Weight Loss Camps Help Teenagers Deal With The Emotional Side Of Obesity

November 24, 2009 By Joe Leave a Comment

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.

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Weight Loss Camps Help Make Parents and Children Aware of Serious Health Risks Associated With Obesity

November 20, 2009 By Joe Leave a Comment

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.

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How Parents Can Continue The Success Of Their Child’s Weight Loss Camp Program

November 11, 2009 By Joe Leave a Comment

“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.

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Weight Loss Camp Counselors Address 10 Reasons Teens Tend To Overeat

November 4, 2009 By Joe Leave a Comment

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.

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