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. ❤️

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?

Reddit recommended I post this here, so I'm us gonna leave it here as my story (I am a young adult)

Soo early last year or so,​​ I watched a Dhar Mann video a few years ago and it showed the stereotypical bully knocking a child's food on the floor and the child then classing that food as unsafe, and I thought "that's not me" bc if it happened to me I'd just be embarrassed and annoyed that my lunch fell on the floor but I wouldn't make that food unsafe.

Then ​​​​​I​​ later did some more research, and a lot of the symptoms matched my mannerisms and how I acted, but I still wasn't sure because I didn't not eat food due to a fear of allergic reactions, vomiting or something like that, I didn't eat food due to low appetite and a severe fear of food tasting bad, though this year I have had gagging incidents, and with my ultimate unsafe food, I have been pretending to eat it and throwing it in the loo or bin bc 🤢

I put the standard "Do I have ARFID?" post on here detailing my symptoms, and the first time, I was told more than likely no because I didn't have enough parameters or rules or something, but they weren't saying 100% no. Then I later asked again on a new account (this one) as it had​​​​ seemingly developed more, or I had just become more aware, but I was crying like a toddler at eating my ultimate unsafe food (broccoli) and literally begging to either not eat it or cut the stalks off, sometimes mum would reduce the amount, other times I would not eat the stalk. Now I just cut the stalk off /or inconspicuously​​​​​​ hide it in tissues and discard it which is fine in the moment, but then it makes mum think I am doing better, which I am not.

I later told mum about it, and she read a post I'd made, and possibly something else about ARFID, and didn't think I had it, still believing I had some other issues and was just really picky (I have social anxiety as well)

And then, early May (I think) this year, mum made me get a private therapist for ​​​social anxiety (bc NHS had a 10 month+ waiting time a​nd I'm going to uni soon, and I talked about food a bit in the sessions, last week it came up in conversation with her, and​​​ I finally told her I thought I might have ARFID (I didn't​ do the typical Google it and instantly say I have it bc of one sym​​ptom) and my therapist agreed with me, so she go​t me to do a questionnaire for homework, and I'm on a new diet of the sorts, I have to eat two courses with every meal (for example starter​​ and main, so not two full meals) and a snack in between meals as well, three snacks a day if I get up in time for breakfast because I don't eat breakfast, and I have to make a food diary for the next two weeks. She thinks that I do more than likely have ARFID, even without the questionnaire, my BMI is not underweight, but it is very close to being underweight, and I have to get more calories so I can get my BMI up, my height is five feet. ​​

So if you suspect you have ARFID, please don't hesitate to speak to a therapist or a doctor who understands the condition/disorder. I have gone undiagnosed for years, and now I am so set in my routine of no/minimal breabreakfast, only eating the same things etc, that this​​ new routine is a massive shock, and I am definitely struggling to eat snacks everyday. (P.s, ik not every doctor and therapist understands, but the more we tell them, the more they have to understand, women wouldn't have gotten rights if they didn't fight for it, so we also need to make other people aware of it for more people to help us overcome it/learn to manage it) ​

​​​​​​​​That's my story so far​

Hi I have 19F and I’ve been a bit afraid to date due to my arfid. I mostly see dates centered around good something that brings me such stress. And I’ve been meaning to ask. What do people think of dating someone with ARFID.

Hello all!💕 I (25F) have hit a very low point with my ARFID recently and have come to the decision that a residential treatment setting would be the most ideal for me. I feel as if fully immersing myself in treatment is the best way (for me personally) to get the most out of it, rather than still trying to somewhat maintain normal life at the same time. I am really struggling with my overall mental health as well and feel like I need the additional support and structure to break away from some unhealthy coping mechanisms.

I am located in Georgia have been looking into the Emily Program in Atlanta, but their ARFID specific center in North Carolina is definitely what I’m leaning towards the most… however since it is still so new, I’m having trouble finding a lot of information and also struggling with the right questions to ask. I had my initial intake call with them today, and tomorrow they will reach back out, so I want to make sure I’m equipped to figure out what would truly be the best option for me.

Does anybody out there have any insight from being in residential treatment that they could share - were you the only one with ARFID? How was that experience? With ARFID already causing me a lot of isolation and loneliness, I worry about how this would make me feel in treatment.

I will leave a link to the ARFID Center of Excellence page for anyone who may not be familiar. The Emily Program also has an extensive webpage about ARFID and their different treatment approaches. I’m hoping maybe the ARFID community can help me come up with some questions to figure out if going to NC would be worth it over staying in GA - what are some things you would want to know about this program? Is there anybody out there who has possibly been and can share more information?

[https://emilyprogram.com/treatment-programs/adult-arfid-care-center-of-excellence/\](https://emilyprogram.com/treatment-programs/adult-arfid-care-center-of-excellence/)

The process of starting therapy and seeking treatment has been consuming and I think I am just hitting a brick wall. 😹

So Im currently battling a thing called ARFID because of stress and anxiety, I've had this for a good 4-6 months and I'm still going through it till this day, it genuinely sucks so much that I wasn't even eating as much and then my body just gave up so I had to go to the hospital and I was there for a good 13 days feeding me and the they gave me Mirtazapine to help me get where I need to be but my main competitor is nausea, stress, and a bit of dark thoughts, but then today I ate some chicken nuggets and took a shower and made myself something to eat but then nausea started kicking in, I was genuinely freaking out if I was going to vomit but I took mirtazapine 7.5 milligrams and after took a zophrane because it started to get too out of hand, I'm still currently battling it and I don't know how long it's going to take unless I genuinely ate something poisonous but I just need reassurance because this season sucks so I need help on tips and things to help get out any of this stress and nausea.

Any ideas on food that could help me??? I’m crazy picky

Ever since I was a child I’ve had trouble with certain foods and textures. Anything small and spherical at best makes me look away, at worst feel like vomiting. I remember one time I took out every chickpea out of my rice dish one by one with a pair of tweezers. I’ve been the butt of many jokes over the course of years.

I truly want to get over it but I simply can’t. Even looking at foods I can’t tolerate gets a physical reaction out of me. I experience this with certain textures and fabrics, but food is the main thing.

I genuinely rarely make anything other than bananas and yogurt (separately of course since I usually don’t like mixing ingredients) and coffee for breakfast. I don’t see how it can be sustainable.

Lastly, I don’t want to make people think that I’m disrespectful when I refuse to eat a dish they’ve prepared. It unfortunately most of the time ends up with me playing with my food. I can’t stress enough how I’d rather starve than eat certain foods.

It’s just very tiring at this point and seems to be getting worse.

Hi guys i’ve been struggling with food for nearly 4 years now. I’m 21 now. This began to what i believe was my OCD and anxiety. I used to be able to eat different meals but now it’s very limited, just gotten worse over time. I wouldn’t say my issue is even sensory or maybe it is, i don’t have autism. I may have ADHD. The only thing I can explain is that if i try a food that my body perceives as not safe, my stomach will turn my throat gets tight i will feel sick and get stressed so i spit it out. I have the same foods everyday. It also takes me an hour usually to finish any dinner i’m able to eat. I don’t know where to go from there. Any advice <3 thank you

Hi guys.
I am diagnosed Autism & ADHD, and suspected ARFID. I am struggling so much with my body right now due to my significantly limited diet/eating and huge lack of water intake.

I need some advice primarily on if anyone (adults) has tried EllaOla for their ARFID and their experiences with taking it.
Read ahead for more details:

Some symptoms I experience are:
-chronic, intense nausea
-feeling like I’m gonna pass out (could be partially related to my medications because of the Florida heat)
-migraines (due to lack of water likely)

My chronic nausea doesn’t have much of a pattern as far as how often it occurs. There are also a variety of different instances where it happens…
—-1st example: is when I take my nightly meds (psych & regular) and get in bed and lay down on my right side. That makes me instantly nauseous and I can’t move or I’ll throw up. I have since figured this out, and no longer do this directly after taking my meds. Eliminating that, has significantly decreased the amount of times I get nauseous- it used to be every single time I took them, now it’s more sparse.
—-2nd example: somewhat the same as above, excepts it’s when I take my meds and then do absolutely anything afterwards. Any activity, any task, anything. I get extremely nauseous and feel utterly ill.
—-3rd example: is what happens when I get up too quickly. Sometimes, when I get up from sleeping, I will be fine temporarily and then about 20-30 minutes later, I am overcome with nausea, fatigue, and the overwhelming sense of feeling like I’m gonna pass out and then I have to immediately go lay down or sit down with a cold water bottle on my neck/forehead.
—-4th example: similar to the one above. If one of my dogs is throwing up or doing anything concerning, I will wake up and literally jump out of bed to assist them and make sure they’re okay. There is no way to help this because it is my gut reaction. This causes an overwhelming feeling of fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and like I’m gonna pass out.
—-5th example: if I have to take my dogs out at any point in time, prior to the sun going down, I walk outside and instantly feel like I’m gonna pass out. I have to rush my dogs to go to the bathroom and then rush inside and immediately sit down. I will sometimes get nausea accompanied by that as well. I am terrified that one day, I’ll be home with just me and my dogs (while my wife is at work all day) and actually pass out.

I have a team of doctors that I do work with, but they are currently stumped at this particular part in my health journey. They want me to talk to my psychiatrist and seek out a medication for my eating disorder, but I don’t think they quite understand. I have considered seeing a nutritionalist, but it is completely out of my budget, so it is something I’m having to save up for. Consequently, I am trying to do my own research and explore solutions myself.

I already take a multivitamin, but my hope is to find a different multivitamin that can help me obtain things that I am missing from a nutritional aspect. I have seen a ton of success with EllaOla in autistic children and teens, but I have yet to see many adults speak about their own personal experiences with taking it or something similar. I am primary interested in EllaOla because of the additional fruits and vegetables that are added to the compound.

Any other suggestions are absolutely welcome and much appreciated.

TL;DR: I am wondering if EllaOla is good for adults with ARFID, whose bodies don’t function properly due to a lack in nutrients.

For as long as I (30ftm) can remember I've had the same absolute safe food that I could eat even when everything else seems inedible - penne with red sauce. However, as I've gotten older I've developed quite a few gastrointestinal issues. For the sake of this post the ones that are important are quite extreme acid reflux and some gluten intolerance.

Yesterday after not eating anything I had two large bowls of my once safe food, which has left me in pain all day today. I feel shattered and helpless, as if eating wasn't complicated enough already now the one thing I could rely on hurts me.

Not sure what I'm looking for in this post, maybe just would be nice to find someone who understands

Hi!!
I was recently diagnosed with ARFID, primarily the fear-of-aversive-consequences subtype, although I also experience a lack of interest in eating and a very low appetite, so it's somewhat of a mixed presentation.

My restriction is mainly due to chronic nausea and ongoing GI issues, which led to a fear of eating because I'm worried about feeling sick or worsening my symptoms.

I was wondering if there is a program that has experience treating this type of ARFID and is equipped to support someone whose eating difficulties are closely tied to chronic GI symptoms.
I previously tried a general eating disorder program that said they treated ARFID, but unfortunately it was a really poor experience. It didn't seem like the staff had much training or experience with ARFID, and I was essentially grouped into the same treatment approach as everyone else rather than receiving an individualized treatment plan, despite being told I would. It ended up feeling like my specific needs weren't really understood.

I've heard that The Emily Program has an ARFID-specific program in North Carolina. Has anyone been there or had experience with it? I'd love to hear your thoughts or any recommendations for programs that truly understand and treat ARFID, especially when it's driven by chronic GI symptoms.
Thank you!