Weight Loss Camp Food: What Will You Eat at Weight Loss Camp?
At old-style fat camps, weight loss is the only goal. Campers have no choice about what they eat, and in most cases, every child gets the same tray of "meal rations" three times a day. There is very little thought put into the menu except to restrict the calorie count to 1,200 to 1,500 a day. Often, campers eat mini-versions of favorite teen fast foods like French fries and hamburgers.
This approach doesn't teach an overweight child anything about nutrition or portion control. As such, campers frequently return home with no understanding of how to make healthy food choices and how to maintain their weight.
But not all weight loss camps are created equal. The new "weight loss camps" approach nutrition and diet in a completely different way. Many top-notch weight loss camps have connections with major universities and highly trained experts who help design menus that best serve children's needs. Trained professionals help each camper learn about nutrition and the importance of eating a variety of foods to get daily requirements of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
A Low-Fat, Low-Density Food Diet
At the Wellspring Camps for example, campers enjoy a diet designed by a team of scientists using articles and studies printed in peer-reviewed journals. In these articles, professors studied the genetics of being overweight, as well as how today's environment contributes to the problem of childhood obesity. They worked under the principle of KISS or "keep it scientific, simple and sustainable."
The Wellspring weight loss experts came up with a diet of low-fat, low-density foods - the optimal formula to counteract biological and environmental factors that lead to weight gain. It is a diet that teenagers can sustain with their friends and within school cafeterias, shopping malls, and fast food restaurants. It is a diet in which there are no "violations" or "setbacks" because it is simply a way of eating to attain a healthy body. It is about enjoying nutritious food.
One of the only "rules" of the Wellspring diet is to limit your fat intake to 20 grams a day. Limiting fat as a way to lose weight has a basis in science, which is why the Wellspring team chose it. Some studies have shown that high-fat diets increase the production of hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which actually increase appetite. Other studies have shown that the most successful dieters use low-fat diets. For example, Brown University scientists found that successful weight controllers eat about a third less fat than the average American, and a study from University of Minnesota found that the more people cut out fatty foods such as beef and pastry, the more weight they lost.
At the Wellspring Camps and Academies, children can eat certain foods in unlimited quantities, so they do not develop feelings of deprivation and hunger. Wellspring refers to these items as “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. 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. Campers keep food journals and record nutritional information about what they eat, including amounts, calories, and fat grams. Some campers eat as many as 2,000 calories a day; others stay closer to 1,500. Weight loss camp counselors do not allow any camper to eat too little.
The average Wellspring camper loses about four pounds a week during summer sessions, but that is not the main objective of the weight loss camp. The more important goals are to help each camper get a sense of correct portion size and learn about good nutrition. The children take culinary classes and help make their own meals. They learn to cook quick and easy food, even those that can be made in microwave ovens in their college dormitories. Counselors show them how to shop for groceries and order in restaurants. Moreover, they learn to enjoy eating again without feeling guilty or anxious. They can take these lessons home with them and use their new knowledge to sustain their weight loss.
Ryan Craig, a Yale-educated lawyer who is the President of the Wellspring programs, says the term "fat camp" is negative and derogatory.
"We like the athletic metaphor," he says. "We're transforming bodies in the same ways as athletes do. But these kids are in training for the real world after camp. Our motto is 'change for life.'"
Wellspring Camps and Academies
