Being overweight is physically stressful on a child; extra pounds make it more difficult to move around efficiently, and obese kids will often run out of breath and energy long before their peers. This rightly concerns many parents, who try to intervene by providing incentives for their child to lose weight, exercise, or eat healthier.
However, most parents are not psychologists, and these incentives rarely work. They are usually too short-sighted, causing the child to focus more on the tangential reward than on the long-term goals they should be adopting. Naturally, as soon as the incentive is removed or the parent is not around, the child reverts back to whatever habits he or she chooses.
Most children are too young to fully understand all the ins and outs of nutrition and metabolism. So, of course, they do not understand that it is not just important that their parents see them eating right, but that they actually do it consistently.
Family members almost always have the best of intentions when it comes to helping an obese child lose weight. Unfortunately, they simply do not have the expertise necessary to effectively and positively reinforce the appropriate behaviors. And parental misbehavior comes in all types; some will comment negatively on their child’s weight, creating an un-supportive atmosphere, while others will say nothing at all. Both behaviors are wrong, and it is hard to know exactly where in the middle you should fall as a parent.
At a weight loss camp your child will get nothing but positive reinforcement. This means that your child will be rewarded for the progress he or she makes, but will not be punished or degraded when progress is not made. Rewards will not consist of food, but rather personal interaction and recognition.
Most obese kids have nothing but negative experience with humor. They are used to being the punch line of every joke and constantly being laughed at. Weight loss camps for teens offer an environment in which your kid can learn to use laughter in a positive way. Specially trained counselors will help your child deal with criticism in more positive ways that do not hinder or get in the way of his or her ultimate goals.
The reason positive reinforcement is so successful is because it makes kids feel like they are being treated like people; it fosters a positive attitude that spreads from the counselors to the kids, and then from the kids to each other.
This environment of positive energy and encouragement gets even the most reluctant teens excited about being part of a group. Weight loss camps for teens provide a feeling of acceptance for kids that many of them may never have experienced before. If you are having trouble instilling healthy habits in your child concerning diet and exercise, a weight loss camp is probably the right decision.
