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RSS FeedAre weight loss camps appropriate for children under 10?
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| Yes | 21% | 52 votes | Total: 247 votes | |
| No | 79% | 195 votes |
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Add to FavoritesI have really enjoyed watching some of the fat camp episodes on the discovery and health channels. I have not seen or heard of one camper who didn't benefit from being with others who had the same goal. Even when there is a sabotage amongst them selling candy bars or junk food, the craving is stifled by other campers who are also on the same mission to loose weight.
I have a granddaughter I would love to send to weight loss camp but we just can not afford it. I know she would love it. Sure at first it is intimidating to be in such a huge group of people but no more than any other camp. I would feel worse sending her to a camp where all the skinny kids could eat what ever they wanted because this puts undo pressure on her at only 15.
I would want my sweet granddaughter to be with others who can support her and help her achieve her goals. I can not think of one negative thing about joining in with others of the same age and same issues as your's. What environment could be better than this?
While watching these shows I have seen how even a small amount of weight loss can build a desire within these kids to continue their journey to the new you once at home. The sadness that they feel the very first time they step on the scale and the realization of just how out of control their eating habits are is disheartening but short lived. The first time they weigh in after two weeks of enjoying healthy meals and lots of great group sports or fun exercise and see they have lost weight is priceless. The joy they feel and the excitement to loose more is so overwhelmingly wonderful.
I would never send my granddaughter to a camp for weight loss with adults to loose weight. If it is not a camp for just kids I would not sign up. The idea that kids can support each other is the key to why these camps work so well. Putting a child in an adult setting is just plain wrong and can be traumatizing. I am all for weight loss camps for over weight children.
Learn more about this author, Sandie Vista.
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No
Weight loss camps, more commonly referred to as "fat camps" have been a hot topic as of late, made even more popular by shows such as "the Biggest Loser" or "I want to look like a high school cheerleader again". With so much glamour and Hollywood thrown into the mix, public television has children and parents addicted and even wanting to go to these so-called camps. Before automatically jumping to enroll, we ought to stop and ask ourselves some questions first, primarily if this is the right decision for our family. Just because YOU feel the need to lose weight does not mean that your seemingly overweight and slightly pudgy-looking eight year old does. Weight loss camps are not appropriate for children under ten years of age, whether they are "overweight" (which by the way is just an average) or not.
All healthy children are born with what appears to be extra bits of "fat". However, what you are seeing is not necessarily obesity in your child. As you age, your organs age with you. However, this does not necessarily mean that they grow with you. Pack an adult's vital organs into a child's body frame and you see there is a need for that extra space, that on the outward appearance, seems to be extra weight. During the first nine years of human life, the body grows exponentially and far more than it will during every other period of your life combined. Any extra fat that is on the child's body will be absorbed by the body as the child grows, as this will help provide nourishment to the body so it can continue processing.
Many parents make the mistake of overfeeding their children. This is not only unhealthy, but you may not actually be feeding your child what their body needs. Instead of seconds on desserts, go for seconds on the meal and allow only one helping of dessert. Instead of sugar snacks (sometimes even ones that are engineered to appear healthy), try fruit, vegetables, or sandwiches. You are not putting your child on a diet, per-say, but you are ensuring that they eat foods that contain the vitamins and minerals that are essential to your child's healthy development while teaching your child healthy eating habits through demonstration. Remember, most children develop the majority of habits from their parents- and that includes eating habits, good and bad. If you are actually providing nutritious foods to your children, then you will find that there is no need to ever worry about their weight and you will greatly reduce the number of colds that your child brings into the house. However, there are other causes for obesity in children.
Perhaps the biggest cause of rising obesity in children is inactivity. Many children spend countless hours watching tv or playing video games. Suggest that they might develop better hand-eye coordination from sports, and the children usually respond positively after a bit because they now have a time to spend with their friends and schoolmates and they will always feel much better after the workout than they would have if they just sat at home.
If parents helped the children take care of themselves, the rate of childhood obesity would plummet downward, and all of the "fat camps" would go out of business. The only reason that the weight loss camps exist is because people let situations (in this case, childhood obesity) go to an extreme level before they decide to do anything about it. The camps exist as a tribute to not eating right and trying to reteach children what is the right way to eat and control your diet. However, aside from teaching kids right from wrong in terms of food choices, fat camps are unable to maintain their effectiveness because as soon as the child leaves, they are put right back into the same environment that they were in before and in not too long, the children have gone right back to their old habits, which the parents only look at in exasperation and do nothing about.
So no, weight loss camps will never be appropriate for children under ten years of age not only because they will not be effective, but because they don't really pinpoint the source of the problem. The money that is put into these camps yearly would be put to better (and a much more effective use) by creating retraining programs for parents so that the parents may be able to better their family's life.
Learn more about this author, Heather Ewton.
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