image source, TL Huang
Video clips are circulating on social media showing people exercising in a large gym, queuing for cafeteria food, and sleeping in dormitories equipped with beds.
This new sports venue is not a luxury spa, but rather a weight-loss camp similar to the military camps in China. They are described by some as “obesity prisons,” where a strict ban on eating snacks is imposed, and trainees are required to go to the scales twice a day.
Chinese media reports indicate that there are about 1,000 such camps throughout China, which is also suffering from a global obesity crisis. For $600, you can book a month-long stay that includes housing, meals, and daily exercise classes.
Content creator TL Huang, who posted her eggeats camp experience on Instagram, told the BBC’s What in the World program that she “felt like she was in prison” because she didn’t leave the camp for 28 days and had to watch her weight.
She says: “Our trainers were there to supervise us, make sure we did not sneak in unhealthy food, and that we attended all classes. We were not allowed to miss classes or leave the camp except for valid reasons.”
Although Huang found the camp effective, nutrition experts warned that the harsh methods pose serious physical and psychological risks.
“Some camps reportedly aim to lose one kilogram of weight per day,” says personal trainer and nutritionist Luke Hanna. “This is far beyond what is considered safe even for adults under medical supervision.”
But how do these camps work, and how did they gain such popularity?
“It’s time for a change”
image source, TL Huang
Huang says she first heard about these camps from her Chinese mother. She was feeling ill after traveling alone around China, where she had lost her usual routine and relied heavily on ready-made meals.
Over the course of three years, Huang says she gained about 20 kg, sparking comments from her relatives who made her feel it was time for a change.
She adds: “I felt like I was being bullied because of my weight. But at the same time, I think they were giving me honest and firm advice.”
Attending the camp was a “huge culture shock,” but Huang says there was a strong sense of camaraderie among the participants, as they bonded over their weight-loss journey together.
Each day begins at 7:30 a.m. with a weigh-in and includes four hours of exercise, including stationary bike classes, trampoline jumping, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), Tabata (a more intense form of HIIT), and weight training.
Her breakfast may also consist of four boiled eggs, half a tomato, and two pieces of cucumber. In one video, Huang evaluates her lunches — which included shrimp, steamed vegetables, tofu, steamed fish, and Chinese celery, as well as steamed leafy greens and broccoli.
She says the meals are “well-balanced and designed to emulate everyday Chinese food.”
Participants were required to attend a final session after dinner, an hour-long spin class, before a second weigh-in at 7:30 p.m., after which they could shower and rest.
Huang says the regimen was “very new” to her the first week, but she later realized she needed to stick with it for another three weeks. Connecting with her friends helped her keep going.
Although she described the place as being like a prison, Huang believes it was worth it, as she lost 6 kg in 28 days.
“It gave me a completely fresh start and the structure I needed,” Huang says.
“Hinders normal growth”
image source, Getty Images
Experts urge caution. For example, Luke Hanna, a fitness trainer based in London, says that the approach of these camps is particularly worrying, because when losing weight, the body loses muscle tissue in addition to fat. Therefore, using extreme methods such as excessive exercise increases the possibility of losing this muscle tissue.
This becomes more dangerous when children or adolescents are the ones who lose weight in this way.
He adds, “This may hinder normal growth, which may affect your final height and bone health.”
This may also cause psychological problems, such as a significantly increased risk of eating disorders.
He continues: “Some people lose large amounts of weight, which makes it seem tempting, but many of them regain it quickly once they return to their normal lives, because the root causes of the problem have not been addressed.”
The National Health Service in the United Kingdom recommends losing weight gradually at a rate of between 0.5 and 1 kilogram.
Hanna says people should instead focus on gradual changes to their daily habits within their usual environment, by enjoying regular, nutritious meals, getting enough protein, and exercising to develop skills and play and have fun, not as punishment.
In fact, in a later Instagram video, TJ Huang mentioned that the hardest part was going home, because her body no longer knew what it felt like to eat “normal” food.
Healthy diets should include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, while ensuring physical activity for 150 minutes per week.
Drinking water instead of sugary drinks, and limiting foods high in fats and sugars, can also help.
discrimination
image source, TL Huang
Weight-loss camps began to spread in China in the early 2000s, following a television program that documented life inside weight-loss organisations, says Wanqing Zhang from the BBC’s global China unit.
The coaches who appeared on those programs decided to open their own camps. But the real boom occurred in the last ten years, with the rise of social media.
“If you browse Chinese social media, you will find very diverse content, both from organizers of weight-loss camps and from participants,” Zhang says.
These types of camps range from the traditional, organized style, as is the case with Huang, to even placing surveillance cameras outside bedrooms in case someone tries to order food online, Zhang explains.
Or, quite the opposite, these camps might be “ultra-luxury resorts, where you can run on a treadmill overlooking a picturesque lake.”
It is noteworthy that the main driver is the increase in obesity around the world. In about two-thirds of the world’s countries, more than 50 percent of adults are classified as overweight or obese. According to Chinese health authorities, it is estimated that 34 percent of adults in the country are overweight, while 16 percent of them are classified as obese.
The BBC’s Zhang adds that there is also a cultural problem: “China is a country characterized by a low level of acceptance of weight diversity, which means that those who are overweight are likely to face greater discrimination in the workplace or in romantic relationships.”
Refined carbohydrates found in rice, dumplings and pasta are a problem, and people around the world are spending their free time at home on their phones or tablets instead of going out.
Meanwhile, Huang’s Instagram account shows that she is currently in Thailand, where she is participating in a new 30-day weight loss challenge, and exercising for two hours a day in extreme heat.
