Weight loss camps help kids lose weight, gain skills

A weight loss camp is a type of program where overweight and obese children and teenagers are sent during the summer to lose weight. They are more gently referred to as a fitness camp.

These camps provide weight loss results of two to six pounds per week on average. The effectiveness of these camps varies widely and usually depends on the quality of the individual program and biochemistry of the attending campers.

This is a article from PolkOnline.com about Weight loss camps

When Tony Sparber started running weight loss camps 30 years ago, the campers were mostly teenage girls, 100 pounds plus overweight. The menu consisted of food like liver, fish and alfalfa sprouts and the exercise was running and sit-ups.

Weight loss camp for kids

A weight loss camp for kids.

The goal was to lose as much weight in as short amount of time as possible.

Now, things are a little less extreme: About 40 percent of the campers are boys. Most kids need to lose between 20 and 40 pounds. Menus offer a broader range of food, and exercise is downright fun, with activities such as tennis and kayaking. The camps emphasize healthy lifestyles and skills the kids can take home with them.

In short, so-called “fat camps” are more likely to resemble regular camps that just happen to specialize in teaching good decision-making techniques.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children ages 6-19 are overweight or obese – a number that has tripled since 1980.

The number of weight loss camps has remained relatively the same, says Jeff Solomon, executive director of the National Camp Association. There are about 15 to 20 out of a total of 10,000 camps in the organization. (Some camps have multiple locations.)

Sparber, who used to run Weight Watchers camps, says campers tend to be younger than they used to be. A large number of the 1,500 kids he expects will sign up for his three summer camps over the next few weeks will be between the ages of 7 and 12.

That age group tends to be more successful because parents have more input on the child’s eating and exercise habits, he says. Bad eating habits are also less ingrained in younger children.

And camps are all about building habits, not just handing out quick fixes. They offer classes about nutrition, portion control, emotional eating, dealing with situations like pizza and ice cream parties.

They also teach by example. Sparber said his menus used to offer 1,200 to 1,300 calories a day. Now they are sized more realistically, at 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day, with hamburgers, pita pizzas, baked chips and low-fat baked goods.

“The biggest misconception about weight loss camp is that they don’t serve you enough food and that they overwork you,” says Daniel Kriss, 15, who was featured in the MTV documentary “Return to Fat Camp” based on New Image Camp Pocono Trails in Pennsylvania. He lost 40 pounds at the camp. “It’s the exact opposite. They feed you the right amount of food and work you out just enough.”

Weight loss camps for kids

A weight loss camp for kids

Changing behavior is key to sustaining weight loss, says Ryan Craig, president of Wellspring, which runs 11 weight loss summer programs around the world, including nine camps and two adult vacations, as well as programs at two boarding schools.

Wellspring participants learn to cook, shop, order at restaurants, and work with psychologists on stress management, frustration tolerance, and emotional eating.

“It’s not a lack of information,” says Craig, referring to the reason kids are overweight. “They know what it means to be healthy. They’re resorting to food as an unhealthy coping mechanism.”

Some campers want to be there, as opposed to years ago when their parents made them go.

Rod Rezvani, 20, who at one point weighed 440 pounds, says his father suggested attending Wellspring Camp last summer. But he says, it was “completely my decision.”

“I was happy I was finally making a change,” says Rezvani, who has lost 167 pounds and is enrolled in the Wellspring college program in Reedley, Calif.

Maya Murray, 8, of Long Island, N.Y. who was 112 pounds, attended New Image Weight Loss Camps last summer and came home 16 pounds slimmer, more confident and independent, and making healthier choices. She continued to lose weight, with her family’s support, and is now 76 pounds.

“I wanted to feel better and look better,” says Maya. “I couldn’t breathe that well. I couldn’t run fast. It was hard to be active.”

Wellspring makes sure that parents are part of the process, says Craig, offering family workshops the last two days of camp, a home-transition plan for each child and an after-care program.

Losing the weight does come at a price. New Image Weight Loss Camps cost about $1,100 a week; the camp does give out scholarships. Wellspring Camps cost about $5,950 for four weeks; but insurance covers some of that because of the therapy, says Craig.

Still, those costs may put some of these programs out of reach, especially for inner city youth, who have higher rates of obesity.

There are cheaper options, says Susan Blech, co-author of the weight loss memoir “Confessions of a Carb Queen” and the senior care coordinator at Brookdale Hospital’s childhood obesity program in Brooklyn, N.Y. She recommends parents look into schools or churches that run camps, sports activities, or a program similar to hers, which is free.

The important thing is to keep kids active in the summer, says Madelyn Fernstrom, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center.

Solomon also says more traditional camps are now focused on children’s fitness and health, serving healthier fare and encouraging lots of exercise.

“Any camp is great because it will force the child to have structured time in the summer,” Fernstrom says. “You want to choose a camp even if it’s a special camp like arts or science that has some activity.”

Related information:

* Special Weight loss Boot Camps: Weightloss boot camps are special programs arranged for the people who want to keep their body fit and healthy.

* Low or high intensity exercising is good for weight loss: know benefit of low and high intensity exercising, especially for weight loss.

* Walking for weight loss: post about walking and how to walk effectively to lose weight.

* www.polkonline.com: A complete reflection of the news, events, entertainments, real estate and business community of Polk County Florida including Winter Haven, Bartow, Auburndale, Lake Wales and Haines City.

Source: http://letdiet.blogspot.com

Generally, as the weather gets warmer we wear less clothes, so as summer approaches many people want to lose weight and get in shape for the beach. Below are 7 healthy eating tips to help you lose weight during the summer months.

Tip #1: Fresh Fruits are the #1 Snack

Depending on where you live, you likely see a significant improvement in the quality of the produce offered at your local grocery store during the summer months. Stock up on fruit once or twice a week. Take them to work, eat them as snacks, and eat them as dessert.

I don’t know about you, but for me a ripe mango taste just as good if not better than candy or a sugary dessert. And fruit will always have so much more vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water than any processed sugary dessert that comes in a box or bag.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Eat a Salad Once a Day

Just like fruit, the veggies tend to be fresher during the summer months. When you stock up on fruit, also stock up on veggies.

Preparing your own salad at lunch or with dinner is a great way to add tons of fiber and minerals to your diet without adding tons of calories. Starting dinner with a salad is a great way to curb overeating and support weight loss.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Careful with the Cold Drinks

During a hot summer day it’s so easy to reach for something cool and refreshing to drink, but you have to be careful that you’re not drinking too many extra calories. Sweetened Lemonade can pack over 200 calories for a 12 ounce serving.

A can of ice cold Coca Cola has about 140 calories per 12 ounce can. A cold 12 ounce beer has about 150 calories. And if you reach for a mixed drink like a cold Pina Colada while you’re sitting at the beach you’ll take in an additional 600 calories.

During the hot summer days try to stay hydrated with mostly water. Drinking mostly water is a great summer weight loss tip.

Tip #4: Careful with the Cold Desserts

Just like cool drinks, during the summer months it seems so easy to reach for ice cream after dinner to cool off. Ice cream tastes good, but it can really wreak havoc on your waistline. An occasional treat is okay, but try not to get the deluxe banana split with whipped cream, caramel, chocolate, fudge, and nuts. If you absolutely must have ice cream, consider sharing with someone else or buy 1 dessert for a group of 4. Less is more.

Tip #5: BBQ a Little Healthier

BBQ’s are a part of summer that so many people love, but a BBQ doesn’t have to be an excuse for you to pig out on all the bad stuff. Go light on the full fat beef, cheese, potato chips, coke, and beer.
Consider sharing a half of a hamburger or skip the cheese. Always seek out any fresh veggies, and limit yourself to one drink that is not water.

Tip #6: Eat Less When You Dine Out.

First, I will say that preparing your own food will help you to lose weight if you eat out often. But, when you do go out to eat during the summer months, try to eat a little less. You can cut back on restaurant calories by eliminating 1 or more courses.

Do you need the bread, appetizers, desserts, and drinks? Ask if you can have the sauce on the side, and try to order something tasty and a little healthy.

Tip #7: Aim to Eat 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day.

I know so many people rush off to work with no breakfast, and often skip or have a light lunch. Then at dinner it’s 1000 calories followed by another 500 calories of dessert. Your metabolism doesn’t like large meals. Try to eat 3-4 300-600 calorie meals and 1-2 100-200 calorie snacks throughout the day.

Hopefully, these simple eating tips will help you to lose weight. Of course, if you are really serious about losing weight then you will also incorporate exercise. Walking is a great place to start, and adding weight training will give you a significant boost. Get started and stick with it.

Most of us want to lose weight and/or get healthier than we are. Healthy eating plans are the key to that.

This doesn’t mean that eating healthily and making sure to take in balanced levels of nutrition are the only ways to lose those ten or one-hundred pounds. Starvation diets are popular, as are programs that completely eschew certain food groups at all times or certain hours or limit intake to only a few food types. These are only a few of your options, walk through the diet aisle in any bookstore and you’ll find a thousand more.

Because our bodies react to any drastic change in nutrition or calorie intake by processing more calories to make up for any lack, it is usually fairly easy to start losing weight quickly. Sustaining the weight loss can be at least as difficult as sticking to any radical dietary change, even harder is keeping a significant amount of weight off. Historically, a high percentage of people on diets regain at least the amount lost, if not significantly more.

This is not to imply weight loss through a change in diet is impossible. However, what is crucial to sustainability is changing our eating habits entirely. This means that rather than simply restriction or some other radical alteration, finding a healthy plan that can be stuck to, and which can affect an overall change in eating habits, is what will work best to take weight off, improve our health and keep it that way.

To that end, healthy eating plans are critical, not only to losing weight – which is not always the goal of a change in eating habits, thin people can be unhealthy too – but also to becoming an overall healthier person. All the nutrition in the world will only work if it’s combined with an active program for making it work.

The entire process of storing, retaining and recalling information is known as memory. Many a times we have thought about how bad we fare on our mental capacity to remember things but we seldom take it seriously however recessing memory is a serious health disorder. Action taken early can go a long way in restoring our mental health.

Experts have designed so many ways to overcome the disorder or improve the condition. One of such tools is called mnemonics it enhances our capacity to remember things based on similarity. It is the neurons in our brain that send and receive signals. The stronger neurons connections are the better the memory is. If we practice ways to strengthen and protect them it can go a long way in ensuring a better memory, which generally degrades with age and mental disorders such as stress. So one should try reducing stress and getting involved in leisure activities. Try to experience new experiences and skills and move away from routine functions. Try new adventures and challenges and give body and mind new environments to function. Exercise regularly and do include brisk walk and cardiovascular exercises to enhance blood flow to brain to enhance its growth. Stimulate brain by involving oneself in brainstorming puzzles and quizzes. Read thru various magazines and books and stay update with newspapers. Try retaining as much information as possible and recall on a regular basis by referring to them in conversation. Avoid medication such as antidepressants and sleeping aids, as they tend to dull our mind. One should also try to kick unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and getting involved in drugs/doping. Making sure to get adequate hours of sleep (minimum 8 hours per day) also ensures to help our brain stay active.

Memory can be long term or short term, few people boast of amazing memory they remember things as old as 20 years or more. Whereas some people might not even remember last week activities. It typically also depends on attention paid, it is researched that if one focuses for about 8 seconds or more the information is stored in the memory center of brain. Undistracted attention and avoiding multitasking also ensures information retention. Trying to involve as many senses to relate to information and recalling it by relating to it also helps in strengthening memory. Organizing information in a better way of referring back to when required for e.g. using address book or appointment diaries. Breaking down complex material into bits and pieces and interpreting them also helps in boosting memory.

Diseases such as diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases also affect memory. Stress also makes it difficult to concentrate and remember things. Eating healthy can help in restoring memory and generate healthy brain cells. It also helps to fight adverse effect of medication. Leafy green vegetables and legumes help to generate red blood cells that carry oxygen to the brain. Vitamin B, C and beta-carotene also acts as antioxidants and improve flow of oxygen thru body and brain. These naturally good substances are found in fruits and vegetables such as sweet potato, blue berries tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, green tea, citrus fruits, liver and nuts. Omega 3 fatty acids founds in cod liver oil and other fresh water fishes like salmon and tuna is good for cognitive functions. It is also found in certain vegetarian food such as walnut and flaxseed. On the other hand there are supplements to overcome deficiencies such as vitamin b and folic acid capsules or health food fortified with such vitamins. These foods if taken in adequate quantity can help boost heart functions that in turn supplies blood to brain and will improve neuron functions leading to better memory.

Many mental health problems begin during the teenage years, probably because it is such a difficult time. Teenagers deal with the daily stress of school, peer pressure, and relationships. They have the added stress of exams, learning to drive and getting their license, and impending college decisions. For some, there are also jobs and first monthly bills, like car insurance or cell phones. When combined with the day-to-day stress of home and family life, it can be overwhelming.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your teenagers stay mentally healthy.

Stay connected. It is easy for parents and teens to drift apart, sometimes living in almost different worlds. Make an effort to stay connected to your teen. If you know what is happening in their lives, you can spot warning signals that your teen is having problems.

Maintain communication. Keep communication lines open with your teen. While he or she may not always want to talk, they need to know they can talk to you. If you put your teen off, constantly interrupt, or belittle what he or she is saying, then your teen will be less likely to talk to you about the important issues in his or her life.

Try to understand. Although your teenage years may seem like a long time ago, you can remember what it was like to be that age. Take a moment to think about what it was like to be a teenager. Instead of belittling your teen’s issues, or pointing out how small their problems are compared to those of your adult life, try to understand what it is like to be a teenager facing the issues a teenager faces.

Seek outside help. Many parents are afraid to seek outside help, whether a counselor or a friend’s advice, because they think it will make them appear incompetent. Do not be more concerned with what the neighbors will think than you are with your child’s mental health. If your child is struggling with problems that you do not feel capable of helping them handle, find someone who can help you both.

Your teen’s mental health has bearing on his or her mental health as an adult. How they learn to cope and adapt sets the stage for their coping and adapting skills throughout life. Taking the time to help them stay mentally healthy now will continue to help them during those times when you are not there.

You can help ensure that the choices your teen makes are healthy ones. While helping your teen stay healthy requires a little work, the benefits of your efforts will last a lifetime.