History Main / FatCamp

This is not true of real fat camps, of course, which always use positive reinforcement, and attempt to teach the children healthy eating habits, instead of starving them. Thanks to Political Correctness they are now called Fitness Camps or Weight Loss Camps, and now also allow teens and adults to attend.

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-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode 4.1 "Kamp Krusty"

!! Examples Include:

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': Cartman was sent to a fat camp, and came back skinny [[spoiler: but it was really another kid he paid to show up and steal snacks he could sell to the other campers. Cartman is banned from the camp at the end when the other campers feel guilty over ruining the counselors' hard work and admit to their cheating]]

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} of Creator/AAPessimal, the Guild of Assassins School will do this to pupils who are inattentive and careless enough to gain excess weight, or, if a good prospective pupil is assessed as having potential whilst being overweight, will "politely request" that Special Measures are taken. In practice, Special Measures mean that the pupil is expected to attend classes as normal, but is placed on a corrective diet whilst attending compulsory additional PE lessons. The School's PE Master, Mr Bradlofrudd, administers the extra physical activity whilst its Domestic Science teacher, Dame Joan Sanderson-Reeves, advises on a diet that combines the maximum necessary nutrition with the least number of calories. As Dame Joan says, it's a damn short diet book with only five words:
--> ''Move around more. Eat less.''
** Air Watch commanding officer Captain Olga Romanoff had to ask Assassin advice when she took her first, reluctantly accepted, draft of recruit wizards, some of whom had settled into typical Wizard ways of eating even before graduating. An inferred detail of ''Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight'' is that there had to be a Fat Camp for some of her Wizards.
--> "Let me get this straight. I want no excess weight on my air vehicles.''

* Inverted in several African countries, where an engaged woman is sent to camp to ''gain'' weight.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': Inverted. Sally attended "Beanbag Camp" where kids sit on beanbag chairs, eat junk food and watch TV all day. Sally comes back having put on weight.

* Inverted in ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Since [[BigFatFuture being fat in Mega-City One]] is ''desirable'' for a lot of people (eating contests are SeriousBusiness, and ''really'' fat people are known to get endorsement deals), fat camps have become a place for the young to ''gain'' weight.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has Jay's son Marty sent to Exercise Camp. It's right next to the [[{{Pun}} Exorcise Camp]]. Marty ends up losing 30 pounds and becomes quite popular. Jay manages to lose a measly two pounds, which he is elated over, referring to it as his "college weight".

* ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': The first Tim Drake used his Alvin identity was to attend a Ninja Summer camp he thinks is behind some recent criminal activity in Gotham. While there, he meets and befriends a kid who states he's only there because otherwise his parents were going to send him to a Fat Camp and Ninja Camp at least sounded cool.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

* ''Film/FatCamp''. No, [[RunningGag Fitness Camp]]!
* ''Film/CampNowhere'' is a double subversion for Gaby, the chubby teenage girl. The first subversion is that she, like all the other kids at camp, are plotting with Dennis to create a fake camp to have their parents send them to thinking it is the exact type of camp the parents want, in Gaby's case a fat camp, while they spend the summer having fun. The double subversion is that Gaby actually tires of eating junk food, and between eating healthier and exercising more has lost a considerable amount of weight by the end of the film to the point that both her mother and love interest Mud compliment her on it.

* About half of Robert Kimmel Smith's ''Literature/JellyBelly'' takes place at one. While it's not the sadistic kind, and protagonist Ned would actually like to be thinner, he hates the place and befriends kids who have no intention of losing weight or keeping it off if they do.

* Hanna of ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' spent several summers at fat camp. [[FormerlyFat Looking at her now, you'd never guess.]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': Cartman was sent to a fat camp, and came back skinny [[spoiler: but it was really another kid he paid to show up and steal snacks he could sell to the other campers. Cartman is banned from the camp at the end when the other campers feel guilty over ruining the counselors' hard work and admit to their cheating]]
** Unlike in many other examples, the counsellors are upbeat, friendly, and try their best to help the children lose weight, and feel that they’ve failed them when [[spoiler: Cartman’s scheme stops the children from losing any weight.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': After Lois [[spoiler: lost her memory from Stewie's attempt at matricide]], she works at a fat camp and tries to keep the kids from [[ImAHumanitarian eating each other]].
** In "Killer Queen", Peter and Chris are sent to a fat camp and soon discover that someone is killing the campers. Its hinted at that its Lois's brother Patrick, the Fat-Guy Strangler, a serial killer who targets obese people due to a psychotic compulsion, but he's actually framed by the real culprit, a competitive eater who Chris defeated in a hot dog contest.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has Jay's son Marty sent to Exercise Camp. It's right next to the [[{{Pun}} Exorcise Camp]]. Marty ends up losing 30 pounds and becomes quite popular. Jay manages to lose a measly two pounds, which he is elated over, referring to it as his "college weight".
* In the ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode "Weighing Harold", Harold goes on a fat ''cruise'' which was pretty much a fat camp but on a ship. Unlike most examples listed here, the "''Kid's Cruise to Lose''" was actually pretty nice; with caring and encouraging trainers, fun exercise programs, and an all-you-can-eat salad bar. Unfortunately, Harold was so nervous that he ate to calm down, and left the cruise even ''fatter'' than he was before.
* Connie from ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' was revealed to have gone to Camp Make 'Em Overs between the Nickelodeon and the Disney episodes. Doug initially didn't recognize her once he saw her newly svelte physique. When Doug ended up gaining some weight, Judy suggested they send him to the fat farm.

* In ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', it's revealed that Madam Foster regularly stages a rescue for food based imaginary friends created by hungry kids at fat camp before they get eaten.

* Inverted in ''Comic/JudgeDredd'': Since [[BigFatFuture being fat in Mega-City One]] is ''desirable'' for a lot of people (eating contests are SeriousBusiness, and ''really'' fat people are known to get endorsement deals), fat camps have become a place for the young to ''gain'' weight.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'': The first Tim used his Alvin identity was to attend a Ninja Summer camp he thinks is behind some recent criminal activity in Gotham. While there, he meets and befriends a kid who states he's only there because otherwise his parents were going to send him to a Fat Camp and Ninja Camp at least sounded cool.
* The graphic novel ''Dead Weight'' from OniPress takes place at one of these. The title is a PunnyName foreshadowing: The plot revolves around the murder of one of the camp's counselors.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* Inverted in one ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' arc. Sally attended "Beanbag Camp" where kids sit on beanbag chairs, eat junk food and watch TV all day. Sally comes back having put on weight.
[[/folder]]

* ''Film/FatCamp''. [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad No]], [[RunningGag Fitness Camp]]!

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has Jay's son Marty sent to Exercise Camp. It's right next to the [[IncrediblyLamePun Exorcise Camp]]. Marty ends up losing 30 pounds and becomes quite popular. Jay manages to lose a measly two pounds, which he is elated over, referring to it as his "college weight".

A [[SummerCampy summer camp]] where overweight and obese children are sent to lose weight. Of course, the children's parents are oblivious to what actually goes on in fat camp: [[DrillSergeantNasty Drill Sergeant Nasties]] are everywhere, pushing the kids to their limit. The children constantly have to run up hills and the food is scarce if not so unpalatable that the kids outright refuse to eat it and often try cheating with candy and junk food. Treatment is so bad that the kids will eventually plan a GreatEscape, in which the camp counselors will use the same methods that prison guards use to recapture escapees.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode "Weighing Harold", Harold goes on a fat ''cruise'' which was pretty much a fat camp but on a ship. Unlike most examples listed here, the "''Kid's Cruise to Lose''" was actually pretty nice; with caring and encouraging trainers, fun exercise programs, and an all-you-can-eat salad bar. Unfortunately, Harold left the cruise even ''fatter'' than he was before.

* On ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Daphne visited one of these off-screen. In RealLife Jane Leeves was on pregnancy leave which led to a cute in-joke when Niles reported back that she'd lost 9lbs and 12 ounces, the weight of Leeves' baby.

A [[SummerCampy summer camp]] where overweight and obese children are sent to lose weight. Of course the children's parents are oblivious to what actually goes on in fat camp.

[[DrillSergeantNasty Drill Sergeant Nasties]] are everywhere, pushing the kids to their limit. The children constantly have to run up hills and the food is scarce if not so unpalatable that the kids outright refuse to eat it and often try cheating with candy and junk food.

Treatment is so bad that the kids will eventually plan a GreatEscape, in which the camp counselors will use the same methods that prison guards use to recapture escapees.

This is not true of real fat camps of course, which always use positive reinforcement, and attempt to teach the children healthy eating habits, instead of starving them. Thanks to Political Correctness they are now called Fitness Camps or Weight Loss Camps, and now also allow teens and adults to attend.

* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'': The first Tim used his Alvin identity was to attend a Ninja Summer camp he thinks is behind some recent criminal activity in Gotham. While there he meets and befriends a kid who states he's only there because otherwise his parents were going to send him to a Fat Camp and Ninja Camp at least sounded cool.