Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts

I was a camper at Camp Shane over 30 years ago for many summers. Through Facebook I reunited with many of my fellow campers at Camp Shane and some very dear friendships were rekindled. When I learned about SDR I thought it would be a blast to spend a week at the resort with my best friend from Camp Shane .We had an incredible experience at SDR. While it was somewhat different then Camp Shane 30 years ago, the genuine love and caring was still present. I found the program to be extremely comprehensive and educational. What I loved most about the program was not only trying new activities such as yoga and spinning, but the emotional support and guidance provided through SDR classes. This program does not only address diet and exercise, but also the emotional aspects that cause us to overeat.If you are looking to go to a spa for pampering and massages, this is not the spa for you. If however you are looking to regain control of your life this is where you want to go.I am only sorry that my work schedule would only allow me to attend SDR for one week last summer. Hopefully next summer I will be able to attend a little longer. I am however counting the days until I return next summer.

I am a former camp shaner. Ten years ago for three consecutive summer I attended the kids camp which is a half an hour away from the spa. When deciding I needed to go back I came across SDR, and thank god I did. At first I was skeptical about the program in itself but I decided not to doubt it since Shane has a great reputation to begin with. I signed up for three weeks and I wish i was able to stay longer. The experience of meeting life long friends is great, as well as learning how to make lifestyle changes for your future. I would recommend this to everyone who is ready to take control of their life. The best part is when you ask yourself "how am i going to continue this when i leave and go back to the real world?" the trainers and nutritionists work one on one with you to come up with a meal plan and exorcising plan that work FOR YOU! I definitely suggest this place to all.

I spent an amazing four weeks at Shane Diet Resorts this past summer. The staff is first rate, and they really care. That is what shocked me so much...how much they honestly and truly care about the guests there. Their program is not a "boot camp", they don't scream in your face, but they do get you to work, and work hard. The food was fantastic, I could not be happier with my experience. I strongly suggest that anyone that wants to take control of their life and get in shape call them and GO!

The road that led me to SDR was a somewhat long and emotional journey. With that being said, I am truly thankful I arrived. The experience that I encountered has been life altering, both mentally and physically. As this 42 year old, single, fairly confident and intelligent woman drove up the long driveway into the SDR ranch, all her fears and concerns began flooding in her head. Oh my goodness, what I have done, I have to get on a scale, someone else will know that number, they will think I am such an overweight loser, I am so ugly, I can't do this. I wanted to drive away, but I couldn't.From the moment I walked into the ranch, I felt welcomed, normal and able. I attended SDR during the first two weeks that it opened for the season, so I was on equal ground with all the other guests. No one knew what to expect, therefore we all needed each other. I had some huge concerns being one of the older guests. I was part of the +26 group, which was fairly small, approximately 8 guests. I would highly recommend attending in the beginning of the season for two reasons; the first being that you have a great start to your summer and second being everyone is in the same boat as you.

I guess I can start here with how incredibly life changing my experience at SDR was to me. I had a very unique summer when compared to the rest of my friends. I was only going to stay for three weeks, and before I got to SDR, I was trying to weasel my way out of even that (I had originally only signed up for two weeks!). I was so ashamed of the fact that I was having to resort to a weight loss camp to take hold of my life again but my view of weight loss, nutrition, and myself changed dramatically and I ended up staying for a combined 7 weeks. I must remark on the importance of relationships during my time at SDR. This took many forms, from the trust I allowed myself to give to my trainers, to the love and reliability I found in my friends who I still keep in close contact with today, to the most important relationship of all- the one with myself. It was the one I needed to work the most on and I found myself redefining my potential and the possibilities I had. To anyone who is thinking about coming- do NOT allow the stereotype of a "fat camp" veer you away from coming to SDR, because those words do not describe the program at all. SDR is a summer of learning and having fun, all the while changing yourself for the better.

I intend to post a review everywhere I can find a place to for SDR as I truly want to promote the program but I also want to make sure guests know the pros and cons before they attend. Also keep in mind that this is a relatively young program that if the reports of previous guests are correct can change significantly from year to year so there is nothing to say that my few problems will not be improved upon and nothing to say that the things I found best will still be so.First let me say that this program definitely works, if your intention is to improve your physical capabilities and gain knowledge to loose as much weight as you want then this is definitely the place to go. That being said do not expect to loose eighty pounds in two months as some places advertise, it is impossible not to loose some weight while you are there but rapid boot camp style weight loss is not what SDR promotes.I spent six weeks at SDR and lost thirty-five pounds but this was not typical of the average guest most lost less and some more, the proof of concept as it were was not my weight loss while there but more the fact that I have in following their program at home (far less than perfectly I might add) lost another thirty-five and counting.The problems I had with SDR are not really related to the fitness and nutrition they teach you but more with SDR policies. If you attend and are under 26 do not expect a lot of freedom in fact theoretically you are not allowed to leave the resort at any time, except in the presence of one of the older guests or the trainers. This led to many problems with night trips outside the resort and such. You might ask how this is enforced with the mindset "I'm an adult how can they stop me," keep in mind that all "rules," for SDR are based on the threat of expulsion from the program which for at least one person was carried out during my time there.Keep in mind that this resort is located in a remote area outside of a very small town and though the trainers keep you busy for most of the day there is a lot of down time. (there has to be no one can work out for ten hours a day.) You will be bored and you will be looking for things to do, we probably went to see a movie at least once a week. This led to many logistical problems as; not many people brought cars, anyone under 26 had to ask for permission to leave the resort and be in the company of someone older, and to get anywhere interesting is at least a forty minute drive.The trainers are top notch, though many were young they all were very qualified my year and worked well to collaborate their lessons, the management of the program however did not seem to be in frequent contact with the trainers at the resort. Ziporah spends most of her time at camp shane and as such does not deal with the day to day of SDR very much after the initial few days of the summer. This definitely caused discrepancy between the rules given by her and the rules given by the trainers. The trainer who was put in charge so to speak was brand new to the program as were all the others my year and though they spent a lot of time preparing for it this still caused a few problems.As far as the day to day exercise routine that the resort promotes I have no complaints at all, it is difficult and rigorous but rewarding, varied, and easily modified to account for fitness level and injuries. On the subject of injuries though keep in mind that SDR does not employ any medical staff whatsoever so the two nurses and an AT student who were guests basically turned in to the medical team during my stay. I definitely suggest trying all of the classes at least once and you do have options while there, you have some gold standard classes that are taught almost every day like yoga and spin and then you have alternating morning classes which are usually a boot camp or a ready, set, go which are sprinting running based. Then there are options if you want they even have a class to learn how to swim if you don't know or learn new strokes and improve your form if you do.The nutrition program that I was taught during my stay was sound, logical, maintainable and not based on a "diet," but on changing the way we even think about eating and food. The program they support is based on good science and basically amounts to; count your calories, watch your portions, and watch how much fat your eating. It's simple, easy and it really becomes so automatic that you don't even have to think about it. I cannot emphasize enough how much you learn during your time there. Not to dampen it but Ziporah tried to sell us on a program they have joined up with called Vtrim which is completely unnecessary if you attend SDR especially cause you get the first four lessons anyway. Ziporah really does care about the success of everyone who attends and fitness really is her passion but never let it be said she is not a shrewed business woman who knows the bottom line.If you attend be prepared to be on camera at the exact moment you are upside down, red-faced and contorted in the middle of a previously unimagined yoga pose. They'll leave you alone if you tell them to but if you don't say anything they are going to film you a lot.Last but definitely not least one of the best parts of this program is that you really do make good connections with the other guests and trainers, I can not tell you how many people I saw balling when one of the guests left and many ended up coming back or extending their stays. One of the best aides in continued weight loss is that you have lots of other people that you are still in contact with supporting you and promising physical violence if you "fall off the wagon." The last part was a joke, but seriously.

Spa Finders Review - Marcy EskanosI had the amazing opportunity to spend last summer at Shane Diet Resorts and want to share my experience with anyone considering attending this summer either as a guest or a member of the staff.I found Shane Diet to be the perfect place to learn a healthy lifestyle. Anyone who may be afraid or intimidated by the gym and group fitness classes will get over it at Shane Diet because you can try out every aspect of being at the gym in an unintimidating environment and find what you love to do ... personal training sessions, group fitness classes of all kinds...group cycling, step aerobics, water aerobics, Pilates, Yoga, and strength training. And that's just in the gym! We also did hiking and biking and spent a great amount of time outdoors. Everyone saw the difference...from the time they started to the time they left. They lost weight, gained strength and flexibility and did it with people who were there for the same reasons. People also formed deep friendships that are evident on Shane Diet's facebook.It wasn't all hard work. We had a lot of laughs during evening activities (my favorite was the talent show), weekly excursions (including shopping for smaller clothes!) and we really enjoyed hands-on learning healthy cooking classes. I think everyone's favorite activity was walking into town for low fat frozen yogurt and then walking back as evening started to fall.I found the accommodations to be extremely comfortable, spacious and well maintained. And the food was awesome. Not too fancy but delicious, filling and dishes I could make at home. I wish I could come back this summer! 