What is it like to be obese and aspergers

Post Reply New Topic

I know someone like that.

It is frustrating. I can't stand working out most ways because I sweat and it makes me feel sick. Walking is awkward because I walk weird, and people look at me funny (like in gyms). Can't walk around the neighborhood because I'm scared of dogs. I have no problem swimming, but there are too many people around, usually, and that increases my anxiety too much.
On top of that, I tend to nibble all day when I have chewed my nails, cuticles, lips, and inner lips too much. Which doesn't help with the whole dieting thing. I have a hard time eating healthy food because I also tend to tap/grind my teeth (specific patter that I do all day and night) that has caused my teeth to crack and chip. They are being repaired, but it is a process, and I can't eat anything hard, crunchy, or chewy.

Add into this that I have PCOS, am insulin resistant (which is NOT type 2 Diabetes), and eating carbs/gluten tend to make my gain very easily.

I am at my heaviest as a result.

I'm not really sure how to answer this question, as I am also "someone like that." It's not fun, that's for sure. I've struggled with my weight since I was 10 or 11.

In fact, various studies suggest obesity is more prevalent among autistic people: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=au ... wQgQMIGjAA

I am NT and a healthy weight, but my husband is autistic and "full-figured". He says that being fat is great, except for the problem of finding clothes you like that fit you well. He says fat people are surprisingly strong, because you have to carry around the weight all day long. This seems to be true, especially around the legs. He doesn't get out of breath and seems to be in great physical condition. He's just hefty.

I think a good portion of why he is overweight is that he can't tolerate the kinds of food that I can. A lot of healthy food has inconsistent textures, so it's very much like a person with many severe food allergies. In comparison, I can't tell if bread is stale or food is off just by taste or smell. I have to actually look at the dates. He is so sensitive that he can tell which lot of food something is from. For example, the Pringles plant burned down some years ago and apparently it changed the way Pringles taste. I can't tell, but it was devastating to him. He stopped eating Pringles and had to go to Lays Stax.

It's also pretty common for people on the spectrum to be very thin or to have eating disorders because of food sensitivities.

One of my pet hates at the gym is people who think that because they're fat they're strong Muscle makes you strong, not fat. Fat people do tend to have strong legs as they have to habitually carry more weight but that's as far as it goes.

It sucks. Society is awful to obese people just like it is awful to people with poor social skills. Being both is a double whammy.

You don't look fat.

Are you hiding it?

Old profile pic is old. I was away from WP for a long time and haven't updated my pic yet.

You don't have to eat and drink a lot to get fat. I'm huge, and I don't think I eat that much.

Growing up fat/obese isn´t something, you actually get over....due to the treatment you get.....AS or not.

It sucks, but I guess that's the very least you have coming if you let yourself go physically. If you think modern Western society is cruel to fat people, imagine being in the ancestral environment, in a group running away from a bear or a saber-toothed tiger. Noöne can outrun the predator, but it doesn't matter---they just need to outrun you, which they do effortlessly

Yes you do.



You probably eat more than you think. Go on YouTube and try and find episodes of "Secret Eaters". It shows that overweight people often massively underestimate the amount they eat.

"Not letting yourself go"....that is hardly a responsibility, you can put on 3 year old shoulders. Anyway it is different how bodies handle food. It is not as simple as people like to think.

I think it would be really crap to be obese, I probably wouldn't want to go outside and exercise either, having to put up with the stares.
I'm lucky that I have a few hills nearby to burn the calories on, without meeting many people and the walking helps me think, and such a good sleep after a hill walk.

My girlfriend is on the spectrum & is pretty big. She's been big sense she was a kid but she developed some depression & anxiety issues when she was around 15 & they got worse in her 20s. She's been receiving treatment for the last 3 years. Food comforts her when she's depressed & it's hard for her to exercise & go out & do stuff when she's depressed or anxious.

It's still their responsibility. They're the one who will suffer the consequences, and the world at large won't give a s**t about how much of a choice they had. Neither would a predator chasing them, for what it's worth. If life has taught me anything so far, it's that not having had the power to avoid a problem does not in any way mean you won't be held responsible for it.