Fat Camp – just hearing the term sends shivers down the spines of some. The term is commonly associated with horror stories – a place in the middle of the woods with a mean staff that forces you to do a bunch of things that you have no interest in doing. Many kids think of fat camp as a miserable place to be…think about it from thier point of view:
- Their diet is changed and they may not want to try new foods or stop eating certain things
- Their activity level is increased
- Their snack and sweets intake is reduced
- They are limited or kept from watching TV, playing video games, etc.
In other words, going to a “fat camp” can be a pretty dramatic change from a child’s daily routine. However, it is important to note that today’s weight loss camps are far different from the fat camps of old (read more about how we are not a fat camp in the typical sense). If you’re considering sending your child to weight loss camp, make sure that their impression of what will take place is accurate. Instead of allowing them to focus on the negative that they see, try to get them to see the positive aspects of weight loss camps.
- Kids are taught how to make healthy eating choices and that eating healthier can be just as tasty!
- Exercise burns calories, but can also be incredibly fun – you just have to find an activity that you enjoy!
- Snacks do not always have to be loaded with sugar and carbohydrates
- You can have just as much fun, or more, when you’re actively entertaining yourself (e.g. playing games, swimming, etc.)
Kids need to be shown how all the negative things that they see in a weight loss camp are actually positive, just as I’ve done above.
Going to a summer weight loss camp can be great for a child if it is used as the resource that it is. It is unlikely that your child will ever be surrounded by so many professionals with so much experience in dealing with childhood obesity again in their lives, so tell them to take advantage of that! Yes, their diet will change and they’ll be more active, but these are good things! Our weight loss camps do a great job of finding activities for kids to participate in that are fun, plain and simple…to the point that many kids forget that they’re “exercising” while they do them.
Another great thing about weight loss camps that you need to make your child aware of is the setting. Our camps lie on beautiful pieces of property away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. More importantly, however, is the peer environment at weight loss camps. At school, for example, many overweight kids are made fun of or singled out frequently. At a weight loss camp, you’re surrounded by people that are going through the same thing that you are in their lives. They understand each other and encourage each other because they know what it’s like to live in each other’s shoes. It’s a classic example of peer pressure working positively instead of negatively.
Parents that are considering sending their child to weight loss camp need to help their child understand the true goals and objectives of the camp as well as what the experience will be like. Our campers always report that camp is fun, and this is what your child should be excited about. The old days of “fat camp” are over – today’s weight loss camps accomplish all the same objectives, only in a healthier manner that is much, much more fun.
