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.