Camp Shane weight loss camp was featured in Today’s Dietitian as a great summer option for children. The article below is written by Juliann Schaeffer.

Summer’s here, which means school is out for kids across America. However, if memories of neighborhood softball games or kickball in the park come to mind, you may want to snap yourself into present day.

According to a White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report, roughly one in three children is either overweight or obese. And while there’s no one cause—or solution—to a crisis this massive and multifaceted, it’s hard to argue that a lack of exercise isn’t partly to blame. Video games, iPods, and TV have replaced bats and balls for many American youths, leading to a summer spent more indoors than any previous generation. Exercise is no longer a regular part of many children’s school-year schedules, let alone their summer routines.

While you may have spent a week or two of your childhood school-free months at a sports or scouts camp (likely focusing more on friendship than anything), weight-loss camps are fast becoming this generation’s summer camp trend. Whether you believe these camps to be a summer savior for children with bad lifestyle habits, a tool in the fight against obesity, or a symbol of America’s quick-fix mentality, these camps are gaining steam.

With locations in Ferndale, N.Y., and Mayer, Ariz., Camp Shane has been helping children get healthier since 1968 with its “one-of-a-kindest” weight-loss camp, according to David Ettenberg, camp founder/director for 42 years. Campers can choose among sessions lasting from three to nine weeks. Camp Shane’s mission is to transform children’s lives with self-esteem, fitness, and pure fun, all in a compassionate setting, and Ettenberg says losing weight isn’t the only goal of this family-owned and -operated summer camp.

“Our campers learn to eat properly by doing so and by being educated about what and why they are eating,” he says. “They learn to become fit by playing and participating in fun activities while learning how to do so safely and acquiring skills so that they can continue with their favorite fitness activities when they return home. Most of all, we promote self-esteem, good health, and teamwork, all of which combine to help a child change their attitude and lifestyle.”

Kids participate in six activities daily, ranging from aerobics and archery to wakeboarding and water sports, with more than 50 activities to choose from, “many focusing on disguised physical activities because they’re enjoyable,” says Ettenberg.

Campers, aged 7 to 17, are all weighed and measured at the camp’s commencement and all share a common menu of about 1,600 to 1,700 kcal per day. “The menu has been devised by registered dietitians and overseen by Dr. [Joanna] Dolgoff and meets the children’s nutritional needs. Also, children who have been determined to have food allergies or digestive issues are accommodated,” says Ziporah Janowski, Camp Shane’s co-owner/director.

“Nutritionists monitor the progress of each child on the menu and adjust the calories as necessary to provide the appropriate level for children needing more because they have reached their ideal weight or to ensure they are sufficiently fueled,” she continues.

Ettenberg says the plan is to serve healthful meals that kids actually enjoy: “Many children and teens have peculiar eating habits or eat a limited number of items. Since we are focusing on changing their habits, it is essential that we serve well-balanced, healthy meals that kids will be happy to eat when they return home. The same is true for snacks. Our meals include the foods children are eating now [but] excluding high-fat, high-calorie items … and served in the proper portion. Kids are surprised to learn that it is possible to eat healthy and enjoy the meal.”

What does that translate into? Chicken nuggets that are baked, not fried; pizza using whole wheat crust and low-fat cheese; BBQ chicken; baked potatoes with more nutritious toppings; and salads topped with fruit.

Between breaks from physical activities, children also partake in a mix of classes concerning nutrition, cooking, building self-esteem, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to give them the lifestyle tools necessary to sustain any weight loss after their return home.

“Campers are taught several nutrition classes a week,” explains Janowski. “The object of the classes is to creatively introduce topics and involve as much class discussion as possible. Camp nutrition education is essential so that children can take what they have learned at camp and apply it at home. We want to give our campers the tools they need to make healthy choices on their own, all year long. It is not simply a matter of losing weight while at camp and then reverting to their old habits.”

Kids attending Camp Shane also attend a weekly cooking class during which they are taught to prepare a healthful meal and snack. “They prepare the meal from start to finish and learn that cooking and preparing your own meals is fun, easy, and the best way to follow a healthy lifestyle,” explains Janowski.

And to round out the educational aspects of camp is a strong guidance/behavioral modification program. “Guidance staff help campers understand their own feelings, identify their positive attributes, and feel good about and develop pride in themselves. This is accomplished through bunk discussions, rap sessions, journaling, and one-to-one conversations,” says Ettenberg.

Realizing that the real war on weight loss only begins when campers leave, Camp Shane sends its campers home with tools to help them stay on track. First, the camp has allied with Dolgoff, MD, a pediatrician and child obesity specialist who runs the Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right! child and adolescent weight-management practice. All campers not only receive a membership to Dolgoff’s online nutrition plan but also are encouraged to get in touch with her should questions arise.

Campers also receive an at-home booklet “with recipes, nutritional information, and guidance on how to continue the good habits they learned at camp. We send out monthly nutritional newsletters that are geared specifically for children, [and] our staff also stays in touch with the campers to provide support and encouragement throughout the year,” notes Janowski.

For these camp directors, summer camp is about kick-starting more healthful habits before it’s too late. “Children pick up habits at a young age that last a lifetime,” says Dolgoff. “If kids eat chicken nuggets and French fries as toddlers, they will continue to eat them as teenagers and adults. Further, obesity that starts in childhood causes a greater risk of early death than obesity that starts in adulthood. It is much easier to lose weight and sustain weight loss before puberty. For these reasons, it is important to help an overweight child as soon as possible.”