The biggest loser thread got me to thinking about this. I've been watching this show for several weeks now and I can't decide if it's good or bad.

This "camp" takes overweight kids and teaches them how to lose weight. They stay at the camp and if they follow all the rules they get a small allotted time where they can call their parents once a week.They get no more than 20 grams of fat per day and they do all their school work and get a lot of exercise while at the camp. From what was said on the show it must be very expensive b/c one man said he cleared out his 401K to pay for it.

These kids do need help but IDK sometimes this seems extreme to me. One set of parents each got a Lap Band and then sent their child to this camp to lose weight. That really got me thinking. If your child is that overweight why not struggle through it with them and do what they have to do to lose weight rather than get a Lap Band?

The mom said well his dad and I got a Lap Band and now we are successful in losing weight and that makes our child feel even worse about his own weight.

So what are your thoughts? Have you seen this show?

Too Fat for Fifteen: Fighting Back - mystyle.com

Edited to add: According to the site it's $26,000 for 4 months!!

Edited September 23, 201015 yr by spoiltmom
Added something

did you say $26,000 for four months.wow that,s a lot of money. i wish them all the best.i hope the show give them some kind of money, of prizes to be on the show.what happens when they all go home.from camp.they are so young.as we know the people in the world can be so cruel to overweight people.i have seen the show only once.what time do it comes on.i am going to be rooting for them.

did you say $26,000 for four months.wow that,s a lot of money. i wish them all the best.i hope the show give them some kind of money, of prizes to be on the show.what happens when they all go home.from camp.they are so young.as we know the people in the world can be so cruel to overweight people.i have seen the show only once.what time do it comes on.i am going to be rooting for them.

Yep 26K for 4 months. I'm not sure when it comes on. I have my DVR set to record it. At some point they EARN the privilege to go home for the weekend. They are weighed when they get back to see how they did with their food choices.

The show makes me teary eyed when I watch b/c the kids are so young and so obese. The place seems really good while you're inside but some of the kids who have gone home for the holidays or spring break have gained weight. It just seems like that's a ton of money to be spending on kids who may or may not retain the lessons learned.

The show makes me teary eyed when I watch b/c the kids are so young and so obese. The place seems really good while you're inside but some of the kids who have gone home for the holidays or spring break have gained weight. It just seems like that's a ton of money to be spending on kids who may or may not retain the lessons learned.

And they're not going home for long periods of time and they're gaining a lot of weight for a very short period of time. It is sad.

This will be an unpopular opinion, especially since I am not a parent: Parents with children that obese should be held to the same legal standard that a parent who underfeeds their child would be. Of course their pediatrician should intervene and monitor progress at first, but ultimately, those parents are killing their child just as surely as if they were withholding food.

My weight was not out of control until I hit college, so in no way do I blame my mother. The addictive personality comes from my alcoholic father.

As a teacher, I often wonder when parents will be held "accountable" for their children. If the kid is obese and dies in gym class, it is the school's fault, the nurse's fault, etc.

Just my opinion.Will def check out the show.

I've seen this show. The treatment facility wasn't created for the show-- it's a long standing facility that is allowing taping from what I can tell. The presence of the show doesn't effect the cost of treatment, just like if you had Discovery Health tape your lapband procedure, your surgeon and the hospital would still need to be paid. For a four month intensive, live-in treatment program, $26,000 is not out of line. They have a lot of professional staff to pay (though I do question the professional credentials of most of their 'counselors'), not to mention the costs of taking care of those children for that amount of time.

I feel bad for the kids only because I think for most of them, it probably isn't going to work long term (it's the nature of the disease). I feel really bad for the kids who have fat parents who are "so concerned" but who clearly have issues themselves-- like the dad of the 11 year old girl. These FAMILIES need intervention, not just the kids. However, it is really heartwarming to see the kids weigh in and be so proud of their hard work and accomplishments.

Kids aren't always fat because of their parents-- my brother and I were always a little overweight, even though my mom and step-dad who we lived with were normal weight and restrictive on snack foods/soda. But I do think some families establish bad habits as a whole and they need to seek change as a family unit, not give up on themselves and target the kids which then sets the kid up to fail when they come back to a house where nothing has changed.

Tracy - you have a great point! I was watching Nightline. This black girl was on there. She was approx 400 pounds and 15 or so. Her family ate all these amazing fried southern food and the poor girl was trying to stay on her diet but really couldn't b/c her very obese mother wasn't helping her. She would have to run up to her room to get away from the food. In the end she got gastric bypass but I think she commented how afraid she was that she would eventually stretch her pouch b/c she would sneak in the fried food b/c her mom still was cooking that food after the surgery.

This will be an unpopular opinion, especially since I am not a parent: Parents with children that obese should be held to the same legal standard that a parent who underfeeds their child would be. Of course their pediatrician should intervene and monitor progress at first, but ultimately, those parents are killing their child just as surely as if they were withholding food.

My weight was not out of control until I hit college, so in no way do I blame my mother. The addictive personality comes from my alcoholic father.

As a teacher, I often wonder when parents will be held "accountable" for their children. If the kid is obese and dies in gym class, it is the school's fault, the nurse's fault, etc.

Just my opinion.Will def check out the show.

My sister has two girls, one was a bit heavy as a child and one was not. One time someone very rudely commented to my sister about the fact that one of her daughters was heavy and one was not. She told them with a very straight face, "We give her all the Ho-Ho's." They are 2 years apart and ate the same diet

I remember being 13-14 and staring at the fat camp ads in the back of my seventeen magazines just wishing my parents had the money to send me. I realize now that even if I had succeeded, I would be going back home to the same food environment I was in before. At least as an adult I control my own environment.

Here's hoping the government never sticks its busy body nose into this arena, deeming parents to be negligent if their child is overweight. There is a *vast* difference between a parent who withholds food from a child and the parent of an obese child. That child's obesity is not just because of overeating. It's most likely a combination of overeating, eating the wrong foods and lack of exercise. Go through most neighborhoods in this country and you won't see children playing in their yards or on the playgrounds (which btw many cities are closing in order to cut expenses). They're in front of a tv.

Also, keep in mind that not everyone can afford to feed their family fruits and vegetables as good Snacks. In a poverty home you'll find excessive amounts of rice, Beans, Pasta and other 'cheap' foods. I've worked at our local food pantry and one of the main staples donated to them and given out is prepackaged mac and cheese.

Please let's not equate parents of obese children with parents who abuse their children.

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Ok, so I just finished watching several episodes of 'Too Fat For Fifteen' and I have to say I'm a bit appalled. Yes, the teens need to lose weight, but this approach seems pretty brutal. One 14 year, quite huge, was in tears and one of the adults made the comment that a 14 year old boy shouldn't be sitting on the ground crying at the activities he was asked to perform. Uh...maybe a 14 year old who wasn't quite so overweight...and who wasn't made to do twice the reps that others did because they didn't like how he did them the first time.

I have the same problem with this show as I do with 'Biggest Loser'...nobody seems to be taking into account the weight or the current physical status of these people. They're all just expected to (as the one instructor said) suck it up.

Also, to go through such a brutal program, only to go home and gain it back...what's the point? All they've done is set these kids up once again for failure. It also ticks me off that a number of these parents who have shipped their kids out have weight problems themselves. What chance do these kids have when they return home to the same unhealthy eating that put them where they are in the first place.

The one positive that I saw was when they put Tanisha in the pool to exercise because of her massive weight and bone disease (?). This girl should not be out in a field doing jumping jacks or crawling like a bear. Good grief.

No...not impressed by this show or Biggest Loser.

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From what I see on the show the parents are contributing to these kids obesity. Did anyone see the episode where the 14 year old boy needed surgery so his mom came to take him to the hospital. She took him to a chinese buffet to eat. He had like 4 or 5 plates of food, then dessert and icecream. His mother should have never taken him to a buffet.

From what I see on the show the parents are contributing to these kids obesity. Did anyone see the episode where the 14 year old boy needed surgery so his mom came to take him to the hospital. She took him to a chinese buffet to eat. He had like 4 or 5 plates of food, then dessert and icecream. His mother should have never taken him to a buffet.

Yeah...and both parents are obese as well. This kid doesn't stand a chance.

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Wow! This weeks episode was quiet an eye opener. Tanisha's mom is overweight and doesn't even want to try and eat healthy b/c she says healthy food just tastes bad. She doesn't even cook. She likes living on take out.

And then Emily. Her family is sending her back for summer camp and they think she'll have so much fun. Her dad is overweight also and Emily's comment was If It's so much fun why don't they (her parents) go with me?

She has a good point there. I don't see dad going to a weight loss camp.