Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all. Can anyone tell me if binge eating is an autistic trait? I had a knee injury a few years ago and as a result of not being able to exercise I got a bit down, started eating a lot of crap, and my weight ballooned. Prior to this I was always in pretty good shape. I have in the last 7 months managed to lose 11 kilos, mainly because I felt so tired and lethargic all the time carrying the extra bulk. I did it by going on the keto diet which has worked well as I never seem to be hungry on it and I find it easy to be disciplined during the week. The downside of keto is that carbohydrates are severely restricted, and come the weekend I get this overwhelming urge to eat carbs. You could argue that it's just my body craving what I'm denying it but I have a feeling it's more to do with routine. Friday comes, I finish work early, on my way home I stop at a supermarket to buy myself a little treat because I've worked hard all week, then the minute I get inside the store I just fill my basket with a ridiculous amount of junk food (not all carbs I hasten to add). I sit watching TV on a Friday night stuffing myself until I almost feel sick because I bought way too much. I never leave any of the food for another day because my brain tells me I'm only allowed that one day to have treats. I hate food waste so I never throw any of it away. It's a cycle I've tried to break countless times, and to be fair to myself I am still losing weight despite my single day of gorging, but if I manage to deny myself on a Friday it just seems to roll over to a Saturday instead. If I try to limit myself to say just a bag of crisps, or a chocolate bar I get in a foul mood once I've eaten it because I always wish I'd got more and feel cheated. Anyone else relate?
Hi,
I love Keto – although it is not supposedly sustainable forever, assuming you are not diabetic it can be very good. Of course, I am not a doctor, so my advice is only my experiences.
Keto comes with pros and cons. One con is that if you eat lots you will still put on weight (like any diet). The advantage is that if you eat healthy fat, it will drop off fast.
Carbs are tricky when you eat them your body taxes it 20% ish and stores them as a fuel reserve. This means you only received 80% of your meal as food, which promotes hunger. Carbs are addictive and actually, if you are doing keto it is ok to have some – especially (just in case this is relevant to anyone reading this) for women going through peri or menopause. These poor souls need more carbs on keto as the body processes it more during MP.
Most people can have a binge day on keto – it’s called carb-cycling and it restocks your body with carbs. Yes, you will bloat and of course, put on weight but it will drop off just as fast when you return to keto.
One way to tell if you need a carb cycle is if your body aches (not from exercise).
That’s an amazing weight loss - Well done! I am glad you are enjoying the energy too. I did keto for about a year and a half. Hated coming off of it. Lost three stone and ate like a king. I had great fun. I went back on it about five weeks ago and have lost about a stone (which I put back on after stopping).
The only way you will rid yourself of your carb cravings is to outlast the cravings and then they will go – usually in under two weeks. Like I said they are addictive as hell! That’s why you return again and again.
When you do stop you will hit withdrawal symptoms, headaches, etc. I am sure that you have experienced and heard of keto flu. This is when the symptoms kick in. I use a bottle of water with a small pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt, a sprinkle of electrolytes, and a dash of (bottled) lemon juice for flavour. I sip this when any symptoms kick in.
Keto is its own beast – great if you learn the science and problematic if you are prone to high cholesterol or not that sure about healthy fats Vs unhealthy. Of course, if you have diabetes one DEFINITELY NO!
I mean obviously, I cannot speak about any of your own personal internal challenges or Autism and maybe it is all that? But did you always do that?
I can speak of the addiction of the carbs calling you. They are tricky blighters! Maybe because you go back to them you are not giving your body the detox it needs to flush the cravings? Dunno just throwing some ideas out there.
Hi Noodles,
Thanks for your reply. Your experience of keto sounds very much like mine. But I find that even if I eat unhealthy fat like sausages I still lose weight. I'm astounded at just how much I can eat some days and still don't gain, as long as I leave those carbs alone. I tend to stick to the maximum of 23g of carbs per day that is recommended to stay in a keto state and somehow it works. Not only do I weigh less, and feel better, but my concentration seems much sharper too, and I don't seem to get food cravings generally. The weekend binges have been part of my life as long as I can remember, even before I put on lots of weight, but as you say, you can get away with it one day a week if you're being strict for the other 6 days. I also exercise a lot more now which really helps too, especially my mental wellbeing. I think I've thought about my binge eating more deeply since I was diagnosed with ASD because I am looking more deeply in general at all of my behavioural patterns now. I'm happy about some of my autistic traits, and wouldn't want to change them, but would definitely like to learn how to control other aspects better. I'd like to be in a relationship again but now realise just how hard it must have been for my previous partner, and I don't blame her for not wanting to put up with my more challenging habits. I've had some really good advice from people on this site, and have already implemented many of them to good effect. It's a long game though and as I've been told there's no 'cure' as such, just help and therapy. Accepting and embracing the facts is the first step on a positive journey for me.