Susan Osher, MSc, Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian
436 Glengrove Avenue West M5N 1X2 Toronto, ON, Canada

Connected Eating is very excited to be part of such a wonderful initiative from WaterStone Foundation. If you, or someone you know, is in need of eating disorder treatment and are in need of financial support, this program could be a good fit. Please get in contact with us ([email protected]) or the Waterstone Foundation for more information.

As it comes to the end of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I am struck by the variety of events, facebook posts, instagram messages and tweets that I have encoun...tered. I remember a time when no doctor, therapist, teacher, dietitian, friend or family member knew what an eating disorder was. I am someone who got an eating disorder back then and I recovered and have been helping others do the same for over 40 years. What feels important for me today is to take a moment and ask what does Awareness mean? A quick look on the internet and you will find the term covers a lot mindfulness, cognizance, alertness, responsiveness, attentiveness, and perception. Those are all very important concepts when it comes to eating disorders. Look a bit further and you will find this: The Purpose of Awareness. ... Awareness offers more than just hope though. It can to lead to action. To be effective in our efforts, we need to make sure we help others translate that awareness into actionable items. This can be through helping to change behavior or acting upon beliefs. In the call for awareness, let us remember to act on that awareness, in whatever way we can. See more

Are you struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating habits? Do you feel like you need more than one or two outpatient sessions a week to best support you in recovery? The Connected Eating Intensive Outpatient Program might be a good fit for you! (See a our account for more details). We are very honoured to be partnered with WaterStone Foundation this year for their new financial aid program. This exciting new initiative will enable even more people to gain acces...s to the eating disorder services they need, when they need it. Contact us us for more details regarding financial funding.

Ready for our big announcement? Here it is! As the last day of Eating Disorder Awareness Week rolls around we at Connected Eating are very excited to share with you what we’ve been working on for the past several months... Coming this year, Connected Eating will be offering an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) to provide treatment and increased support for those struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating habits. This is the only community based IOP treatment prog...ram in the GTA The IOP will be offered in a group setting for 3 hours, 3 days a week, and will provide a meal and snack and meal support each day, as well as therapeutic groups such as support groups, skill building, meal planning/prep, yoga and mediation, and hands on cooking demos Intended as a multidisciplinary approach, our team will work alongside existing treatment professional to best support all those who visit us The IOP is a great first step in recovery, or in a transition out of more intensive treatment If you or someone you know is looking for a supportive treatment option for disordered please get in touch with us for more information. We look forward to hearing from you! Please feel free to share this with your friends, family, and colleagues!

Myth #2: eating disorders aren’t that serious Truth: Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental illness. They can also lead to a variety of other severe medical complications For example: the mortality rate of anorexia is 12 times higher than the general mortality rate amongst females 15-24 years old. Death can occur as a result of any eating disorder, in any person, regardless of their size, shape, or demographics... Without treatment up to 20% of people with serious eating disorders die, however with treatment and interventions that statistic falls to 2% Everyday this week we’ve posting about eating disorder awareness in honour of national Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Follow along by following us on Instagram @connectedeating Only one more day until our big announcement tomorrow, stay tuned! #EDAW

Truth # 2: Eating disorders occur in both men and women Eating disorders have a higher mortality rate for men than they do for women. Men are often diagnosed later in their illness or not at all because of the stigma that eating disorders only occur in women Some facts: ... 25% of those diagnosed with anorexia, 25% with bulimia, and 40% with binge eating disorder are male 33% of male athletes have eating disorders, especially those in sports focused on the body (such as wrestling, gymnastics, body building, rowing) the number of eating disorder hospitalizations for males increased by 53% over a ten year period (1999-2009) although eating disorders are more prevalent in males who identify as gay or bisexual, the majority of males diagnosed with eating disorders are heterosexual Everyday this week we’re posting about eating disorder awareness in honour of national Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Only 2 more days until our big announcement on Friday Stay tuned! #EDAW