Eating Disorders: Important Resources

For more information on topics related to eating disorders:

Body Image

The Body Image and Self Esteem section under Know the Facts on the National Eating Disorders Information Center Website has excellent information: www.nedic.ca

A guide to healthy body image
A guide to better body esteem

Dieting

Definition: The “dieting” we are referring to here is any type of diet that:

• restricts calories
• uses preplanned meal replacement or liquid diets
• includes fasting
• includes skipping meals, or
• restricts certain food groups

What we know:

• 75% of people who have an eating disorder say it was an innocent diet that got them started.
• 95% of people who lose weight by dieting gain it back.
• Yo-Yo dieting (dieting, losing weight, gaining it back ? then trying to diet again and ending up in the same cycle) can actually lead to obesity
• Yo-Yo dieting has more health risks than being overweight
• Dieting lowers your metabolism so you end up storing fat more easily from fewer calories.

Break the Cycle!
The next time you feel dissatisfied with your body type and go to start yet another diet, try this:

• Ask yourself, what is really happening to me right now?
• What am I feeling?
• Why?
• When am I feeling this?
• Talk to someone you trust about this
• Brainstorm a couple of different solutions to what you are experiencing
• Try one of these solutions
• If that doesn’t work, try another

If nothing changes, everything stays the same.
Don’t buy into a thin obsessed society driven by $32 Billion Dollar diet industry.

• Less than 5% of the population is born to be naturally model thin
• Look at your relatives – what body type do they have? Body type is determined by genes more than anything else. Be comfortable in your jeans!
• Does being thin make you any better a friend or family member?

Eat regularly for energy — exercise is for fun!

Important Statistics

Did you know…?

The annual death rate associated with anorexia is more than 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all other causes combined for females between 15 and 24 years old.

95% of all dieters regain their lost weight within one to five years

Statistics for Waterloo Region

2000 projections for Waterloo Region (females only): (Ontario Ministry of Health Provincial Planning Database) Predicted eating disorder cases and beds needed for those age 10-19: Anorexia: 305 – 915 (1% – 3%) Bulimia: 3,049 (10%)

Statistics for Ontario

The Eating Disorder Program at Sick Children’s Hospital, Toronto has children as young as 5 years old being admitted to their program.

27% of Ontario girls 12-18 years old were reported to be engaged in severely problematic food and weight behaviour.

A significant amount of both male (25%) and female (30%) children, as young as 10-14 years, are dieting to lose weight, despite being within a healthy weight range.

More National Statistics

Eating disorders are now the third most common chronic illness in adolescent girls.

Among female athletes, the prevalence of eating disorders is reported to be between 15% and 62%.

For more statistics relating to eating disorders, dieting and attitudes in Canada please click here.

How can I help my child recover from an eating disorder?

Click on any one of the following articles / resources for additional information for parents:

• What is an Eating Disorder?
• What is Normal Eating?
• What is Disordered Eating?

Sometimes family doctors may not be sure what to do. Information for your Family Physician can be given to your doctor to let him/her know about resources available specifically for physicians, and his/her role in the recovery process. Find treatment that considers the needs of your child and get training on how to help your child recover.

You can also find support in helping your child recover from an eating disorder from other parents who have been through this. Check out our Family and Friends Group for meeting plans. You can also read Parent to Parent and/or Coping Strategies for Families.

To learn more about eating disorders; ways to cope, understand and help; check out our list of Recommended Reading. It includes brief descriptions of each resource. Many of these books are available to borrow at your local public library.

Helpful Links

nedic.ca
nied.ca
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
maudsleyparents.org
feast-ed.org
something-fishy.org