Fat Camp No More

A few years ago, the Undersecretary of Agriculture shocked Americans in testimony before Congress when he said, "In the past 20 years, the percentage of children who are overweight has doubled and the percentage of adolescents who are overweight has more than tripled. If we do not stem this tide, many children in this generation of children will not outlive their parents."

There's no way around it, our children are too fat. For many decades, the percentage of overweight Americans remained about the same; however, since 1970, that percentage has doubled to about 62 percent. About 34 percent of American children are overweight, and half of those are obese. Many doctors believe that the current childhood obesity epidemic will someday cost society more than AIDS in terms of dollars and lost lives.
Doctors are seeing children as young as 7 who weigh over 200 pounds. They worry as they treat youngsters for Type 2 diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, orthopedic and joint complaints, and even gallstones. These problems are connected to being overweight, and they didn't used to show up until people were middle-aged.

Experts in the new science of weight control now believe that staying slim is about changing a few lifestyle habits. Small changes such as walking more, eating less fat, eating at regular intervals, getting more sleep, limiting television viewing, participating in sports, eating slightly smaller portions of foods, and consuming fewer processed foods can make a difference as to whether your child stays fat or slim.

Today's parents are concerned when their child is overweight, not because they worry about their child's popularity and beauty, but because they want them to be healthy. We now know that most heavy children will not "outgrow" the problem but will become fat or obese adults, putting them at risk for serious diseases.

These concerned parents are creating a demand for new solutions to help their children. They want schools to provide more physical education and less junk food. They are moving to neighborhoods that are "architecturally friendly" to physical fitness, ones with bike trails, shaded walks, playgrounds, and ball fields. They are forming "walk pools" with parents taking turns walking groups of children to school. They are giving up on old-style fat camps because they know that these programs fail to produce lasting results.

Instead, these concerned parents are sending their children to weight loss camps like the programs offered by Wellspring—including Wellspring Camps and boarding schools Wellspring Academies—where the emphasis is on eating healthy foods, staying active, and making lifestyle changes that improve overall health.

At these weight loss camps, children learn about good nutrition and healthy food choices, without all of the negativity of traditional fat camps.   Campers may take up a sport for the first time, such as hiking or swimming, which often will become a lifelong pursuit. Cognitive-behavioral therapists help these young campers learn goal-setting, self-regulation, stress management, and frustration tolerance. Parents and family members participate in workshops and aftercare programs designed to maintain the child's weight loss and lifestyle changes after camp ends.
 
Because the new emphasis of these camps is on health and lifestyle habits, many insurance companies will pay for part of the tuition for weight loss camp. Campers return home not only slimmer and more muscular, but with new lifestyle habits that can keep them healthy and fit over their lifetimes.