Loveable foods that love you back

Whoever said food that tastes good can’t be good for you never tried the food at Wellspring. Wellspring’s low-fat, low calorie-density diet is simple to understand and easy to sustain, long after camp ends. This is because much of the fat we eat is in the way the food is prepared, so campers learn how to cook, order, and identify food that is nutritious and delicious. Campers will learn that they don't have to give up anything in terms of taste and variety to become effective long-term weight controllers.

Daily menus include three delicious meals and two healthy snacks and have been developed by registered dietitians using award-winning recipes. No typical "diet food" here for the simple reason that we can't expect campers to change their lifestyle permanently unless the food we're serving is at least as appealing as the food they're used to eating.

Wellspring allows campers to significantly cut calories and reduce fat without feeling deprived. Last summer we had exactly zero complaints about hunger, which is consistent with our research demonstrating that campers are not reporting any significant hunger. This is due to the fact that the low-fat diet at Wellspring programs is so satisfying, and also because we allow campers an unlimited amount of "uncontrolled" foods, such as soups, fresh fruit and salad, as well as items such as fat-free yogurts, fat-free tuna salad, fat-free egg salad, and fat-free cottage cheese.

A typical day of controlled foods will include 1,200 calories, 10 g of fat, 50 g of protein, and 30 g of fiber. Uncontrolled foods will add to these totals – often significantly. At Wellspring, there is no caloric goal. If campers are hungry, they will have as much uncontrolled food as they like, until they are satisfied. All we ask is that they self-monitor everything, so that it can be processed and discussed with their Behavioral Coach.