Summer Weight Loss Camp for Teens: The Pros and Cons

Deciding whether or not to send your teen to summer weight loss camp can be a difficult decision. Every parent wants their child to develop the healthy eating habits that weight loss camp teaches. However, the stigma and embarrassment that can accompany the experience can be damaging to a teen's self esteem. How do you decide whether this decision is right for your child? If you are struggling with this decision, check out this list of pros and cons of summer weight loss camp for teens that may help you decide if this decision is right for your child.

The Pros of Summer Weight Loss Camp for Teens

Camaraderie

Being overweight can be an isolating experience. Children at school can be merciless, and your child can feel like no one understands what he or she is going through. At camp, your child can build lifelong friendships with other children that share many of the same experiences. Your child may not only come back feeling healthier, but more supported and confident.

Healthy Lifestyle

Weight loss camps for teens focus on developing healthy eating habits and lifestyles. During their stay, your child will learn healthy eating habits that he or she may stick to for the rest of her life. Furthermore, they learn the importance of exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Once your child sees the results of a balanced diet coupled with an active lifestyle, they will want to continue to apply what they've learned. They may even come back home with tips for the whole family.

Professional Help

However much parents love their children, they are not health professionals. In their efforts to ensure that their children are healthy and happy, parents can often do more damage than good. One of the benefits of summer weight loss camp for teens is the help offered by psychologists, nutritionists, and adults who have gone through experiences that are similar to your teens. Ideally, with the help of these professionals, your teen will find the root cause of their overeating and find the solution to what would have otherwise become a lifelong problem.

Inspiration

Summer weight loss camp can be a life changing experience. Some teens are so inspired by what they experience at camp that they want to dedicate their lives to helping teens. I personally know of several adults who went to weight loss camp (several years in a row) and then decided to become counselors at similar camps for summer jobs. Some even turned it into a career choice and became counselors themselves.

Self Confidence

Parents often burst into tears once they see the transformation that has taken place within their child. Most teens lose a significant amount of weight while away at summer weight loss camp. However, the most noticeable change is often increased confidence. Successful teens leave camp beaming with pride and excited to participate in the opportunities that their new, healthier lives offer.

The Cons of Summer Weight Loss Camp for Teens

Stigma

At the end of the school year, the main topic of discussion is always summer activities. A child that is headed to summer weight loss camp is faced with a dilemma. If they tell the truth about their summer destination, they could become the victim of teasing. However, lying about it will make them feel like they have something to be ashamed of. Overweight teens often suffer from low self esteem, and the stigma of 'Fat Camp' can often do more damage.

Failure

Most teens lose weight while they are under the close supervision that weight loss camp offers. However, many teens will find that they are unable to stick with the program once they return to their familiar home environment. This can leave your teen feeling like losing weight is impossible and unwilling to try any other options

Isolation

Especially if your child has siblings who do not suffer from the same weight problem, being sent off to camp may make your child feel isolated and picked on. In general, children are unable to understand how important it is to control their weight and the effect that it will have on their adult lives. When discussing summer weight loss camp with your teen, it is important that he or she is made to understand why they should consider the option

Expense

When families have made a financial sacrifice to send a child to weight loss camp, it can compound the guilt of a subsequent failure. Parents can find it hard not to feel (and express either overtly or subconsciously) that their child has wasted money. If the child knows the sacrifices that have been made, it can make their feelings of failure even more acute.

Association

Not all weight loss camps are created equal. If your child has a negative experience at weight loss camp, they may associate all weight loss with negative experiences. This can make their battle against obesity that much more difficult.

Ultimately, there is no definitive answer. There are many variables to consider, and no guarantees. However, if your child feels loved and emotionally supported, it is difficult to make a wrong decision.