No more fast food for the Ohayon family of Apex. In fact, they hardly eat out at all any more.

"We used to go out to dinner all the time, you know, junk food, stuff like that," said Regina Ohayon. "But now we stay home and we actually cook dinner."

The family's new attitude about food started with fourteen-year-old daughter, Catherine. She had been teased for years about her weight, but it reached its peak in middle school.

"Even though I had a friend that would tell them to shut up, they sort of didn't really listen," she said. "And I started getting depressed and began to eat more and more until it got to a bad point."

Catherine made attempts at losing weight, but didn't have a lot of success. So last summer, she went to the Wellspring Adventure Camp, a weight-loss program in the North Carolina mountains. It literally changed her life.

"While I'm here and I'm sitting watching t.v., I'm bored, I want food," said Catherine. "But if you're up and active and running around doing football, soccer, dodgeball, you forget all about food."

Since her eight-week stay at camp, Catherine has kept off the 25 pounds she lost by watching what she eats and by staying busy. A treadmill in front of the television is one of her strategies.

"Now that we have the treadmill in front of the t.v., instead of just sitting there watching t.v., I can go on the treadmill and walk while I watch t.v.," said Catherine.

But Catherine's biggest success is what she's done for her family. Dad Terry has lost 40 pounds, her mom and even her little brother have lost weight, simply by reducing the fat in their diet and cutting out the bad stuff.

"We were so impressed by how she looked and her energy level, we just said, okay, we're going to do what she's doing," said Regina Ohayon.

Catherine hopes to lose a few more pounds, but she won't have to go to camp to do it. She's got the support she needs right at home.

Experts say family support is essential for children to achieve long-term success in losing weight. A free web seminar for parents of overweight kids will be held on Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. A leading weight loss expert and pediatrician will co-host the seminar and discuss the barriers and solutions to achieving long-term weight loss success. The Ohayon family will also share their story and their strategies for success.
Anyone interested in participating in the free webinar can register online at www.wellspringweightloss.com/webinar.

Click here for more information about the camp.