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wrote on January 18, 2020
at
4:25 am
hi everyone! I feel a little uncomfortable doing this but I'm doing it anyway. I came across this website when doing research about picky eating. I've been a picky eater ever since I was a kid, so much that my pediatrician when I was a toddler told my mom not to worry about it and not to force me and that I'd grow out of it. surely enough, I never grew out of it, and now I'm twenty and still a "picky eater". my dad has tried to justify it for me in the past few years saying that my tastebuds are just overly sensitive, which is possible and which I do believe about myself cause I literally taste and feel EVERYTHING when I eat, but I know it's more than that. some of my friends are used to my patterns, but in the last few months, I've gotten close quickly to a new group of people who weekly order food when we're hanging out or every couple weeks or so we actually go out to eat. this has made me really self-conscious about my eating patterns cause I don't want them to think that I'm weird or crazy or anything but sometimes it's really hard to hide my patterns cause I can't always claim that I'm not hungry when they order food or something, especially if we go out to eat and I've barely eaten anything all day and then I'm with them all night and starving and then suffering in silence. it's so bad that I'm worrying two days ahead of time what I'm going to do when we all go out to eat. but despite all this, after some research and finding this site, it's kinda nice knowing I'm not the only one out there? and it felt kinda nice to get all of that off my chest without having a fear of judgement from it all.
Admin Reply by: Bob
Dear Sarah
It's not you or your parents fault. The advice they got from your doctor was standard advice especially when the medical community didn't know anything about those of us who never grew out of it. We learned to hide our secret like Superman hides his identity. You have injected yourself into a group of friends who will figure you out and along the way you could worry yourself so much you get sick. If you plan to stay with the group you should confess your eating issues to them. Full disclosure and you could throw in that you thought you were the only one and now you know it has a name and there are 1000s of adults with it. The official name is ARFID "Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder". If you disclose it to your new friends and they accept you think how much better and less stressful your life will be. If they reject you find some new friends who will accept you the way you are. I never advise a young child or teenager to disclose it because teenagers can be so cruel. I spent the last 25 years in an environment where all my friends and associates were told and it turns out to be very liberating. If you disclose ARFID you will then find out many of your associates have a friend or relative that might have it. Also include your doctors and get it listed in your medical records. Just imagine being in the hospital and they try to change your eating habits while your dealing with something else. There is no reason you can't have a great life no matter what things you can eat. I have found that many with ARFID are gifted in other ways. My very keen senses gave me some real advantages.
Bob K
It's not you or your parents fault. The advice they got from your doctor was standard advice especially when the medical community didn't know anything about those of us who never grew out of it. We learned to hide our secret like Superman hides his identity. You have injected yourself into a group of friends who will figure you out and along the way you could worry yourself so much you get sick. If you plan to stay with the group you should confess your eating issues to them. Full disclosure and you could throw in that you thought you were the only one and now you know it has a name and there are 1000s of adults with it. The official name is ARFID "Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder". If you disclose it to your new friends and they accept you think how much better and less stressful your life will be. If they reject you find some new friends who will accept you the way you are. I never advise a young child or teenager to disclose it because teenagers can be so cruel. I spent the last 25 years in an environment where all my friends and associates were told and it turns out to be very liberating. If you disclose ARFID you will then find out many of your associates have a friend or relative that might have it. Also include your doctors and get it listed in your medical records. Just imagine being in the hospital and they try to change your eating habits while your dealing with something else. There is no reason you can't have a great life no matter what things you can eat. I have found that many with ARFID are gifted in other ways. My very keen senses gave me some real advantages.
Bob K
