Do Fat Camps Really Work?

In the traditional sense of the term, fat camps definitely do not work. When people hear the phrase "fat camp," they often imagine a place where kids are made to run endless miles, do countless jumping jacks and sit-ups, and eat lettuce at every meal. Fortunately, most fat camps have been replaced with weight loss camps or fitness camps.

The fat camps of old didn't have good results - at least not in the long term. Children who went to fat camp might have lost weight during camp, but they almost always gained it back upon returning home. The problem with these types of camps was that they didn't teach a child (or the parents) how to make healthy lifestyle choices, so once the child returned home he reverted back to the same habits that caused him to be overweight in the first place. .

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The Current State of Childhood Obesity >>

Today's weight loss camps are completely different from old-style fat camps. They are designed to help young people learn how to make healthy choices about food and exercise. The focus is less on actual weight loss and more on the healthy habits that have weight loss as a byproduct.

In 2000, a study appeared in the International Journal of Obesity in which British researchers tracked nearly 200 children who participated in a two-month weight loss camp. Nearly all the campers lost weight and achieved a lower Body Mass Index (BMI). But what's most fascinating about the study is that 11 months later, 80% of the kids still had a lower BMI than they'd had before going to the weight loss camp. That's a significant statistic when you consider that, among the general population, 95% of all people who use dieting to lose weight eventually gain all the weight back.

Most modern-day weight loss camps have follow-up programs, which increases the likelihood that a child will maintain his healthy lifestyle once he's at home. The follow-up may be via e-mail, phone conversations, or support groups. Regardless of the format, follow-up programs give young people and their families the opportunity to continue learning, asking questions, and getting support and encouragement.

Read To Fat Camp, and Back Again
Why Fat Camps Don't Work >>

What may be more important than the physical changes are the emotional and psychological changes that can take place at a weight loss camp. Researchers from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom studied the attitudes and self-esteem of kids who participated in a month-long weight loss camp. They found that, at the end of four weeks, the kids' self-esteem had improved, and they felt better about their physical appearance and athletic ability.

Weight loss camps work because they don't teach "dieting," they teach healthy living. They give kids and their families the knowledge and confidence they need to make lasting lifestyle changes.

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