Fat Camp

Should I Send My Child to Fat Camp ?

Advice from the Weight Loss Experts at Wellspring Academy

Your child is overweight, overwhelmed, and miserable. She gets picked on at school, feels unattractive and unlovable, and drowns her sorrows in chocolate, fried chicken, and pie. As a parent, you want to help in the kindest, most supportive way possible. When you’ve tried diets, gym memberships, and everything else, should you turn to fat camp?

The weight loss experts at Wellspring Academy believe old-style fat camps that promise quick weight loss in a boot camp-style environment are not the answer. A better choice would be the modern approach: “fit” camps.

What Is Fat Camp?

Fat camps are short-term weight loss programs that are excessively structured and controlled to help children and teens achieve maximum weight loss. Campers are commonly limited to meals of non-fat, high-protein porridge and spend the entire day worn down running from one activity to the next.

Not surprisingly, students at fat camp do tend to lose significant amounts of weight – they’ve been forced to consume very few calories and exercise most of the day. But statistics show most children who attend fat camp gain all of the weight back, and more, shortly after camp ends.

“Unfortunately, the results achieved at these types of camps are completely unsustainable,” says Bob Rice, M.A., a therapist at Wellspring Academy, the nation’s first scientifically based weight loss boarding school with a proven history of success. “I’ve talked with many parents who sent their kids to fat camp. Most reported being frustrated with the lack of back-up support, no understanding of the larger issues, and little or no therapeutic support.”

Wellspring therapist Cristina Valle, M.A., adds, “At fat camps, kids lose weight without even knowing why. Without an understanding of the human body and the emotional connection to food, it would be close to impossible to keep the weight off months or years later.”

As part of America’s modern culture, we want everything and we want it now. We want to lose lots of weight and fast, with little or no effort on our part.

“The truth is healthy weight loss takes time, hard work, and patience,” says Mike Bishop, Executive Director of Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas. “It all boils down