I think I might have ARFID

[MelodyAlice1]

Does anyone have experience with this eating disorder?? I have been doing research and it is different from other eating disorders. It has different components. For me , I get full fast and dont enjoy pressures of trying to eat alot. I think thats big reason I get anxious.

[mrmonk]

Hello MelodyAlice1,

A therapist I saw a few months ago suggested I had ARFID. I had never heard of it, though I have had issues with eating since I was a boy. You see, I have emetophobia (fear of vomiting) and pseudodysphagia (fear of choking), and these phobias affect how I eat (for instance, I don't eat many meats, like steak, because I fear I may choke). This, in turn, affects my weight and nutrition. I have had to modify my diet in order to get adequate nutrition. For the past decade, I have been drinking Ensure Plus products daily.

The past couple of months, I began experiencing something similar to what you have described: I get full very quickly, having eaten very little. But I also get extremely bloated and nauseated; the little food I eat just seems to sit in my stomach all day to the point where I eat very little solid food at all. Consequently, I've lost a lot of weight, going from 128 lbs. to 116 lbs. in less than two months.

I hope your problems with eating are not as severe. Still, I understand how it can be a great source of anxiety. Can you see a mental health professional about it? Feel free to message me if you need to talk. Take care and be well.