How common is Overeating on the Autism Spectrum?

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How common among the Autism population is obesity due to overeating sweets and fatty foods as a coping mechanism? Can it be attributed to emotional issues or is it because food is of interest?

Not a problem for me.

Not a problem for me but I've definitely met a lot of autistics who do overeat.

I'm an overeater. I eat the sweets and the fatty foods. I turn to sweets when I feel that certain people in my life aren't giving me the sweetness that I crave. I've got to learn ways of being sweet to myself and giving myself the niceness that seems to be lacking for me within the dynamics of my family. Niceness such as if there are non-food items that I know will make me happy, I should buy those things and enjoy them. If they're related to my Special Interests or my identity, than I should really buy those items for $50 a month. If there's a type of music that makes me happy because it's tied in with my Special Interests or identity, I should listen to more of that music. If there's a TV show that I love, I should watch it every chance that I get. That way my needs would be met and I wouldn't be turning to fatty foods and sweets. To me, the fatty foods symbolize hugs and the sweet foods symbolize sweetness and unconditional love. I've also been interested in and obsessed with food my whole life. That's why I identify with large, special needs characters who are possibly autistic.

when I was younger I could eat a French-fried Shetland pony for supper and a birthday cake [whole thing] for dessert. not much of an exaggeration. I had a beastly diet full of fat and sugar and salt. I could smell a carrotcake a mile away and my nose led me to it. gravy on everything was mandatory. ate cheddar cheese by the brick. my corn on the cob dripped in butter and was almost white with salt. a whole x-large pizza. coffee and dark chocolate milkshakes to wash it down. it aged me prematurely and for the last few years have been eating mostly the opposite of all that. I miss being able to eat tasty food all the time.

I eat a lot, but am still skinny. Will have to wait and see how things are ten years from now.

I do not overeat in that sense, when I'm stressed out and at home I actually eat less. But I often eat just because food is available somewhere where I go. Had a job once where we were given food; I ate everything, even things that I didn't like. I tried to prepare my own meals for a while but ended up eating both mine and work food :-/

When I'm stressed I go the other way.
I lose my appetite completely.

Story of my life. I'd eat everything in sight that was bad for me, in order to cope with all the pain and butt hurt I would be put through.

I am not obese, but I have struggled with food as a coping mechanism since the age of six. I am currently at my highest weight ever, trying to lose....but it is hard. It might be a coping thing, it might be a self-punishment/destructive thing, it might be a numbing thing, it might be an addiction thing, or it might be an obsessive thing. I'm just not sure....but I'm pretty concerned about it right now. I also have wondered if it can be an aspie thing - a way to stimulate or to calm, basically a method of regulation.

I overeat but took a long time before I gained any significant weight. I suspect that many of us overeat due to sensory issues not giving the correct signal to indicate that we are full. I know this to be the case for myself.

I used to eat loads and still stayed rediculously skinny. Then, suddenly, I stopped, and now I have a very poor appetite and have trouble eating 2 meals a day, let alone all the snacking I used to do.

Honestly, I can't really think of any reason to blame Autism for weight gain, beyond things like stress and comfort eating. That said, autism can cause depression and anxiety when mixed with certain environmental stimuli (e.g. being bullied for being different), which in turn can lead to overeating, so whilst I don't believe there's a direct cause, I can definately see how it can become a common enough problem for autistic individuals.

I'm overweight. I overeat. I don't look too bad, though.

But I have to control my eating so I don't start looking too bad.

My experience
Food was my first special interest
I was thin until about 47.

Gained 20% of body weight in 9 years.
Exercise and O. A. Helped and I lost the 20% in about 3 years.
Over the last 12 months I gained that weight back.

Back to what I know works.
But as they say. Knowing and not doing is to Not Know.