I'm on the fence about weight loss camps for kids. Sure they teach healthy habits, but what about the potential for emotional stigma? Are the benefits worth the risk? It probably depends on the child, the family, and the camp and how the situation is handled. What a good weight loss camp can do, I imagine, is take a child out of an environment filled with unhealthy habits and give them time to learn new, healthier ways of living.

What a handful of camps are doing right, then, are inviting family members along for the ride. Though the camper is the one who spends the majority of the time at camp, parents and siblings are invited along for a long weekend near the end of the summer. There, they too learn the joys of exercise and techniques for feeding their lighter and healthier camper.

It makes sense. Kids have a low tolerance for hypocrites, especially when it's their parents who don't practice what they preach. Since research shows that teens and dieting don't mix, encouraging entire families to be more active and focus on healthy foods seems like a recipe for success.

When it comes to weight loss camps for kids, what's your opinion?

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Author Stephanie Klein spent five summers of her childhood in fat camp, and lived to tell about it. Now she's sharing her story in her new book Moose (which was her unfortunate childhood nickname). Besides being written with Klein's trademark sence of humor, Moose also opens up the door for an honest discussion on how, exactly, to help kids who are suffering from obesity. Obviously, Klein is not recommending her own personal, sometimes humiliating experience.

Instead, she has these tips for families:

• Be a good role model
• Don't keep junk in the house
• Be active as a family, everyone together
• Focus on health, not on appearances
• Teach portion control

One piece of weight-loss advice Klein had surprised me, but I think I like it. She says that she got tired of "fatnalysis," or trying to figure out why she was overweight. Instead, she focused on how to fix it and creating healthier daily habits to reach her goal. Moose hits stores later this month. For more reading, find Stephanie Klein at her blog.

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