by Heather Ewton

Created on: November 02, 2007

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

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