ARFID

My arfid side blog to help me deal

[autistips]

Useful for explaining sensory-related eating challenges…

[ID: Image from feedinglittles.com with the writing “Why does my child struggle with fruits and veggies?” First rows of hands with orange painted fingernails hold four different blueberries, each one labeled juicy, squishy, sweet, sour. Second row of hands hold four identical crackers, labeled “The same every time”/]

[adhd-alien]

With ADHD, a lot of what we do or go through can be misinterpreted - by others but also by ourselves if we get told something often enough.

This is the first part of my series hoping to clear up wrong assumptions and to help you find the words to communicate and share what it looks like from your side.

Keep in mind that this isn't supposed to excuse any and all behavior or diagnose anyone, but more of a communication aid.

Special thanks to Tabby and Ellis to endure my over-caffeinated ramblings!!

[deepdays-deactivated20220120]

i’m getting rlly tired of the media trope where a character has a severely limited palette because they’re childish/immature

[fortnitekillua]

explaining to people what arfid is and why its so hard to live with is so fucking difficult,..and literally a big reason why is that people see it as more of an inconvenience to themselves then the people who actually have it

[onewingednatu]

Arfid rant

(Arfid= Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or formerly known as SED= Selective Eating Disorder)

So my parents and I are in the car, on our way home from the grocery store. We were talking about how many things we bought, since we like... ran out of EVERYTHING at the same time.

I said something like "The foods I requested were because I've been eating the exact same things for-"

"-For your entire life?" -My dad, joking.

"...For the past few weeks. And I wanted something different." ((Legit, I have been pretty much been eating nothing but Cereal, Peanut butter toast, pb sandwiches, and canned chili for several days because there's like. Nothing else that I want to eat.))

"Well, that's what happens when you're picky." -My mom said, knowing full well that I'm trying my best to try new things.

My response, even though that comment made me a bit upset, was a bit more passive like I was telling a joke.

"Well, it's not like I chose to be this way." -my response.

She turned from the passengers seat, and shot me a look.

"Wow, really?" - she said, very sarcastically.

~~~

I didn't have it in me to respond. I really am trying my best to try new foods. You can't even begin to understand just how difficult it is for me to do; it's almost like asking me to swallow a sword.

I. Did not. Want. To be. Like this. If you think I had a choice, do you think I would rather have mental breakdowns every time you try to make me try a vegetable? Do you think I enjoy living off of cereal and peanut butter? Do you think I like having to look at menus to restaurants beforehand and plan out what I'm going to order?

No! I fucking don't! I've come a long way- I eat more pasta than I used to, I eat more pizza toppings than I used to... I have a larger palette now than I ever had!

Point of the story; I'm trying my best, and so are my siblings with Arfid. So when someone you say is "picky" says something like "I didn't want to be like this", please be respectful.

If you can't think of anything helpful or nice to say, then please don't say anything.

[super-fabulous-killjoy]

We as a society need better information because I had a full-on eating disorder and never knew it because it was barely educated on eating disorders besides anorexia and bulimia and I never really got help for it or told anyone because I didnt know it was a recognized issue i thought i was just being a brat

[singlerestaurantorder]

Fictional character I relate to most? Easy, DW from Arthur.

[always-arfid]

Just found this

I stumbled onto this ARFID reddit thread that’s a bit more active than our tumblr tags. Definitely recommend checking it out! https://www.reddit.com/r/ARFID/

[anxietyproblem]

[always-arfid]

We had a family birthday today at a really fancy restaurant and I told my fam I didn’t want to go because I’d checked the menu online and I didn’t like anything but they told me I was being selfish bc it was about my cousin not me. So I sucked it up and went anyway – only to have my father attempt to make me try something (cue the “how do you know you don’t like it if you’ve never tried it!!!”s and the “you like x and x so you’ll like this”s) while my cousins and uncle watched. Then of course one of my aunts made a comment that I’ll be a cheap date bc I don’t eat much and my mum has to jump on the band wagon and talk abt how I am such a picky eater 😒 So I’m sitting there trying not to CRY because I knew this would happen!!! This is why I didn’t want to come!!! On top of that we were there for four hours and I was starving the whole time. Basically it was shitty all round

[arfid-pls-no]

My psychiatrist always tells me it’s important that i stop thinking arfid is my fault in any way but everyone blaming me my whole life for being a ‚picky eater‘ makes it hard for me to actually believe it.

I KNOW that its a disorder and not my fault but at times i cant really BELIEVE it.

[peachdoxie]

#littleselectiveeatingthings

drinking a lot of water because you’re hungry but can’t eat the food

being afraid of being invited to dinner by literally anyone

“I have a lot of unknown allergies so I have be to be careful what I eat”

wanting to explain to your friends that you have an eating disorder but being afraid they won’t understand how selective eating is different from anorexia or bulimia

knowing your diet is garbage but not being able to change anything

“You should just eat what’s on your plate! Be grateful you have anything to eat at all!”

being guilt-tripped for not finishing your food because “other people can’t even afford a full meal”

feeling guilty for wasting food you couldn’t eat because it costs money

you come to hate the term “picky eater” because it’s been used derogatorily against you for years by people who don’t understand

bread

so much bread

but only specific kinds of bread

trying a new food for the first time in a while and tearing up because you just can’t manage to even chew it because of the taste or texture or color

trying a new food for the first time in a while and tearing up because thank god I finally found something new that I can actually eat

trying a new food for the first time and getting sick from it even though you could eat it because your body is so unused to new foods

“You should eat healthier!”

hearing people talk about food and how “everyone loves to eat!” and sitting there awkwardly because you know that’s not true

going to bed hungry because you couldn’t stomach much food but now you can’t sleep because you’re too hungry

trying soylent but being unable to stand the flavor of it

worrying about your nutrition because all you eat is carbs

literally having panic attacks when forced to eat something repulsive to you

wondering what the hell is wrong with you and why you can’t just EAT the damn vegetable

never telling anyone because the few people you’ve told don’t understand and it seems like no one ever will

finally learning that selective eating disorder/avoidant restrictive food intake disorder is a thing

but learning it’s so understudied that no one has any idea what causes it or how to treat it

but also finally learning you’re not alone in this 

[voidsecrets]

GOD can you fucking imagine liking most of the things you try to eat?????? can you imagine actually being able to swallow and eat more than one bite of most things you try can you imagine trying food being no big deal, bc youll mostly likely like it, and even if you dont youre still able to eat most of it can you imagine not wanting to cry at the thought of trying food or keeping it in your mouth or having to swallow it can you imagine not having to analyse a food and weigh the risks before trying it not having to check if it would be ok in the situation to sneakily spit it out if needed or if not eating would be Weird or insulting not having to deal w the anxiety of navigating public and private spaces when youre extremely likely to not be able to eat whats offered and having to decide if its /actually/ ok to not like the food if you try it like oh my god the STRESS of being in anothers home and having to lie about eating beforehand or not being hungry so as to avoid Unsafe Food, or trying to pick at your plate and pretend to eat and somehow choke a little down  bc you know, if im not able to eat something, thats a Huge Insult and im being an Awful Guest and mean and its my fault that i have sensory issues that make me want to throw up from most food or the situation becomes terribly awkward and dont ever make the mistake of admitting you dont like whats being ordered for food at a party bc then theyll go thru the whole list trying to find something you like, but you dont like any of it, and the other guests need to be considered too, and its jsut the worst and you know what everyone thinks about “picky eaters” :) i mean do you know how many times ive gone hungry for most of the day and had to lie about feeling hungry at all solely bc of this shit like literally when i go out somewhere, i dont expect to eat at all until i get back, whether it be at someones house or a party or event or whatever! sleepovers, more like “starvation parties” where i eat one or two bites of dinner to be polite and hope we either go home early in the morning or they decide to have eggs for breakfast and dont even get me started about going to new restaurants 

[arfids]

having arfid is like coming to an alien planet and trying to eat their slime-only cuisine

[skeleton-tearss]

That arfid feel when your stomach is growling and hurting because you haven’t eaten all day but you’re not hungry and the thought of eating anything makes you feel sick

[velvet-mondaymourning]

I Hate Being Called “Special” For My Eating Habits.

I Hate Being Picked On And Called Names By My Family, And Them Apologizing To Strangers Who Take My Orders.

[bellero]

okay, so there’s a high chance that I could have ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder) and I’m so fucking relived.

For years I’ve thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn’t eat like normal people, for years I thought I was a freak for not being able to eat certain foods.

Now that I know that THIS IS A THING and that there’re so many people out there who HAVE THIS makes me so fucking happy