe later on!

[@yeahokaycoolcool]

​@Amina90982ew

[@Farmchic3185]

I deal with IBS, i was dx at 2yo. Fresh fruits and vegetables can make me sick. When ive been sick and get hungry i was offered toast. Now as an adult i tend to eat carbs and shy away from veggies and fruits for fear of getting sick. But i also have food aversions to like green beans and peas the texture, the colors, the taste i cant do it. Having all that working together ive dealt with obesity from a young age. I had gastric bypass in 2012 but cant deal with the food adversions so i gained weight back. Now that i figured out that i have asd i think getting and official dx and better understanding maybe i can help my weight

[@corettadoll6998]

I have been following your channel for about a year. Everything you put out has been so helpful. However this information has really hit home. I was treated for eating disorders since grammar school. Late diagnosis of autism in my 40s. Now doing my research of my own body and life realized I have masked so much that almost every part of living has been a cover. Your channel has helped me start to manage my world. And this episode was like gravy 💯. So much info in 15 minutes. Thank you for this... seriously!

[@MomontheSpectrum]

You’re very welcome. Thank you Coretta for sharing your journey with me. 💓

[@yesterdaydream]

I met an autistic girl at a party and it came up that I've always been _extremely_ picky. She asked if I thought I might be autistic, and that's what started my whole rabbit hole of a journey. I'd never made the connection that the two were related until she clocked me and gave me some education, lol. Forgive the analogy, but the puzzle pieces really started falling into place and I'm so grateful for that conversation and that friend. Since I only eat like, pizza and chicken nuggets, and I really really like the food I do like, I gained about 100lbs and ended up with the opportunity to get gastric bypass surgery. I felt weird because I told doctors I was picky, but I'm not sure they'd understand to what extent, and I didn't really feel like going into it. But point is, I found ways to eat what was allowed on the pre- and post-op diets, and six years later, I'm healthy and happy as heck (and full of vitamins I wasn't getting nearly enough of before). I always wonder how many other folks are at that (or similar) intersections. I still only have a handful of safe foods and I have no desire to push those boundaries and that's okay. I don't need fixin', I just need m'chicken! Good luck to all y'all with those tricky brain-tongue-stomach connections.

[@katidoesnails]

Literally my life I only like pizza and chicken nuggets with sauce 😭😂im 21

[@yesterdaydream]

@@katidoesnails I'm 33 and it wasn't till my 20s when I first heard of ARFID. It blew my mind there were other people like me!

[@erinames7783]

This is the first I have ever heard of ARFID but its exactly what I have dealt with my entire life. My husband even lovingly teases about the "rules I have to follow". I have no idea where the rules came from or who made them but they exist and I eat according to the rules. I am far better now than I was but there are still many solidly in place. Now I seem to be headed far more towards the binge/over eating but I still cant stop the food things that go on in my brain. I have only just recently come to the self realization I may be autistic to some degree.

[@michelle-xt5gr]

My daughter has been diagnosed with serve ARFID and anxiety and has been put forward for an ados assessment, Her older sister has autism diagnosed But there is hardly any information on ARFID and as a mum I feel alone not knowing what I should do Thank you for raising awareness in this eating disorder xx❤

[@MomontheSpectrum]

You're welcome. Thank you for your comment, Michelle.

[@monkblackart]

I was diagnosed last year at 55. I’m so happy I found your channel. Thank you for all your hard work.

[@maryaston-richards8986]

I found out I was autistic at age 25, but started therapy for anorexia at age 12. No one even suggested I could be autistic and tried to “cure” me the NT way. It didn’t work and I still have an eating disorder that to me feels incurable

[@otterofalcatraz]

I just came to say thank you for this video. When I was pregnant with my son my partner took me to a hospital and told them I had an eating disorder and I was put in a day hospital. They taught me about anorexia & bulemia which I was familiar with and couldn’t relate to. My son is 15 years old now and over the years I have periods of healthy eating & masked healthy eating & then there are times where I feel like I cannot eat anything. I feel like ARFID is what I can actually relate to and if I had information about that earlier it could’ve been helpful. I have googled so many times why don’t I want to eat anything and similar questions and not once has ARFID come up. So thank you for bringing light to this subject because I am not diagnosed on the spectrum yet but I am looking for answers there too and in the meantime trying my best to navigate life in general. I’m glad I stumbled on your channel and appreciate your information here. ❤

[@sodaaccount]

This is eyeopening! I cant eat all day because food disgusts me when Im not hungry. Both the taste/texture and just the "putting stuff in your mouth" aspect. Usually (if I dont physically exercise) I cant eat til the evening hours. I dont feel hunger until my bloodsugar drops to around 60mg/dl. Im a paramedic, I know thats waaay too low (almost "glucose i.v." low LOL). When I reach the point I feel hunger, I need food ASAP. I then binge eat way too much and have no hunger for around 24 hrs.

[@bes03c]

I have compulsive eating tendencies, but I don't think they are bad enough to be classified as a disorder. Compulsive eating feels like maladaptive stemming to me. If I have a favorite snack, it get a crazy urge to binge on it, especially at night. Once I start eating, I have a strong urge to complete the food. To manage, I don't buy foods I can't control myself eating. (Reese's peanut butter cups, for example.) I am a creature of habit, so I try hard to maintain good habits and not restart bad ones. Managing my serving sizes at meals also helps. I can finish my plate without stuffing myself beyond enjoyment.

[@catherinemartina6469]

While anorexia nervosa and boulimia are serious, most people forget about bingeing and compulsive overeating as being just a serious, and just as life-threatening in my opinion, anorexia is at one end of the spectrum and compulsive overeating bingeing is at the other end of the spectrum. The anorexic says I can control everything and that includes the food I put in my mouth and the compulsive over either Binger says I can’t control anything and I can’t stop putting anything in my mouth.

[@oliviachipperfield6029]

Excellent comment.

[@aka.roryyy]

1. that breathing thing at the end just saved my life lol so tysm for that 🙏🏻💗💗 2. this makes all of the sense. all of it. i've never been *diagnosed* w an ed, either bc i'm *so great* at being deceitful 🙄 or just bc no one cared to notice. but i've definitely have disordered eating patterns, even now. at one point i was 100% anorexic. i was pro-ana for a time, it was like my whole special interest at the time. very relevant to this is that i grew up in the 80s/90s and heroin chic was the thing when i was a teenager, *and* my mom was cOnStAnTlY dieting. so all that might have to do w some of it, but i know it's also a whole anxiety-driven *at least i can control this one thing in my life* thing, probably other things i've not thought of. anyway, yep. all of the sense.

[@aka.roryyy]

i remember first being concerned about my appearance at 9 yrs old. 🙃 like i hate that i'm not alone, but also being not-alone helps me realise i'm really not making it all up.

[@yesterdaydream]

It's not perfect now, but I'm so glad we're out of that time where despising our bodies/shapes was the norm in like every context. Also, that sort of "deceit" seems like another flavor of masking. Forgive the pun, lol! Good luck out there and keep breathin' deep

[@dramallamamama]

I’m thankful that early on, I was told my daughter had a feeding disorder because of her sensory issues. I would have been overwhelmed and alarmed if they had told me she had an eating disorder.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

You are *AWESOME* !

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Thank you!

[@wolfdreams2000]

Yes, she is!

[@cynthiahowell4172]

Oh my, this one had me totally freaked. I was completely agitated and distressed. I was also amazed. The deep breathing at the end helped but I did have to do full body movement to calm down. Thank you, I think. Who knew the connection. I have always wondered why I threw up so much as a child and had eating disorders as an adult.

[@carolkramer7775]

Thank you so much, Taylor, for this wonderful video. Very helpful, even for me, an NT, who is interested in better understanding my Autistic friends.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Thanks for the comment, Carol, and for watching to better understand the autistic people in your life!! We all need people like you. 💗

[@carolkramer7775]

@@MomontheSpectrum My pleasure, Taylor! Please keep up the great work! Always happy to see you!

[@erinc4703]

I sure identify with the lack of interest combined with gag reflex/textural issues with things. Sometimes it feels like I can just chew forever and not be ready or able to swallow (meat, mainly), and God help me if I hit some gristle 😳

[@just_.b.]

i identify so strongly with this! sometimes something touches my tongue and i immediately gag, i dont even get to chew before i have to take it out of my mouth, bleh

[@sarcodonblue2876]

You could cut the meat out and replace it with legumes and plant foods. You can get all the nutrients you need from plant sources.

[@cynthiahowell4172]

I became a vegetarian just as soon as I was able because of this very meat issue. My parents unknowingly made me eat and I gagged as I chewed and the lump of meat just got bigger.

[@paulashaham6282]

I didn’t like meat growing up either. As an adult I love being vegetarian! So many wonderful vegetarian foods (and so very nurturing).

[@moemoney444]

I remember this as a child! Over cooked meat is too much. I will not order certain things when out eating like chicken. My prescription with THC has ended it completely

[@autumngrace8541]

I have not gotten a Autism diagnosis or tested. I am54. I was born with no thyroid developed before infant testing was a thing, medicine is mandatory to live. I had a speech delay, and narcissist parents who . I have gluten intolerance and am vegan. I do not digest certain proteins well either. Left to eat a very limited diet, I feel best on raw vegan, but I eat some cooked. I need help but have felt the imposter issue, but life is getting to be too much. Failed marriages, and adult children estrangement. I have tactile issues since childhood. Cut corners out of my socks or turned inside out. I have to turn sound off or pause to even write this. 😢where do I get tested?? My third grade teacher put me in front of class nearly everyday made fun of me and wrote my mother that I was retarded at end of year. I didn't repeat the year, I learned to mask even more than I already had.

[@trishferrer8209]

Just found this vid. Watching on behalf of my little grandson. 5 y/o. Diagnosed w/Autism. Food is such a major issue that I searched autism/eating disorders, having NO idea the correlation was so major. I want SO much to help him. 🥺 I feel like he is starving himself from healthy nutrition. I really want to help.

[@sandisslantoneverything]

I am late diagnosed autistic, diagnosed 6 years ago, I am 56, now. My son and daughter are also autistic. Under a complete meltdown due to huge life complications, I started throwing up, and didn’t stop until I had a feeding tube inserted 18 months later. I was diagnosed with gastroparesis. This turned out to be a misdiagnosis. Once I was accepted into the Mayo Clinic, I was informed by the top GI in the country that very few people actually have gastroparesis, which is physical problem with the vegus nerve. I had ARFID, which rolled into anorexia (not nervosa, because that is a body image issue, which I don’t have). I will have a feeding tube in my intestine for the rest of my life, and I couldn’t be happier, as strange as that sounds. I struggled with food my entire life, and now I just pour formula into a bag, hook it to a pump, put it in a purse style backpack and I am up and running. I can still swim, kayak, paddleboard (I live in Florida), and do all the activities I always enjoyed and more, because I have the calories to not be as tired as I was. This is a HUGE topic that is not discussed. Thank you for putting it out there. You are doing a great service.

[@sueannevangalen5186]

I am fortunate in that eating disorders are not part of my autistic experience. I have issues with certain textures and smells but my list of foods I avoid is pretty small. Pears, most seafood, certain kinds of meat. With the overseas teaching jobs I've had, I've actually become fairly adventurous in my eating. I like to think so anyway. But by non-speaking autistic son has had ARFID since he was quite young. I think he started restricting his diet when he was about two. We had a list of exactly six things he would eat. With the help of a therapist, he's branched out a little more but he's also dropped a couple items from the original list. It only took about six years of eating peanut butter toast two meals a day for him to get so tired of it, he won't touch it anymore. But he does still tend to fixate on two or three particular foods. The only difference is that now it changes regularly. Right now he's in a pizza phase. But therapy does help quite a lot. For a while, we had him trying a little bit of whatever we were eating every day. He's been rebelling against that lately. It is a tricky thing.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Yes it sounds like you're doing a lot to support him. I know as a parent it's so tough to prepare more than one meal for the family.

[@joycebrewer4150]

All sorts of overlaps came up as I watched this. My first memory of food-mood connection. Anxiety got tangled up with food while I was a small child listening to my parents argue over the dinner table about things I did not understand. I decided that I needed to hide how I was reacting to what I was listening to. I believed the easiest way to hide my feelings, was to eat. That made reading my honest emotion expressions harder to read accurately. I became motivated to eat without hunger to accomplish this. Anxiety would have led me to eat less if I weren't trying to mask. Secondly, I had taken on guilt over the troubled state of my parents marriage, not understanding the issues they were facing. My medical needs being one of the smallest factors that were driving wedges between them in those years. Shaky finances being one of the larger factors. Secondly, eating itself was an issue during a prolonged bout of tonsillitis. My sore throat over the months made swallowing much of anything painful. When the inflamed tonsils were at last shrunk due to medicine, allowing a tonsillectomy to be performed, my appetite returned as my throat healed. My mother was thrilled, and also urged me to eat beyond my appetite. It turns out, she had distorted ideas of what children of my age should look like, seeing normal weight as "scrawny, sickly." A few months later, one of her friends described me as a "butterball." I am thankful the lady made sure I was out of hearing range at the time, but my mother relayed the story after some years. I also had texture related aversions to fatty foods. I didn't think food should feel so greasy. In my mind, grease was for lubricating machine parts. I often had watched my dad do maintenance on his tractor and other farm equipment. Mom used both locally produced butter, and home-made lard (a stinky process at best) in her cooking, as well as corn oil. Even tallow was used in certain Holliday dishes, as a refined product. UGH!! I was perhaps fortunate that our own cattle seldom had a lot of tallow on them, so eating home-raised beef wasn't an issue. Because of the ways mom encouraged me to deal with emotional issues with food, binge behaviour became normalized. Then the teenage years hit. All sorts of emotional issues stemming from puberty, and autistic misunderstandings of my peers in school, ongoing since kindergarten. Depression entered the scene in a big way. More overeating. Self esteem, never too high, nosedived. Diet failures, repeat. At this stage of life I would have preferred a hermit existence, but it wasn't feasible. Fast-forward to now. Most meals are provided by institutional care facility, partly bought in by a food service truck factory made, partly made by cooks hired at community level management. Their meal plans are partly the result of popular vote by residents who are seniors, both set in their ways and losing their taste buds. Too salty, too sugary, too fatty, too many noodle based (cheaper) meals. Also, it turns out, I have become lactose intolerant. Cheese is on the menu almost daily, often in ways that make it difficult to avoid, unless I forgo any social life to devote my time to cooking for myself. I find I do crave being around people, as long as they are tolerant of my autism based peculiarities. These seniors are better at that than most of the people I knew when I was younger. Even if I haven't told many I am autistic. A fact I did not discover until my late 50's. Knowing, had brought me a less judgemental attitude as I learned more of what that meant. I still struggle with unhealthful food cravings, but I am down forty pounds from my peak weight. While I would be better off if I lost another forty, I won't beat my self up if I don't.

[@crabyshackonabudget4137]

I have had eating disorder since I was 5 , making my self sick, not eating, over eat . I know way to much about weight loss and gain. I can't tell when I'm really hungry, I just eat cuz I'm told to. I was almost sent away when my daughter was three. I had to be thought how to eat again. I just do it and never understood why. This video makes so much sense for me.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

thanks for your comment

[@wuhoho4687]

i was so happy when i saw ARFID on the thumbnail !!! i have ARFID and Autism so its really nice to see my eating disorder be recognised as is still quites under the radar and small in its understanding ! im still yet to watch the video i was just haoppy to see ARFID there thankyou !! ive not commented before i dont think? but i really really adore your channel and it feels like such a safe space ! thankyou for everything you do 😊💛

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Thank you so much! What a high compliment. I really appreciate you sharing and I’m so glad you’re here.

[@wuhoho4687]

@@MomontheSpectrum no worries at all !! slightly unrelated- but im also trans, so i really also especially appreciate how respectful and inclusive your channel is too, honestly makes me smile so much and feel very safe here thanks again for all you do !!! 💛

[@joanbryant8495]

Wow. I am 57 and feel like a little child so needy. I NEVER thought of autism. I started researching some issues my adult son has as an 'introvert ' ... So I don't know if we are actually autistic.. but I sure do appreciate all of this information because I am relating so much and hopeful if I can communicate better with my son. Thank you sweet Taylor

[@lrwiersum]

Went back to the Doc at age 5 for malnourishment. Argh !!! How did we miss these things ???

[@kathrynhopkins]

All my eating disorders went away as soon as I left my not-very-nice husband. They started when I met him and stopped as soon as I left. I'd never made the connection and makes so much sense now. Thank you for sharing.

[@Selfemployedmildautisticperfor]

All insightful also I play piano etc to

[@Daaaaria]

This was a lovely video, yet I was very surprised that you did not discuss eating as stimming. Especially favorite food, favorite flavors, favorite textures. I constantly fight this. I love things like nuts or potato chips where you can put items in your mouth one at a time, one after another after another. Recently I was surprised to discover that my adult autistic kids are aware that they eat to stim, too. It's a constant fight to try to eat a normal amount, or to not eat favorite foods that are not healthy. I simply cannot have them in my house. And then I get agitated and am working to find new ways to calm down. I wondered about arfid or the binge eating... Is at least part of that eating to stim? Stimming would be completely unrelated to how hungry you are or how much of the food is appropriate to eat. It's stimming! One would just want to continue. I suspect I resorted to food stims in my childhood when all other stims were discouraged. Still trying to find out what works today. So what do you think about eating to stim? Thanks.

[@Arvanlife]

YES!! That!

[@IllyDragonfly]

My mom was desperate to make me eat since I was a newborn, apparently I was a very picky eater. Only breast milk was accepted, and after that it started the ordeal. I'm still very picky but at least now I'm forcing myself to eat spinach and salad and sometimes meat (only if there is no fat attached to it and if it's not too chewy, just the thought would make me gag), ut textures really made me not want to eat. Sometimes even foods I love, like cackis make me want to run away because they feel weird, like they are... binding my teeth? How do I describe it, when a cacki is bitter and the fibers inside make your mouth feel weird. I got overweight at university and after my mother confronted me (not very tactfully) about that I started working out, eating most proteins and I lost 44 lbs in 6-8 months. After that I stopped going to the gym, stopped the diet and just kept training at home and riding my bike, and I never turned overweight. I see food as a pleasure and I try to not get too heavy because I want to be able to enjoy foods like for special holidays and similar. I stll feel very uncomfortable about people commenting on my appearance, I get upset if somebody addresses me with 'oh you can talk, you are skinny!'... which I'm not. I swear it's not body dismorphia, I'm pear shaped and my thighs and hips will never fit in one sized stockings, high socks or skinny jeans, same for most boots because my super trained calves are thicker, also my bones are thicker. I love food so much, but some just make me feel bloated and in pain, I cannot eat too many sweets or greasy food or I feel like gargage and get pimples, I can literally feel when my body will feel sick if I over indulge. I also hate eating in front of other people or with other people because I feel I cannot enjoy my food if I have people talking to me, I just want everybody to shut up and eat so I don't have to choke on it to reply.

[@jo5hy]

ive never been diagnosed with autism or any eating disorders but im pretty sure i have both and this helped me so much. just feeling seen and heard and its so very appreciated

[@MsTinkerbelle87]

Great video! My doctors always thinks it’s about me losing weight but no it just hurts to eat…textures and even taste can be painful. I also taste sugar in everything making it bitter, I wish some doctors would have more sympathy. At least we have a name now.🙏 Ta for the resources!

[@just_.b.]

this was so helpful, thank you taylor for helping me out and many others on our journey of learning how to take better care of ourselves

[@MomontheSpectrum]

You're very welcome. Thanks for your comment, b.

[@aliciaarroyo6]

I just found your channel. My ex husband just got diagnosed he is 35. In some ways I can see he is on the spectrum and then also sometimes not. I am honestly kind of confused about the diagnosis in general. He has eating disorders, bipolar, adhd & depression so it’s confusing. He is sometimes socially awkward but I feel like a lot of people can be. I guess this is why I am confused… I keep wondering if his diagnosis is accurate. So many of these traits have overlap. Also when I told a family member they seemed repulsed. My ex said his family has not been taking the news well either. His mom was really offended about the news. I guess more info on autism 1 and being an adult. Also, how do you deal with your kids? My ex is always super overwhelmed… I just thought he was lazy. Now I feel like I was harsh on him. He literally didn’t know what to do in 90% of situations and I had to do all the hard work on my own plus help him walk through things. It became exhausting and frustrating for me. I just feel bad now. I didn’t know he was having issues.

[@Sevenarrowsacademy]

Our son is on the spectrum. He has Asperger's. He over eats. He sneaks food, hides food and lies about food. He doesn't sleep at night so I stay up and make sure he's not getting in the fridge and binge eating. I don't tell him that's what I'm doing but my presence keeps him from doing it. I have had to lock the fridge and cabinet at night after regular shopping for groceries. If we don't lock them he will literally eat half the food over night. We are currently working with a professional to teach him self discipline and goal setting through Martial arts. So far we are seeing a small improvement.

[@RobinPalmerTV]

Looked into Prader Willi?

[@summerdais325]

Taylor, is it? I am so grateful for your body of work on this channel. It's already thought by those closest to me (with knowledge of autism) that I'm on the spectrum. It's been a crazy year. I have learned that I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS with concerns for vascular or classical) and am facing the probability of a diagnosis of ASD this year. I have been referred to U of M for genetic testing (to hopefully confirm "just" hEDS) and to a neuropsychiatrist for an ASD evaluation. Your videos have breathed life into me. I'm broken after an accumulation of difficult challenges. TW Seeing my ex after surviving a home invasion seemed to be the tipping point, but, somehow, I think people here might understand. I don't have to try to play the word game here?!😢 Of all of the challenges I have, I am deeply ashamed of a couple of them. 1) How I eat. Usually one or two food items for all meals and snacks. These foods can evolve, but it always comes down to REALLY ONLY BEING ABLE TO EAT THESE FEW FOODS. I may have a fridge with food in it, but I can't eat what I buy, except for these foods. I have had a history of a severe ED, but this is something that I have struggled with since infancy/toddlerdom, according to my mom and my own recollection. 😢 The evaluators for ADHD (oh yeah, confirmed ADHD just days ago), EDS, and ASD are glad that I still have A parent alive. 2) I am losing my ability to continue writing. In short, hygiene. I have looked for a video by you on this topic. 3) TWTW Sex/sex acts. Anyone else with sensory and other issues that make you sex (acts) averse? Thx again, Taylor. I just turned 49. On the positive side, I am going to be a grandma in September!!

[@Arvanlife]

oh, sex. you mean someone touching you while you maybe intellectually like it but also are just physically over stimulated? Nope, no understanding if that at all! Nope.... ya. The epitome if 'it's not you, it's me'

[@JessieCarty]

I'm really glad you decided to make this video. I don't have an official autism diagnosis, but I see many of the hallmarks in myself. I wanted to speak a little to obesity and BED. It is a bit of a slippery slope to speak of obesity only in relation to negative health consequences (you mention it alongside diabetes and heart disease etc.). While there are arguably correlations between some negative health outcomes and obesity, I don't think it is a good idea to pair them that way. I will likely always live in a larger body (even after completing BED therapy to the point of being "recovered"), yet I still also eat "healthy" and live an active life. I do appreciate that you mentioned BED can occur in a variety of body types. There is also recent research on atypical anorexia which can effect those in larger bodies which might go undiagnosed because of their body size. Thanks for doing this work!

[@marthamurphy7940]

I'm learning a lot. Thank you! I have a love/ hate relationship with food, I think. I'm not a picky eater -- I'll eat almost anything except bitter things, so I eat a fairly healthy diet as far as my planned diet goes. But I calm myself when anxious by snacking and grazing. I tend to eat a little of this and a little of that when I feel anxious, because feeling anxious to me feels somewhat like feeling hungry. And I resent being the one to always plan meals and cook, so that makes me mildly anxious. I noticed when my children were small that my mother thought they were hungry every time they cried, so I think maybe she did that with my siblings and me, too, when we were small.

[@elenap-t8120]

Thanks for this video, the resources, and all you do to support deepening our understanding of ourselves and each other. Didn’t realize doing jumping jacks was a stim!

[@kimberlyschmidtclark8220]

Yes more please 🙏 I absolutely 💯 identify with this subject. Just keep doing what your doing!!! I love all your videos. Thank you for the information as well as educating me about myself.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

You’re welcome! Thanks for your comment.

[@paulashaham6282]

I’m learning a lot from your content. And I appreciate all that you you are sharing. I’m finding myself wishing that you would talk a little slower though because it would seem less intense for me. Thank you again.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

thanks for the feedback! definitely aware of how quickly i speak and I will try to continue to be mindful of that. always open to suggestions.

[@Arvanlife]

you can turn the speed down in your settings. (I tend to like everyone sped up to at least 1.25 or even 1.5)

[@rev.rachel]

I love that you explain how to use content warnings and what body cues to look for. There are so many spaces that do a bad job of actually explaining what they’re for, but you did a great job. ❤

[@Kreageek]

No eating disorder, but my eating is closely linked to me feeling depressed. I tend to eat less when depressed because I don't feel like doing good things for my self. And I get more easily depressed it I restrict what I eat, because food is something that makes me happy. So I know that I should not try to loss weight when I am not in a good head space. Like in the summer when I struggle due to the heat, I have to alow myself whatever I want to eat.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Thanks for sharing your experience here. 💓

[@lizhyink5636]

Yeah, depression can be an important factor. ( Kati Morton had a video about self care myths and encouraged "bridge statements", a few weeks ago. The title was," I have a real problem with the self help or self care industry..." - this was explained because the marketing can feed shame. She had some additional thoughts about how to encourage ourselves to aim for healthy habits that don't require extra cost.) I think this video and Morton's, compliment each other. The shared perspective is that not only does nuance matter, it can make a difference to understand the details. By gaining added clarity of the challenge, working through it better is also more possible.

[@spaceforthesoul6286]

3:00 start

[@passaggioalivello]

Hi Tay, thank you for this video. I'm struggling with ARFID since I was born. Later my traumas caused me CPTSD and it developed into Osfed. Now I'm struggling with anorexia nervosa. It's not a great life, eating disorder aren't a joke.

[@lrwiersum]

I remember drinking barium and watching it go down my digestive tract when I was 3 !!!

[@joesutcliffe5175]

Thank you so much for these videos. I've been struggling so much with binge eating and many other things that within the last week I've discovered are a result of autism. I'm in the early stages of this and haven't spoken to a medical professional yet, but I've never been so sure of something in my life. I'm turning 32 this month and life has become increasingly difficult over the years but it's like I've finally let myself see who I really am and that I don't need to feel like everyone else, I feel like I've found my community and I can't stop thinking about this and watching video after video. So thank you for the content it's really great to see and learn about what autism actually looks like.

[@KZAG95]

Absolutely love this. Presented with all 3 individually and now I'm in and out of the last one... God dang, Adult OCT such a great idea I will go do that for sure!

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Yes it can be so helpful! I hope you find some good support 💓

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

I have ARFID, and it's not just me in my family. I didn't think this was a thing, but it makes sense 🤔 Thanks for the video.

[@disappearingremedy7400]

Thank you for bringing this information to us. It explains so much & resonates. As a late in life self-diagnosed person I wanted to share that singing, which helps with vagus nerve conditioning has seemed to improve how the food goes down, alleviating some of the gag relex from my sensory issues. Another topic of interest is aphantasia. If there is material you already have on this, I'm unaware, but I would love to know how this may relate to autism. Thank you.

[@rebeccav4]

I’m one of the undiagnosed autistic people who have ARFID, mainly deal with anorexia but also go through phases of binge eating. My ARFID is so severe that I’ve only been able to try two things within the past 10-15 years (I’m 25, soon to be 26) and I’ve been eating the same things all my life and am now starting to pay the consequences physically🥲 I have a severe fear of gagging and throwing up and part of that reason was because my dad was practically a single dad and the adults who watched me while he was at work would pressure me, usually publicly, to try new foods. A lot of them realized I would rather starve than to try them. I was even forced one time to try ham and green beans at my daycare in front of all the kids my age and ended up throwing up on the wall and crying, then being forced to clean it up before our nap time.

[@AnotherBrainArt]

I didn’t expect to have as emotional a response as I did watching this. I’ve recently realized that not only do I not understand how I feel emotions or need a long time to figure them out, but I can’t tell when I’m hungry or full, have a regular stomach ache for some other reason, or back pain. I can’t yet afford the diagnosis though I’m diagnosed adhd. I also have autoimmune disorders. Years ago and for a very very very long time in my life I was definitely in bulimic patterns with water and exercise purging cycles. I did binge. I binge occasionally now, but a lot less often. Instead, I’ve given over to my pronounced aversions and eat only very specific foods. I avoid textures and flavors etc. I could live on peanut butter with oatmeal and mostly have for the last year. Trying to figure out how to read my body is so hard.

[@kathrynhopkins]

I can't afford a diagnosis either but if you feel anything like me you just know this is home for you and explains so much. I notice you are an artist too, do you find it a source of therapy?

[@AnotherBrainArt]

@@kathrynhopkins yes, definitely. I’m positive it’s correct. When I first hit major burn out three years ago, I stopped creating and that was also detrimental. I just couldn’t get myself to do it. I was making coloring books and all of my art was for other people. I do customer service so I mask all day at work and I was masking at home as well. Now that I create for myself again, it’s majorly helping my burn out and I need that creativity time to get through the day. Even when I feel awful with a headache, I’ll lie down and create. I don’t need a specific therapeutic topic though.

[@krenasolheim1594]

I almost died when in Masters at ucsc and put myself on an autistic/cancer diet 20 yes ago. Thank goodness. Just turned 58 years old and diagnosed lat year.

[@craygraydeb1916]

Ironically, I have suffered from all of these eating disorders at different periods. Noone noticed, they still do not. I currently try to consume food on a time schedule. Tending towards high protein. Yet, I still want to forego food sometimes as my mind becomes consumed with other things, or my body is hitting its needed level of activity.

[@julia15206]

I was close to getting one as a kid after a strand of spaghetti got stuck after I tried to eat one when nobody was around. I didn't eat solid food for a month and when my mom called the doctor they gave me a week to try and eat solid food before I would need to get to a hospital. My mom thought that would just be more traumatic for me but she got this idea that saved me. That was potato. It can go from soft to solid and she cured me that same day (the potato was mashed with butter and salt and thats hard to say no to xD).

[@citychicken9949]

This video made me realize that I've struggled with eating disorders for most of my life. Even as a grade school child. I'm seriously wondering now if I should look into an evaluation.

[@wickedwest89]

The resources noted are so helpful!!❤

[@rev.rachel]

Oh also-one thing that’s worth noting about anorexia nervosa: The body image piece of it is much more prevalent in westernized countries than in other cultural or social systems (there are data on this). It has also been really common among religious people, especially mystics, who basically are at risk of losing track of their interoception like we do. And there’s a theory that it may be a warping of a normal evolutionary response to nomadic behaviors and the need to ignore a little food nearby in order to move further away to a new area with a lot of food. I thought I had ARFID for a full couple of years because I had no body image issues attached to my eating disorder. I finally figured out it’s anorexia after all-it’s just the variation that doesn’t present with the body image anxiety. Worth talking to your doc about if any of the above sounds familiar.

[@LeahPerec]

OMG it is so spectacular with the body images and emotions. I was struggling with therapist trying to ask me what I think when I feel something. I just feel stress/relax in the body part, and cannot really call emotions. I have no idea what is it! That body map is so cool.

[@chasebuttice]

Love your videos, they have helped me a lot esp your video with your partner. I’m neurotypical and my partner is just diagnosed neurodiverse a few days ago! I am understanding so much. I would love other videos about your relationship and relationship dynamics. Hearing from your husband helps me a lot. Thanks ❤

[@Tcg252]

❤❤❤❤great info and resources

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cousinit9718]

I just learned I had celiac disease last year when I was 24. Doctors thought it was just anxiety and prescribed me Zoloft .

[@kaylouise.m]

I went to treatment years ago for an eating disorder & after a year in the treatment facility they had me evaluated & I got my autism diagnosis. They then concluded that my relationship with food was directly related to my autism. However, years later, I think although they are related & kind of go hand in hand, I don't think being autistic caused my eating disorder. Especially since I'm in recovery & still have certain struggles, some I know are autism & some not.

[@LeahPerec]

I need rules for eating. I cannot just eat. But I had great fun with intermittent fasting (please do not do when you are severely affected by restrictions or overeating). For me it works wonders: I regulate the time instead of food. Otherwise I am lost in the world of food. But it’s really NOT working together with eating disorders with dieting, over exercising. For me weirdly time is like ordering a chaos…

[@wolfdreams2000]

Thanks so much 🙏

[@MomontheSpectrum]

You’re welcome 😊

[@justforsomething]

I definitely fit under the ARFID term, I remember my parents having to give me vitamins as a kid because I would only eat two options for dinner etc, and looking at old photos I looked crazy thin as a kid. These days, I eat plenty of the foods I like even though I do still cut out foods I'm not willing to eat.

[@dramallamamama]

My daughter still doesn’t eat fruits (other than applesauce) or vegetables. She’s started trying more foods with different textures. She likes rice now, mushrooms, etc. She’s always been 50th percentile height and tenth percentile weight. It used to stress me out so much. I love this channel. I’m so proud of how well my daughter has done learning about herself. She’s doing great!!!

[@lunaraynwolf7036]

Thank you so much. This was so helpful!

[@allisonsimpson6027]

Wow I got triggered watching this and I think I normally would have tried to muscle through and finish the video bc I want to learn but…. Thanks for your warning/advice to walk away from it. I’ll come back later, thanks Taylor 😂😂

[@davidspencer1558]

Thanks

[@kellyely9113]

I always struggled with my concept of food because my dad's side of the family are vastly obese, so I was always careful about food as far as how much I would allow myself (most times it was directly correlated with my movement, so if I didn't move much, I didn't eat much). I have basically always been highly active so it wasn't apparent from the outside that I struggled, but I have narrowed my diet down so much that I basically eat the same 5 things everyday, only the occasional food outside of that group. Now, I do take some supplements to fill in gaps, and I mostly eat for proper digestion and satiation, so I eat mostly meat and a handful of low carb or high fat plants. I do not do well with very much fiber, so I don't eat grains or roughage often, and I have much better energy, mood and stay mentally regulated much better eating this way. I would recommend a carnivore diet for anyone that struggles with food, nourishment and regularity.

[@jessicabibbles]

Carnivore diet is the most unhealthy diet though. Check your cholesterol.

[@kellyely9113]

@Jessica Bibbles I've done my research, I appreciate the concern and my cholesterol was checked recently and was below 200, it did spike the first time I did it, but it had since stabilized when I return to it. I have an autoimmune condition that it has helped put my symptoms completely in remission as well. It works for me, but to each their own.

[@Arvanlife]

I keep trying carnivore, but grease and fat on foods grosses me out. In foods, I don't seem to mind, but high fat meats :/

[@turtleanton6539]

Nice😊

[@Federico-zm1ym]

This was helpful for me and I'll return to myself

[@thefadingmoonlight]

I've had ARFID since preschool. ARFID wasn't in the DSM when I was a child. Though a lot of doctors still don't know what it is, there are programs and trained professionals who know how to treat it now. ARFID has a strong connection to anxiety. I don't think my ARFID will ever be "cured." However, I have been able to be more curious about other food and learned to put food in the category of "interesting" or "neutral" or "different" without labeling the food as "good" or "bad."

[@alisonwall5459]

When I feel depressed, I eat too much. When I feel anxious, I eat very little. I've never really had a normal relationship with food. Also textures like meatloaf and pudding are awful, and I have issues with meat touching a certain section of my tongue.

[@MomontheSpectrum]

yes to meatloaf and pudding being awful 🤢

[@turtleanton6539]

Same

[@gocelotspice5766]

I don’t have an eating disorder however I have definitely displayed unusual eating patterns. For a while I went without breakfast/ lunch because I don’t notice hunger easily and the anxiety I had from eating food at school overrode my drive to eat, and it upsets my stomach to eat early in the day. I also just… won’t eat something if the texture bothers me, because it’s not like I’m that desperate for food anyway. I manage to get enough food overall because I eat a ton of snacks but I have trouble with eating normal and regular meals.

[@kittimcconnell2633]

I wonder if my mother in law has ARFID. She hates eating and says it gives her a stomach ache. She's also been known to eat just one thing for months until she can't stand it anymore. She only drinks bottled water, she won't even drink filtered water. She does say that taking digestive enzymes helps her. Does Autism have connection to digestion problems?

[@MomontheSpectrum]

Yes! So many connections to digestive issues.

[@MissBliss818]

I definitely have ARFID

[@robmcallen798]

Saved as too heavy to watch today but thanks for the video anyway ❤

[@MomontheSpectrum]

way to set boundaries for yourself 👏

[@melodystamps4307]

I’m on the spectrum and realized a few months ago that I have had a binge eating disorder for a few years. Not sure of how long. My mom criticizing my weight contributed to it the most. I have not told her about it. I don’t even know how to start that conversation with her. I feel like I am ready to get help about it and emotionally heal but I don’t know what to do.

[@juliefore]

At this point, I feel like it is not productive to tell my mother that her criticism and actions helped me onto the road to a poor relationship with food. I acknowledge her part in things, to myself, and move on. The only thing that would come of telling her, would be to cause her pain. Hurting her will not help either of us. I can’t change what happened in the past, I can only work to find a positive path forward from here and now. Don’t drag any more poison along on your path, and certainly don’t add to it, if at all possible. As immediately satisfying as it feels to hurt someone who hurt you, in the long term it is just adds more poison to your soul. I’m 56, diagnosed at 50. My mother is 94. Evaluating my childhood with the knowledge of autism, has led to many revelations. Including issues with food, with family, friends, etc. So, given my Mom’s age, recent revelations about her impact on me, unless they are positive, serve no good by being shared with her.

[@TheDarkCovenant]

im a transwoman and for me its very hard at times trying to not binge eat. im 5'4 and weigh 325. i used to not be this heavy but ever since the pandemic, my routine that i once had got put in a tailspin. im also finding out that im neurodivergent. i want to be able to lose this weigh but its becoming near impossible to accomplish this as im on a fixed income and the fact that my depression and other factors prevent me from getting the motivation i need to exercise. i feel stuck in a loop of behavioral patterns that i cant seem to break free from. i dont have any solid support from my dad because he doesnt truly understand my feeling as he thinks i can just eat what he eats and lose weight.

[@kathrynhopkins]

I really hear you and when motivation is low it's really hard to make the changes we want to make especially after the pandemic. At the moment I'm using KZbin to exercise as it is free and doing 10 to 20 minutes a day because I have got myself in such a rut and can only manage short exercise routes. Concentrating on the area of your body that upsets you the most might be helpful, for me, it is tums and know that other areas can be dealt with later. It is hard but the reward of feeling better will be worth it. Often those around us don't understand how fixed our routines can become but you can do this...I believe in you.