Autism and weightloss
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weebo1980
Posts: 56 Member
anyone out there with autism or can help with it, who is fussy eater? i am finding it hard to find things to eat that are not bad to stick with my calories, its so hard i keep eatting the same things would like some suppot from people in the same situations
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Replies
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What are the things you like to eat most ?1
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I have Asperger's, and I have discovered that just by challenging the belief that there are certain healthy foods I MUST eat, and certain unhealthy foods I SHOULDN'T eat, I have become more relaxed around food, and as a consequence of that, become more adventurous and flexible, less "fussy" and rigid. Now I eat foods I would never have dared to touch, just a few years ago.6
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Treat yourself no differently than you would treat a child. They don’t LIKE broccoli or brushing their teeth or showering, but you make them do it because it’s important. Don’t use the excuse that they’re a child (or they have autism) as an excuse to “get out” of it. (Which my brain does too! It’s a phenomenon called a false comparison)
It’s most helpful to me to set up comparisons that I can “win”. So instead of “I hate carrots why can’t I have a cupcake for a snack, I hate this, I’ll just eat the cupcakes” it’s like, “my only snack choices carrots or broccoli or green beans or celery or apples or nothing. I will choose the Apple”
Also, spectrum peeps LOVE routine. Love ittttt. So I bet you’re in a routine right now if choosing junk food over healthy food. Make it s routine that at 3pm you are going to eat a piece of fruit as a snack. Any piece of fruit, but never anything “processed”. And for dinner, you “must” drink at least one glass of water and eat an unadorned green vegetable (no butter, no creamer corn, etc). Once I get back into a healthy routine, it’s a lot easier to keep it going.7 -
can you sneak some of the questionable food with food you do like. like broccoli in mac and cheese. spinach instead of lettuce on a sandwich
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My daughter is autistic and has many texture issues with food. What has worked for her in trying new foods is that we only introduce one new food in a given week. She only takes three bites of it then can choose to finish if she likes. She is more open to this when she has some choice in the new food. She can take her three bites at any pace she chooses. And she has learned to embrace several new foods this way. Radical change does not work well for her.4
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Renonelarock wrote: »What are the things you like to eat most ?
the only veg i like are peas and carrots, my fav meal is sausage and mash, i also love rice1 -
Frequently_Fabulous wrote: »Treat yourself no differently than you would treat a child. They don’t LIKE broccoli or brushing their teeth or showering, but you make them do it because it’s important. Don’t use the excuse that they’re a child (or they have autism) as an excuse to “get out” of it. (Which my brain does too! It’s a phenomenon called a false comparison)
It’s most helpful to me to set up comparisons that I can “win”. So instead of “I hate carrots why can’t I have a cupcake for a snack, I hate this, I’ll just eat the cupcakes” it’s like, “my only snack choices carrots or broccoli or green beans or celery or apples or nothing. I will choose the Apple”
Also, spectrum peeps LOVE routine. Love ittttt. So I bet you’re in a routine right now if choosing junk food over healthy food. Make it s routine that at 3pm you are going to eat a piece of fruit as a snack. Any piece of fruit, but never anything “processed”. And for dinner, you “must” drink at least one glass of water and eat an unadorned green vegetable (no butter, no creamer corn, etc). Once I get back into a healthy routine, it’s a lot easier to keep it going.
i love fruit and i have been drinking lots of water i really like water but i really like diet coke to , i love peas and carrots but over veg makes me sick
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emmamcgarity wrote: »My daughter is autistic and has many texture issues with food. What has worked for her in trying new foods is that we only introduce one new food in a given week. She only takes three bites of it then can choose to finish if she likes. She is more open to this when she has some choice in the new food. She can take her three bites at any pace she chooses. And she has learned to embrace several new foods this way. Radical change does not work well for her.
yes maybe its the change i am having issues with and some foods do make me feel sick i think that is sensory like lettice, brocci and colli make me sick0 -
anyone out there with autism or can help with it, who is fussy eater? i am finding it hard to find things to eat that are not bad to stick with my calories, its so hard i keep eatting the same things would like some suppot from people in the same situations
What are your health goals? Are you trying to lose weight? One of the mistaken myths is that you have to eat specific foods or avoid food groups to lose weight. You don't. If you are trying to lose weight, you can eat what you like. If you don't want to eat broccoli and lettuce, don't. Let the MFP site set your calorie goals based on your personal stats and then track everything you eat. Measure and weigh everything. If you stay at or below your calorie goal, you will lose weight. There is no reason to force yourself to eat things you don't like.
If you are having trouble staying at or under your calorie goal, move more. Exercise is a way to allow you to eat more of what you like and still lose weight. Simply walking burns a significant amount of calories. Find a balance that works for you.
Also, try new foods that you are not afraid of. If you don't like vegetable except peas and carrots, that's fine. Maybe try one new thing a month. If you hate it; OK, but you might find that you like just one new thing. That one thing may lead to another new food discovery, and so on.0 -
Frequently_Fabulous wrote: »Treat yourself no differently than you would treat a child. They don’t LIKE broccoli or brushing their teeth or showering, but you make them do it because it’s important. Don’t use the excuse that they’re a child (or they have autism) as an excuse to “get out” of it. (Which my brain does too! It’s a phenomenon called a false comparison)
It’s most helpful to me to set up comparisons that I can “win”. So instead of “I hate carrots why can’t I have a cupcake for a snack, I hate this, I’ll just eat the cupcakes” it’s like, “my only snack choices carrots or broccoli or green beans or celery or apples or nothing. I will choose the Apple”
Also, spectrum peeps LOVE routine. Love ittttt. So I bet you’re in a routine right now if choosing junk food over healthy food. Make it s routine that at 3pm you are going to eat a piece of fruit as a snack. Any piece of fruit, but never anything “processed”. And for dinner, you “must” drink at least one glass of water and eat an unadorned green vegetable (no butter, no creamer corn, etc). Once I get back into a healthy routine, it’s a lot easier to keep it going.
This type of thinking is what leads people to have unhealthy relationships with food and their bodies. Eating should not be a win/lose situation. Forcing kids to eat broccoli because it's important? Show me a scientific study that supports eating broccoli is important.3 -
As an adult with autism issues, a mother of a kiddo on the spectrum and a behavior tutor, the best advice I can give is do it in baby steps.
Yes it is HARD to force yourself to eat more greens and deal with weird food textures. But acclimatizing yourself to them, by introducing one new thing, and eating a few bites EVERY DAY until you are used to them is really the only thing that helps. Try eating it at the beginning of the meal, and setting yourself a goal of at least 3 bites so you can finish with the good stuff.1 -
The people with autism of my acquaintance are very good with structure and routine. In some ways you could be very good at setting up a meal plan that meets your goals.
There is nothing wrong with carrots and peas. As you noted though it can get pretty boring.
I like the three bite idea to gradually increase the variety of foods you enjoy.0 -
This is just too perfect a coincidence! This came home with my daughter (the spectrum kiddo I mentioned in my post) from school today, with a reward for trying a new sport
As you can probably tell, she has difficulty with different foods too.
"Is how a growth mindset by not giving up. And trying new things. P. S. Not food."1 -
This is just too perfect a coincidence! This came home with my daughter (the spectrum kiddo I mentioned in my post) from school today, with a reward for trying a new sport As you can probably tell, she has difficulty with different foods too.
"Is how a growth mindset by not giving up. And trying new things. P. S. Not food."
i beet you are sooo proud :-)0 -
i am on week 3 i weigh myself in the morning i am feeling good that i have made small changes, i have not tried any new foods but maybe one day0
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