A Woman Who Used To Go To Fat Camp Went Viral On TikTok, And Here Are Her 14 Most Eye-Opening Stories

Disclaimer: The following post contains discussion of disordered eating.

When you think of "fat camp," your mind might wander to the 1995 movie Heavyweights, with Ben Stiller, or other dramatic media portrayals of child weight-loss programs.

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It's hard to believe that institutions like this — that restrict children's food intake and force them to do exorbitant amounts of exercise — exist outside of TV and movies. But unfortunately, they're real, and many are still in business. In fact, Camp Shane (America's longest-running weight-loss camp for kids), just officially shut down in the summer of 2021.

Hannah — a 28-year-old HR consultant from North Carolina — recently went viral on TikTok for sharing stories about her experience at fat camp as a teenager. In 2009, at age 15, she attended the now-defunct Wellspring Adventure Camp in Haywood County, North Carolina. Hannah stayed there for 10 weeks — the longest she'd ever been away from home. Here are 15 shocking things she told BuzzFeed about her time at weight-loss camp:

1.Before Hannah went into the details of her experience, she explained how she ended up there in the first place. "I want to preface that I chose to go to fat camp willingly," she said. "I struggled with my weight at an early age after some traumatic things in my life, and desperately wanted to fit in with my peers, so my parents had the means to send me, and I went. Based on the way they advertised the scientific validity of the camp's weight-loss methods, we thought it would be extremely effective (and it was in the short term)...but it unfortunately ingrained unhealthy eating habits in me for the years to follow — which, based on some other people who went to a weight-loss camp in their teens who have commented on my TikTok, seems to be very true for many of us."

3.Everyone was pretty much on the same diet — it only varied depending on whether they were male or female, she said. Hannah was on the less than 1,200 calories, and less than 20 grams of fat per day plan. "Literally what is that... For a toddler?" she said in her TikTok.

5.Their daily schedules were to wake up at 7 a.m. and be active until 9 p.m. — with only a few breaks in between. "Pretty much you were active all day, every day," she said.

6."When going to get meals, we had to stand outside the food hall and wait to be called to get in line," Hannah told BuzzFeed. "The order of that was determined by how loud your cabin could do cabin cheers... It was weird, and sometimes when you didn't get picked first, they'd be out of the 'good stuff' for some of us because all the other campers had went through and gotten their meals before you."

7.I wanted to get a better idea of what the meals looked like at the camp, so I asked Hannah what they had to choose from. "Breakfast would often be egg whites, fat-free/low-fat yogurts, bagels, and fruits. Lunch and dinner were mostly chicken or buffalo meat — things that were high in protein and low in fat. We'd snack on things like those little 100-calorie SnackWell's or Fig Newtons two times a day, in addition to our three meals. Sometimes we'd get diet soda as a 'treat,' and they really just pushed the low-cal, low-fat diet for us," she said.

10.Hannah lost 40 pounds in the 10 weeks she was away. There were weekly weigh-ins, which made the environment extremely competitive at the camp. "I lost consistently, but I was also proud of myself when I'd eat less than the prescribed diet," she said. The campers would brag to each other about how much they lost each week.

11.But the weight didn't stay off for Hannah. After nine months, she told BuzzFeed, "I gained back the 40 pounds I lost in 10 weeks, and more, and I just never could figure out how to 'eat right' and remained on diets for 10 more years after camp. I think the experience engrained in me the restrictive, rapid weight-loss diet mindset, and I had to finally learn that it's OK to eat more than 1,200 calories and actually fuel my body with all three food groups, and not eliminate one."

14.When asked whether she still keeps up with her friends from fat camp, Hannah said, "We all became Facebook friends after camp, but ended up not talking to each other over the years. I believe I'm still friends with some of them on Facebook, and I haven't kept up with their weight-loss journeys after that, so I can't speak to it. I believe the methodologies of the camp itself didn't prove to predict long-lasting weight loss for people, due to what we know about rapid weight loss and how unsustainable it is. Plus, there's research out there now that shows that teens who engage in rapid weight loss and extreme dieting have a higher likelihood of disordered eating and obesity in their adult years."

Did you go to fat camp? If so, what were your wildest stories and most insightful takeaways? Tell us in the comments below for a chance to be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post.

If you're dealing with an eating disorder and need someone to talk to, the National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237. For 24/7 crisis support, text "NEDA" to 741741.