If you can’t gain weight due to extremely picky eating habits, you are not alone. Low body weight is a very common consequence of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, also called ARFID. Since people with selective eating habits often do not get a complete mix of nutrition, they often have difficulty gaining weight and might even demonstrate more serious health effects, such as malnutrition.
Yes, I know that most people in the world want to lose weight! Lol. However, some people want to gain for various reasons and some people NEED to gain since they are simply too skinny for their own good. As a fitness professional and former competitive athlete in martial arts, I truly understand and empathize with selective eaters who can not gain weight.
This post examines the circumstances of why many people with ARFID can’t gain weight. We will explore why gains might be wanted or needed, as well as why the person can not put weight on and keep it on for any length of time.
Can’t Gain Weight, But Why Would You Want To?
Why would a person want to gain weight? There are several logical answers:
Some people have been told that they are underweight by a doctor. Being underweight is not healthy and can lead to increased susceptibility to major health problems. If a doctor tells you to gain weight, it is because your present physical state puts you at heightened risk of getting sick or even dying.
Many athletic people want to gain weight by building muscle in order to get stronger or to compete in a higher weight class in certain fitness activities. If you can not make gains, there are definitely ceilings on how strong you can become and upper weight categories of competition will be off limits.
Some people want to gain weight to look better. Women might desire a more curvaceous appearance, while men might prefer to be larger and more traditionally masculine in body type. Inability to gain weight keeps these goals out of reach for many people.
Can’t Gain Weight Explanations
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder can prevent people from gaining weight for general and case-specific reasons. Not all people who suffer from ARFID are too skinny. In fact, some are actually clinically obese. However, being underweight and/or having difficulty gaining weight are far more common attributes of the disorder.
Some people get plenty of calories, but do not receive a proper mix of nutrition in their diet. This can make building new body tissue almost impossible. If these people do make gains, it is usually in fatty tissue, rather than in lean muscle, as is usually desired.
Many, many people with ARFID simply do not eat enough calories to gain weight. In fact, some struggle with simply maintaining their weight, especially at time of rigorous physical activity, such as when training for athletic competition.
Some people with ARFID have already developed health problems that prevent them from gaining weight due to various mechanisms. These issues could be caused by malnutrition and/or inadequate caloric intake as detailed above, or some other explanation.
Can’t Gain Weight Suggestions
If you really, really want to gain, or need to gain, then you MUST begin to address your ARFID condition. I try to never say MUST when dealing with selective eating disorder, since many people do not want help and do not want to change. It is a personal choice. Since I suffered from the disorder myself for almost 4 decades, I complete empathize with how difficult (if not impossible) it is to change your finicky eating habits!
If weight gain is a priority above all else, then you will need to get help to improve your ARFID condition. You can seek out professional treatment for ARFID using a mental health professional or might decide to try a self-help method first. Whatever you do, I know that it will be a difficult path and that there is a chance that you might not succeed, unless your will is very strong and you are truly determined to make changes.
In my experience, the most significant factor in who will succeed in addressing their ARFID and who will fail is motivation. If you want to change, then change you will. If you are comfortable and do not desire a change, then you are in for an uphill battle. Either way, I wish you luck!
Just for the record, I reached my normal adult body weight around age 17. This weight ranged between 150 and 160 pounds. I was 6’3” when I was younger, but I lost an inch now due to aging… My weight stayed the same my entire adult life, with small losses when I was sick or recovering from some injury or surgery. Even after curing my ARFID completely, I remain 150 pounds at 6’2” and very muscular, despite being 50 years old now.
