Weight loss camps for kids?

[Ragtime Gal]

Has anyone sent their child to a weight loss camp, or know of anyone who has? I'm curious as to how it went for them.

Thanks,

Sharon

[Kent]

I am curious as well. I was never the camp going kid (except for Army Boot Camp), and as of yet have not sent my kids anywhere. If it would help, I'd be interested.

[CarrieM]

Weight loss Camps

The only advise I can give you is from my personal experience as a child sent to many "Fat Camps" It is NOT worth the loss of self esteem and the ridicule that I endured. I think that if my family had focused more on nutritious eating at home and stopping the cycle of emotional eating, that I would have been a much healthier, thinner child. Getting the whole family involved in an activity (like swimming, walking, biking, or even aerobics video tapes) would have worked so much better. And also removing the junk food from the house! I know on Atkin's we don't have those junk foods in the house for us, but no one else in our homes needs them either! I hope this helps you and if you want you can email me with any questions you have about weight loss camps for kids, I went from age 8 to age 14.

[BelovedTexasGirl]

Carrie,

Your post got me thinking....you felt a great loss of self esteem in going to "fat camps" as a child. Question: did your parents ask if you wanted to go or simply send you because they thought that was best for you?

I wonder if some overweight children actually want to go to camps like these. I have vague memories of being an overweight child and seeing commercials for Camp LaJolla and wanting to go. I never had the courage to approach my parents to discuss going, but I doubt they could have afforded it anyway.

Perhaps if parents would sit their children down and have open conversations with them, they would learn alot and then be able to make a better decision for their children.

[CarrieM]

I wanted to go to the first one. I wanted to be skinny and fit in, but the "counselors" at the camp humiliated us. We were told that being fat was our fault. After the first camp, I didn't want to go but my parents and grandma sent me again and again. I went from being a chubby kid to weighing 180 lbs in the 8th grade. I did learn alot about hiding food and bingeing while at those camps, which led to a continuous fight with bulimia. I believe that bulimia is like alcoholism, in that I consider myself a recovering bulimic even though I haven't binged and purged for three years.

I think that an open honest conversation would have been much more effective than fatcamp, but as some can relate, my family was dysfunctional, not abusive but not real open and supportive either.

I finally have found a WOE that works for me and I plan on sticking with it! Atkins rules!