Parents or caregivers have several ways of influencing the weight-loss success of their child or teen. Two important actions parents can take are:

1. Identifying and changing unhealthy behaviors–both by the parent and the child or teen. Keeping a daily log of behaviors helps you to be more accountable for what you do, and the need for change becomes clear. When parents work alongside teens and kids to change their diet and exercise habits, children are more likely to do the same.
2. Relying on positive reinforcement. Like all behavior changes, giving praise goes a long way in getting results. Positive reinforcement for behaviors should include non-monetary and non-food rewards like spending time together or a fun outing.

Parents’ behavior at home has a big influence on how kids tackle weight problems. Something else parents can do is consider sending their children to a summer weight loss camp to help kids begin to learn about good habits and jump-start their weight loss.

While the study didn’t conclusively show evidence of why overweight kids might miss more school, the authors proposed a few theories.

The theories were:

• Fear of being bullied.
• Fear of being teased.
• Feeling embarrassed to participate in physical activities.
• Physical problems linked to obesity such as asthma or sleep apnea.

Whatever the reasons, missing school often can cause children to fall behind their peers academically. Children should never have to miss school because of something as preventable as childhood obesity. You can help your child make great steps toward improved self-confidence and healthy weight loss at a summer weight loss camp for kids.

Weight loss camp is a great opportunity for kids and teens to meet lifelong friends and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle that will keep them in shape for life!

1. Growing portion sizes. Portion sizes have been growing over the years, causing children to eat more than they might realize.
2. School food. Children eat processed food during the school day and have access to vending machines with junk food.
3. Lack of physical activity. Kids spend too much time watching TV and playing video games and not enough time being active.
4. Food advertising and marketing. Children and adolescents are marketed with their favorite characters and TV shows advertising food that’s processed and high in calories.
5. Limited access to healthy and affordable foods. In some areas, fresh, healthy foods are hard to find and parents must turn to convenience stores for food instead of buying fresh fruits and vegetables.
6. Mass production of cheap food. Processed, unhealthy foods and drinks are cheaper than healthier options.
7. Increasing intake of high calorie beverages. More kids drink sodas and juices that are high in sugar and calories.
8. Lack of breast-feeding. Studies show that breast-feeding has some protection against obesity because babies stop eating when they’re full instead of being encouraged to finish the bottle.
9. Less time spent at the dinner table. Families are busier and often parents turn to the convenience of fast food instead of home-cooked meals for dinner.
10. General lack of nutrition education. If parents aren’t aware of healthy eating principles, they can’t teach them to their children.

The reasons for obesity are different for each child and family. Learning good habits, like those promoted at Camp Pocono Trails, are one effective way to help combat some of the contributing factors and to help kids and teens lose weight and keep it off.

What’s causing this increase in obesity rates? Obesity has many different causes. Some of the causes are:

• Lack of physical activity or sedentary lifestyle
• Too much fat in the diet
• Too much sugar in the diet
• Family genetics

With those causes in mind, here are a few tips that can help obese children lose weight and help children with healthy weights stay there:

• Find a “stopper”. A stopper is an activity that is incompatible with eating. Examples are chewing gum, playing outside, running, or doing house cleaning.
• Make lifestyle changes as a family. Get rid of high-fat, high-sugar or salty snacks in your home to avoid temptation for your kids.
• Drink plenty of water. Set an example for your kids. Water is healthy, and can keep you full so you don’t want to eat as much.
• Exercise as a family. Go for a bike ride, play tennis, go swimming, or just go for a long walk as a family.
• Find a weight-loss camp for kids that focuses on fun exercise opportunities, long-term success and lifelong friendships, such as Camp Pocono Trails.

More tips on helping obese children lose weight.

If your family’s goals include weight loss for your kids, learning to live a healthy lifestyle, building self-esteem and creating lasting friendships then Camp Pocono Trails is the place for you! The 2012 Dates & Rates are now posted so you can find and register for the perfect weight loss adventure for you this summer!

Remember: Campers traveling from west of the Mississippi River to Camp Pocono Trails in Pennsylvania get FREE AIRFARE for a minimum 4-week stay! For details call 1-800-365-0056.

Nothing builds self-esteem like accomplishment. Nothing builds confidence like learning new skills. Nothing builds friendship like a common goal.

Imagine a fun-filled, life-changing summer for kids ages 7-19 filled with sports, cultural activities and outdoor adventures. Weight loss success, self-esteem and lasting friendships await you at Camp Pocono Trails!

Denying our children sweets may lead them to sneak or hoard snacks and desserts. Even though we don’t mean to, we may end up making them feel very badly about themselves leading them to turn to their favorite comfort food for consolation.

As well, it’s easy to make common dieting mistakes such as denying food in between meals or skipping meals. This not only lowers your child’s metabolism, but it also encourages the opportunity to overeat at the next meal. There’s a lot to know about weight loss for adults and children, but there are even more weight loss challenges when it comes to children.

A weight loss camp would allow your child an environment that fosters their weight loss needs with the training and expertise that we lack. Children are usually more responsive to other adults. They behave better for other parents when spending time at a friend’s house. They tend to listen to teachers and wouldn’t dream of throwing a fit for an instructor the way they would for you. You can stop the food battles in your home by allowing trained professionals to help. The support that a weight loss camp can offer you and your child is truly priceless.

As well, your child will be surrounded by other kids who have similar issues. Whether you are heavy or thin, your child may feel like you don’t really understand their problems. If you are thin, your child may be embarrassed about their weight issues and feel as though you couldn’t possibly understand what they are going through. If you are heavy, your child might feel as though you can relate, but can you help?

These are all issues that can be very frustrating, but they can’t be ignored. It’s imperative that we help our children now so they won’t face all of the problems that obesity has in store for them down the road. Obesity can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems and even some forms of cancer. Mentally and emotionally, your child faces an uphill battle in gaining acceptance and forming a good sense of self-esteem and self-confidence.

A teen weight loss camp can set things right and give you and your child the tools you both need to overcome this obstacle.

Some parents are even turning to surgical intervention for adolescents as this option is beginning to open up for obese teenagers.  The problem is that the long term results of gastric bypass surgery and lap band procedures is simply not known at this time for this group of new patients.

With the amount of diseases that can be attributed to obesity, it’s imperative that we find a solution to this epidemic or we may be facing one of the unhealthiest generations of people in many years.  Cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorder, diabetes, debilitating joint problems and even some types of cancer are among the problems this 17% may be facing if adequate weight loss programs are not incorporated.

Parents and children alike need to be educated on proper nutrition and exercise.  There’s a lot of misinformation out there due to skewed product information in the food manufacturing arena.  So many companies boast “wholesome goodness” and “healthy meals for kids” when in fact, the vast majority of food that children eat these days is far from healthy no matter what the label says.

Individual counseling can be highly beneficial as it will address the needs of the child, parent and family involved in the weight loss efforts.

A summer weight loss camp may be the most practical solution to the problem.  Trained counselors can educate the family and tailor a weight loss program to suit the needs of the child; a program that the child can continue once they are back home.  

Many parents simply need guidance and many children need the self-confidence boosters and self empowerment that a weight loss camp can offer.

The book is put together quite well with some really fantastic practical advice.  My favorite chapter is the first which explains the eight rules of childhood nutrition.  The advice is geared to teach parents and kids about the general problems in today’s diets.  One of the problems today is misinformation.  While most of us have a general understanding about proper diet, we tend to fall into the traps of modern day society.  This book quickly points out the problems we have with super-sized portions, hidden sugar and the lack of family meal time and structure.

Another great aspect of the book is some very surprising comparisons between popular kids foods.  Spaghettios versus Mac & Cheese… Spaghettios wins out with fewer calories and fewer fat grams.  What should your child eat at Chili’s?  Not the Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crisper meal with a staggering 1110 calories!  That’s more than half of most kids’ daily caloric requirements in one sitting!  Instead, the Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Platter with Cinnamon Apples was recommended.

There are only two minor problems that I can forsee with the book:  1.  Misuse and 2. Not enough emphasis on fitness

It’s not enough to use the book as a guide to eating out right or making convenience purchases.  Make sure to read the book thoroughly and understand the concepts it is teaching so that you can incorporate this into your child’s daily life.  It doesn’t matter if you are making healthy restaurant choices once a week and feeding your child too much of the wrong stuff the rest of the week.  That would be the equivalent of sending your child to fitness camp to lose weight and teach them healthy living styles only to let them return home to the same unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle they had before they left!

A huge portion of the childhood obesity problem lies with the sedentary lives that we all lead.  I think the book should have placed a bit more emphasis on this aspect.  There is a chapter at the end with some great ideas for family fitness as well as a few mentions in the rest of the book, but we really, really have to get our kids moving if we want them to be healthy.

Overall?  A great buy if used properly and if the parents reading the book take it upon themselves to incorporate more exercise into their children’s lives.  A great way to do this is through one of the fun weight loss camps for kids that will help you and your child make exercise a regular part of his or her daily life!  Give it a shot!

When your child is able to have some say within the boundaries of healthful food, you are giving them the opportunity to make healthful choices.  You are also teaching them valuable skills for the future as well as letting them in on the fun world of cooking!  They will probably be more apt to eat something that they helped prepare or at least give it a try.  Empower them to make these good choices.

2.  Set up a rewards system for working out.

One of the best rewards systems I’ve heard of tackles two birds with one stone.  Your child might be obese due to a sedentary lifestyle.  This comes of course from the wonderful world of technology.  Rather than having a screaming match every time your child has had too much “screen” time, revamp your system.  It’s alright if they play on the computer or watch television, but they have to earn that time through exercise.  Make a stack of notecards with individual activities.  Allow them to choose, but assign a certain number of reward minutes given the difficulty of the task at hand.  When they’ve completed their activity, reward them with a “screen minutes” ticket.  By doing this, you encourage your child to exercise and limit their screen time.

3.  Check out a fun fitness camp for kids or teens!

The days of “fat” camps are long gone.  Today’s fitness camps designed to help children and teens start down a more healthful path for life incorporate mega fun activities and tons of healthful food choices.  Your child is guaranteed to have a good time and learn the valuable skills that they will need to lose weight and stay on a healthy path.