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(4 Aug 2017) LEADIN:Egypt has a well-documented battle with the bulge - it has the highest rate of obesity in Africa.But a weight loss camp north of Cairo hopes to attract people from across the region who want to get rid of their extra rolls.STORYLINE:This morning workout pushes the group to their limit and the instructor shows no sign of going easy on them.But sweat and tears are all part of the process - these people have chosen to join the class to help them get fit.CHEFOX is a a fitness and weight loss camp launched in 2014 to help people who are seriously eager to lose weight, stay in shape and change their lifestyle.It was started by Nada Ta'lab who visited a weight loss camp in Europe after struggling with obesity for years."I was one of the people who needed complete isolation, needed someone to look after my food, sleeping hours and workouts during the whole 24 hours of the day as well as life couching and nutrition," she explains."After that I really wanted to make this model happen inside Egypt and to make Egypt a destination that attracts people from all over the MENA region to get this service instead of travelling abroad."She explains that the camps are effective because they offer help and support every step of the way."We don't give you a programme and leave you to apply it by yourself. Instead we give you your meal with all the nutrients that you need, we make you play more sports than you would have done on your own."She also says that being surrounded by people who all have the same goal makes it easier.One of the camp members, Mohamed El-ra'ey, thinks this is the key to the success of the camp."We are here all together in a close community sharing the same target and on the same project which is weight loss."Located 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of Cairo, the camp also offers the chance of complete isolation from temptations."Actually when you are outside there are a lot of temptations, the outings with family or friends are all about food," says camp member Rasha el-Sherif, a Jordanian business development manager living in Abu Dhabi."So I found that this is the right environment where there is a lot of support with people like you. You have to eat only what is served and you have to workout as stated in the programme - that's why I liked the idea because its different and you don't have to resist temptations."Aside from temptations, Zumba instructor Maggie Balbae says that people also need to gain more confidence in working out."I've always noticed that overweight people are shy and they don't feel like attending classes or going to the gym because they have an image about there bodies and they don't feel comfortable," she explains."But here in CHEFOX they help people to break and overcome that image, they motivate people and help them to lose some weight and a percentage of body fat so that people are able to continue what they have started in CHEFOX after they finish the camp."The global obesity problem now affects 1 in 10 people in the world, it is rising in countries rich and poor, and in many countries it is increasing faster in children than adults, according to a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine.Egypt has the highest rate of obesity in Africa.Joining the camp costs around 7,000 Egyptian pounds a week (388 US dollars) and the complete cycle is three weeks.You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you... Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

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AP Archive 4109267 db2bbe87edcd6e9634e20f22917ef3bb MEEX Egypt Weight Loss Cairo Egypt Middle East North Africa Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Lifestyle Health