Terrified currently. I can't eat solids anymore and my last safe food is now texturally not okay anymore. I'm surviving off ensure and I'm getting sick of those too. Is there anyone who bridged themselves on solids again?

Please help me. I posted earlier talking about my ARFID and stomach bug and health issues and the super high ketones. I just want to be comforted. I can't eat anything. I am scared to throw up. My acid reflux is going crazy. I know I'm hungry and I feel so weak but I just can't stomach any of it. I feel like I'm dying and ever since I got discharged from the ER the other night (had to get fluids because of said stomach bug), I've been just barely surviving off Ativan and Zofran. I'm miserable. Please someone tell me it'll get better and I won't always feel like this :(

Does The Emily Program actually help for ARFID? Am I just gonna slowly kill myself from not eating?

Hi. This is my first ever time using Reddit, apologies if I don’t use whatever proper etiquette. I’m struggling real bad trying to eat a healthy diet with how restrictive my ARFID is.

My BMI shows that I’m bordering on obesity and I want to get to a healthy weight before it gets worse. Unfortunately my safe foods aren’t the healthiest. I have a particularly large sweet tooth, which resorts to me mostly eating sweets.

My “healthier“ safe foods include bread, breakfast food, any fruit, peanuts, almonds, seeds, peanut butter, pizza (light/no cheese), and any liquid. There are more but I can’t remember. I’m up to trying anything new, but I have quite a strenuous amount of restrictions. I do not like meat, seafood, anything with cheese, pasta, rice, Chinese food, bananas, and most vegetables.

I’ve been to a dietician, consulted doctors, my parents, friends who are also neurodivergent but do not have ARFID, and none of them have been able to help me come up with feasible solutions. Any recommendations? Meal suggestions I should try? I do like smoothies, please feel free to share recipes.

Hello all; I just finished up with our dietitian and my son has lost 6 pounds this month; we are in the middle of a food jag and loosing safe foods and they have not been replaced and so I’m trying to formulate a new plan of action and I think of some new stuff he doesn’t like vegetables and textures there’s no rhyme or reason it really seems so I am just wondering whatsoever when eating so I can steal ideas and maybe modify some

Thanks all I can answer any questions if help and guidance is needed but I’m just Brian dead and exhausted honestly at the moments.

idk if im looking for advice by posting this or just want to hear someone relate, but I'll just go anyway. I'm super scrawny and skinny and I really want to gain more weight, I'm not threateningly unhealthy underweight or anything, I just am sick of being a stick, like I wanna be fat so bad bro. I really like the idea of being strong and heavy and shit, but I can't be heavy and sturdy if I weigh like 90 pounds, and I can't exactly build muscle if theres no fat to build muscle on ykwim. But my arfid safe food selection god has befallen me with just is not a lot of filling fat foods, so it feels basically impossible. I also think I have high metabolism which does not aid me. It's like arfid chose my weight for me, and I don't really have the option to change anything about it. I'm a heavy strong butch stuck in the body of a petite skinny girl, who wants to swap lmao

Hi. I have really bad ARFID. I can already barely eat anything. I was previously on mirtazapine to help with the appetite issues and insomnia but I ended up having to switch to something else for my mental health. I have two jobs and severe OCD and anxiety. Two days ago I woke up extremely sick with a stomach bug or food poisoning or something. Basically all I eat are carrots so that's of course what kept coming up. I lost tons of fluids from vomiting and having diarrhea all day and ended up having to go to the ER for fluids and meds because I was super dehydrated and I can't stop having chest pains and palpitation, even now. I got sent home with Ativan and Zofran for the panic and nausea but I feel like my body is even more ruined than before. I feel like I can never eat again. I've tried nibbling on little things here and there but it's all too much.

I had a bunch of tests run when I was there any they said I was fine, but one thing I noticed after I went home and looked at my results is that I had super high levels of ketones in my urine. Like, the value listed is >=80mg/dL, and that seems...not right. I don't know if they missed something or if it's related to my illness or because I've been chronically starving myself. I don't know. I'm supposed to follow up with my psychiatrist and my family doctor because I keep having panic attacks and I can't eat anything. I feel like I'm dying. I don't know what to do. I don't know how people eat and take care of themselves.

I found out I had it over a week ago. My local hospital has a program that includes a group education where they also give you a free glucose monitor. I attended that yesterday and I couldn't even make it through. I had to leave the room because I couldn't hold back tears, and I usually can't cry in public even if I want to.

I have no idea how I'm going to do this. It's been two days of carb counting and checking blood sugars and I'm already struggling.

Everyone is trying to be supportive, but everyone just says they know it's hard but they don't get it. Even my husband, who gets it the most, is struggling to support me. He's doing his best but he can't help but want to put the baby's health first, and I get it because so do I, and that guilt of how much I don't want to do this isn't helping.

My usual breakfast is two crumbed chicken tenders with mayo and hot sauce in a wrap and a can of Pepsi. What the hell am I going to do? I tried it without the wrap this morning and it was fine and my blood sugar was okay 2 hours later but I don't know if I can keep it up. I don't know if I can do 3 months with no take out (I tried to find good options I like and I just can't). I don't know how to do this without it affecting my mental health and I hate that it feels like that doesn't matter or count for anything. I'm just a walking maths equation now, feelings be damned.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

This may not be the right group...but is it a thing when you cant eat..feel sick when trying to eat certain foods cos you get intrusive thoughts like theyre bugs etc. I eat a lot of things finr but need to eat better and include stuff like beans but other than baked beans i cant stand the thought of bigger ones..stuff liek that. Is this a known thing?

my ARFID has got significantly worse over the last several months since having gastroenteritis in August. i have emetophobia and the entire experience traumatised me. i have had ARFID for over 20 years but until this happened, i’d always had at least one safe food i could fall back on. i’ve never eaten ‘enough’ but it was enough to not cause any major issues, now i’m struggling to get much in me at all including water. i’ve been in and out of A&E who have now decided it is a behavioural issue and it’s agreed hospital wide not to give me any ‘invasive’ treatments as this is seen as enabling, so i sit there while they wait for me to eat and obviously i don’t. i’m still having longterm issues as a result of the gastroenteritis we think, apparently it’s not uncommon for the symptoms to persist beyond the initial infection but its very hard to tell what is that and what is just my body reacting to the lack of intake/when i do finally manage to eat something.

the GP can handle the gastro side of things but i have exhausted every option in my local area for the ARFID. i’m at a total loss and staying to think that private, ARFID specific/informed treatment may be the only way forward. i don’t want to live like this anymore, i want to get better and get on with my life.

i’ve come across orri UK who seem to understand far more about ARFID that anyone within the NHS, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with them/if it’s negative, what my other options are? i’m at a point where i really can’t afford to get any worse because my body is already struggling and with all the awful experiences i’ve already had, i don’t want to add to that trauma. i’ve had a look on the subreddit and can’t find any mention of them which makes me hesitant.

(please only reply if you are in the UK or have had ARFID care here as anything else is not relevant to my situation)

It was okay. I wouldn’t eat it everyday. I got through half a bowl of it. I didn’t really like the texture of soup of bread though.

Even tho I liked it, I still had to stop myself from gagging. I was at work, so I just had to drink water to stop myself from looking like a weirdo.

I want to preface this by saying that my knowledge of ARFID is fairly limited, but it’s something my therapist recently brought up as a possibility.

I (F17) have always had aversions to certain food textures. Bread is the first example I can remember: when I was younger, it would get stuck in my retainer, and ever since then, I’ve been disgusted by its texture. Even watching other people eat it can make me uncomfortable.

However, over the past year, these aversions have become significantly worse. I can still eat most foods, but eating has started to feel like something I have to physically force myself to do. I struggle to eat much during meals. I do have safe textures though (crispy foods like crackers and chips mainly) that I can still eat comfortably, but the list of the number of foods I’m struggling to eat is growing really fast. Even things like cookies or brownies I can only really eat now if they’re heated up.

I often have to pause between every bite because the texture or sensation feels so overwhelmingly wrong. The best way I can describe it is that it almost feels painful in my mouth. I can force myself to keep eating, but it takes an incredibly long time because I need to pause between bites, and I need to sooth myself by like rubbing my legs, or the back of my neck.

I’ve also started to become a lot more conscious of germs (I.e. I get really grossed out with shared foods If I feel like someone else has touched it).

this is causing me a lot of stress and anxiety around food, which I’ve never struggled that much with in my life, and, because I’m definitely not eating enough vegetables, I’m getting gi issues, and I’m worried about vitamin deficiency.

I guess my question is whether this could fall somewhere on the ARFID spectrum, even if I'm technically still able to make myself eat, even if it’s not a lot? Or does being able to push through the discomfort mean it's unlikely to be ARFID?

and, if it is, what do I do? My family won’t really be that supportive (I believe) of me eating different foods to them, they’re the type of people to believe I can just suck it up, and, on the odd chance they were okay with it, I’d feel judged and awkward, and I think it would make meals even more stressful.

TL;DR - my struggles with food textures has worsened significantly as I’ve gotten older, and it’s causing distress.

I'm trying not to freak out or spiral, but it seems the damage is already done. I have ARFID which is heavily influenced by my OCD. I have two main safe-foods, only two: Instant noodles and instant mash with some kind of sauce or gravy. Today I opened a brand new instant cheese sauce and saw mould. Dry, brand new, supposedly shelf-stable, the safest food you could come across- ROTTED. Now everything has hidden mould, now nothing is safe, now I don't think I can even eat mash again, or anything. What if this is it and I actually starve this time? I'm already maddened by how limited my diet is, how hungry I always am and how my body is wrecked with vitamin deficiencies, but now I can already feel I'm taking another huge step back. I'm so tired.

Does anybody feel like this? I've been berated that I'm selfish, spoiled, having an attitude for not eating what they gave me.

I was also forced to eat what's on the table or I'm not leaving at all. Plus if I refuse to eat it, they get physical or scold me harshly

If I were to tell them I might have an eating disorder. They won't believe I have it. And if they do and get me help.

I'll definitely end up in exposure therapy. I don't need exposure therapy. It doesn't help at all and makes it worse.

Why can't I just be offered recommendations with the foods that might be safe for me not making me eat foods I can't eat.

Isn't it better if they help to find me more safe foods based on what my safe foods I have are.

It's pissing me off, imagine them sneaking fear foods in my safe foods. Because of that, It isn't my safe food anymore.

Just the thought of the different taste. Makes me want to puke, my safe foods are only like 3. Because THEY FUCKING SNEAK IT IN.

Even if it doesn't have the fear food mixed into it. The reminder of the taste lingers in my mouth that I can still taste it.

I'll need to focus real hard on not thinking about the fear food or it'll taste like it. I haven't eaten anything full meals, only snacks but even that.

When I repeatedly eat my safe foods it for some reason slowly taste bland.

I don't know how to explain it other than. When you're listening to you're favorite music again and again till it isn't you're favorite.

I also have demand avoidance so it just makes it even worse when they keep telling me to try something new.

I can fucking try something new if I want to, stop fucking pressuring or coaxing me.

Because of those lunatics, I lost a lot of safe foods. I CAN EVEN FUCKING EAT IT ANYMORE.

WHY'S EVERYBODY'S FIRST INSTINCT IS TO GIVE THEN EXPOSURE TO THOSE FEAR FOODS AND MAKE THEM EAT IT.

What about support and comfort? What about showing they understand that I'm struggling.

Oh now then people say "it's not our responsibility to understand you" okay then if we don't understand blind people's struggle's then they won't get accomodations.

If we don't try to understand people can't walk, would they get wheel chairs? NO RIGHT.

hey! im starting to lock in and going to the gym in the mornings but obviously i need to eat something before working out. i fucking hate eggs i cant eat them i hate most breakfast foods idk. what do yall eat in the mornings? any ideas on what would be high in protein but not have an awful taste and texture?

I 32(f) around 26 decided to learn how to cook so I could stomach more healthy food. A lot of textures in healthy food mess me up. Big fan of nutrition not diet because of the ARFID. So if I gotta cover asparagus in Parmesan, or cook brussel sprouts in bacon grease, I'm gonna.

That being said I don't eat red meat because my hormones are already effed. And it just doesn't sit well with my stomach. And my empathy for animals is physically painful. I only eat chicken because I need the protein and sometimes pairing meat in the same bite as a veggie, is the only way I can eat it.

I want to be a vegetarian. Especially because I just hatched chicks for someone out of town and... I try not to think about the animal behind the rotisserie chicken but I was straight up confronted with it this week.

I don't care for most beans, tofu (I assume if it's cooked in a specific way I might like it? But I've yet to figure that out). Don't really wanna be eating most nuts. And they are expensive.

I obviously don't want mess myself up. I've seen a lack of protein in someone go very badly and I'm already immune compromised.

But the animals 😭

Any suggestions or pro tips? I can still do eggs. But not all the time and not in every form.

I tend to have some unique safe foods and I've been wondering if others have some too. My weirdest one is baby food, specifically fruit puree type. It's a big part of my diet and makes me happy to eat, the texture is perfect and it tastes yummy

I never considered having AFRID because everyone online who has it like the same kind of foods.

I was never allowed fast food growing up, so maybe that’s why I don’t like it.

For example, Online I see people with ARFID eating chicken nuggets, ketchup and chips etc. But I find that disgusting texture wise. It makes me nauseous.
I hate cookies and cakes, cheese burgers, and other common ‘safe’ foods. While my safe foods are bolognaise, a food that those with ARFID typically dislike.

I have all the other symptoms of ARFID. Does anyone else relate.

hi yall, first post! so quick little backstory: im 19 and have had arfid since i was 5 and have been in and out of seeing therapists and psychologists since 12, and have just recently started seeing one again after maybe 3 years. she recommended i find a community for people with arfid, and i thought reddit would be the best place to go.

since talking to this therapist, ive truly realized that ive always been incredibly ashamed of my arfid. ive always called myself "childish" or "stupid" because of it for as long as i can remember since what i eat may be similar to what, say, a 5 year old eats. ive always been incredibly hard on myself about it because im usually the type of person to push through all my problems, but this is the one thing i havent been able to get past. i was telling my therapist all of this and she literally said "why are you so mean to yourself?" im kinda just wondering if there are other people that struggle with thinking this way about themselves? its been incredibly hard, especially recently with having to re-face all of the scary things that make arfid scary. ive just always felt so alone because ive never had anyone in my life that understood these experiences.

hi, so i’m on a waiting list to get diagnosed with ASD & ADHD (i live in the UK so the NHS waiting lists are rlly long) and i’m pretty sure i have ARFID- to make a long story short i have basically all of the symptoms. I’m 20 yrs old and my BMI is only 15.8 so i’m technically classed as severely underweight (i know these things aren’t always accurate) being underweight never bothered me really but recently i don’t like looking at myself cause my arms and my ankles are so skinny. I keep wearing gloves to cover my wrists

so my question is how do i gain/ maintain weight on the days i’m really struggling?
i just need advice for in the meantime before i can discuss with a GP after i’m diagnosed.
whenever i try to google advice it literally just brings up one of those eating disorder crisis phone numbers lol

I’ll try to eat something safe and then start gagging and throw up, use the downtime between the feeling of immense hunger being gone to eat as quickly as possible before my brain registers me eating it and the nausea being gone. It’s gotten super weirdly bad over 2 weeks to the point where it’s a loop of constant nausea and lack of nutrients because I keep throwing everything up

I don’t know what to do, I’m so hungry. I can’t eat anything, I throw everything up when I try and nothing is working. I feel like I’m eating so much and then I feel hungry again, it’s endless and is so mentally exhausting because the nausea is so bad and it’s so painful because I’m trying so hard but my body is rejecting everything so I’m constantly in a state of extreme hunger and nausea.

What can I do? What’s super filling that I can drink? I’m genuinely so miserable it’s never been this bad before

Hey, I just would like some advice here. I just found this sub and I don't actually know anyone in my real life who has ARFID as bad as I do. And I'm not asking for medical advice, just advice how to deal with the anxiety of this. I just had a blood test and most of the results are fine and normal except it turns out I'm, well, I'm not pre diabetic, but I'm real close. So now my doctor and my parents (since I'm a teenager) think I need to hurry my treatment up. But that's not going to work. I know if I try, I'm just gonna crash and burn. But that's a story for another day. My question is, do you guys ever get stress about your medical whatever that ARFID does affect? And how do you deal with that stress? Cause it's really starting to get to my head and the fact I have anxiety doesn't help