My strange eating habits

Hi there...

I know a lot of autistic people have certain eating habits such as liking certain foods and things, but I wondered if anyone else had similar habits to me. At the moment I feel a bit strange to say the least!

These are some of my habits:

  • I can't eat from plates or bowls that I have just washed up
  • If I don't wash something straight away, and leave it on the side for a day, I can't eat from it until the memory of it being dirty is gone
  • If executive dysfunction (or my chronic illness) leads me to not wash it up for a while, I just throw it out because I know I won't be able to eat from it :( I've lost some of my favourite bowls that way
  • I have certain cutlery and crockery for different things, I can't eat pasta from my cereal bowl for example

But if I go to someone else's house, none of these things apply. It's only if it is my house that I have these habits. I wonder if its linked to OCD?

Parents
  • I have no idea if it's linked to OCD, do you have OCD? I have strange eating habits that are less centred around the food itself and have more to do with:

    A) remembering to eat,

    B) knowing the difference between feeling hungry and feeling full (because they both feel the same to me),

    C) often having to force myself to eat purely because it's been too many hours / days since I ate last but then feeling sick as I try to swallow every mouthful, and

    D) even when I do look forward to eating a meal I've spent ages preparing, being put off suddenly by things that don't seem to affect other people - such as seeing a fly (even if it's nowhere near the food), someone saying a gross word or making a disgusting noise such as burping, not being able to stop thinking about the food (red meat in particular) in it's pre-cooked / prepared state, and other things that everyone else seems not to notice.  

    I almost never eat in someone else's house but, weirdly, I don't mind eating in some restaurants or cafes if they look alright. I've no idea why these things are worse at home especially as it's nearly always me who prepares the food here. As I said though, it's less about the food itself and more about what else is going on around it. I don't have OCD  or an identifiable eating disorder and these things (A to D) seem to fluctuate in severity but I've no idea why.    

  • When I was a kid I used to have terrible problems with A and B. Trouble was, if I left it for too long without eating, it would just hit me really suddenly and I would feel terrible, really sick. Of course once I felt like that, it was impossible to eat, so the only solution was to go to sleep and eat something as soon as I woke up.

    I was tested for possible diabetes several times as it's kind of like when a diabetic person's blood sugars take a dive, but no, definitely not diabetic. With the benefit of hindsight, and a late (adult) diagnosis, I think the likely explanation is not realising that I was hungry until it's too late and has passed the point of no return.

    I seem to be better at it now I'm older, although that might be due to having a bit of body fat that I can use to stave off the worst! When I was a kid I was a skinny stick, so no reserves, I suppose.

    I am still terrible with getting dehydrated as I never feel thirsty. I don't think I even know what that is supposed to feel like! I drink liquids because I know I should, not because I feel thirsty.

    Also as a kid I used to get in a right old strop if I didn't get "my" placemat (blue vintage car) and the one knife in the set with a different logo on the blade from all the others. Psychologist told me this kind of fixed idea is quite common with AS. So maybe OP's eating/service habits have more to do with AS obsessions with routine than OCD?

Reply
  • When I was a kid I used to have terrible problems with A and B. Trouble was, if I left it for too long without eating, it would just hit me really suddenly and I would feel terrible, really sick. Of course once I felt like that, it was impossible to eat, so the only solution was to go to sleep and eat something as soon as I woke up.

    I was tested for possible diabetes several times as it's kind of like when a diabetic person's blood sugars take a dive, but no, definitely not diabetic. With the benefit of hindsight, and a late (adult) diagnosis, I think the likely explanation is not realising that I was hungry until it's too late and has passed the point of no return.

    I seem to be better at it now I'm older, although that might be due to having a bit of body fat that I can use to stave off the worst! When I was a kid I was a skinny stick, so no reserves, I suppose.

    I am still terrible with getting dehydrated as I never feel thirsty. I don't think I even know what that is supposed to feel like! I drink liquids because I know I should, not because I feel thirsty.

    Also as a kid I used to get in a right old strop if I didn't get "my" placemat (blue vintage car) and the one knife in the set with a different logo on the blade from all the others. Psychologist told me this kind of fixed idea is quite common with AS. So maybe OP's eating/service habits have more to do with AS obsessions with routine than OCD?

Children
  • I get that "point of no return" thing a LOT, when I've tried to explain it to anyone they just don't understand how you can be needing food but unable to eat. The closest I get to feeling hungry (basically what I mean when I say the word 'Hungry') is that sort of dizzy, spaced-out, almost headache-y feeling of low blood sugar. Too much sugar can sometimes feel the same though  : /   

    The longest I think I go without food at all is about 4 days but I drink a LOT so it isn't so bad. I tell myself that milk is a food so it's all good. When it gets to that stage I usually spend a further few days just nibbling at toast, or trying to, until things get back to normal then (occasionally) I start eating like a savage and forget to stop. 

    I used to have terrible problems with my weight (far too skinny) until about 40 and now I seem to have gathered a bit of normal-looking padding. I've no idea what my weight is, never weighed myself, but I feel a more healthy weight so I must be getting what I need. 

    All of this is something I've always felt a bit embarrassed about because I've never met or spoken to anyone with similar problems, it's such a relief to hear others mentioning it now!