Lost at camp

Joey Sommer is a true believer in weight-loss camps, or, as he calls them, “fat camps.”“I lost about 30 pounds last year, and I’ve kept it off,” says the 16-year-old Bethesda resident. He weighs about 165 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall.

Emily Stanfield, 13, of Alexandria, who went to the same weight-loss camp as Joey — Camp Shane in Ferndale, N.Y. — also lost about 30 pounds last year during camp.

“But I gained it all back,” says Emily, who’s returning for a third time this summer. “I get back home, and I get back into my old habits.”

Weight-loss camps are growing in popularity, according to the American Camp Association, a Martinsville, Ind.-based nonprofit group.

“We’ve seen a 50 percent increase [in the number of weight-loss camps] just since last year,” says Kim Bruno, a spokeswoman for the American Camp Association.

Ms. Bruno says her group represents about 25 percent of all camps nationwide. Camp Shane is not accredited by ACA, she says.

Camp Shane is part of the Association of Independent Camps and is approved by the New York State Department of Health, according to the camp’s Web site (www.campshane.com).

The increasing number of camps and their loyal participants, such as Joey and Emily, beg the question — do these camps work?

“I think they can work in the short term,” says Dr. Nazrat Mirza, a pediatrician and coordinator for the obesity task force at Children’s National Medical Center in Northwest. “But then you get back into the real world … and you’re likely to put the weight back on.”

A study featured in the July 7 issue of the journal Pediatrics supports the notion that these camps work in the short term. Beyond weight loss, the study also noted that children make improvements in blood pressure, aerobic fitness and self-esteem. The study said further research is needed to determine whether campers can maintain their weight loss.

Frances Berg, author of “Underage and Overweight,” says weight-loss camps can do more harm than good.

“I think they’re a terrible idea,” says Ms. Berg, a licensed dietitian. “There’s no scientific evidence that they work in the long term, and they put a lot of pressure on children to lose the weight so they can please their parents who have spent all this money.”

Ms. Berg says she wishes the focus were on adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle as opposed to achieving weight loss.

Weight-loss camps generally are more expensive than other specialized camps, Ms. Bruno says. Camp Shane costs $6,700 for nine weeks. Campers also can go for three-week ($2,950) or six-week ($5,000) sessions.

Nevertheless, David Ettenberg, director and owner of Camp Shane, which he has run since 1968, says the camp is open to families of all income levels.

“We give financial aid to families,” he says, “sometimes as much as 50 percent of the cost.”

Julie Reynolds, program manager for Inova Health System’s Partnership for Healthier Kids in Springfield, says she would like to see weight-loss camps offer physician-backed, research-based content and mental health counseling.

“When it comes to obesity, there are often underlying issues, like mental health issues,” Mrs. Reynolds says. “If you don’t deal with these bigger issues, then they’ll likely struggle for the rest of their lives.”

Mr. Ettenberg says his camp does not provide mental health counseling, although the head camp counselors often coach, console and encourage campers. There also is a camp mom who helps younger campers, who are more likely to get homesick.

In terms of tracking the campers’ long-term weight loss, he says he has tried, but only about 5 percent of former campers have responded when he has inquired about maintained weight loss.

“I know that some children have kept the weight off and others haven’t,” he says, “but weight loss is just part of it. The camp is about so much more. It’s about feeling accepted, about having fun, about making friends,” he says.

Though Mr. Ettenberg doesn’t have statistics to show maintained weight loss, he does have a walking, talking example to illustrate the point: Sarah Richmond, 23.

Miss Richmond, a former camper at Camp Shane, is a counselor this year.

“I was 278 pounds when I came to Camp Shane six years ago,” she says. “I lost 42 pounds in nine weeks.”

Since then she has lost another 70 pounds. Her total weight loss is more than 110 pounds.

Controlled environment

The key to the short-term weight loss enjoyed by virtually all campers at Camp Shane is portion control, Mr. Ettenberg says.

Campers eat about 1,600 calories a day, including 200 calories’ worth of snacks. On a recent Friday, lunch consisted of chicken Caesar salad — lightly dressed lettuce and a half-dozen strips of grilled chicken — a slice of wheat bread and water.

“I really learned to drink water at Camp Shane, and it makes a huge difference,” Joey says.

The 1,600 calories is a lot less than most children consume daily, and in the first couple days, many campers are a little hungry, Joey says.

“But you get used to it and then you don’t think about it anymore,” he says. He does acknowledge that some campers smuggle candy and potato chips into the camp to satisfy their cravings.

“It doesn’t happen that much though,” he says.

Miss Richmond says she realized during her nine-week camp experience that her idea of a portion was out of whack.

“I used to eat in one meal what I now eat in an entire day,” she says.

The campers’ day also is packed with physical activity. A typical day has three 45-minute periods in the morning and three in the afternoon. Often, as many as five of the six periods are fitness-oriented, while one is devoted to arts and crafts or a nutrition/cooking class.

Camp Shane, located in the Catskills, has a lake, rolling hills, woods, fields, an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, a basketball court and open-air aerobics studios.

Activities include water-skiing, canoeing, knee-boarding, tennis, basketball, softball, aerobics and swimming. Even children who are not inclined to participate in sports on their home turf seem to enjoy them here.

“I’m not good at sports at all,” Emily says. Yet on the basketball court, she’s all smiles.

“It’s just fun; it’s not competitive,” she says, “and I don’t feel self-conscious.”

If physical activities are presented in a fun, non-pressured way, maybe the children will find something they like to do and can continue doing when they get home, Mr. Ettenberg says.

The evenings are devoted to some scheduled activities, such as award ceremonies — awards are given out for such “achievements” as kindness and good effort — and free play, which means campers get about an hour just to hang out.

For Joey, this means spending time with his new girlfriend, and for Emily, it means hanging out with her boyfriend. The summer romance aspect of Camp Shane is huge, several campers say.

At home, many of the children feel fat and unattractive. Here they are among equals. They can relax and be themselves, they say.

Fun and friendships

While first-time campers primarily come to lose weight, seasoned campers say that’s just part of the equation. A more important part is the friendships.

“That’s why I keep coming back,” Joey says. “Some of my best friends are here. … I’m going to keep coming back as a camper until I can become a counselor.”

This is a common wish among campers. Emily, too, wants to become a counselor.

Who better to illustrate the importance of friendships than Ben Levine, 15, from Long Island, N.Y.? He has lost 72 pounds over the past five years of coming to the camp. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds.

“I like being here. This is where my friends are,” Ben says. Among them is Joey, who inspired Ben to grow his wavy auburn hair and wear a baseball cap.

Other children who were sent to camp against their will, such as Frankie Berrin, say it’s much better than they expected.

“I didn’t want to come here. My parents made me,” says Frankie, 13, “but then I started making friends, and I’m having a really good time. … I even like the food. I thought it was going to be disgusting, but it’s pretty good.”

Frankie, who’s from Miami, says he would like to lose some weight so he feels less self-conscious about taking off his T-shirt. He weighs more than 200 pounds and is about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Dr. Mirza acknowledges that weight-loss camp can act as a support network for overweight children.

“Maybe the way [weight-loss camps] help is they show the children they’re not alone,” Dr. Mirza says. However, she adds, it takes a lot more than a support group to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.

Mr. Ettenberg agrees but says that the importance for overweight children to feel accepted and supported can’t be underestimated.

“I want everyone to feel welcome,” he says. “I want them to feel that no one is judging them because of their weight or their clothes. I want it to be a new beginning. … It might sound corny, but I want [Camp Shane] to be what life should be.”

More info:

Books —

• “Teenage Waistland: A Former Fat Kid Weighs in on Living Large, Losing Weight and How Parents Can (and Can’t) Help,” by Abby Ellin, PublicAffairs, 2005. This book, written by a former weight-loss camper, discusses various weight-loss methods.

• “Underage and Overweight: America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic — What Every Family Needs to Know,” by Frances M. Berg, Hatherleigh Press, 2005. This book analyzes the causes of childhood obesity and provides tips and ideas on how to create and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

• “Fit Kids: A Practical Guide to Raising Active and Healthy Children — From Birth to Teens,” by Mary L. Gavin, Steven A. Dowshen and Neil Izenberg, DK Publishing Inc., 2004. This book aims to give parents ideas about fitness and good nutrition. It offers easy recipes and ideas on physical activities for the whole family.

Associations —

• American Dietetic Association, 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606. Phone: 800/877-1600. Web site: www.eatright.org. This group offers information on healthy eating for children. It also promotes family meals and provides nutrition fact sheets.

• American Camp Association, 5000 State Road 67 N, Martinsville, IN 46151. Phone: 765/342-8456. Web site: www.ACAcamps.org. This nonprofit group accredits camps nationwide and represents about 2,300 camps. Its Web site enables visitors to search for different types of camps across the country.

Online —

• TeensHealth (www.teenshealth.org) was created by the Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health Media as an online resource for teens. It has information on such topics as food and nutrition, body image and physical activity.