A fat camp, weight loss camp, or fat farm is a type of residential program where people who are

overweight Being overweight or fat is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with mo ...

or obese go to attempt to lose weight through exercise and lifestyle changes.

Overview

One goal of weight loss camps is to help the guests lose weight. Some programs not only focus on weight loss, but on changing behavior through a combination of training on self-regulatory behaviors and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), as well as maintaining weight loss after campers return home. Some experts believe these are key elements of an effective program. One study found that adolescents reported decreased body shape dissatisfaction and increased

self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...

immediately after losing weight at a weight loss camp. These improvements were directly related to the amount of weight lost, with the greatest benefit to those adolescents who lost the most weight.

In popular culture

Multiple films and television shows have featured programs such as these, including:

Films

* '' Fat Camp: An MTV Docs Movie Presentation'' (2006), a documentary television film about five teens at a camp called Camp Pocono Trails (CPT), in

the Poconos The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos , are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, Wyo ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. * ''

Heavyweights ''Heavyweights'' is a 1995 American black comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Brill with Judd Apatow. The film follows a fat camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness guru named Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller). Plot When school e ...

'' (1995), an American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

centered around a camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

Television

* "Fat Camp" (''South Park''), season 4, episode 15 of the animated television series ''South Park'', original airdate December 6, 2000: in the episode, Cartman is sent to lose weight at a fat camp where he discovers a different way to earn money. *''

The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize. ...

'', a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

format which started with the American TV series ''

'' in 2004, which centers on

and obese participants competing against each other to lose the highest percentage of weight (or most weight) to become the "biggest loser". *'' Heavy'' is an American documentary series that aired on A&E. The series is filmed at th
Hilton Head Health Wellness Resort
and chronicles the

weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...

efforts of people with severe

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

. It ran for one season, from January 17 to April 4, 2011. *

Killer Queen (Family Guy) "Killer Queen" is the sixteenth episode of the tenth season of the animated comedy series '' Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 11, 2012. When Peter and Chris go away to fat camp, they cross paths with a seri ...

Season 10, Episode 16 of the animated FOX sitcom Family Guy, Peter and Chris Griffin attend a weight loss camp, but when some other campers are found dead, the blame falls on Lois Griffin's brother, Patrick Pewterschmit, as he was imprisoned for the murder of obese people.

References

External links