The Emergence OF Weight Loss Camp
Did you know that two out of three Americans are overweight? Did you know that one out of three Americans is obese? Did you know that being obese increases your likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer?
Is this the road down which you (or a member of your family) are heading? Being overweight is a complicated and sensitive issue with effects and ramifications that are wide and far reaching. Not only are there significant physical effects on the person in question, but the psychological effects of being overweight or obese are enormous – especially for children and teenagers. But how to stop this happening to you, or your child? You have probably heard about or seen details on weight loss camp for children and teens as many overweight and obese American children and teenagers will attend a weight loss camp over the summer – the goal being to weight loss in teens and children, whilst having fun. A weight loss camp can just be the answer you are looking for.
The Physical Effects of being Overweight or Obese
According to the National Institutes of Health, people who are overweight or obese are more likely to have cardiovascular, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, hormonal, neurological and metabolic diseases than someone in a healthy weight range. Approximately 300,000 adult American deaths each year can be attributed to unhealthy eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. Some camps focus on short-term weight loss by using small food portions and high activity levels to help kids lose weight over the summer. This attempt is likely to be short-lived as the children have not been taught how to maintain their health eating and activity habits.
This means that when the kids get home from camp, weight gain is likely to follow. Real results come if the camp supports long-term behavioral change in eating and exercise habits. The sports, activities, educational and clinical programs put in place are designed to teach new behaviors and habits. These are termed cognitive behavioral therapies, and should be the core element of the clinical weight loss camp program. Because it is unlikely that long-term behavior change is to occur over the period of one month, good camps will provide follow-up or after-care programs to check on the kids and their families. Even better programs try to involve the family in the camp in an attempt to change the environment that the child is going back to, making it easier to maintain this behavioral change.
The Psychological Effects of being Overweight or Obese
Good weight loss programs will nurture the self-esteem and confidence needs of the teens they are looking after. Not only will these camps look at changing eating and physical activity habits, but they will focus strongly on changing the way these kids look at themselves. Good weight loss programs will lead children to becoming aware of their ability to lose weight, and will teach weight loss teens to be confident and able to deal with the responses of other, less supportive individuals.
Be Careful when Choosing Your Weight Loss Camp
Camp programs should provide a combination of psychological therapies and behavior change therapies to not only improve physical health through weight loss in people who are obeses, but to also increase their self-esteem and confidence. Better camps focus on long-term behavioral change in eating and exercise habits, provide follow-up or after-care programs to check on the patient and their families and even try to involve the family in the camp.
Make the right decision. First decide that it is time to lose weight. Second decide which weight loss camp is the right one. Take charge of your life today!