Word: fedorchalks
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...contributed to the epidemic, and Michelle Obama's sweeping new Let's Move campaign to end childhood obesity will most likely inspire further changes in the coming years. But while healthier school lunches and public-service announcements may help future generations stay fit, they won't make someone like Fedorchalk thin. Our national dialogue focuses on obesity prevention, but what do we do for kids who have already gained the weight? (Watch a video with Jillian Michaels: "How to Lose Hundreds of Pounds...
...Fedorchalk's weight climbed, her parents feared for her well-being. "We couldn't communicate with her or get her to change her habits," says her mother Michele. Family members decided there was nothing they could do for her at home; she needed professional help. In September, they sent her to Wellspring Academy, a residential weight-loss facility in Reedley, Calif. For families like the Fedorchalks, Wellspring offers a commodity often in short supply: hope. But turning that hope into a long-term remedy for teen obesity isn't easy. (See and listen to an audio slideshow about Wellspring Academy...
...month tuition. "A lot of parents use their kids' college money," says Craig. Its prohibitively high cost makes the place inaccessible to many Americans who could benefit, especially since the highest obesity rates are found in low-income areas. But Wellspring kids are far from wealthy. Fedorchalk's mother and father, who work at a nursing home and Walmart, respectively, struggle to pay the bill. Freddy Fahl, 16, attends the school courtesy of a several-thousand-dollar student loan taken out by his mother Debi DeShon. (See TIME's special report on paying for college...
After Wellspring Fedorchalk and Fahl have been at Wellspring for nearly six months and have lost 72 and 82 lb., respectively. Fedorchalk dropped eight dress sizes - from a size 22 to a 14 - and although she's still considered obese at 219 lb., for the first time in her life she can shop at what she calls "skinny people" stores. She counts fat grams obsessively and adheres to her diet whenever she's at a restaurant. On a recent visit to an Olive Garden, it took her 20 minutes to find something on the menu she could...
Wellspring is no miracle cure. Even the most advanced kids at the academy are far from thin. But they are healthier, and they have been empowered with the uncommon gift of hope. Nobody is destined to be fat forever, says Fedorchalk. "Even if you do mess up, even if you do fall, what matters is you get back up again. You can always start anew at the next meal...