Advice needed on how to control my unhealthy diet

My relationship with food has always been terrible, even before I was diagnosed with autism.

I would eat very large plates of food as a child, and would pick off of other people's plates once they had finished. I loved sweets, so much so that when my mother started to hide the sweets, i would dig through the cupboards until i found them. I ate and drank things so fast that i would have frequent nausea. I never stopped mouthing, so any pen, pencil, lid or bottle cap would either be chewed to an unrecognisable clump of plastic or swallowed.

Even with the diagnosis, i haven't seemed to control myself. I know now that i mostly overeat because of a lack of mental stimulation and because of sensory input, but I can't change my diet no matter how hard I try.

However, i do worry that at the rate i am going, i could end up with diabetes. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Parents
  • If you overeat a lot, I know it can be really hard to stop doing it.

    Have you tried chewing sugarfree chewing gum? I find it very helpful because it provides mental and sensory stimulation (without actually putting food into your body). Playing with stimming toys can also be a good alternative.

    Exercise is doubly good because it will both make you healthier and release endorphins, improving your state of mind. Don't use it as a punishment though, or else you will just get bad associations with exercise.

    You also need to consider if there is an emotional reason why you overeat. If you eat worse when you are e.g. overwhelmed/stressed/anxious/lonely/feeling depressed then if you address this you will probably find it much easier to stop overeating. Sometimes it's hard to put a name to an emotion but if you figure out why then it helps a lot.

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