Weight loss camps for teens, also known as "fat camps," are summer programs designed to help young people lose weight through calorie restriction and physical activity. These camps have evolved over the years, with some now branding themselves as health and wellness camps that also strive for weight loss. While some former attendees recall positive experiences, others share stories of lasting negative impacts, including the development of eating disorders.
The Evolution of Weight Loss Camps
Weight loss camps have been around for decades, with Camp Shane being one of the oldest, starting in the 1950s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, fat camps enjoyed a short glory in popular media. Movies like Heavyweights and a famed MTV documentary spotlighted the idea of weight loss at summer camp. "Fat Camp: An MTV Docs Movie Presentation,” was filmed at Camp Pocono Trails and debuted in 2006, following a groups of campers and counselors trying to drop some pounds - some of whom came back to the camp year after year, having lost weight over the summer, gained it back, and returned to lose it again.
Initially, these camps focused primarily on calorie restriction and intense physical activity. However, in recent years, some camps have shifted their focus toward overall health and wellness, incorporating licensed therapists and increasing the calorie content of meals. For example, Camp Pocono Trails now bills itself as one of the top wellness and weight loss camps in the country, claiming to offer campers “101+ ways to have fun,” along with tips on healthy eating that are meant to last beyond the summer, and also began offering a “technology addiction” program for some attendees.
The Experience of Attending a Weight Loss Camp
The experience of attending a weight loss camp can vary significantly. Some campers, like Taylor Kay Phillips, chose to attend camp and found the structured environment beneficial. Phillips craved structure in her days, which were filled with aerobics classes, basketball games, obstacle courses, and other physical activities. She learned about fat camp from a teen magazine, and having struggled internally with her weight, decided she wanted to go.
However, others, like Jackie Schwartz, felt punished for their weight. Schwartz attended Camp Pocono Trails in the early 2000s and remembers feeling like she had done something wrong. She recalls the shame of being sent to camp, the exhaustion from exercise, and the terrible food, such as tofu ice cream, Snackwell cookies, sugar-free Jello, and pita pizza.
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Calorie Restriction and Its Consequences
A common practice in weight loss camps is calorie restriction. At Camp Pocono Trails, campers on its weight loss program are encouraged to lose two to four pounds per week while eating, on average, 1700 calories per day. Camp Jump Start offers attendees between 1400 and 1600 calories per day. At the now-defunct Camp Shane, calories were reportedly restricted to 1400 a day.
Experts say that calorie restrictive diets are likely to help teens lose weight, but often come at a steep cost both physically and mentally. Traci Mann, psychology professor at the University of Minnesota and founder of the Mann Lab, researches self-control and dieting. Mann found in a study published in 2007 that diets don’t actually work. Gaining weight back after losing it, Mann told Teen Vogue, is a feature of dieting, not a flaw.
Mann notes that calorie restriction can change your metabolism, making it more likely that you’ll gain weight, not lose it. These types of diets can also mess with your hormones, and, she said, your mental relationship with food. “Calorie deprivation makes you preoccupied with thoughts of food, more likely to notice food,” she said. “If you’re calorie deprived, you get a bigger hit of reward [from food]. All these things make it harder to keep dieting.”
The Psychological Impact of Weight Loss Camps
Weight loss camps can have a significant psychological impact on attendees. Jennifer Harriger, Associate Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University, who studies weight stigma and body image in children, says weight loss camps send the message to children that there’s something wrong with their bodies, which can have lasting impact.
Schwartz developed a lifelong eating disorder after going to these camps. “When I came back [home from camp], I remember everybody would tell me ‘you look so great.’ But inside, I was so deeply unhappy,” she said. “I tried to do all the different things - I threw up at times, binged, I tried every crash diet. It developed into an obsession with food that I have today. I think about food constantly and my relationship with food has been completely destroyed.”
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A 2006 study found that teens who practice “unhealthful weight-control behaviors" are at more risk for developing eating disorders down the line, while a 1999 study of Australian girls found that “female subjects who dieted at a severe level were 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who did not diet, and female subjects who dieted at a moderate level were five times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who did not diet.”
The Moralization of Weight
Weight loss camps can perpetuate the idea that being thin is a moral issue. Phillips’s feeling that being thin was a moral issue isn’t specific to camp. Teen magazines had ads for weight loss camps in their back pages, reality TV competitions that hinged on who could lose the most weight the fastest gained popularity, and movies had no problem demonizing fat people. Fatphobia isn’t specific to the 2000s, nor are weight loss camps. But the attitude toward fatness might best be embodied by the phrase popularized by Kate Moss in 2009: “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” If you were fat, it was your fault, and all you had to do was eat less, exercise more, and have some self control.
Sparber stressed that experiences from the time frame Phillips and Schwartz attended the camp are no longer reflective of the program. Looking back at that time, Sparber acknowledged that some of the camp’s practices were unsustainable or could feel demeaning - things like the previous meal plans, or how the weigh-ins used to be conducted.
Weight vs. Health
At the center of these camps is not only the idea that being overweight is something you should and can change, but that weight is equated to health. Now, programs like Camp Pocono Trails have rebranded and call themselves “wellness” camps that also encourage weight loss for health. But when asked if losing weight is the same as getting healthy, Mann gave a firm “no.”
“Engaging in healthy behavior makes people healthier, but it doesn't necessarily make them thinner,” Mann said. Things like getting physical activity, eating nutritional foods, reducing stress, and getting enough sleep are healthy behaviors, and engaging in them will make you healthy. “Doing healthy things makes you healthy … whether you lose weight or not.”
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Research has shown that being overweight does not inherently make you unhealthy. A 2012 study published in the European Heart Journal found that people who are obese but fit, and free from conditions like insulin resistance, diabetes and high cholesterol or blood pressure, aren’t at a higher risk of death than people of a normal weight.
Alternatives to Traditional Weight Loss Camps
Given the potential negative impacts of traditional weight loss camps, alternative programs that focus on healthy behaviors rather than weight loss may be more beneficial. Forever-Fit Summer Camp (FFSC) is a 6-week summer day program offering physical activity, nutrition education, and well-balanced meals to youth at low cost. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of this program that does not emphasize weight loss rather emphasizes healthy behaviors on body mass index, cardiovascular and physical fitness.
The FFSC program was organized annually by the American Foundation for Preventive Medicine (AFPM), a nonprofit charitable organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. Participants were enrolled in partnership with the school system and with support from other partnering not-for-profit organizations. The program accommodated adolescents between the ages of 8 and 12 years with a BMI of 85th percentile or more for age and gender. The cost of the program was $100 weekly to cover the expenses of meals and activities with the availability of financial assistance.
The results of the FFSC program showed that participation in a 6-week summer day camp that emphasized general health rather than weight loss results in lower BMI and waist circumference, lower HR, SBP, and DBP, and a higher capacity of doing push-ups, curl-ups and squats.
A Directory of Weight Loss Camps
For those still interested in exploring weight loss camps, here is a directory of some options:
- Camp New Heights: Located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, this camp is for kids and teens ages 9 to 17. The program combines individualized solutions with group activities and focuses on emotional and social health as well as physical wellbeing.
- Camp Jump Start: Located near Imperial, Missouri, this camp is for pre-teens and teens. The program was designed to be a “whole health camp”, focusing on emotional and social health as well as physical wellbeing.
- Camp Pocono Trails: Located near Reeders, Pennsylvania, this camp is for kids and teens ages 7 to 17. The program offers five fitness activities per day, combined with healthy meals of around 1,600 calories per day.
- Camp Pennbrook: This is a girls-only weight loss and fitness camp in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The all-inclusive offerings include accommodations, healthy meals, counseling, exercise activities, and off-campus field trips.
- Rites of Passage Wilderness Therapy: This is an intensive, 6-week long weight loss camp for kids and teens in Shelton, Washington. The program includes frequent outdoor activities and holistic, organic meals planned by a registered dietician.