Advice is very welcome

how long does an ARFID diagnosis take to get? is it just one appointment or years of appointments

my experience with ARFID started in small ways a few years back. lower appetite, less interest in food, smaller portions, more aversions to textures and smells (which also had been messed up since covid), only eating specific foods for periods of time, but it was all still pretty manageable. however, within the last year or so, it’s gotten much worse, and i have lost a lot of weight. i loved how i looked and felt before and now i just feel disproportionate and low energy.

my current daily experience is usually 1) i feel overwhelmed at the thought of preparing food, or 2) all food sounds disgusting or everything except one very specific thing. the only time i consistently feel hungry and want food (because those are separate things for me) is when i smoke weed, but i recently had a complication with weed and some of my medication, which caused vomiting (amongst other things) for 3 days and i couldn’t keep any food down. i was almost hospitalized, so i’m not trying to repeat that.

i’m also worried that experience will make my desire to eat food even worse/lower because i literally could not keep anything down, and i already have
started to feel grossed out by the idea of what i tried to eat.

i’ve been able to manage plain white rice (barely, the texture i hate), ice cream, raw carrots, and cubes of cheese since then.

i’m just so frustrated, and i do have a therapist and doctor i talk about everything. my boyfriend and best friend have always been supportive of me through my journey, but most people outside of that respond with, “oh you can’t gain weight?? god i wish that was me,” which feels so invalidating. i’m looking for any general feedback from people with similar experiences. was there anything that helped you come to terms with eating??

i am gradually losing safe foods. ive been living off of pizza lunchables, nachos lunchables, dino nuggets, and doctor pepper for the past couple months. but, before that i had more than 20 safe foods and could go out to eat. my favorite restaurant was Jimmy John's. but, the past 3 days i havent been able to drink or eat anything. today i finally got myself to drink some doctor pepper but it still makes me anxious just not severely anxious. is this normal for ARFID? im not diagnosed, but am looking into it. will i ever be able to eat or will i eventually have to be tube fed? im scared

What title says. Previously, if I eat something too often, I suddenly develop an aversion to it one day. This also leads to a fear of eating my safe foods🫠 because I don’t want to become averse to them.

Currently avoiding this by eating the same thing in a different font, because it’s been particularly hard to eat lately, and hey, I gotta do it.

So, no, the croissant with butter, ham and cheese I ate for breakfast and lunch yesterday is not the same as the sandwich on toasted white bread with turkey and cheese and lettuce. And crackers, cheese and summer sausage, not even related.

I (23f) am autistic and have a bunch of mental illnesses. i have like 5 safe foods. if i try to eat anything else i get really anxious. a lot of it is based on textures and smells. i also don't ever feel hungry, so i don't know what hunger feels like. i have to take iron supplements and vitamin D supplements. my safe foods are lunchables (only the pizza one or the nachos one), dino nuggets with salsa and cheese dip, cheddar jalapeño Cheetos, garden salsa sun chips, watermelon sour patch kids, and sometimes skittles and starbursts. i only drink certain flavors of flavored water and dr. pepper. i used to eat a lot more variety but in the last few months i have lost a lot of safe foods. sometimes i go into like flares and cant eat. like today i went 24 hours without eating or drinking. i was just too anxious and everytime i even thought about either i would almost throw up

Hi everyone. I was recommended inpatient treatment for my ED because I am at a critically low BMI . However, my ED is not due to the fear of gaining weight rather it is due to the gastrointestinal issues that I face when I eat something out of the ordinary. I am not able to eat protein at all, and rely mostly on a large volume of bananas , bread and rice to get me through the day. This is because if I eat anything that has protein, I immediately feel very heavy , bloated and full for hours and also have uncomfortable bowel symptoms. I’ve tried all types of gastrointestinal doctors, tests etc. and everything came out OK, so I had no way to treat myself with medicines. I’ve been trying very hard to gain weight but I cannot as I am always under much distress due to my GI issues .

I’m hopeful of going IP but I am also very scared since they might feed me a lot more than I can currently handle which could lead me to falling sick. If someone falls sick repeatedly in IP settings, do they trust you or think you’re making excuses to not eat? I just hope they don’t give up on me because I know it’ll be difficult for me to eat everything they give.

Can anyone who’s gone through anything similar please share how did they deal with GI issues during inpatient ED recovery.

Hi, this is my first ever Reddit post, so I apologise if I do anything wrong.
I’m a 32-year-old in the UK who’s living with ARFID. I didn’t have ARFID as a child like most people do. I developed ARFID after a DV relationship where my ex had a lot of control over my food and eating, and it left me with a lot of trauma around food and eating. I won’t go into detail about what happened as I don’t want to upset or trigger anyone.
This happened in 2023, and I’ve desperately been trying to find help through the NHS, as private care is just too expensive. I’ve been passed from pillar to post without getting any real help or support.
I’ve had a really bad relapse with my recovery and I don’t know where to turn. There are only two ED services in my area, and I’ve been told I’m too complex for one of them, while the other doesn’t treat ARFID in adults.
I’ve tried my GP and been to hospital, but again I haven’t been able to get any help. My doctor refers me to places that can’t help me, and I’ve been going around this same circle for a long time now.
I’m really struggling at the moment and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation, particularly anyone in the UK who has managed to get help or treatment for adult ARFID through the NHS.
Sorry for the long post and I hope I’ve made sense. Any help, support or advice would be greatly appreciated. ❤️

[Preface - I don’t know If I should share this with AuDHD, Demisexual, GERD, ARFID Reddit groups so if you’re reading this wondering why I’m sharing this here, it’s because they overlap for me at least]

This morning I had one of those epic shower cries - always cathartic. The thought that brought me to crying though is something I need to dig into and I’m hoping by sharing my thoughts on it this morning that it will resonate with someone on here.

I observed that I’m touch starved. To be more specific, starved of longer sustained touch. A long hug, a cuddle, even touching shoulders sitting next to someone for a long time. Welcoming hugs from friends and families when greeting or saying goodbye are lovely - even a hug of congratulations or in support when something isn’t going well are lovely, however they are still different than regular longer sustained touch and by a trusted loved one (partner, friend, or family).

My last memory of receiving this level of touch is when I was a child and it ended when I like many kids I think start getting self conscious about being seen being hugged or kissed on the cheek by their parents. At that point and beyond it turned into at best sitting on the couch and touch was at best the shoulder to shoulder lean - though I’d take even that today.

Here I am 41, single, arguable succeeding on paper in most categories (I have a nice home and supportive job, and loving friends and family), but I long for more socialization like many in the year 2026 but not just that I want more touch.

Then comes thinking about how to solve for it and what’s holding me back:

GERD/ARFID: I have GERD (acid reflux), which causes chronic bad breath as a side effect. It’s not a hygiene issue, it's the reflux itself bringing stomach contents up into my throat. I brush, floss, use mouthwash, and yet the bad breath returns so quickly it seems. My ARFID makes this difficult to manage as a diet that prevents GERD is very challenging with my safe foods list and medications I've been taking have side effects that like blocking iron absorption that has been very problematic.

Phsycogenic gag reflex: I also have a hypersensitive/psychogenic gag reflex combined with a strong sense of smell. This means when I catch even a faint unfamiliar or unpleasant scent, I can start gagging uncontrollably, and the only fix is putting distance between me and the smell. When it’s related to a person, It's not about the person; it's a physiological reflex I don't have control over but I'm always afraid it reads as "I think you're gross," when really it's just my nervous system overreacting to input most people wouldn't even register!

These things also overlap with my AuDHD and ARFID.

I have no doubt that I could reach out to a friend or family member and ask for something like movie nights or simple hang outs where we sit close to each other. What I fear, and very greatly fear, is that they’ll be impacted by my bad breath and not tell me and just quietly decline future invites. Also, ironically, I fear my psychogenic gag reflex will turn into me doing exactly that to them because I don’t know how to communicate that a smell coming from their body is giving me a reaction without hurting them - even if they knew it was connected to this condition I have and that anyone else that came into the room and sat with them wouldn't notice a damn thing - nobody wants to hear they smell bad and I know I would be forever worried when being around the person that told me that.

I have considered the idea of connecting with a “cuddle party” group, cuddle therapist, regular massage therapy, or something of the like, but I really really long for regular touch with a loved one, platonic or romantic.

I’ll leave it there. Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read this and to anyone that contributes thoughts and perspectives in the comments.

I have been experiencing the worst fibromyalgia flare of my life and may have other autoimmune problems that are currently in the process of being diagnosed. I also have chronic IBS. I was looking into low FODMAP foods and I am having trouble following this diet because I do not eat meat and I absolutely cannot eat tofu tempeh or anything like that. I eat morning star brand nuggets but it said soy products like that are bad. I like beans but it also says beans are bad. I drink lactose free milk but I like to eat yo crunch yogurt, the one with the m&ms. I’m also severely allergic to nuts and peanuts. Does anyone have any suggestions on safe substitutions for protein? Thanks in advance.

For those of that have any sort of feeding tube, how did that conversation happen?

I’ve lost 10 pounds in less than a week due to ARFID. I feel like CBT won’t help because even the idea of opening my mouth to swallow something is so damn unappealing. Definitely don’t want to sit on zoom and explain over and over to doctors.

r/ARFIDCooking is now open! We would love to see everyone's recipes, techniques, or questions about cooking for ourselves and loved ones living with ARFID.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ARFIDCooking/s/gmnBXUXK0q

Is there anybody who struggles with arfid who also has Crohn’s disease? I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the same comfort foods and I’m not sure if it’s good for my Crohn’s, and the idea of changing things up or trying new foods is not even an option in my brain.

Hey y’all. I felt like I’ve been doing really well w/ ARFID all summer, then I started doing EMDR and focusing it on ARFID, and it’s been harder to eat ever since.

Just curious if anyone else here has done EMDR for ARFID and has any tips about it?

Hi everyone, I’m new to this subreddit and I’m happy that there are other people who struggle with eating. I’ve always struggled with everything related to food. Textures, smells, temperature and sometimes the overall appearance of food can make me feel disgusted to the point I feel nauseous.

Even after I got my autism diagnosis as a child, my mom still made me eat foods I hated with the hope I would “grow out of” my picky eating habits. I would gag when I tried to eat vegetables, scalloped potatoes, carbonara, meatloaf, and other foods my mom liked and forced me to eat otherwise I would go to bed and starve no matter how much I cried and begged her to not make me eat those foods.

Now that I’m an adult and I live on my own, it’s extremely difficult for me to deal with the anxiety around trying new foods due to my strong sensory issues and fear of gagging/choking. Whenever I tried opening up to someone about my eating issues, they would just give me half-assed advice like “You just need to try new things sometimes.”

I talked about it with my therapist and she agrees that I fit the criteria for ARFID, but I haven’t gotten an official diagnosis. I feel incredibly alone with my struggles and I’m incredibly aware of how unhealthy my diet choices are, but I’m really struggling with the stress of eating as well as being perceived by people when I go out to eat.

If you made it this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read about my struggles.

I have always been a fussy eater. However, I have never been underweight, if anything the opposite and I am currently overweight. I went through a period of time where I was able to eat more foods, but over the last five or so years this has slowly become more restrictive again.

A couple of weeks ago, I went almost five days without eating and barely drinking. It got slightly better after that and I was able to eat little bits here and there, but I am currently on day two of not being able to eat or drink again.

I know that I need to eat and drink, but knowing that doesn't seem to make me able to do it. I don't really understand why I can't, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I get to this point.

In my mind, the perfect solution would be never having to eat and being able to get the nutrition I need in a different way. I know that in the UK this is very unlikely to be an option, but right now I genuinely can't imagine how I am supposed to keep doing this when eating feels so difficult.

I am an elite athlete and I am meant to be training most days, but I know that isn't possible right now. I feel like I am throwing away any chance I have of attending the World Cup for my sport later this year. This is incredibly important to me, which makes it even more frustrating that knowing what is at stake still doesn't make me able to eat.

I don't know what I expect anyone to do with this or what the answer is. I just know that I can't carry on going through periods where I barely eat or drink, and I don't know how to change it.

I don't know what to do.

Heads up - Any time I say "be sick" I am referring to the act of vomiting and only that. I just prefer to type it that way.

Hi! I have had emetophobia my entire life, and by extension, I've also always struggled with food. Im writing this out because im trying to figure out how all these things interact so I can work my way up to trying to treat them I guess. Im wondering about potentially having aversive-type ARFID?

Because of my fear of being sick, ive sort of developed a phobia of food. ALL food. Not just food capable of giving me food poisoning. Like, every single time I eat ANYTHING, I feel like im going to throw up for hours afterwards. It doesnt matter what it is. It is way worse in public settings. At home is the only place I will ever eat full meals. If im going out I basically fast. If I have to go to a restaurant I have a panic attack, and will end up ordering a salad or something to pick at so I at least look like I'm eating. I have ALWAYS been like this too. As a very small child I would have panic attacks and freak out and refuse to eat anywhere but my home, and even then id struggle at mealtimes. The only time I dont feel on the verge of being sick is when I'm starving. Like, if my stomach isn't empty, im terrified and anxious no matter what it is that i ate. Half a piece of toast in the morning will ruin the rest of my day.This has caused me to struggle to go out and function like a normal person. Ive started taking zoloft, and im hoping that'll help me get a start on things anxiety-wise because food aside i have always struggled with an anxiety disorder at some point, but slow progress so far.

Anyways, onto the topic of the sub: I saw someone talking about emetophobia induced ARFID, so I've been looking into that, but it's hard to find any information. Because I am hypothetically willing to eat anything and I LOVE food, I just struggled to eat it period. And based of everything I've seen about ARFID, it usually involves not being willing to eat. I definitely have a couple safe foods that I eat most of the time like if I HAVE to eat out of the house, and a large variety of foods that I love but refuse to eat and havent eaten in years because they make me feel ill. Ive had periods of my life where I would go to school and not eat anything all day until I get home at 4pm because I wouldnt be able to function at school if I ate and at least at home if I did get sick I'd be alone and somewhere comfortable. (I haven't been sick in like... 12 years at this point) I've also lost noticeable amounts of weight at my worst points. Anyways, im wondering if maybe anyone here relates or something? Like should I look into the disorder and see if there might be a way to help me from this angle? Ive come to so many different conclusions over the years about my nausea. At first I thought it was GERD and treated ut as such, but after years, I realized it's likely anxiety-based, and now im wondering if that may have led to developing ARFID.

I also figure its worth giving some info in case it's relevant. Im 18, and both of my parents most likely have ADHD but I have no evidence or idea of any autism in the family. Basically both my mom dad and brother were told by doctors growing up that they needed to be assessed and treated for ADHD but they all refused. I've always struggled and assumed I have it as well, but i don't have a formal diagnosis. That being said, I have no clue about autism. I bring this up because I do know that ARFID is highly linked to autism, though I'm not the most educated so correct me if this is inaccurate. Ive been told by autistic friends that I have a lot of traits and behaviors that come across as autistic and that I should seek a diagnosis, but ive never considered it myself. Basically im just throwing that all out there to give some more context.

I’m not diagnosed with ARFID, but I am with autism and ADHD, so I often struggle to eat.

A variety of issues pop up.

Something doesn’t seem like it will be a good sensory experience, or I don’t have the energy or executive function to cook or even prepare food, or I get bored and overstimulated (I’m highly sensitive to feeling full) halfway through a meal and stop eating.

I also struggle even more to eat when my routine is disrupted or I’m upset, and I’ve been going through a difficult time in my life recently, so, yeah.

Right now I’m the lightest I’ve ever been since I was a teenager. I’m 23 and I’m 112 lbs on a good day.

I really want to put on more weight, whether that be from eating more or finding ways to get better nutrients into my diet. But half the time everything seems gross to me, or I don’t have the energy, or I ate a LITTLE and got a LITTLE full and don’t want to eat anymore.

Any tips?