What is a “fat camp”?

When we think of “fat camp”, we think of a place where desperate, overweight children are sent against their will. Their “punishment” for being fat comes in the form of near-starvation, forced exercise and glum surroundings. In this stereotype, fat camp is a judgmental, unfriendly and unpleasant experience.

Negative stereotypes of “Fat camps” in popular culture

• In The Good Body , Eve Ensler adopts the role of a teenager at fat camp. The play focuses on women's obsession with their outsides diminishing their potential to create larger change in the world.

• In Fat Camp Commandos by Daniel Pinkwater, miserable children who were tricked into attending “Camp Noo Yoo” hatch an escape plan.

• In the South Park episode, Fat Camp , Mrs. Cartman holds an intervention for her son's eating problem and sends him to fat camp, where he sells candy to kids.

• In the Disney movie Heavyweights , a group of kids discover their summer camp has been sold to a crazy fitness fanatic who turns it into a fat camp.

Why is Camp Shane NOT a fat camp?

Camp Shane is based on the model of a traditional camp, with all the fitness activities, sports and special events that the best-equipped traditional camps have. We don't obsess over dieting – the emphasis is on friends, fitness and fun! We work on learning or improving physical skills so that campers can continue to be active after camp, learning about nutrition so that campers can make healthier food choices at home, and working on self-esteem issues that help campers build confidence in their ability to succeed.

Camp Shane is not a fat camp because we promote improving health for the long-term, not losing as much weight as possible in the shortest time possible.“Fat camps” do not mind if the weight returns; in fact, they are happy to get repeat business.

At Camp Shane, we do not care if you are 0, 10 or 50 pounds overweight - in fact, we have many campers who have achieve weight loss results but return for the good times and good friends. The “fat camp” mentality is part of a culture that demands makeovers - the faster and more extreme the better. But Camp Shane works to internalize the changes that make losing weight about
better health choices – NOT thinness at any cost.

We encourage our campers to want to look their best, which we define as healthy and fit.
We discourage trying to achieve the impossible “perfection” of the teen supermodel, which can
promote psychological problems, including eating disorders. Often, children don't want to tell their
friends they are going to Camp Shane because of the “fat camp” stigma, but when they return
home, healthier, more confident, and yes, thinner, they love to share stories of the great time they
had and are proud of what they have accomplished.

A Judgement-Free Environment

As adults, there are times where we'd like to stand outm to grab extra attention and be noticed
for being unique...and therein lies the difference between us and teenagers.

From adolescence right up until well into college, teenagers often just want to fit in, to belong to
a group, to find safety and acceptance in numbers. Stepping out alone can be terrifying, which is
why the idea of being shipped off to a "fat camp" is not something most kids are looking forward
to--even when they need to lose weight and just such a place may turn the tide of their weight
gain. They don't yet realize that a weight loss camp, specifically for kids, is full of other teens
going through the smae challenges and who are therefore able to offer each other special support.

Here's what we've learned after more than four decades of creating weight loss camps for teens:
An obese teen is an unhappy teen and cliques of kids at school or on sports teams are often the
cruelist to that kid who already feels like he or she isnt worth much. Name-calling, shunning, mocking
gets to be second nature to the kid who is different in any way and obesity makes kids different
from most of their peers. The weight gain often comes as just the time that teens are particularly
body conscious and, combined with hormonal changes, an overweight kid is in for a rough ride.

Even well-meaning parents can add to the pain. Criticism, spoken or just perceived, can make
teenagers feel even more down on themselves, which may lead to emotional overeating, which
means more weight gain and less self-esteem--and the cycle continues. A good weight loss camp, with
a proven history of providing a safe and jusgement-free haven for kids work on their weight problems,
is one way to break the cycle.

At Camp Shane, counselors are trained to immediately nip any bullying or cruelty in the bud,
encourage campers to concentrate on helping one another face (and conquer) their weight issues,
and provide a safe place to learn new habits and make new friends. At such a camp, teens can open
up and talk to each other without fear of judgement and a problem shared truly is a problem halved.

Together with the staff and "a little help from their friends" overwieght teens can start down the
road to a healthier and happier life and weather the inevitable storms of adolescence.

Helping Overweight Teens Gain Control Of Their Lives

Adolescence is a scary time (think back to the endless waiting for the invitation to the big dance or
what to do if your friend is driving drunk or to hoping your college of choice will accept you). Every
day teens are faced with situations they never faced before and lots of choices to be made with
no guarantee their decision is the right one.

Double the terror for the teen who is overweight. They think the deck is stacked against them.
They are the kid not adked for the date , the one either made fun of or reduced to always being
the jolly fat kid--the class clown, rather than the start athlete--always the best friend, never the girl
or boyfriend. They hear the whispering in the hall when they pass and they face trying on new
clothes for school with a dread a skinny kid can't imagine.

Weight loss camp, (NOT fat camp), can put an end to these miseries for the overweight teen and
teach them a truly vital lesson in living that can be applied to every situation in their future: You can
take control and change your life. Nothing is set in stone and your life can be happy and fulfilled,
not ruled by hiding, shame or embarassment about the body you inhabit. That body can be changed
and that successful, confident and happy person inside can come shining through.

At weightloss camp, everyone is treated with respect and support. The entire staff is trained to help
a teen overcome the obstacles in their way--starting with shyness (isolation is one of the
coping techniques of an overweight teen), low self-esteem (teens are taught to accept where they
are as a starting point and build from there) and avoidance of risk (at camp, everyone is encouraged
to try and everyone makes the team, shares the glory and is recognized for their own special talents
and abilities.)

Positive reinforcement is the order of the day and bullies and trash-talkers are immediately taught
that type of negative behavior doesn't fly at weight loss camp (Counselors do understand that
some teens put others down to build themselves up. They then help the kdis learn a new way to
build their self-esteem).

Kids are given the tools to change the way they eat: nutrition information, cooking classes, instruction
in how to make healthy chocies--and once given the tools, make better decisions.

No one is treated like a child at camp. All the teens contribute their creative ideas and suggestions
to the group and all are praised for their contributions. Teens flouish under such encouragement
and their outlook about themselves and their bodies starts to change. They leave camp with
more information, a better outlook, and much more confidence. Such increased self-esteem helps
them face all their trials in life- not just those connected to weight. Just one summer can change
their entire lives for the better.