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How can an obese child lose weight?

January 20, 2012 by

We’re all aware that childhood obesity is a growing problem, as obesity rates among children and adolescents have nearly tripled since 1980.

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.

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Tips For Choosing The Right Teen Girls’ Weight Loss Program

August 11, 2010 by

Each year, thousands of teenage girls are afflicted with eating disorders. Often, these disorders fly under the parental radar until a medical emergency is experienced. There is no doubt that growing up as a teenage girl offers a wide variety of problems when it comes to self-image. Today’s teen media punctuates the “thin is in” message that makes teenage girls so determined to lose weight. For this reason, teenage girls are often targeted by marketers of fast weight loss programs, supplements and outrageous exercise programs that can cause major health issues for young girls. If your daughter is overweight, or overly concerned about her weight it is your parental responsibility to find teen girls weight loss options that are above all positive and healthy!

When it comes to teen weight loss, doctors and nutritionists are often skeptical and cautious before advocating any program. Not only is a teenage girls body still growing, which means they have nutritional needs beyond that of a grown woman; but they are also more likely to become obsessive about their weight loss program. For many girls, the answer can come in the form of a weight loss camp for girls, which is specifically designed to help with the psychological aspects of weight and body image as well as successful weight loss. Often, the issues of being overweight or losing weight for girls are one that branches from social insecurity or embarrassment. They desperately feel that they have to fit into certain size clothing, or be the same size as the people they admire on TV, without giving thought to the fact that their goals may be unrealistic and even unhealthy for them.

In order to help teen girls weight loss be both healthy and successful,the program they choose should be discussed with a pediatrician. This way, any holes that don’t nutritionally support their growth will be revealed. If your teenage daughter is overweight, parents should also explore any underlying medical issues that could be the cause. Parents should also discuss positive body image and take a leading role in deciding which teen girls weight loss program their child can participate in. You will find that there are many healthy opportunities for teen weight loss that may exist within your community or school. Many branches of Weight Watchers offer programs specifically designed for teenage girls as well.

For many parents, the best thing they can do for their daughter is to enroll them in a weight loss camp for girls only. This way they will not be under pressure or scrutiny from boys and they will find companionship with other girls who share the same concerns as them. Many of the weight loss camps for girls teach young teens how to eat healthily, exercise properly, and change their mindset so that it will be one of self-acceptance and self-confidence. These controlled environments allow ample room for education about proper nutrition as well as how to make lifestyle changes that will support your daughter long term. These are perhaps the most important elements of any teen girls weight loss program.

Unfortunately, many teen weight loss initiatives are taken without parental or doctor involvement. These can lead to deadly obsessive eating disorders. Chances are if your teen girl is overweight, they are suffering from esteem issues. By introducing healthy alternatives, such as local support groups, weight loss camps for girls or by offering exercise programs that are safe – you can drastically change the quality of life your teen daughter experiences.

It is important that moms of teens realize how loudly their own words and actions speak to their daughters as well. Whether mom is overweight or stringently disciplined when it comes to diet and exercise, your daughter will often follow suit. By making often off handed comments about ‘looking fat in jeans’ or not being happy with their own body, they unintentionally can pass on self-image issues to their daughters. If you are looking for a teen weight loss program for your daughter, you may find that leading by example is the most drastic way to help them.

If your daughter needs help with her weight, then offering to run with her, take an exercise class and making strides to remain active at home can make a huge difference. Additionally, family members can partake together in nutrition classes that help everyone learn how to stay healthy by eating the right foods and monitoring portions. Above all, realize that teen girls weight loss, when facilitated by supportive and involved parents – can be healthy and long term. If your daughter is extremely overweight, then choosing from many of the well-rounded weight loss camps for girls may be just the ticket to a lifetime of healthy eating and self-confidence.

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Top 10 Keys to Healthy Teen Weight Loss

June 15, 2010 by

When it comes to a diet and exercise program for teens, the key is in moderation support. Chances are your teen knows they are overweight and is burdened by more than just the extra pounds. Your first step should be to talk to your teen openly. Discuss the health risks associated with being overweight and try to help them understand that they really do have a choice. There is so much conflicting information for teens that they often do not know where to start. Skirting the issue or denying that it exists isn’t going to save your teens feelings because they know the truth. Teen weight loss can be achieved as long as parents and teens are ready to be honest and accept responsible for their actions. Talk with your teen and discuss what they would like to see happen. Then, make a plan of action. Following is a 10-Step Program parents and teens can use to help their child lose weight.

  1. Talk about the problem. (as discussed above)
  2. Accept responsibility. When you and your teen can see where conscious choices lead to the problem, you can regain control.
  3. Eradicate words like fat or thin. You and your teen should talk in terms of healthy and set realistic goals. Try to debunk the effects that the media has on your teen so they are able to remain realistic and feel pride for their own successes.
  4. Don’t allow your teen weight loss to include any quick or drastic diets, pills, supplements, or strategies. Help your teen understand that ‘quick’ teen weight loss is unhealthy, dangerous, and temporary.
  5. Look for teen fitness camps that will focus on healthy habits and exercise. These will jumpstart your teen’s weight loss and help them realize their long-term goals.
  6. Take classes, read books, cruise the internet for nutrition and health information. The more you know, the more changes the entire family can make.
  7. Set short term and long-term goals. Use a reward system. For instance, set up a shopping trip for your teenager if they stick to their diet, exercise or experience some weight loss.
  8. Resist the urge to be couch potatoes. Find creative and fun ways to incorporate at least an hours worth of activity in your teen’s routine.
  9. Remain supportive at all times. Recognize the emotional triggers to weight gain and over eating and help your teen devise a new plan with new habits.
  10. Above all else…remain positive. Reinforce your teen’s weight loss plan with constant support and act like a good example. In order to save your child from the effects of being overweight, they need to be led by example in the home.

Often, families don’t talk about weight problems. When you can bring the issue to the forefront and discuss healthy options and solutions, your teen will be empowered to lose weight. While it may look like you are simple changing your teen’s outward appearance, the truth is you are changing their life in much more meaningful ways.

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The Best Teen Weight Loss Camps Focus On Lifestyle Changes

March 16, 2010 by

Obese teens can turn their lives around at teen weight loss camps.  For teens, the camp focus is on changing their lifestyle.  This is a critical time for kids.   The acceptance of their peers is important to them.   They want to be attractive to the opposite sex.

It is hard to be an overweight teenager.   For teens who are overweight, the years that should be carefree and fun are often torture.   Too often, obese teens are exposed to cruel comments from family members as well as school mates.  They are teased and stared at and the high school experience for them is not one they want to remember.  Overweight teens don’t accept their excess pounds as normal as they may have done as a child.  Boys with weight problems are the last picked for sports teams and get used to sitting the bench.  They are often shy around girls and become the best friend rather than the boy friend.

The approach at weight loss camps for teens is on changing not only the teen’s weight but also their entire lifestyle and outlook.  Teens who have avoided school dances due to embarrassment about their size find themselves dancing without being self conscious.  At camp they change their diet and learn how to make food choices when they leave camp.   Information about nutrition and calories is combined with facts about fast food and common snacks and the low-nutrition, high-calorie problems they present for the teens.

Counselors at weight loss camps for teens understand the teenage mind – which is something parents find hard to do.  Teens are encouraged to contribute ideas and to make choices.   Returning home from weight loss camp, many teens have a different outlook on life.   They understand what led to their weight problems in the first place and have acquired tools to help them continue to lose weight and gain confidence long after “fat camp” is over.

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Weight Loss Camps Provide Other Benefits Beyond Losing Weight

May 12, 2009 by

One of the most important ingredients to success is the self-confidence required to pursue dreams. When your teenager is overweight or obese, there’s a good chance that their self-esteem and self-confidence levels are down.

Will poor self-esteem lead your child to avoid risks and opportunities out of fear? If they would love to act, will they try out for the school play or shy away because of their weight? Your teen may not participate in classroom discussions or become a leader if they don’t feel confident.

When you try to help your teen lose weight on your own, you might make common mistakes such as over-pressuring your teen. Making eating a constant issue is also a constant reminder of their perceived inadequacies. This can spiral out of control and actually cause your child to gain more weight when they eat for comfort and consolation…and lose self-esteem.

Trained professionals at our weight loss camp use well-documented techniques to help empower your teen to make healthy choices. Through education and training, your child will develop the skills necessary to take control of their weight loss issues.

These skills will come home with your teen. Eventually, this may lead to a much healthier home environment all together. Once your teen begins to make healthier choices on their own, the whole family may get involved. Your teen will be the one who leads this effort, which will also make them feel good!

In addition, your teen will meet other teens at weight loss camps that may be able to better relate to their weight issues. We all want to feel accepted and you might not be able to truly offer this to your teen the way other overweight or obese teens can.

Once they begin down the path to weight loss, the improvements they begin to see will improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. This will spin off in so many directions, you’ll be amazed at what your teen becomes capable of accomplishing.

Now, trying out for a play might not seem as daunting. Participating in sports becomes more of a possibility. Improved self-confidence will allow them to focus less on how they appear when it comes to popularity and acceptance.

When your teen is empowered to lose weight, the empowerment translates to nearly everything they attempt.

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Are Weight Loss Camps The Right Solution for Your Child?

April 14, 2009 by

Are you frustrated with your overweight or obese child? We all worry about our children and with the awareness of the growing childhood obesity epidemic, we may feel a bit panicked to help our children. Unfortunately, we sometimes create bigger problems for our children and ourselves when we turn a problem into a major issue.

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.

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Why Weight Loss Camps are More Successful that Restrictive Diets

March 25, 2009 by

Many parents are quick to forget what life is like as a teenager.  There are a number of academic and social pressures to deal with as well as some fairly major changes in hormone levels taking place.  Toss in the facts that the bodies of teenagers grow at the fastest rate that they have since birth and that critical decision making and problem solving abilities are being developed, and you remember how much a teenager has on his or her plate every day.  With so much going on and a society that worships physical fitness and beauty and you can see why it is often difficult for kids and teens to learn how to make good decisions when it comes to eating and exercising and how specialized the skill sets are of individuals that operate successful weight loss camps.

Teenagers are especially succeptable to getting too caught up in issues of personal image.  As a result, many teenagers these days regularly resort to restrictive diets and strive to maintain a “perfect” body.  We’re all aware that in a few years they will more than likey give up their pursuit for a perfect body as there is not really such a thing, yet more and more teens each year turn to dieting as a short term way to obtain a desired look.  (NOTE:  by “dieting” I am referring to restrictive ‘diets’ that should not be confused with healthy eating habits or a healthy ‘diet.’)

There are a number of reasons that strict diets typically fail in the short term and rarely, if ever, work in the long term for teenagers.  Even children that are overweight will not achieve long-term success from a restrictive diet.  Here’s why:

First, making abrupt changes to food intake by restricting how much food is eaten will disrupt a child’s energy balance and their natural ability to regulate food intake, leading to problems down the road.

Second, studies show that a majority of overweight adults who used dieting as their only weight control method in their teenage years gained that weight back.

Instead of restrictive dieting, kids and teens will be much more successful by eating healthy diets and exercising regularly

Instead of restrictive dieting, kids and teens will be much more successful by eating healthy diets and exercising regularly

Third, many “hot” diets that teens are drawn to are quick weight loss diets that limit the intake of certain food groups, nutrients, etc.  For a growing body, these restictions can be bad and can stunt growth or cause imbalances in their development which can affect their performance in school or other areas of life.  Bigger problems can develop later as a result.

Finally, some teenagers suffer from more serious conditions (e.g. depression) and use their weight issues and dieting as a means to hide or supress the true issues that the child feels they cannot control.  Since the true problem is never addressed with a diet, it never goes away and continues to cause problems for the child later in life.

For these reasons, parents should be wary if/when their child tells them they want to go on a diet.  The bottom line is that restrictive diets as a means to lose weight in teenagers are never worth it.  Their chances for short term success are slim and it is more likely that they are actually doing something that is worse for their body.

If the child needs to lose weight, parents should consider a weight loss program similar to those used at teen weight loss camps where healthy eating is combined with exercise via fun activities.  These fitness camps remove kids and teens from their regular lives and free them from having to deal with the extra pressures that teenagers struggle with.  At the weight loss camp, kids are able to focus on learning healthy living habits while not having to worry about everything else that they struggle with at home.  Once the good habits are developed at camp, they return home where the new habits become a part of their daily lives.

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Explaining Weight Loss Camp to your Child

March 18, 2009 by

If you’re considering sending your child to weight loss camp this summer and have not discussed it with them yet, you may be wondering what the best approach is to take in “breaking the news.”  Consider how this decision will be interpreted by your child.  They have likely heard the horror stories associated with “fat camps” and will probably be resistant to the idea.  It is also important that they understand that you’re sending them to camp out of love and care for them, not because you want to get rid of them or you do not like the person that they are.

In a child’s mind, especially younger children, it is difficult for them to understand that a fitness camp is something that is going to benefit them for the rest of their lives.  Instead, they may view it as “punishment” for being overweight.

Therefore, it is your responsibility as a parent to explain to your child why they will be attending.  You will know better than anyone else how well your child will be able to comprehend the potential health risks that are associated with obesity in children and whether or not it is even worth it to try and explain these things to your child.

In some cases, it is best to focus on the fun that your child will have when “selling” them on the idea.  Focusing on the fun will help to ease your child’s apprehension about the fitness camp.  And, of course, the less apprehensive your child is about going, the less you’ll be concerned about their success and less likely you will be to put unnecessary pressure on them.

The most important part about having this conversation with your child is making sure that your child does not feel like they’re being sent off as a form of punishment.  Yes, they are going because they need help getting the weight loss process started, but who was the parent that let them get overweight in the first place?  Frame the experience as an opportunity to spend a lot of time outside, meet new friends, and learn new fun games and activities that they enjoy.  Answer any questions that they have about the weight loss camp honestly and positively and work to build a sense of excitement about the program.  The bottom line is that the more excited and comfortable your child is, the more successful they will be.

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Steps to Take Before Sending Your Child to Weight Loss Camp

February 24, 2009 by

Summer weight loss camps are effective in helping kids jump start their weight loss efforst, but should not be the first thing that families look in to when trying to help their child lose weight.  While we certainly stand by the effectiveness of our camps, here are some things you can try at home before sending your child away.

Support at Home – Adults struggle with keeping healthy lifestyles.  Some argue that teenagers have even more stress associated with living healthily as they have peer pressure and changing hormones to deal with as well.  As such, it is important that all children have a healthy and supportive family in their corner.  Parents can help children lose weight by leading by example and providing positive feedback to their struggling youth.  Parents also need to promote healthy eating in the choices they make for the family’s meals.  Start simple by getting rid of junk food and replacing snack options with healthier alternatives like fruits and vegetables.

Speak to a Professional – If you haven’t already, take your child to see a doctor.  Doctors will help you put your child’s weight issues in perspective and can help you develop a plan for making changes at home to help your child out.

Activity Level – Exercise is key to losing weight and a lack of exercise is largely responsible for our growing obesity problems.  A family workout plan is a great way to get everyone involved and supportive of your child’s weight loss efforts.  Take a walk after dinner or schedule family days at the local state park or pool.

Diet – Of course, a good diet is the other part to successful weight loss.  Foods should be wholesome and healthy.  Equally important is making sure that meals are eaten and that they are eaten on time.  Children that replace meals with lots of snacks are more likely to be overweight.  Breakfast is especially important, so make sure your child has something healthy to eat every morning.  Try to avoid meals that are too sugary in the morning like childrens cereal.

If you have already made some changes at home and still feel that your child needs help getting the process started, a teen weight loss camp is a great option.  However, it is extremely important that children return home from camp to an environment that is conducive to losing weight.  If nothing changes at home, chances are not good that your child will have long-term success.

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Creative Tips for Helping Kids Lose Weight

September 11, 2008 by

1.  Get them involved in the meal planning, shopping and cooking.

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.

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