Fat Camps
By
Weight Loss Central
April 04, 2008
Redefining Fat Camps
Fat camp: a politically incorrect name for a place where overweight or obese children and teens go to lose weight. Fat camps have grown in popularity as the childhood obesity epidemic continues to spread, showing up all over the popular media in shows like “Fat Camp” on MTV, “South Park,” “The Simpsons,” and even “The Simple Life” with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. The usual stereotype of fat camp features desperate, self-loathing teens bursting into tears after harsh reprimands from drill-instructor health experts. Are fat camps really the best option?
The Trouble with Fat Camps
Traditional fat camps do not provide teens with a pleasant, confidence-building weight loss experience. Tensions run high in an environment that frequently is competitive, stressful, and unsupportive. At some camps, teens “motivate” each other through bullying and forming exclusionary cliques without interventions by staff. If a camper eats too much, exercises too little, or fails to reach a weight loss goal, she may be criticized and humiliated boot-camp style. Instead of promoting a balanced, moderate approach to eating and fitness, some fat camps put teens through a series of brutal workouts and near-starvation diets that shock their bodies into shedding pounds quickly. But at what cost?
When camp is a negative experience, kids associate weight loss with misery. They lose the weight at camp because they are forced to exercise and eat less, but without addressing the underlying reasons for the weight problem and teaching kids the science behind a healthy lifestyle, teens return to their bad habits and regain the weight at home. According to the New York Times, over half of all weight loss campers return the following summer. And, of course, fat camps don’t mind because weight regain is a great way to ensure repeat business.
But putting the weight back on is a serious problem. Not only was fat camp a waste of time and money, but yo-yo dieting and extreme ups and downs in weight actually do more harm than if the child had remained overweight. Each time weight bounces up and down, the body loses muscle and gains fat, and the child’s metabolism slows down. This makes it even harder to lose weight the next time. Not to mention the emotional toll it takes on a child to succeed and then fail, time and time again. Teens lose self-confidence because they assume they lost the weight at camp simply because they were at camp, not because they are strong, determined, and capable of achieving their goals.
In addition, the principles behind fat camp don’t coincide with what most parents want to instill in their children. Fat camps feed into the “Generation Me” theory that weight loss, like everything else, should happen fast, easy, and exactly how and when teens want it. Rather than approaching weight loss as a gradual, lifetime change, fat camps promise quick results in just one short summer session. In order to advertise incredible success stories, fat camps make kids push their limits, sometimes going to extremes, while offering little or no support when the child returns home.
A New Generation of Weight Loss Camps
It’s not that all weight loss camps are bad. In fact, some have proven track records of achieving impressive, long-lasting results that can turn a teen’s life around. The right weight loss camp can help prevent serious health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, as well as other obesity-related dangers. The sooner a child gets help, the better. It is much easier to lose weight and develop new habits as a child, and experiences during the formative years – good and bad – define teens’ perceptions of themselves well into adulthood.
Many overweight kids have been picked on and bullied for years and are surrounded at home by constant reminders of their weight problem. Often they internalize negative comments until they truly believe they are defined by the criticisms, which then perpetuates the weight problem. Sometimes the only way to get a jumpstart on a new lifestyle and healthier self-image is to remove the teen from the toxic environment. This is where a good weight loss camp can really help.
The latest development in weight loss is camps that are not boot camps or fat camps at all; they are “fit camps” where children and teens embrace good nutritional habits and regular physical activity as a part of everyday life. Rather than obsessing over calories and fat grams, kids are free to be kids. Physical activity is built into the fun and games, so losing weight doesn’t feel like torture. Teens enjoy all of the usual amenities and features of camp life, like sports, art classes, hiking, campfires, canoeing, and swimming, without the stigma of being at “fat camp.”
Top-notch weight loss programs employ the country’s most well-established professionals to oversee every aspect of camp life. A highly trained staff of nutritionists and fitness experts work with each child to develop a personalized plan that will help the child achieve his goals. Nutritionists teach campers the science behind food and how to make healthy choices at the grocery store, at home, at a restaurant, or on the go. Fitness experts who specialize in the treatment of obesity offer individualized attention to each child and invent fun ways for kids to stay fit both at camp and at home.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is another defining characteristic of fit camps. Research has shown that the best way to accomplish long-term change is to alter the thinking and behavioral patterns that led to the weight problem. In addition to having fun, campers work with master’s or doctoral level therapists to set goals, improve self-monitoring skills, begin journaling their feelings and food choices, and solve problems without using food as a crutch. Counselors help the teens understand why they keep the weight on and what changes they need to make in order to succeed long-term.
Body image is one of the biggest concerns for teens. The best weight loss camps encourage teens not only to look their best, but to feel their best as well. Many teens strive for perfection and push weight loss to dangerous levels. A fit camp will be alert to these tendencies and teach kids to focus on being healthy and confident in achieving their own personal best, rather than comparing themselves to stick-thin supermodels and celebrities.
Weight issues usually aren’t really about food; they’re about emotional suffering and low self-esteem. Fit camps gear many activities toward boosting self-esteem while increasing physical fitness. Campers are treated with respect, caring, and understanding from day one, and are praised for their accomplishments in a supportive and encouraging environment with peers who make each other feel less isolated and “different.” As summer winds down, they leave camp feeling motivated and empowered by the knowledge, friendships, and success they gained.
A superior weight loss program will spur weight loss and get campers started on a healthy nutrition and exercise regimen. But the story doesn’t end there. It is unlikely that years of unhealthy eating and inactivity will change completely over the course of a summer. That’s why modern weight loss camps emphasize the importance of family support for successful ongoing weight loss at home. Many camps provide follow-up or aftercare programs, checking in with campers and their families and offering guidance months after camp has ended. Some programs even get the family involved before camp ends in an attempt to change the environment at home.
Fit camps are for people of all shapes and sizes. Whether a child needs to lose 50 pounds or more, or simply needs to maintain their current weight, a first-rate weight loss camp will provide the tools necessary to make significant lifestyle changes. If a child returns to camp year after year, it’s because she loves to learn and have fun with friends, not because she relies on camp once a year to lose weight.
Anyone can lose weight. The real challenge is keeping it off. Fit camps are about health and wellness; fat camps are about quick weight loss. If you’re looking for a lasting solution to your child’s struggle with weight, do your research. The fit camps offered to today’s teens will address the real issues, not just help them eat less and burn more calories. If you choose a fit camp rather than a fat camp, your teen will lose weight, develop a positive self-image, learn new skills, make lasting friendships, and have lots of fun in the process.
Comments
I know what you mean Tinkerbell - I feel like I'm nagging but I know something has to happen. I think the whole family has to get involved. Walking together, cooking healthy meals - it all helps!
I'd like to know what a parent is supposed to do when their child is overweight - if you say something or try to help, there's too much focus on food and your child ends up with an eating disorder or a bigger weight problem. But if you do nothing, your child never learns how to be healthy. It's tough being a parent!
My sister went to a weight loss camp and she still looks amazing years later. I would try one, as long as I knew I could keep it up at home.
I wouldn't want to say I went to fat camp but fit camp sounds ok - cool.
The camps where they just make you feel hungry, it's just like you are waiting until you get home so you can eat everything again. If I feel hungry all the time it's only a matter of time before I start eating the wrong things!
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