Wellspring Wisconsin

Wellspring Wisconsin
1 University Plaza
Platteville, Wisconsin 53818-3099
http://www.wellspringwisconsin.com

Program Description

Wellspring Wisconsin is a weight loss camp for boys and girls ages 11-18 who are looking for a new lease on life. Living in comfortable lodging on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus, just two hours from the Chicagoland area, campers enjoy a state-of-the-art fitness and weight training facility, game room, library, dance studio, basketball and volleyball courts, outdoor playing fields, indoor track, tennis courts, and swimming pool.

Campers also take frequent trips off-campus to hike, bike, and canoe state parks such as Governor Dodge and Yellowstone and enjoy the scenic landscape. With all of these activities to choose from, campers are certain to find a few that will become a regular part of their lives at home.

In its February 2007 issue, Consumers Digest rated Wellspring the best weight loss camp. That's because Wellspring camps are not fat camps or diet camps. Teens are not starved or forced to work out at all hours of the day. Instead, they are encouraged to walk at least 10,000 steps per day using a pedometer and to eat healthy, low-fat, low-density meals, including an unlimited menu of uncontrolled foods, such as fat-free yogurts, cottage cheese, soups, fruits, and vegetables. Campers learn to cook the same foods they eat at camp, to shop for these foods in grocery stores, and to order these foods in restaurants.

Campers then record their calories and fat grams in self-monitoring journals, which they share with trained master's or doctoral level therapists, called "behavioral coaches," each week. In individual and group sessions, campers set short- and long-term goals, learn skills that promote a healthy lifestyle, and process any issues that may be underlying their struggle with weight. Wellspring Wisconsin achieves unparalleled results; campers average a weight loss of 4 pounds per week, and 70% of Wellspring campers maintain or continue their weight loss at home.

All of the work campers do extends to the family as well. During a two-day family workshop, Wellspring welcomes families to learn about health and nutrition and the best ways to support their loved one. In order to facilitate continued weight loss and lifestyle change at home, Wellspring encourages campers to get involved with the camp's one year continuing care program, during which campers continue working with their behavioral coach, self-monitoring, and communicating with fellow campers online.