May 27, 2023

Five Reasons Fat Camp for Young Adults Can Fail

 

 

The traditional fat camp for young adults has been used to help overweight kids get into shape during the summer months. However, while kids may come home thinner than when they left, the dirty secret about fat camps is that the vast majority of attendees gain back all of the weight they lose. The reasons for long-term fat camp failure include:
1. Fat camps focus on highly restrictive diet programs rather than lasting lifestyle and behavioral changes.
Fat camps traditionally put kids on a crash diet during the time they are at the camp, but offer no education about how to make healthy diet choices once they are home.

2. Fat camps do not encourage family support and understanding.
Families are largely excluded from the process at fat camps; the extent of their involvement is usually limited to dropping the kids off and picking them up.

3. Fat camps do not offer assistance to campers in setting long-term healthy lifestyle goals.
Fat camp attendees are not taught new behaviors to replace their ineffective ones. Once they are home, they revert back to the old, unhealthy ways of eating and living that caused them to become overweight in the first place.

4. Fat camps do not use scientific research to back  their programming.
Few old-school fat camps put a focus on research and current data when designing their programs. They simply restrict calories and schedule exercise without any nuanced considerations or research-based decisions.

5. Fat camps do not provide counseling or aftercare to support behavioral changes.
After fat camp, kids are left to their own devices. They return home with no tools, skills, education or support for maintaining any weight loss they may have achieved at the camp.

In contrast to the stereotypical fat camp for young adults, the Wellspring program fosters:

Lifestyle Changes.
Wellspring teaches its young clients to make wise, healthy food and lifestyle choices going forward. Clients leave knowing what works for them and how to implement it in their lives.

Family Involvement.
Research has demonstrated a very strong connection between weight loss camp success and family support. Wellspring takes steps to ensure that the entire family is involved both during and after the program. As an added bonus, 95% of Wellspring family members report losing weight while supporting a child in the program.

Long Term Results.
Wellspring supports and educates for long-term weight loss results.

Scientifically Supported Programs.
The Wellspring organization and programs are backed by decades of scientific research.

Ongoing Aftercare.
Unlike the typical fat camp for young adults, Wellspring offers support both during after camp. The free Continuing Care Program includes contact with a Behavioral Coach as well as online food monitoring for an entire year after the camp has concluded.

Surveys show that a full 95% of Wellspring families would recommend Wellspring to others. If your child is in need of support in making a lifestyle change, Wellspring is ready to be an advocate and partner.