Fat Camps: How Wellspring Texas is Different
Most people have heard the term ‘fat camp’ used in popular television shows or in the news. It’s a terms that has a lot of negative associations, and for very good reasons. Traditional ‘fat camps’ have existed for a long time, often causing more problems than they solve.
Wellspring Texas is not a fat camp. There are several key aspects of Wellspring Texas that make us completely different than the fat camps you may be envisioning. For those that are looking for a long-term solution for their child’s weight problem, it’s important to understand these differences.
Fat Camps Do Not Promote Behavioral Change
Losing weight is a challenging undertaking. The changes in diet and activity required to lose weight also require altering some fundamental thoughts and habits—such as turning to food for comfort, eating beyond fullness, managing food in social situations, and avoiding physical activity. At a fat camp, your child will lose weight through the structured environment of camp, without ever addressing the underlying thought process that leads to weight gain back at home.
At Wellspring Texas, campers work with Masters- and Doctoral-level therapists (called Behavioral Coaches), in four weekly sessions—two individual and two group. Campers learn to identify the emotions and thought processes around diet and activity, and return home with concrete skills for continued weight loss. This integrated approach to weight loss addresses the complexity of your child’s weight issue, making a permanent solution much more attainable.
Fat Camps Do Not Involve Families
At traditional fat camps, families are largely left out of the weight loss process. Campers lose weight at camp, then return home to parents who do not know how best to support their child’s success. This causes enormous frustration for parents and children alike, as parents feel left out of the process and campers begin to regain the weight lost at camp.
At Wellspring, we train entire families on the Wellspring Plan at our free Family Workshops. In fact, a majority of our families report that other family members lose significant weight due to the training they receive from Wellspring. We want our camp families to change their lifestyle, as a family—not just a quick fix for the one child who attends camp. And we believe so strongly in this mission that we offer a financial incentive for sending at least one family member to a free Family Workshop—a $300 Family Workshop Award.
Fat Camps Do Not Offer Continuing Care
At a traditional fat camp, your child will attend for the summer, then return home without a clear plan for making the camp lifestyle a permanent healthy lifestyle at home. This should be a cause of concern for any family considering sending their child to a fat camp, as the emotional rollercoaster of losing and regaining weight (especially without a clear idea why it’s occurring), can be very damaging to a child.
At Wellspring Texas, your child will not only leave camp with a clear plan for continued success at home, but he or she will also be supported through our Continuing Care Program. Until June 1, 2012, your child will be able to log on to the Wellspring community for support from behavioral coaches, tools for continuing self-monitoring at home, and help from the many campers who know exactly what challenges your child is facing. And the $700 Continuing Care Award gives your child added incentive to stay “on-program” for the first 3 months following camp. This is one of the many ways that Wellspring works to turn the camp experience into a permanent healthy lifestyle.
While there are many summer camps in Texas that focus on various activities, none of these camps are likely to make a material difference in your child’s weight. If your child is struggling with his or her weight, wouldn’t it be better to have a fun and positive summer, and also resolve your child’s weight issue once and for all?
The time to act is now and the most convenient and fun way to do so is by sending your child to Wellspring Texas.
