Articles

"I'm Bored" - A Great Opportunity to Help
Your Overweight
Child

Kids & Fast Weight Loss Diets: A Bad
Combination

Sending Your Child to Weight Loss Camp

Kids & Fast Weight Loss Diets: A Bad Combination

We live in an instant gratification society where everything we want is as close as a click on computer's keyboard or a drive to the mall. So it is to be expected that we'd like to believe that a problem that took quite a while to develop--like our child or teen's weight gain--can be solved in an instant.

Ads on TV and the internet inundate us (and our kids) with "magic diets" and "miracle weight loss" products touting everything from pomegranates to maple syrup as the ingredient that will serve as they key that unlocks the fast weight loss.

The old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it is," should be applied here. Not only are the diets not workable, they are flat-out not safe--particularly for growing children.

Pills may in fact raise a child's metabolism causing weight loss (along with causing sleeplessness, inattentiveness, possible heart palpitations or worse). Diuretics may effect a loss of water weight (while putting the kidneys at risk). Reducing the diet to one ingredient or abandoning carbohydrates or relying on protein shakes for all one's nutrition certainly doesn't supply the necessary nutrition to the still-growing body of a child or teen and, what's worse, the moment regular eating habits are reverted to again, all the weight lost will return--and more.

At a reputable weight loss camp, the emphasis isn't on miracle dieting (or constant exercise plus starvation as is shown on such TV shows like "The Biggest Loser") rather it is on healthy nutrition, teaching our campers how to have a new relationship with food, and exercise that serves the body in the short and long-term and that overweight children and teens find fun (multiplying the chance that they will continue exercising their whole life long.)

As a parent of an overweight child or teen, it is understandable that you'd like fast results. No one wants to see their child suffer and, make no mistake, the overweight child is suffering. But have patience and encourage your child to have patience. Investigate weight loss programs like those at Camp Shane and you'll see that, when it comes to child and teen weight loss, slow and steady truly does win the race.

Tags: Fast Weight Loss Diets, child or teen's weight gain, magic diets miracle weight loss, fast weight loss, diets, metabolism, weight loss, Diuretics, water weight , necessary nutrition, regular eating habits, weight lost weight loss camp, miracle dieting, constant exercise, starvation, "The Biggest Loser", healthy nutrition, relationship with food, overweight children and teens, exercising, parent overweight child or teen, overweight child, weight loss programs, Camp Shane, child and teen weight loss, slow and steady truly does win the race.

Sending Your Child to Weight Loss Camp

Choosing to send your child to weight loss camp can be a big decision for you and for your child. There are a few things to look out for to ensure that the camp you have chosen provides the healthiest and most successful approach to weight loss for obese children.

To get the most out of the weight loss camp that you select for your child, be sure to look for camps that offer both nutritional training and physical activities. Certified counselors, dietitians and physicians should all be included in the camp staff so that kids receive medically sound treatment that is designed to solve their weight problems permanently, without starvation or overexertion. Counselors at weight loss camps often work with the campers one on one and in group settings to get to the root of why they have a weight problem. Dietitians help overweight kids learn how to make healthy food choices and determine a weight loss program that is suitable for their specific weight loss goals.

Having a physician onsite is also important for these types of camps, especially since many campers may have already developed health problems as a direct result of their weight. For these campers, and for those who have simply not been introduced to physical activities in the past, having a doctor handy to monitor any potentially dangerous situations is always a good idea.

The most important part of any weight loss camp is how kids are taught to carry on with their weight loss goals and healthy eating after camp ends. Teaching kids how to keep up with a fitness routine, while enabling them to make the best food choices available after they have left camp, is critical to the success of any weight loss program. If overweight children are taught how to lead a happy and healthy life, they can be more prepared to take their future health into their own hands and learn the important habits that everyone should have in order to stay healthy.