When I told a friend yesterday that I had gone to weight loss camp, her reaction was, "Wait, fat camp is real?" Yes. It's very real. At 11-years-old, weighing in at a whopping 40 pounds overweight, my mom suggested Wellspring Adventure Camp. Now most kids would be pissed that their parents wanted them to go to weight loss camp, but I was so sick of being bigger than everyone else.

So, in the summer of 2009, my parents and I ventured 500 miles to drop me off with total strangers for six weeks in the middle of the woods in North Carolina. Crazy, right?! Well, it got crazier – exercising for most of the day, relearning what and how to eat, and going into the woods three days out of the week. Sounds like a dream for some people, but when you're nine hours from home and carrying an extra 40 pounds around, it's kind of awful. Here's the real kicker, though. I fell in love with it. I loved the people, the camping, even the food.

Yeah, of course, I cried all the time because I was so homesick, but it was nothing compared to the compassion of the people who work at these camps. Every single person at the camp was a resource. Every camper was going through the same struggle and every staff member had such a passion for helping us realize our goals. On top of all that, I lost 20 pounds!

But not everything works out so great when you go home. The first three months were great. I did everything I was supposed to do: ate the right foods, worked out, wrote down all my meals. Despite all the effort I went through, I started to get off track and gained back 14 pounds. I was heartbroken. I had spent my entire summer running myself ragged for this?! My mom came to me with an alternative program. Wellspring Adventure Camp had a junior counselor program called the mentor program. Basically, I would be able to go to camp at a cheaper price, and all I'd have to do is help other campers. I had absolutely no idea how hard that would be. In the summer of 2010, I returned to Wellspring North Carolina for a second summer. It was a mess. Being "smaller" at a weight loss camp has it's benefits and disadvantages. For the first time in my life boys were paying attention to me. Me! But on the opposite side of that, some of the girls really loathed me. I got so wrapped up in camp drama. And let me tell you there's a ton! I missed the point of being a mentor and decided right after I left I wanted to try again. For my third summer I returned to Wellspring North Carolina, and began to get in the best shape I had ever been in my life. I had muscles, I could run, and I was generally just a happier person.

And the best part was, I knew I was helping. I had parents and kids coming up to me saying, "Thank you changed my/my child's life." It was such an amazing feeling. After leaving I kept the weight off for a full year, but decided I missed my second home, and returned to be a mentor for my third year. After returning from camp I was so happy. I played varsity volleyball, I made great grades, and I had a huge Wellspring family to back me up.

Again, sometimes things don't always work out the way we plan. After four years of having a second home in North Carolina, Wellspring Adventure Camp closed. I was devastated. For the first time since I had started my journey with wellspring, I felt alone. My mom suggested that I should go to the Wellspring Florida location, but I knew it just wouldn't be the same. I started packing on the weight. I gained 40 pounds and I felt like I had just wasted four years of work. So at the end of the summer I decided I would attend Wellspring Florida for two weeks. I was already opposed to the idea since it was not my North Carolina home, so I wasn't very present while there. I lost five pounds and went home. Again I packed on the weight. I gained 70 pounds in one year.

I was so depressed. Life felt pointless. I knew one more time I had to journey back to Wellspring in Florida. This time I was ready. I went back to Florida for nine weeks – the longest I had ever been to a Wellspring Camp. I worked so hard every single day. This was the time to change. And oh did I ever. I formed life-long friendships. I changed lives. I changed my own life. I left camp down 30 pounds.

I can count it as one of the best summers if not the best summer of my life. I was now confident to go into my senior year of high school. I made a splash. I found my muses in art, theater, and even volleyball. I even did a little modeling.

Now in college, I know I will always have a home at Wellspring regardless of location. Weight will be a life-long struggle but through the knowledge I've learned while at camp, I know I can handle any challenge. So here's the REAL deal with "fat camp." It gave me a group of life-long support systems. It gave me a family and a home. It taught me to be myself. And above all, it taught me to love myself, and I am forever grateful for that.