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Requirements for Fat Camp

For many people, the term "fat camp" is a less than inspiring term. While there is some merit to the argument that such a term fails to focus on the goal of the children sent there to lose weight, there is greater evidence to support the benefits attributed to weight loss that is achieved through long-term dietary changes and consistent physical activity.

  1. Traditional Fat Camps Versus Modern Fat Camps

    • Fat camp, or weight loss camp, is a short-term weight loss program designed to help people with weight loss goals in a group environment. Although modern fat camps are designed to team overweight and obese people with nutritionists, physical fitness therapists and counselors, fat camps did not always target effective weight loss goals or tout the benefits of healthy eating.

    History

    • Summer camps for children were first established in 1880 and soon sprang up across the United States. Under the support of Theodore Roosevelt and other prominent people, summer camps started to flourish by the 1960s. Fat camps did not spring up for several decades. In fact, it was not until Camp Napanoch in Napanoch, N.Y. was established in 1963 that fat camps started to gain in popularity. According to fatcampinfo.com ("Fat Camp Info"), 84 weight loss camps for children, located mostly within driving distance of New York City, were available by 1988.

    Effectiveness

    • Fat camps were originally criticized for highly restrictive diets and grueling regimes of calisthenics. Social pressure and changes in history, such as the feminist movement, saw an increasing number of parents and adults unwilling to attend fat camps. Deemed ineffective, fat camps started to lose credibility and by the 1990s only 15 fat camps (of the 10,000 total summer camps listed by the American Camp Association) remained.

    Fit Camps

    • Today, fat camps have few requirements but are designed for parents who are concerned about their child's overall health. Changes in fat camps have also lead to the more politically correct term, fit camps. Many fit camps offer nutrition information, weight loss programs and aftercare services. While many fit camps, or fat camps, as a few are still called, do not limit participation to a specific weight, many accept participants at various stages of the weight loss process.

    Long-Term Model

    • Built upon the idea of support, fat camps are built around teaching kids how to become healthy adults. Aimed at teaching children and teenagers how to exercise, achieve a healthier lifestyle and build better self-esteem, many fat camps are transitioning from short term starvation techniques to long-term models. In fact, no longer are the days when children are shipped off to camp for several weeks and then returned home and expected to maintain the results. Now fat camps are offered after school and in some cases organized through universities, high schools and community centers.

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