Published on 12, July, 2020
Haven't posted for a while as I have been trying to just get on with my life and trying to ignore my autism, FND and a host of other issues.I've pretty much accepted my issues and the fact that there is very little, if anything, that can be done to "fix me".
Anyway, hello to all of the folks that I have engaged with in the past and hello to all the newer people.
I've asked a similar question before, but want to have another stab at it.
One of the things that I REALLY struggle with is my autism and food.I do not (read that as "cannot") eat so many of the things that health professionals keep telling us to eat.For me, the list includes
Its not just that I dont like them....I absolutely hate them and really cannot eat them due to taste, texture and smell.It's so bad that even if I am sitting next to my wife while she is eating a salad, I feel physically sick / nauseous - especially the smell of cucumber, celery and the like.
Last week I had a routine health check (blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, etc). My cholesterol was on the high side (6 ish) and my BMI puts me on the lower end of obese.The thing is, I am quite fit and I exercise regularly (yoga x 2, spin x 2, weights x 1 and cardio x1 per week). I have built up my muscle mass and only really have fat around my stomach.Around 3 years ago I was 117kg and am now 103kg, but haven't been able to go below that for the past year or more.I had a trail session with a PT at the gym, but that almost sent me into meltdown because the PT had little to no understanding of Autism or FND, or other issues that I have (I'm in my 50's so there are limitations as to what my body is able to do). I've spoken to other PTs, but none of them have heard of FND before, so that gives me zero confidence in their ability to support me with my fitness / weight loss journey. All of the PTs seemed to put a lot of emphasis on nutrition / diet - things that I cannot do.
My diet isn't terrible (apart from not eating the "good stuff") - I rarely have takeaways and I drink in moderation (another massive reduction from several years ago). I drink plenty of water.
I know that other autistic people struggle with eating veg, salads and fish, so I'm not alone in that.What I want to do is somehow
Any advice?Anyone facing similar challenges?
Hi, My mum (who is also autistic) had high cholesterol and was determined to at least try to reduce it with lifestyle changes rather than medication and she was successful with the help of a really good dietitian. She actually only had one session with the dietitian but she gave her some personalised tips and guidance and it really made a difference- her cholesterol is now within normal range and she even lost some weight without trying. I have been working with the same dietitian for years now to address autism and IBS related issues around food- I have ARFID and IBS etc and it's been hard but the dietitian (Dalia), is amazing and has a great understanding of autism- I was so lucky that my university helped fund some sessions with her. I'm not sure I would still be here without her and she has not just provided good dietary advice but has such a positive influence on my mental health and has really helped me understand myself better. Here are her details in case this is something you might consider: home | dalia weinreb (dalianutrition.com)