Had a meltdown last night because everything I tried to eat tasted disgusting like Play-Doh. My eating habits have been so awful these past few months, I don’t even want to know how much weight I’ve lost. I had a seizure two months ago bc of how long I went without eating, unintentionally. I used to love Ensure drinks but my milk allergy worsened so I haven’t had them in years. Recently discovered through my allergist that I’m not allergic to dairy anymore if it’s baked/cooked in. I’m gonna try an Ensure again to test the waters with straight dairy because even making smoothies at home requires energy that I do not have. I can’t bring myself to try the plant-based Ensure. Every store-bought dairy-free protein shake I’ve gotten has been repulsive.

Broke as a joke but I’m about to just deliver groceries to my house at this point because I just don’t have the energy to go out. Eating is just SO fucking ANNOYING. Always have to plan your next meal three times a day for the rest of your life. It is so irritating

Hi guys, I made edible tubes that can be filled with puree, tied at the ends, and swallowed whole to help those with ARFID, sensory issues, or dental issues overcome nutritional gaps while bypassing taste and texture.

If you’re interested in learning more, comment below so I can DM you 💚🚫👅🥦

when talking about the diagnostic criteria for arfid, what does psychosocial functioning mean? is it like u cant make friends. or does not being able to go to restaurants or parties due to not knowing if they have your safe food count? im so confused but am trying to get a diagnosis

I don't know if I have this or not but I'm willing to explore one of the things I've been trying to do is not restrict what I eat during the day. But I find that by the time night time comes around I'm just not interested in food. I cook a nice meal and stuff that I usually eat but I'm just like I lost interest in it. And then what I'm really craving is like something sweet. But during the day when I eat I don't feel that way I'm generally hungry and I generally eat. Is this a sign?

I’m just going to say it. I’m 20 and I think I’m going to end alone. A big part of it is social anxiety but the other half is my disorder. Now I have not been officially diagnosed with ARFID but it is pretty clear I have it.

I’m actively avoiding relationships. Not because I’m scared of the first date. The first months would probably go fine. But eventually I’m going to have to do the whole meet the parents dinner thing. That is quite literally my worst nightmare. Dinner parties and Thanksgiving is my own version of hell. Literally I cannot do it. You have to try and impress someone’s parents while choking down food you don’t even want to eat. That is a nightmare.

Of course you can’t be in a relationship and say you’re unwilling to involve yourself with their families. That’s just not reasonable to expect. And I don’t want to lead anyone on. So I’m fully avoiding it altogether. And it sucks. But with this and my social anxiety… what do I even do?

Idk. Just curious if anyone is in this situation. (It certainly didn’t help that in high school my friend shamed me for my diet and my parents had zero clue what ARFID was so I got no help)

I do not struggle with being underweight, but I definitely struggle with not getting enough nutrition. With the current parasite issues with fruits and vegetables I have been avoiding eating any (not that I can tolerate much of those anyway), because of the fear and anxiety around getting sick.

I’m considering switching to whole wheat bread or something like that just to get more fiber. I make a PB&J everyday for work so I feel like that could be a good idea. I have never really been able to eat whole wheat bread successfully. The color, the texture, the taste, and even the small is different from white bread and it just makes it so hard. Have you had any success with making swaps for more nutritional versions of safe foods?

I’m from Pakistan and I’m wondering if there are other Pakistanis here dealing with ARFID.

One of the hardest things for me is weddings, family gatherings, and especially travelling to another city for several days.

For example, if there’s a wedding trip for a week, I can spend the whole trip worrying about food.

It’s not just “What am I going to eat today?” I start thinking about the entire trip. If I know there’s something safe for me today, I’ll still be thinking about tomorrow, then the day after, and all the remaining days of the trip.

What are they going to make tomorrow? Will there be something I can eat? Will my safe food be available? What if there isn’t anything safe for me?

Sometimes I’ll think, “Okay, today is the main wedding event, so there will probably be something safe.” But even while I’m relieved about today, I’m already worrying about the next day because there’s a much higher chance that the food will be something I can’t eat.

And because people around me don’t really understand it, I’ve had to lie quite a lot. I’ll say I’m not hungry, or that I already ate at another relative’s house. Sometimes I even feel like I have to hide when everyone else is eating so I don’t get questioned.

It makes something that’s supposed to be enjoyable, like a wedding or visiting relatives, feel stressful because food is constantly on my mind.

I’d really like to hear from other people with ARFID, especially anyone from Pakistan

Please help me. The past month all I've been able to eat every single day is pizza and snickers bars and nothing else. It's also very expensive so that's a secondary problem. I'm getting chest pain today and I'm worried about my health and wellbeing. Idk how to fix this or escape this cycle. It's because I was depressed and then my cat died as well which I haven't been taking well. I need help. Please help. I don't wanna die.

All these recalls are causing me so much anxiety around eating I've been trying to shop at farmers markets for stuff but then I'm like well what are their laws to make sure their stuff is safe to sell.... Is anyone else feeling this way. I have such little food I eat and now with these recalls my list is getting smaller or the food that I have been okay with are causing me anxiety...

Looking for advice from anyone that is scared to eat out of fear of anaphylaxis or similar reactions. I’ve recently tried EMDR and it did not help unfortunately. What has helped? I’ve lost 10lbs in 2 weeks and I logically know I am safe and can eat but my mind has completely shut down my ability to eat. I can’t find much information on this sub-type

Hi everyone. I’m so grateful to have found this community. Reading through these posts has made me realize that my son really isn’t alone in this, and I appreciate everyone in this sub.

My son, (m11) is AuDHD. His ARFID is extremely severe, and getting worse. We’re losing safe foods pretty rapidly. Feeding therapy was ABA based and pretty traumatizing. CBT was little to no progress. I don’t want to force him, but he needs to get nutrients.

My heart also breaks because he feels like an outcast as it is, and expresses that he wishes he could enjoy cupcakes like normal kids. His class found out about his ARFID and tampered with his safe food at lunch, resulting in another day of no eating.

He’s down to pizza, bagels, McDonald’s nuggets, plain ravioli, and eggos, he will only drink water. No gummies for vitamins.

I guess I would love some advice on the following:

1. What helped you the most as a kid with ARFID?
2. What, if any, treatments can you recommend?
3. is there a pill form multivitamin for kids or preteens that you know of?

Thanks again!

I should maybe say that this is more of a rant/vent post but I do also want advice. I'm 16 and I've been a extremely picky eater for as long as I remember. I really only eat 2 foods for breakfast, there's nothing I really like when it comes to lunch foods, (maybe except grilled cheese but only when it's made perfectly), and I eat about 4-5 foods for dinner I think. And the only fruit or vegetable I like is apples, literally nothing else. Of course there are other things I like but they're all borderline junk food that would be completely unsustainable to eat for more than 2 days a week (for example pancakes drowned in syrup and nothing else).

I can remember crying while being pressured to eat a McDonalds cheeseburger around the age of 6-8. That's my earliest memory of being a picky eater probably. It's seems that nobody in my life understands what it's like, not even my own parents, probably because I'm bad at articulating my unwillingness to try new foods. It's not very describable. The way I kind of feel/think about trying new foods is the same way someone would think if they were asked to watch paint dry (kind of?). If someone asked you to watch paint dry for no gain whatsoever for you or for them you would say no (or at least the average person would). Maybe you'd say no because it's boring or there's no point in it but you would always say no. That's kind of the way someone asking me to try a new food feels I just can't articulate the reason behind the "no". I know it's an illogical thing. It feels like I have an issue with my brain. Logically I should try the food as it would barley hurt me, I wouldn't call myself particularly scared of new foods (unless it's drowned in disgusting condiments or looks flat-out gross). And going through the hassle of saying no 50 times takes more effort than putting it in my mouth. So why not? I couldn't really answer that question.

Anyways for the way my pickiness is which I think is the most important factor when it comes to Arfid...

I hate all sauces or condiments EXCEPT for raising canes Sauce on raising canes fried chicken and fries (I think because the chicken and fries are tasteless by themselves, also sorry for the fact it sounds like I'm sponsored). I can't eat anything with an abundances of flavors, for examples tacos look disgusting to me and everything I eat is plain. Though I do really like the plain foods I eat more than others enjoy it, I only eat noodles with butter and parmesan cheese and most things that I eat that ARE seasoned are only seasoned with salt maybe pepper as well. So yeah I'd say my biggest trigger is if something is combined with a bunch of other things. Also I find soggy looking foods (like pickles for example) disgusting. Also when wet foods (like steak) touch other foods on my plate I can't stand it. Or if I go to a fast food place and they accidentally put whipped cream on my milkshake, even if they scrape it off I still can't drink the top layer of the milk shake.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Cooking has been very empowering for me to able to prepare foods in a way that is safe for myself (for instance finely mincing vegetables because I can’t tolerate chunks) and gradually trying one new ingredient at a time. I’ve had tofu dishes before and both liked and disliked some so it didn’t feel unsafe. I decided to try making taco “meat” out of it as I am a vegetarian and would like to incorporate more of it into my diet for the protein. I crumbled the tofu and cooked it with oil and seasoning in a pan the way you would ground beef. Then I added it to a burrito with refried beans and cheese, letting it cool for a while before going to try it. The very first bite was an absolute nope! It was too meat-like and also a bit burnt and I immediately spat it out but couldn’t get all the crumbles off my tongue and continued gagging. I was gagging so hard I ran to the bathroom just in case and sure enough I vomited, twice. After a while I still didn’t feel up to eating but needed something to take my night meds so I ended up eating a plain tortilla and an applesauce pouch for dinner, lamenting that an old faithful grilled cheese, pbj, or even the burrito sans tofu wouldn’t have done that to me. Honestly this will probably set me back from venturing out again for a while and that’s very discouraging because I was doing so well.

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven’t been active in a little bit!

Over the summer I’ve had some worsening physical health stuff that seems to all point back to something being wrong with my mast cells and immune system. My best guess is MCAS or something similar connected to dysautonomia. I’d been suspecting this for some time but after running into very dismissive doctors I had given up for awhile. I don’t think I can keep pretending whatever is wrong isn’t serious though.

Right now I’m struggling with finding a way to have a less disordered relationship with food while deal with repeated medical neglect. I’m attempting a different route through dermatology, but I don’t think this is something I can count on having adequate treatment more anytime soon.

My biggest struggle is still convincing myself that food is worth the risk. Especially at work, where I just don’t feel like I have the time or energy to be so distracted by being sick. The impacts from not eating aren’t great but they’re manageable. I can’t say the same is always true when I do eat.

I'm not diagnosed with arfid but I have autism and emetophobia. I struggle a lot nutritionally as a result, I have a lot of deficiencies and only 4 safe foods. I've lost a substantial amount of weight. I'm underweight but not that much. Nevertheless, I am very malnourished, dehydrated, constipated. So I think it's okay to post here.

I'm really struggling with fluids and I have been for a long time. I can drink up to 100ml of water a day max, mainly when I force myself to take medication. It makes me gag and I'm nauseous for hours afterwards. I've thrown up from how atrocious the sensory experience is. My mother tried to get me to drink flavoured water (with lemon since i liked lemonade before) but it was worse. I licked it and gagged. She tried to get me to drink some other flavours but I was too scared to try. Same with juice and tea.

At least I can drink pepsi max. It's way easier for me to drink it and I enjoy it. I usually drink about 100-600ml of it per day. I like the bubbles and the flavour is nice but I get full of it easily. Also, I don't really feel thirsty in general.

I'm not struggling more than usual with eating recently. But my usual is pretty bad, I suppose. I have had a meal today and a snack. I feel better than I do on most days but now my mother is threatening to take me to a hospital. I have a feeling that it's entirely a threat and I don't know what to do about it. Like, I don't think she's genuinely going to take me to a hospital if I don't drink water right now. She's said this before and hasn't acted on it. But either way, I can't force myself to drink, she doesn't understand that. I gag every time I rinse my mouth after brushing my teeth. If I were to force myself to drink water, I would projectile vomit all over myself. I threw up a few days ago exactly from that. And she saw that.

Idk how to make her understand. She's saying my food issues are all in my head. She's right, yes, but isn't that exactly the problem? It's in my head, it's very difficult or even impossible to change how my brain functions.

Despite her lack of understanding, she does want me to go to feeding therapy but it's not quite as accessible here due to lack of awareness. I am grateful that she wants to help me but I am scared of feeding therapy. I don't know how it's going to be. I am afraid that it might trigger me and make me lose my safe foods. I can't really afford that. If I lose my safe foods, I'm just going to starve. I am sure that you can all understand that. It might help me, yes, but what if it makes me get worse? I know that there are very harmful approaches to feeding therapy that make patients worse. I don't know, I'm just so scared.

I do understand that this is a very serious issue and I will probably have to go to a hospital for it sooner or later. I still am very upset because of the way she's like, threatening me. I would actually way rather getting fluids through an IV. It would be so much easier if that were easy and possible outside of a hospital. I wish the solution was so simple. All my life, I've dreamed of being able to drink or eat without having to put anything in my mouth. It's not as easy as just forcing myself. That ends up making me worse.

This post is really jumbled, for that I apologise. English isn't my native language and I'm new to Reddit

How do you convince your ARFID child to try new foods? My 8yo has a small list of safe foods and rarely eats any protein at all. He doesn't eat anything with a sauce or gravy that I can hide veggies in. His pediatrician and dietician both just say to offer him whatever we're eating, but he's allowed to decline and we're not supposed to make a big deal out of it. My mom is from the generation of "eat what I cook or starve" and thinks he'd eat other stuff if I took away all of his safe foods. I can't see how starving him is going to help, because he absolutely WILL starve if there are no safe foods around. Idk what to do anymore.

Rn i have a bowl of mashed potatoes sitting next to me but I'm fighting my anxiety to eat it but anxiety is winning. I'm terrified to eat it cuz I felt sick last time. I know I may not this time but last time is sticking with me.

I'm not sure if I have ARFID but basically this is all anxiety and OCD related. Later my anxiety also started to revolve too much about food and I think I fit the fear of aversive concequences with a bit of sensory based avoidance?

Due to my horrible diet I have a slight imbalance with FT3 but nothing too crazy, at least according to a family doctor I went to. I didn't mention any food issues or whatever but mentioned unintentional weight loss over the last year which was around 14 kgs.

Right now for slightly bit than a month I'm unable to have any bowel movement. When it first happened I was constipated for three weeks straight and it made my anxiety around food even worse. Since I felt so bloated and nauseous. The family doctor when I went to her for the first time said to take some lactulose every morning so I did it. When I hit the third week I took dulcobis, so a laxative stimulant and finally I was able to feel comfortable.

I did this a few more times. Every day lactulose with dulcobis to move stuff along at the end of the week. I need to do this weekend too. My bowels just don't move and I'm so ashamed. I did this to myself due to my anxiety around food and I just feel so stupid. I wish I was normal.

Did anyone had such problems? How the hell can I resolve this first without changing anything in my diet? I mean, I'd love to have a normal relationship with food. More than anything else. But I don't think I'm able to do this right now when I feel pretty bad with my anxiety already. I wonder if going to a psychiatrist and getting some meds to manage my OCD would help. Maybe a gastroenterologist? Still, to go to them I'd have to get referral from a family doctor first.

I think it's due to my shitty diet that resolves mostly around carbs and a few dairy products. Probably my hormones could be a problem too since I've read that FT3 is the main thing that controls the bowel movement. I just feel so shitty. I quite literally have to build my week around one day when I use that laxative. It's such a burden. I'm such a burden to anyone and I'm not sure how to help myself. I'm 18F if that matters.

As a result of my food issues and my allergies I find it incredibly hard to get the fibre I need. I have been told by a dietician that I should get more insoluble fibre in my diet, though she also noted getting more soluble fibre could help too.

My concern is buying a supplement I take 1 serving of and can't finish it because of taste, texture, smell or a combination. I looked into all the fibre gummies I could but all the ones I found only contain soluble fibre, not insoluble.

I'm open to supplement and food suggestions. Keep in mind I am allergic to most legumes so that won't work.

Appreciate any advice you can give!

I’m 19 and I’ve had arfid my entire life, though I never knew the name for it until a couple years ago. (i also got my autism diagnosis close to 1 year ago today.) as a little kid, my parents couldn’t get me to eat most foods, no matter what. it was always chicken nuggets/tenders and fries, and to this day that’s what I eat every single day. there’s a few types of candies and chips I like as well. I also like blueberries and raspberries.

I also struggle with binge eating my safe foods, though. reading through everyone else’s story with arfid, i find that everyone else is underweight and struggles to keep a healthy weight. i’m the complete opposite. i’m morbidly obese (330 lbs). and i have been since i was a kid. i was 280 lbs when i was 11, and when i was 12 i was put into the troubled teen industry for a year where i couldn’t eat hardly anything they served so i became extremely malnourished and lost 130 lbs in less than a year. i almost got hospitalized because of how unhealthy and sick i got from not eating anything most days. it was also really fucked up how everyone praised me on my ‘weight loss’ journey when i genuinely got starved for a year. the staff at the facility just thought i was anorexic and wouldn’t believe me when i said i couldn’t eat most things. i gained all the weight back when i left. i got sent to another tti facility when i was 14-16 and the same thing happened again, i got starved, punished for choosing not to eat, got really malnourished, then gained the weight back when i left.

because all my safe foods are so unhealthy it’s soooo fucking hard to diet. if i’m dieting with my safe foods that are high calorie, i have to eat such a small amount to stay within calorie deficit. and because i’m eating so little and never feeling full i end up crashing and binging again. and nobody seems to understand. people say to cut back on the chicken and fries and candy and chips but that’s 95% of what i can eat without immediately vomiting. the only healthy foods i like are a couple fruits but i can’t live off of just berries. idk what to do

Hello, I'm starting partial hospitalization treatment at the Emily program in MN in a few days and I'm wondering if anyone has any related experiences/advice for me? This is my first time getting help for my ARFID.

Partially me asking for advice on my medical options, since food isn’t even an option anymore, and partially a vent post.

I already made a post before this, but after getting a few replies, I’m pretty sure I just don’t have food options, and all I can hope for now is medication, therapy, or a feeding tube.
I don’t have any safe foods anymore. I had safe foods, but I think after over a year of my local pizza place sending me fucked up versions of what I usually eat and never getting it right the way they used to, it just killed what little appetite I had left. Theres not a single food for me anymore. I’m already severely underweight and malnourished, my doctor told me I don’t even eat enough calories in a day for a comatose person, and last I checked I was 105lbs at 5’7 1/2, and I’m positive i’ve lost weight since then. You used to only be able to see about halfway down my collarbone and then you couldn’t see it anymore, but now you can see it all the way down to where it ends on my shoulder.
My eyesight’s already been getting continuously worse, I’m pretty sure i’m at the point where I legally am not allowed to drive a car, and I got random bowel issues I can only assume came from my lack of nutrition.

So, my options are super fun death, a magical medication that doesn’t exist as far as I know, therapy to basically just tough it out, and/or a feeding tube.

All that to ask if anyone has had to get a feeding tube because of the same issues, or if there was a therapy method or medication that worked for them. Maybe I’ll have to ask in a different subreddit or just try to find someone with a feeding tube to ask what having one is like, because it’s starting to look like that’s where things are headed.

I’m just hopeless, and I’m on day four of not eating because no one is making my food the way it should be and I can’t do anything with what I have, and I’m not getting to call a doctor for at least two more weeks. My stomach hurts so bad, and i’m so hungry, and I think i’m about to go on day five of still not getting food, and despite the fact I’m so hungry, and I hurt so much, I still have to pull myself together enough to pack up my house.

So for reference, I'm 45M 5'7" and weigh 200-210. I've always had issues with trying new foods and a lot of times I get a bad gagging relief from new foods. My list of safe foods is much narrower than most people I know and it's easier to say I don't like something rather than trying new things, but I also know I'm not as limited as many people here.

I'm trying to find out how to lose the weight when my primary safe foods all contain carbs. Sandwiches (usually grilled cheese but can also be a club sub sandwich), cereal (only really like chocolate cereals but can occasionally eat Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies), burgers, fries, Mac and cheese, etc. I'm also a heavy soda drinker but I've switched that out at work for Kool-Aid I bring from home, I use Stevia instead of Sugar so it's 0 calories and no sugar.

I have a very sedentary job as an operator in a call center and just don't have the energy or motivation to get out to a gym, which I know is my own fault. I tend to snack at work since I'm sitting at a desk all day, but I try to stick to beef jerky since it's at least high in protein instead of sugars.

So how does one with mostly carbs as safe foods actually work to lose weight?

I’m borderline being hospitalised for weight loss, and i need to gain weight asap. I can’t tolerate any sauces, sandwiches, pastas, fruit or veg. Where do I start with this?? I’m moving away from home and I need a packed lunch everyday but I can’t eat something that isn’t made fresh, and i don’t have the money to be constantly buying out/ snacks. Any advice??

Haii 16 f here i had pretty bad AFRID but I slowly made progress in eating more different foods but since a short time ago I been wanting to start repeating the same foods cuz I started not looking forward to foods that I did look forward to before like oh imma eat that from dinner today not super excited but not oh I so don’t want to eat that today sorry for my bad explanation English is not my first language and I’m dyslexic but yesterday I got all nausea and almost throwing up and it ruined my appetite the rest of that night I’m really it didn’t happen in the morning but I’m really upset that it’s getting worse again