{"id":146162,"date":"2026-02-28T17:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T17:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/what-happened-to-the-children-who-went-to-fat-camps-theyve-fallen-out-of-favour-but-destiny-says-her-stint-changed-her-life-now-as-childhood-obesity-soars-is-it-time-to-bring-them-back\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T17:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T17:50:32","slug":"what-happened-to-the-children-who-went-to-fat-camps-theyve-fallen-out-of-favour-but-destiny-says-her-stint-changed-her-life-now-as-childhood-obesity-soars-is-it-time-to-bring-them-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/what-happened-to-the-children-who-went-to-fat-camps-theyve-fallen-out-of-favour-but-destiny-says-her-stint-changed-her-life-now-as-childhood-obesity-soars-is-it-time-to-bring-them-back\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to the children who went to fat camps: They’ve fallen out of favour – but Destiny says her stint changed her life. Now, as childhood obesity soars, is it time to bring them back?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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With glossy, tumbling blonde hair and an enviable figure, Destiny Deakin, 25, looks every inch the fitness devotee.<\/p>\n

At 5ft 8in and 9st 5lb \u2013 a trim size eight \u2013 she exercises daily and follows a healthy diet. But it hasn\u2019t always been this way \u2013 far from it. At the age of 12, Destiny tipped the scales at 14 and a half stone. She was, shockingly, an adult size 18 \u2013 and a target for relentless bullying at school, where she was cruelly labelled \u2018beefburger girl\u2019.<\/p>\n

So what triggered this remarkable transformation?<\/p>\n

Destiny wholly credits an intervention that has quietly fallen out of favour. Between the ages of 12 and 14 she attended two six-week residential weight-loss camps, where she learned to manage her diet and exercise, and lost a cumulative two stone.<\/p>\n

Known as MoreLife, the Bradford-based programme was the only residential camp of its kind operating in the UK at the time, and placed an emphasis on long-term lifestyle change rather than rapid weight loss<\/a>. Destiny\u2019s time at MoreLife was captured in a BBC<\/a> Three documentary, I Know What You Weighed Last Summer, which aired a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Today, speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Destiny and other former attendees say their experiences show that supportive camps can deliver lasting change, rather than short-term weight loss alone. In the US, where so-called \u2018fat camps\u2019 are more common, critics raise concerns about stigma and potential psychological harm \u2013 criticisms that have helped push such programmes out of favour.<\/p>\n

But Destiny says it marked a turning point, helping her rebuild her health and establish enduring habits after years of feeling defined by her size.<\/p>\n

And the need for such intervention is clear.<\/p>\n

Official figures show around one in ten children in England are obese when they start school, rising to about one in five by the time they move on to secondary education<\/a>. Research suggests that these children are up to five times more likely to remain overweight as adults, significantly increasing their risk of life-threatening conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.<\/p>\n

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\"Destiny <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Destiny Deakin is 5ft 8in and 9st 5lb \u2013 a trim size eight. She exercises daily and follows a healthy diet. But it hasn\u2019t always been this way…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"... <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

… before attending her first weight-loss camp at the age of 12 she was a target for relentless bullying at school, where she was cruelly labelled \u2018beefburger girl\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In response, the medical profession is increasingly turning to powerful weight-loss injections or surgery to tackle the problem.<\/p>\n

A recent investigation found that about 400 children have been given NHS-prescribed jabs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, with the youngest aged just nine \u2013 prompting debate over whether lifestyle interventions have been sidelined too quickly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recalling her childhood, Destiny says: \u2018The boys in my class would bully me, calling me fat or \u201cbeefburger girl\u201d. I would put on a brave face, but go home and feel so sad.\u2019<\/p>\n

While Destiny, from Dudley in the West Midlands, was an active child, enjoying netball and dance, she struggled with cross country and swimming lessons.<\/p>\n

\u2018We were forced to run in cross country, which I found hard because of my weight and I lagged behind my friends. I ended up making excuses each week, saying that I was on my period or that my leg hurt. Swimming was the worst, and I would make my mum write me a sick note because I didn\u2019t want the boys to see me wearing a swimming costume.\u2019 She admits: \u2018After school, I would spend my pocket money at the corner shop on sweets, energy drinks and chocolate bars and then put the wrappers in the dustbin so my mum wouldn\u2019t see them. If my mum asked if I\u2019d eaten anything, I\u2019d say no. In reality, I\u2019d usually eaten my daily calorie allowance, and then some, before dinner.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mum would send me to school with fruit, and it\u2019d still be in my bag at the end of the day because I didn\u2019t want it.<\/p>\n

\u2018There was no way for her to track what I had eaten at school. I could have three pizzas if I fancied.<\/p>\n

\u2018She would ask why I was so sad, and say things like, \u201cDo you think you\u2019d feel better if you lost some weight?\u201d But to me, it just felt like she was being mean.\u2019<\/p>\n

Destiny often spent time at her grandmother\u2019s house after school and during summer holidays, where she admits she was given \u2018literally whatever I wanted\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018When the camp was first suggested to me, I said flat out that I wasn\u2019t going,\u2019 she says. \u2018I used to stay at my nan\u2019s during the six-week holidays, where there were treats like fizzy pop, crisps, pizza and chocolate.<\/p>\n

\u2018I knew that if I went to camp, I wouldn\u2019t be able to have any of this.\u2019<\/p>\n

Her experience isn\u2019t unique. Studies have repeatedly shown that children who struggle with their weight are more likely to gain excess pounds during school holidays, when routines fall away and access to structured meals and activity is lost.<\/p>\n

At MoreLife, children followed a portion-controlled diet alongside daily physical activity designed to improve fitness in a supportive environment.<\/p>\n

A typical day involved swimming, team sports such as basketball and dodgeball, and running drills, balanced with classes on nutrition, lifestyle and body image. But foods often considered \u2018off limits\u2019 were not banned. Chips and pizza appeared on the menu, and the programme even included a supervised trip to McDonald\u2019s \u2013 intended to teach moderation rather than avoidance.<\/p>\n

\u2018On your first day, you get a daily calorie allowance based on your weight, height and how much you need to lose,\u2019 Destiny says.<\/p>\n

This approach meant some children were on more restrictive diets than others. \u2018There used to be a lot of arguments over foods, because some people were hungry and wanted bigger portions,\u2019 she adds. \u2018There were times that I was hungry, but that\u2019s the entire point of losing weight.\u2019<\/p>\n

Destiny, now a pharmacy dispenser, credits the programme with reshaping her habits.<\/p>\n

\u2018On a typical day we\u2019d get up, have breakfast and then do a lifestyle session. That might be a trip to Sainsbury\u2019s to look at sugar and calorie content in cereals. And then you\u2019d spend a lot of the day exercising.<\/p>\n

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\"Jordan <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Jordan Smithy attended the camp at the same time as Destiny, when he was 17 and weighed 19 stone. He lost just under a stone during his stay and has since shed more than three<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Now <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Now 27, Jordan says:\u00a0\u2018If I hadn\u2019t gone to that camp, I genuinely think I\u2019d be in a much worse place today.\u2018<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A typical day at the camp involved swimming, team sports such as basketball and dodgeball, and running drills, balanced with classes on nutrition, lifestyle and body image<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018Even ten years on, choices I make stem from being at camp. \u2018It\u2019s simple things \u2013 like being taught to look at the traffic-light system on food packaging. To this day, I still do that when I shop.<\/p>\n

\u2018Looking at my lifestyle now, I do 60 minutes of exercise every day. I go to the gym, take my vitamins, drink my water \u2013 all things I learned there. I still have McDonald\u2019s as a treat, but I always go for a grilled chicken wrap, and I always get zero-sugar drinks.\u2019<\/p>\n

Jordan Smithy, now 27, attended the camp at the same time as Destiny, when he was 17 and weighed 19 stone. He lost just under a stone during his stay and has since shed more than three.<\/p>\n

Jordan says: \u2018If I hadn\u2019t gone to that camp, I genuinely think I\u2019d be in a much worse place today. I\u2019d almost certainly be a lot heavier.<\/p>\n

\u2018It gave me the confidence to become a personal trainer and fitness coach, and eventually to audition for a singing competition show. I was a really shy kid who never spoke to anyone. When you lose weight, everything changes.\u2019<\/p>\n

He says the camp didn\u2019t just alter his body, but fundamentally rewired his mindset. Before attending, he lived on takeaways, hated exercise and struggled to run. At camp he learned about portion sizes, calories and how to structure daily movement.<\/p>\n

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It’s a fact<\/h3>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n