We all see advertisements for them everywhere - those fast weight loss diets, plans, pills, etc. that claim they'll help users lose 20 pounds in a week.  Television is full of commercials and infomercials promoting these products and it seems like every third page on the internet has some sort of ad for a new, revolutionary product.  Some of these products claim to increase metabolism, others cut certain things out of your diet, some claim to be able to make you eat less…the list is endless.  In a society that is consumed with appearance, the fact that these products are so popular should be no surprise, but the real question is - Do They Work? And, perhaps more importantly - Are They Safe?

The simple answer to both of those questions is:  No. Sure, you may be able to lose some weight by taking a pill that increases your metabolism, but continuing to take that pill for the rest of your life is certainly not safe and doing so in the short term is not even healthy.  As a result, as soon as you stop taking the miracle drugs, you will quickly gain back all the weight that was just lost.  In other words, the plan might work in the very short term, but it is not a long term solution and is certainly not something that is healthy or sustainable.  The same can be said about diets tell you to stop eating carbs, insist that you eat only maple syrup, and so on.  The bottom line is that these things are not healthy (short or long term) and there are no long-term benefits from doing them.

At our weight loss camps, we take a healthy, life-long approach to weight loss.  We believe (as do thousands of doctors around the world) that the only way to truly lose weight and keep it off is to make changes to one's personal diet and physical activity levels.  This is why we teach our campers about the importance of a healthy diet and give them the knowledge they need to make healthy eating choices for the rest of their lives.  We also provide fun physical activities for our campers to show kids and teens that "exercise" is not running on a treadmill but is something that should be fun.  The fact that it helps lose weight is a bonus, but the key is learning that exercise should be something that you enjoy.  Some people like to hike, others like to swim, and others like to play basketball.  It doesn't matter which one you prefer, the key is finding the ones that you like so that it is enjoyable to add to your everyday life.

If you are a parent of an overweight child or teen that needs help losing weight, I encourage you to check out our programs.  Doing so will give them the tools they need to live a healthy life, will improve their self esteem, and will be a summer that they'll never forget.

The increase in childhood obesity across the country has led to an increase in numerous health effects and diabetes.  If you are a parent of an overweight child or teen and are considering a summer weight loss camp, you may be looking for some things you can start doing now before they head off to camp for the summer.

Most people know what it takes to lose weight - eat a healthier diet and increase physical activity.  It sounds simple enough, but anyone that has ever tried to break some bad habits and lose weight knows that it is much easier said than done.  This is especially true for children who often do not have the motivation to do it all on their own.  As a responsible parent, the challenge often falls in to your lap.  So what can you do?

The first thing to keep in mind is that, despite numerous infomercials, ads, and websites out there, there is no "miracle pill" or quick remedy.  Some of these things might work in the short term, but they are not long term solutions that will benefit your child's long term health.  It's always best to take a long-term approach to weight loss and realize that it's most important to teach children to live healthier for their entire life versus losing weight in two months that they'll gain back.

Stick to the basics.  Don't even worry about counting total calorie, carbohydrate, and/or fat intake every day or implementing a rigorous exercise routine immediately.  Instead, look for some easy changes to begin with and then increase the efforts as time progresses and your child gets more comfortable with a new diet and increased physical activity level.  If your child likes to snack, start with providing some healthier snack alternatives like carrots instead of potato chips.

If your child has been gaining weight consistently for a period of time, the first thing to do is stop the weight gain.  According to Keeping Kids Healthy, one pound of weight gain is equal to about 3500 calories.  So, if your kid is gaining a pound of weight every week, begin by cutting 3500 calories out of their weekly diet or about 500 calories a day.  The change might be as simple as switching to diet soda or non-fat milk.

For example, a can of Dr. Pepper has 100 calories.  A can of Diet Dr. Pepper has 0.  If your child drinks three cans of Dr. Pepper a day, switching to Diet Dr. Pepper will cut 300 calories out of their daily diet.  A simple, yet effective change.

Once your child's weight has stabilized, you can begin the process of shedding weight.  Sticking with the above formula will help, but exercise will become more important here as well since increasing physical activity levels will increase the impact of eating healthier.  A 30-60 minute period of exercise every day can burn 50-100 calories in kids.  Combine this with a decrease in calories consumed, and the net impact on a daily basis is much bigger. Exercise can be as simple as something like walking the dog, shooting some hoops, or going for a bike ride around the neighborhood.

It is also important that parents serve as good role models.  Sticking with the Dr. Pepper example, if your child switches to Diet soda, you should do the same.  Don't send them off to walk the dog every day by themselves - go with them.

Starting simple at home will set your child up for more success when they head off this summer to weight loss camp.

One of the major problems with helping children lose weight is what goes on when the kids are out of the house. For most children this is largely time that they spend at school. No matter what you do at home as a parent to help control their diet or get them more active, the unfortunate truth is that parents have little control over what takes place at school.

Let's first look at lunch time. The food that most cafeterias offer is generally poor quality and not nutritious. It's often made with refined carbohydrates and a lot of fat. Popular kid's meals at school include: pizza, instant mashed potatoes, french fries, battered fish, tacos, and chicken nuggets. Kids undoubtedly love these kinds of meals, but they do nothing for helping to contribute to a healthy diet. As a parent, you can do things like send your child to school with a healthy lunch that you prepare, but ultimately they will be the one that decides whether or not to eat the lunch you prepare.

Second, consider physical education classes and recess. Schools have had their budgets cut and this has meant that school children no longer have physical education every day. The educational demands on our kids have also increased and this has resulted in recess times that have shrunk. Most schools have physical education lessons once or twice a week and each session typically only lasts 20 minutes - a far cry from the hour long sessions I remember from grade school and the daily P.E. classes I took in middle school.

To be fair, schools are not entirely to blame. Budget cuts have literally forced their hand in some of these cases. However, a combination of sitting at a desk for the majority of the day with little to no exercise and very, very few healthy eating choices in the cafeteria is not a good one.

While most parents cannot do much to control what goes on in the day-to-day activities of school, steps can be taken at home and within the family to make some changes. A weight loss camp for kids is a great way to help your child learn about the dangers associated with obesity, learn how to enjoy eating healthily, and give them the self confidence to get more involved in active events like organized sports or even informal activities with friends. Make sure that your kids eat a healthy breakfast and dinner every day, and encourage them to do something active every day after school instead of watching TV or playing video games. A family walk after dinner every night is another excellent idea.

Dealing with an obese child as a parent is not an easy task, especially when outside factors like time spent at school are considered. However, it is possible to make progress. For more information about the strategies used at Camp Pocono Trails or to learn more about our programs, check out our weight loss camps site.

If you have an overweight child or teen and are considering something like a weight loss camp for the summer, you may be looking for some ideas for ways to get started today. After all, why wait until the summer? Thankfully, there are a number of things that parents can do at home to help their kids begin to lose weight. Ultimately, it comes down to diet and exercise. Here are a few tips:

Get your kids excited about eating better by involving them in meal planning, shopping, and cooking. This gives your kids less of a feeling that a diet is being "forced" on them and gets them more invested in the efforts.

Try increasing their exercise levels with incentives or by finding fun activities that they will not consider "exercise." Most kids (even kids that are not overweight) cringe when they hear the word "exercise." If your kid would rather spend hours watching TV, make them "earn" some TV time by exercising. Also keep in mind that "exercise" doesn't have to be things like jumping rope, doing sit-ups, and so on - anything that gets kids active is exercise. Taking a bike ride, jumping on a trampoline, throwing a football around, even vacuuming the house!

The key is to get your kids invested in the weight loss effort and creating a supportive environment. This is what makes our weight loss camps so successful, but is also the kinds of things that can be done at home. Fun exercise. Healthy dieting. It really is that simple.

As we wrap up another successful year at our weight loss camp, we want to take the time to wish all of our past and future campers and families a Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Many people begin a new year by making some sort of resolution to improve their quality of life. A common resolution is to lose some weight, change a diet, etc. To help those of you that make similar resolutions, we've compiled a list of some entries from our blog this year that might be beneficial:

• Weight Loss Strategies Used at Weight Loss Camps
• The Factors, Risks, and Solutions to Childhood Obesity
• Weight Loss Camps and Other Solutions for Parents of Overweight Kids
• Why Weight Loss Camps are More Successful than Restrictive Diets
• Parents Must Do Their Part at Home, Too
• Why our Weight Loss Camps are Successful

Moving in to a new year, you may finally decide that attending a weight loss camp for kids is the solution that your family needs. If so, we look forward to hearing from you!

We are excited for another successful year full of helping kids and teens create a New Image for themselves and starting on the path to healthier living in 2010!

The holiday season is now in full swing, and with it comes a lot of struggles when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  I've been asked by a couple of parents of kids and teens that have attended our weight loss camps, or are thinking of attending one of our camps, about tips for the holiday season that they can use at home.

While it's true that most of us (kids and adults) often feel like we gain weight over the holidays, studies have shown that less than 10% of us gain 5 pounds or more.  That is not to say that only gaining 5 pounds is a good thing.  In fact, it is not, and the goal should be to not gain any weight.

So what is the trick?  Not so surprisingly, there is no secret to maintaining a healthy weight during the holiday season - it's the same as it is every other time of the year:  Diet and Excercise.  What makes the holidays more difficult, though, is that there is often so much going on that our normal routines get thrown off.  We quickly find ourselves forgoing the family hike on a Saturday afternoon because some friends are hosting a holiday party.  And it's hard to go to any sort of holiday gathering without being presented with plate after plate of (usually) unhealthy appetizers, chips, dips, and so on.

So what can a parent that has a child struggling with weight issues do to maintain the consistency in diet and exercise that they're striving for?

Here are a few suggestions that center on both sides of the healthy weight loss coin (diet and exercise).

Exercise

This is one of the hardest part of the holidays as exercise/activities are often pushed aside in favor of party planning, shopping, decorating, and everything else that makes this time of year so busy.  So, instead of simply forgetting about having your child exercise for the next month, the trick is to have them make the most of the activities that they are doing.  Such as:

• Decorating - get your kids to help out hanging decorations and/or cleaning the house.  Things like climbing ladders, moving boxes of lights, getting decorations from storage, etc. are all forms of exercise.
• Take advantage of the opportunities you have - If you get a big snowstorm, encourage the kids to go sledding, have a snowball fight, or whatever else they like to do in the snow.  They won't realize it, but all the running around, walking up and down the hill, etc. are fantastic forms of exercise.
• Shopping - Yes, even the very act of shopping can be used as a form of exercise.  If you don't have time to go for a walk with your kids after dinner but still need to find that gift for your sister, take the kids to the mall with you and walk around there instead.

Diet

Many people often feel that they eat far too much and far too often during the holidays.  If you have kids that struggle with weight issues, this can be especially problematic.  Here are some tips for helping to keep your child's diet in focus during this time of year.

• Start the day off right - make sure you start each day by giving them a healthy and wholesome breakfast.  This will help prevent them from feeling hungry all day and being tempted to fill themselves on junk food, cookies, etc.
• Keep a close eye at any parties - if you go to holiday parties where there are a lot of kids, chances are there will also be a lot of "kids snacks" - things like cookies, candy, and all sorts of junk food that a lot of parents feed their kids without thinking twice.  Unfortunately, these are probably the kinds of things that you and your child are trying to avoid.  So, encourage them to snack on veggies instead.  You can also have them eat a nice healthy meal before going to the party, which will curb their desire to fill up on snacks at the party.  Finally, it's not realistic to ask anyone to completely avoid the food at any party, so tell your kids to only take one item at a time and have them wait 20-30 minutes before returning to the snack table.

It's true that this time of year can be challenging for people (kids and adults) trying to lose weight or trying to avoid gaining weight, but by following some of these simple steps, you can ensure that the lessons learned this past summer at weight loss camp do not go to waste.

It wasn't too long ago that weight loss camp were called "fat camps." These camps were designed to teach teens how to combine diet and exercise so that they may lose weight. Each weight loss camps' focus is to come up with a plan that helps the teens have a healthy diet and educates them on the benefits of regular exercise.

Teens often feel at ease when they are not the "only" student who is overweight. This knowledge helps them alleviate their fears and self-conscious feelings that many overweight/obese teenagers have when they must exercise with their slimmer counterparts.

The time teenagers spend at a weight loss camp allows them to open up about their feelings and aggravations. After all, every camper who attends is facing the same kind of challenges and dilemma.  This means the campers can help one another deal with those problems and excuses that plague them.

Teenagers should never be comfortable being overweight. Any excuses given are generally to deflect attention away from the weight. It's ultimately the "blame game" teens will play, especially if they claim it's a predisposition in their family. Most teenagers don't believe this excuse but no one tends to say anything more about it.

However, teen weight loss camps will address these issues right away.  When teenagers face other overweight/obese teenagers who have said all the same excuses, it's only a matter of time that being honest and facing their insecurities is the only choice.

There's no reason to be defensive any longer especially when teenagers are peers among teenagers with similar problems. There's no reason for them to be worried about how they look in front of others, which allows them to be themselves and let their personality shine through.

Most teenagers know that obesity negatively affects their health; however, they don't really comprehend the emotional turmoil. When they can openly talk about their problems in a place they consider safe, they are taking the initial step to recognizing their weight and setting up a weight loss plan they can follow all through their life.

Weight loss camps want to teens to be truthful and sincere about how they are feeling… as it helps them realize why they are overweight/obese and that it isn't who they are inside. It also helps them to get control of the weight so they can be the person they always wanted to be.

There's not much debate about the statistical numbers of overweight/obese children in the United States. In fact, according to statistics, one in five children are overweight but the real reality is that the number is greater than this; one in three children are overweight or obese in the U.S. Due to this alarming number of children who are overweight or obese, weight loss camps (also known as fat camps) have increased in their popularity. Bear in mind that science data shows that kids who are obese will suffer from very adult-like diseases, another reason for the popularity in these types of camps.

Obviously there's emotional turmoil for kids who are overweight but the serious health issues are a more pressing concern. A serious health risk many children suffer with is Type 2 diabetes. More and more young obese adults are being diagnosed with this condition now that there's a connection between the two.

In the past, adults were generally diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes but many pediatricians are diagnosing teenagers with the condition as well. This disease can be managed but any effects from it are serious. Over time, Type 2 diabetes causes damage to the kidneys, blood vessels and may even lead to limb amputations and blindness. Type 2 diabetes is often spoken about at weight loss camps for kids.

When a child is overweight, there's additional stress on the body's joints, which boosts the chances of joint and muscles problems. For younger obese children, it's not uncommon for the cartilage to become damaged from the additional weight. Many obese children have poor sleeping habits since they are unable to find a good sleeping position along with breathing problems that are related with their high weight.

Do overweight children have other health risks connected to their extra body weight? They do, in fact. Obese children can suffer with cholesterol and heart disease problems, much like an adult. Obese children are two times more likely to deal with high cholesterol problems than kids of average weight. It is greatly feared among the medical community that obese children will suffer heart attacks; another big reason for the push for weight loss camps.

Many obese children live inactive lifestyles, boosting their chances of developing asthma or other breathing disorders.  While lack of exercise is one reason for the problem, it's also thought that constant exposure to dust mites and household chemicals can lead to the problem as well for the couch potatoes.

Weight loss camps for kids and teen weight loss camps greatly highlight the health problems that are associated with the extra weight. While teens and younger children may feel invincible, they are not. Obese children must know the health risks and while some do, they focus more on the emotional settings of weight loss. Weight loss camps will help your child understand the risks but as parents, it's your duty to help them stay focused on losing weight.

"Fat camps" are very successful in helping children lose weight - but what makes them so successful? Simply, camps like ours keep overweight/obese children active. Kids don't sit around playing video games nor do they watch television all day long on summer vacation. The weight loss camp activities are intended to get children up and moving, as not to miss out on any of the fun.

The counselors at our camps will keep kids active by organizing competitions, swimming, walks and exercise classes. Couple all this with the walking the kids must do to get to and from each class and their activity levels boost.

It's not uncommon for adults to cringe when the word exercise is mentioned so how do you expect children to react to it? Many overweight children cannot easily touch their toes or do sit-ups/pushups. The extra weight being carried around causes them to feel awkward and clumsy. How many people feel comfortable doing something that doesn't put them at ease?

There's much a parent can do to help their child out physically without mentioning the word exercise. Consider walking with your child; take an adventure walk/hike into unexplored areas of your neighborhood, city, town, etc. There are many places that you can go that encourage walking such as the zoo, state fairs and more. If you don't get motion sickness, why not enjoy kayaking or canoeing on the river for some exercise?

Listen to what your child is telling you about what kinds of things interest him/her. If they like planes, consider going to an airplane museum or walk around military ships. There are many different exhibits available that require you to do a lot of walking. Consider a picnic near a stream that will get a kid skipping rocks to pass the time. If your child loves to bowl, implement a bowling night once a week. If you've got younger children, consider creating a treasure hunt that will get your children moving around the property, all to find the clues and ultimate treasure.

If you can afford it and your child has been asking, consider a dog for your household. Make sure that the dog has its shots and has had obedience training, is house trained and wants a friend too. Make sure to add a stipulation that the child must walk the dog twice a day. Most children, however, will play with their canine friend all their own.

Guess what? Your child won't notice that he/she is getting exercise if you divert their attention to something that interests them.

A kids weight loss camp focuses attention on fitness and provides children with a variety of exercises that are intended to keep overweight/obese kids active and losing weight. These camps will help the child start exercising, increasing the success of them losing the extra pounds. Parents just need to plan and imagine ways to continue their child's success once the camp is over.

Any kind of weight loss for teens can be a challenge for all involved especially for counselors at teen weight loss camps. Why is that? Counselors have to deal with the eating issues that teenagers face along with their hormonal lows and highs.

Doctors often recommend additional counseling for obese teenagers, as this may establish a reason why the child is suffering from the weight problem. Obviously, overeating is a key problem but the reason behind the weight gain itself may be complicated.

There are 10 big reasons as to why obesity occurs. They are:

• Depression
• Family issues
• Genetics
• Lack of exercise
• Low self-esteem
• Medical conditions
• Medications
• Overeating
• Peer issues
• Poor eating habits

Some teens are being lazy, eating whatever and whenever they want; really obese teens tend to have an underlying factor or two behind their excessive weight. However, it's not known whether the factors cause the child to become obese or if the obesity caused the factors.

The majority of overweight teens want to lose weight but they have a misconception that losing weight gets quick results. However, teen weight loss camps like ours help them understand the truths and myths on weight loss along with setting realistic goals and developing exercise and nutritional plans. Besides doing all this, weight loss camp will help tackle the emotional characteristics facing teens and their weight loss.

Through the use of counseling, teens are able to recognize the underlying issues that causes them to eat more than they should and address them head on. If a teenager eats lots of food when his/her parents are fighting, they can discover a different method that allows him/her to deal with those emotions, all without picking up a lick of food.

When teens tackle the problems of unhealthy food choices and lack of exercise, they can begin to meet their weight loss goals. However, parents play a big role in their teenagers weight and health by making health food choices of their own. Some well-meaning parents have thwarted their teenagers weight loss plans because they're afraid their child isn't eating enough. It's hard enough to diet but for obese children, it's even worse when parents are trying to force more food into them. Sometimes, it's more than just the fear of them not eating enough food but the fear that the child will accomplish their weight loss goals, something the parents have been unable to do themselves.

Teenagers who can recognize their overeating triggers will succeed in losing weight. Under a substitution method, they can do exercises instead of eating junk food.

Another big reason for teenagers to overeat is boredom. Boredom isn't classified as an emotion but it's the lack of having something worthwhile to do. Teens will use the emotional terms to clarify why they overeat. However, by substituting these emotional responses from eating to exercise, they can begin to tackle their weight problem.