I'm Not Going to Fat Camp!
A lot of children do not want to go away to any summer camp whatsoever, much less a weight loss camp. Their main reasons are that they are afraid of trying something new and being away from home. Even though over eight million children attend summer camps every year, campers will tell you that most of the time, camp was their parents' idea.
The percent of children at weight loss camps who do not want to be there is even higher. Like other children, they are afraid of leaving the familiar and trying something new. Unlike other children, most overweight kids and teens have several special fears.
Their greatest fear is that they will not lose weight or live up to their parents' expectations. They have no doubt tried diets and exercise regimes many times only to fail and feel even more badly about themselves. Achieving a normal weight has become some distant fantasy that they will never reach. They think weight loss camp will be another failure, and what's worse - one that will cost their parents a lot of money.
These teens and kids are also afraid that their peers will laugh at them for going to "fat camp," especially if they fail at losing weight. They think that they will fail at activities that require athletic ability, not realizing that at weight loss camps, everyone else is in the same boat. Many of them have stereotypes of "fat camps" gleaned from movies like Walt Disney's "Heavyweights," or South Park's "Fat Camp" episode. They may have read some of the Fat Camp Commando books by Daniel Pinkwater, which depict weight loss camps as prisons where fat children are ridiculed and abused. Who'd want to attend that summer camp?
Finally, some overweight and obese children have eating disorders that have a basis in emotional problems. Although these children are the ones who would benefit most from cognitive behavioral therapy available at the best weight loss camps, they are often the most resistant. They have a reclusive sedentary lifestyle that revolves around eating, and they are desperately afraid to leave home and let go of their secret coping habits.
If you are the parent of an overweight or obese child, you may be considering some of the new "fitness weight loss camps" that are nothing like the old fat camps. The new ones offer outdoor exercise, healthy food choices, counseling, and educational sessions along with the traditional fun of campfires, sing-a-longs, laughter in the bunks, and friends from all over the country. Just going away to summer camp often boosts a child's self-confidence. Coming home slimmer and with a healthier lifestyle can be life-changing.
If your child resists the idea of weight loss camp, it's best to approach the subject gently and well in advance of summer. Print out some brochures from weight loss camps and leave them where your child can find them. Try to start open-ended conversations about the topic, saying that you think summer camps are a great idea and that this camp may be a place where he feels he belongs. These camps are emotionally safe places where he can participate in swimming and outdoor activities with no fear of embarrassment.
Your child will probably shut you down at this point, but you still have options. Watch an online video about weight loss camp together and arrange to visit. Don't try to talk her into going for an entire summer - take a baby step of just one session. Remember that part of her wants to go for the fun and adventure, and a little voice inside is saying, "Maybe I could lose weight like the kids in the video."
Don't frame it as a place where you are sending him away to get fixed. You love him no matter how much he weighs. Weight loss camp may just be a fun choice for next summer.
Sometimes a resistant child will agree if she can go with a friend or sibling. Another idea is to attend a weight loss camp for families.
Talk about the fact that you and the entire family may need to change your attitude toward food and exercise, and that this weight loss camp involves the entire family in the effort. Once the child returns home, you can all get into it by buying healthy foods and exercising as a family. It's not just the child, but the whole family that could benefit from change.
Top-notch weight loss camps work with resistant children. They allow your child to contact former campers for first-hand feedback. The counselors will talk to your child and relieve her fears before she enrolls, and they will work with her one-on-one and in groups once she is there.
The good news is that even though most children at weight loss camp fight the idea of going, once they get there, they relax and have fun. Most weight loss camps can show you testimonials from former campers who resisted the idea and later said it was one of the best decisions of their lives.
