Hangry Issues

While reading through other Asperger blogs (on both children and adults), I ran across what a blogger describes as ‘hangry issues’.

“…not being on a regular routine, eating at random times and having epic hangry (hungry + angry) episodes. At one point, he had a tsunami like meltdown…”
http://aspergerninja.blogspot.com/2009/12/confidence-building-only-263.html

Wow! I know this ‘thing’! My husband also has ‘hangry’ meltdowns. Try as I might, I cannot get my husband to eat on a regular basis. This is totally illogical to me as he so loves routines in other areas of his life.

He won’t eat a balanced diet. He binges at night in front of the tube. He hides junk food in his computer bag, his shop and his truck. Of course these habits can apply to anyone, Aspie or not. It’s the incredible mood swings and horrendous meltdowns that ensue that are hard to deal with.

The other night I walked into the living room and Steve lunges sideways to push at something on the other side of his recliner. I walk around his chair. An open box of cereal is lying partway under the end table.

“What are you doing, Steve?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he mumbles around a huge mouth of Lucky Charms. His cheeks are bulging.

“Seriously? You are doing nothing? It sure looks like you are watching TV and eating kidlet’s breakfast food.” I pick up the almost empty box and put it back in the pantry. Not a word from hubby.

I really do try to talk to him in a non-accusatory tone. He tells me he doesn’t like to be lectured. (Which is hilarious when you consider how many lectures he’s had to attend in order to earn his bachelors and masters degrees.)

I try to explain to him in a straightforward scientific manner that his system operates best when he eats regular meals of protein, healthy carbs, veggies and fruit. Inbetween meals he needs healthy snacks so he doesn’t feel hungry. I keep lots of cheese and crackers handy. Our fruit bowl is piled high with a large assortment of goodies. There are snacking veggies in the fridge. I definitely see an increase in mood swings for him when he hasn’t eaten in more than two hours.

His high cholesterol levels are not due to my cooking. I do keep a supply of ‘non-Steve’ foods for our six foot tall thirteen year old ‘baby’ who eats day and night, but kidlet burns off the extra calories with his active life style. This time of year baseball occupies his waking hours outside of school and he burns calories like my hemi burns premium fuel.

Steve, however, chooses not to listen.

I send my hubby web links. I show him articles in magazines. He ignores them. I try to explain that if he had diabetes he would have to carefully monitor his diet, to which he responds, “But I don’t have diabetes so it doesn’t matter!”

It matters to those of us who have to live with him.

On weekends Steve may go six to eight hours without eating. He insists it’s because the doctor has told him to lose weight. Then all heck breaks loose. I could point out that he is probably hungry and ask him to eat something, but that seems to send him into a full fledge meltdown.

Hangry. Yep, that describes it perfectly.

Hey, I just remembered something I needed at the store/library/friend’s house. See you later, alligator!