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Fat Camps and Weight Loss Camps – There is a Difference!

July 31, 2010 by

You have heard of fat camps. A bunch of overweight teens gather together with the common goal of losing weight. Then, as soon as they arrive, they are succumbed to a drill sergeant who will be there for an extended period of time to ensure that the kids lose weight. This old idea of fat camps has many people looking for positive options for their overweight teen cringing at the thought of any of the weight loss camps geared toward children. The truth is that fat camps and weight loss camps are two entirely different platforms with very different results.

Fat camps, often referred to as boot camps are camps where kids can go to shed a few pounds. Once they arrive, they are put on extremely strict diets, high intensity exercise programs and are diligently monitored for progress. The kids normally have weigh-ins, spend the day hiking, and eating only small portions during the day. Do they work? Yes, BUT they only work while the child is confined and under the often strict influence of the counselors and instructors. The children that attend these fat camps or fitness camps are not being given any life skills that will help them experience long-term weight loss. Worse, some of the tactics are belittling and bullying in an attempt to shame children for being overweight.

Weight loss camps on the other hand are carefully planned programs. Participants can attend the camps for long or short periods of time. The instruction is blended with plenty of education about the life skills your child will need to not just lose weight, but to remain healthy. The kids learn about issues such as self-control, self-discipline and learn the truths about nutrition and their body’s needs. Infused with these lessons are real life tactics they can use to be in control of their weight loss and their bodies. When the weight loss camp is over, the child is sent home with plenty of support, education, and tools to help them should they become misdirected. Essentially, the biggest difference between fat camps and weight loss camps is that weight loss camps act as a steady foundation of health while fat camps are like a ‘quick, fast diet campaign.’ Which would you rather your child to attend?

At some point in your child’s life, they will have to take responsibility for their body and their choices in life. Weight loss camps allow them to do so, and allow them to make positive and long lasting changes. It comes down to the old adage “when you know better, you do better!” For many teens, they just don’t know any better and live in homes with unhealthy parents or have emotional problems that are going undetected. The weight loss camps that are successful offer a full array of services so that your child is treated like an individual and given valuable life resources.

You would think in this day and age that the traditional ‘fat camps'; would no longer exist. Sadly, they do. Parents need to make good choices when it comes to helping their child lose weight. If you think your child would benefit from a weight loss camp, then conduct thorough research to ensure that the one you choose is more than just boot camp for overweight kids. The differences between the two are often made clear by the long term outcome based data that a camp has to offer. Before you enroll your child, make sure you take a look at these results so you know you are making the right choice.

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Summer is the Perfect Time to Help Your Kids Feel Better About Themselves

April 20, 2010 by

Every year brings new changes to your child’s life, whether new teachers, new classmates, or a new school.  Many parents do not realize it, but these changes can be very stressful on children, especially overweight or obese children.

While most kids do not worry about whether or not they are obese, all kids worry about what other kids think of them.  Therefore, obesity affects each child differently; some kids are outgoing enough that they are not teased about their weight, and are therefore not bothered by it, but many kids do suffer as a result of their condition.

However, it can be difficult for a parent to convince even a frequently-teased obese child to consider diet and exercise.  Kids often do not see the importance of restraint or how learning to restrain themselves could result in their leading happier lives.  For a child, habits are not a matter of choice, but a matter of the way things are and will always be.

The best time to introduce changes to your child’s habits and routines is when other changes are already occurring – between school years or when your child is getting ready to transition to a new school.  All the changes that will already be going on in your child’s life will make the new habit seem less intruding.

Perhaps as a parent you are worried about your obese child or teen suffering from the cruelty of his or her classmates?  Most parents can tell or at least get a feeling of when their child is not happy or is suffering from torments at school.  Such torments inevitably manifest themselves through changes in your child’s mood or disposition.  You know your child better than anyone else does; it is important to be perceptive.

High school in particular brings a lot of very difficult changes.  A high school student’s environment is completely different from that of any other environment he or she has ever encountered.  This is particularly terrifying for a person who is insecure about his or her weight and/or appearance.

Most teens use their summer break from school to improve their looks or otherwise increase their chances of being accepted when school starts back up again.  A weight loss camp is a great way to help your teen feel ready to start school confidently in the fall.

Not only do weight loss camps help kids lose weight while having fun, but they also give kids an opportunity to learn valuable information about nutrition that will serve them in planning healthy diets for the rest of their lives.

Additionally, the exercise habits adopted at teen weight loss camps are fun and will provide a foundation for a life full of confidence and good health that will help your teen see his or her life in a more positive way.

The summer is the perfect time for your child to make a decision either to start the next year the way he or she is, or to start changing for the better. Make the right decision; persuade your child to take this step toward a happier and more productive school year and a better, healthier life.

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Summer Weight Loss Camps Provide the Perfect Atmosphere of Acceptance

April 15, 2010 by

Though it is true that obesity rates are high, it is becoming less so.  While this is a great development, it means for obese people (especially kids), that there are fewer people in whom they can confide and to whom they feel like an equal.  A “fat camp” can give a child struggling with his or her weight the benefit of being able to choose friends based on other qualities.

Everybody knows how important friendships are to a child.  Childhood is a very sensitive period during which the person you will be for the rest of your life is formed.  If your child is obese, it is likely he or she feels limited and trapped by the number of other kids at school struggling with weight loss.

Kids understand at a very early age their likelihood of being accepted among certain social groups.  There are two likely possibilities if your kid is overweight: he or she is quiet and withdrawn, or he or she acts out as an extreme extrovert, always goofing off or engaging in self-degradation.

Obese children often feel like they have to bring more to the table in order to be accepted and have issues with their self-esteem.  And, sadly, most children and teenagers are not accepting of obesity.

Most overweight kids, however, do not even bother trying to put forward the extra effort in order to be accepted by everybody; they will simply make friends with whoever is willing to accept them, and in some cases this is only other obese kids.  Weight loss camps for teens and kids provide a great atmosphere where kids do not have to worry about picking their friends with their weight in mind.

Most kids who spend their summers in our camps report a new-found sense of social freedom from judgment and criticism that they are able to carry over into their lives at school the next year.  The power of genuine friendship is truly amazing.

Most overweight kids are lucky to have one other kid in their class they can relate to.  If your kid is so lucky, he or she is doing better than most.  However, even if your kid has a close friend at school, you would be amazed to see the effects of adding another, or even two or three more close friends.  Not only do weight loss camps allow overweight kids to feel what it is like to have multiple genuine friends, but they also allow them to feel what it is like not to have to be friends with everyone who will accept them, and that will do wonders for their self esteem.

This aspect of weight loss camps is particularly helpful for girls.  The social pressure put on women by society is tremendous, and feeling relief from this pressure is tremendously helpful in losing weight.

Weight loss camps provide kids with an environment in which more importance is placed on their personality, as opposed to their appearance, than may ever have been before in their lives.  The absence of stress this creates will put your child in the perfect state of mind for losing weight and adopting healthier living habits.

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The Difficulty of Providing Your Overweight Kid with a Positive Reinforcement

April 7, 2010 by

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.

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Children Build Self Confidence at Weight Loss Camp

March 10, 2010 by

Parents of obese children well know the pain of watching their child struggle to do things like participate in sports.  Parents who were overweight through their own childhood know the taunts and teasing their children endure.  Weight loss camps for kids may not have been an option when the parent was a child.

Times have changed and the problem of overweight kids is being recognized for the health hazards it presents.  Weight loss camps can help overweight children learn to make better food choices and also set them on a path of increased physical activity that will benefit them for a lifetime.

In our society, we’ve migrated to a different way of eating.   This is often due to busy schedules in homes where two parents work full time.  It is easy to pick up pizza or hamburgers or fried chicken on the way home from work.   Soft drinks are staples in most refrigerators and snack foods such as chips and cookies are regular fare rather than the treats they were for previous generations.

Overweight children suffer more health problems due to their weight and to the lack of activity that weight causes.  And, children aren’t long term planners.   They live in the present and cannot be counted on to eat less because they are told to.  Parents often have tried to limit the food intake and know how difficult it can be to deny a child his favorite snack foods.  The only way to even attempt to put a child on a diet is for the entire family to change regular eating habits.   Even then, determined kids will snack every chance they get.

When you register your child at a weight loss camps for kids, you are not giving a punishment.   You are giving your child a chance to start on a path to a happier life where he is not ridiculed or bullied.

Some people still call these resident facilities fat camps but they aren’t – they offer children a place to be with others who have similar circumstances.   This allows the child to let his personality shine as he is accepted as he is without judgment.  Your child will eat the same healthy diet provided to all the campers.  The activities are designed to be fun and increase exercise without the children realizing it.  After two weeks or a month or more at a resident weight loss camp, the child you bring home will be happier, healthier and more comfortable in his own skin.  What greater gift could you offer a child?

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Happy Holidays from Camp Pocono Trails!

December 21, 2009 by

As we wrap up another successful year at our weight loss camp, we want to take the time to wish all of our past and future campers and families a Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Many people begin a new year by making some sort of resolution to improve their quality of life. A common resolution is to lose some weight, change a diet, etc. To help those of you that make similar resolutions, we’ve compiled a list of some entries from our blog this year that might be beneficial:

Moving in to a new year, you may finally decide that attending a weight loss camp for kids is the solution that your family needs. If so, we look forward to hearing from you!

We are excited for another successful year full of helping kids and teens create a New Image for themselves and starting on the path to healthier living in 2010!

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

November 24, 2009 by

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

November 11, 2009 by

“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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Picking the Right Weight Loss Camp for Your Kids

August 24, 2009 by

Years ago, the term “fat camp” was used to describe the summer camps that kids and teens went to to lose weight. Those camps were typically intense experiences that did more harm than good for a number of the children. The weight loss was temporary at best, and the psychological strain was never worth the price that was paid. Today, fitness camps for kids are different. They focus on a holistic approach to weight loss that teach children long term healthy living strategies instead of focusing on losing weight quickly.

Parents that are considering sending their child to a summer weight loss camp often struggle with the final decision. Admittedly, sending your child away to get help with their weight loss takes power away from the parents and is a way of them saying “I give up. I need help.” This is never easy to do, but is often the best choice to make. Certainly, parents are able to learn the things that they need to and eventually can help their children get on the right track, but that takes a lot of time that many parents simply don’t have. There is nothing wrong with leaving it to professionals who have years of experience working with kids just like yours.

So, as you search around for weight loss camps for teens and kids, here are a few things that you might want to keep in mind to help you determine what camp is the best for your family.

First, check to make sure the camp uses a healthy weight loss approach. Although this seems obvious, you need to make sure you’re not sending your child to a camp that subscribes to the “old school” approach towards weight loss. This should include plenty of healthy choices at meals such that your kid won’t go hungry at camp. Look for samples of the daily menus and check for plenty of veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains.

Second, look at the kinds of exercise activities that they offer. In short, these should be FUN. Camps that use things like weight rooms, tradmills, crunches, and so on are not going to be enjoyable, and therefore will not be successful for your child. The more fun your kid has at camp, the more exercise they will get, and the more successful they will be. One of the main goals for a weight loss camp should be to break the “exercise is boring” mentality and show kids that there are plenty of ways to exercise and have fun.

Also, as you evaluate weight loss camps, make sure that the camp you choose sets realistic goals for their campers. It is important to remember that children lose weight differently than adults and need to set goals with that in mind. A number of kids “grow in” to their healthy weights more than they shed pounds like adults do. Thus, be wary of any camp that promises to send back a “skinny kid” as that may not be the most healthy thing for your child.

Finally, as I said above, look for camps that use a holistic approach to weight loss. This should extend beyond diet and exercise. Many overweight children suffer from emotional issues like depression. If these emotional scars are not addresses, the chance of long term success will decline dramatically. Therefore, seek out camps that employ qualified counselors that give children the support they need to work through these difficult issues as they learn to be a whole healthy individual.

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Why our Weight Loss Camps are Successful

July 30, 2009 by

Getting a child that is used to a life full of inactivity and a poor diet to switch to a life full of activity and healthy eating is certainly not an easy task. There will always be foods available that are loaded with trans and saturated fats and the pull of television, computers, and video games will always be felt. However, as more and more children become obese in this country, the response to fight the problem also grows. Many families have found success with our weight loss camps to jump start the process of change.

The path to obesity is, unfortunately, a cycle that is a snowball effect, of sorts. Children that live unhealthy lives gain weight, which leads to poor self-esteem as they are commonly judged and teased by society, especially peers at school. This poor self-worth often leads to feelings of helplessness and an inability to make changes, which inevitably leads to them continuing to live an unhealthy life. This leads to more teasing, and on and on…

As such, we focus on improving self-esteem here at our camps as much as we do on weight loss. Our name, New Image Camps, is based on that philosophy – we want kids to look different to others, but more importantly, we want them to change the way they view themselves. To accomplish this, we use a wide variety of fun group activities that teach kids new skills (which they can fell good about) and allow them to meet new friends and counselors who provide a solid network of support. With improved self confidence, our campers are more likely to engage in behavioral changes with respect to their exercise and eating habits.

This leads to another snowball effect, although this one is positive. As kids begin to feel better about themselves from the support they receive from counselors and peers at our camps, they become more willing to make changes to their lifestyle, such as learning that healthy foods are pretty tasty in their own right! So, they begin to eat better, which increases their feelings of self-worth and leads to more involvement in group activities, which also increases their self worth, and so on…

This is why we insist that we are not a fat camp in the typical sense of the term. Traditional fat camps deal with losing weight, first and foremost. They are often joyless places that have kids leaving that feel worse about themselves than they did when they came. This is, of course, not a very successful strategy. Instead, we focus on the whole individual. Our focus is more on fun, education, and self-esteem, which leads to weight loss, among other things. This difference in philosophy from traditional fat camps is why we have so many campers that choose to come back year after year – they know camp will be fun and enjoyable, but also a place where they can improve themselves.

So, while childhood obesity will likely be a problem that our society struggles with for a long time, rest assured that if you are ready to truly solve this problem for yourself or your child by addressing some of the underlying issues, our camps are a great place to do so.

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