Worried about ARFID struggling with weight loss

[ButterBelly]

I dont have an ED but think I'm developing AFRID, or already have this, and don't actually see any way around it.

I'm terrified of not losing the weight I want to lose and unwilling to eat food from the shops so what can I do? I only trust protein bars and shakes. Black coffee and tea.

I'm maintaining at 27 BMI but obsessively thinking about 18 BMI and very worried about having to give up bars and shakes.

I want to try GLP to stop the noise but worried about thyroid cancer.

I don’t think that what you are describing is arfid, arfid isn’t related to thoughts about weight as it’s an aversion to food regardless of weight. I’m not an expert on anorexia, but this sounds like anorexia?

It sounds like you need to see your GP or self refer to mental health services.
It sounds like an ED not ARFID. You don’t suddenly develop ARFID.
I’m sorry that you are going through this but please seek some help and support asap.

Thanks. It's not sudden. I have an aversion to all food not safe including shakes and bars because of the artificial ingredients but they have calories listed so easy for me to limit.

Thanks for the help

Kindly you do need to want to help yourself. Please seek help.
I know lots about ARFID ( one of the books is dedicated to our daughter) but I’m not qualified to give you advice.

Have you always eaten a narrow range of foods? My dd has ARFID tendencies, weaning was tough. She went through a Greek yoghurt phase, a toast phase etc when weaning, where she refused foods other than the yoghurt, then that was rejected in favour of toast. I slowly increased her repertoire of foods from this as she grew. And then she developed anorexia age 15. At this point, she went back to eating very narrow ranges of foods again. At one stage for a fair while, it was 5 foods and 2 of those limited to approximately once a week. The ED coach and mental health nurse with decades experience of working in patient ED described this as anorexia jumping on the back of ARFID... not that she was under the illusion dd could be diagnosed with ARFID, as the criteria at diagnosable level is very precise.

Does this sound familiar? Because if it does, I wouldn’t focus on potential ARFID, I would focus on the ED. Yes, you will need to eat a wider range of foods, but if you can get help, they should also help you to work on fear foods.