LaTieya Palmer, 17, has lost 64 pounds so far this summer. No, she did not have her stomach stapled. No, she did not rely on of those gimmicky diets of water and cabbage or lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Actually, LaTieya did it the old-fashioned way: through diet and exercise.

But she had a little help. For six weeks, she's been attending Wellspring New York, a weight-loss camp for girls ages 12-24 that offers fitness, nutrition and exercise classes, which is part of an eight-week program.

Palmer has seen her 5-foot-6 frame whittle from 490 pounds to about 424 pounds. (At right, before photo of Palmer.)

"When I first got here, I was like, it's going to be hard,'' Palmer said of the camp." Afterward, I started to like it. I'm mad that I have to go home. I like that there are so many people here just to help. They help us to reach our goals.''

Still, Palmer has a long way to go. And she is not alone. Over 9 million, or 6 percent, of children ages 6-19 years old are overweight or obese -- a number that has tripled since 1980, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report said in addition to the 16 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 who were overweight in 1999-2002, another 15 percent were considered at risk of becoming overweight or obese, which can lead to diabetes, heart disease and other health problems.

The cause of obesity has been attributed to a number of reasons, including sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits, experts say. While national guidelines recommend 150 minutes of physical activity each week for elementary children and 225 minutes for older children, only Illinois has a statewide requirement for daily physical education, according to 'Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance.'

As a result, scores of weight-loss summer camps, such as Wellspring, and even so-called "fat camps," have sprung up to help combat the obesity and overweight problem. Most accept health insurance but are still very expensive. Wellspring, for example, costs about $1,100 each week and offers scholarships, says Rachel Thomas, clinical director for Wellspring Camp and a behavioral coach.

(Right, after photo of LaTieya)

The Division of Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) and the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center have developed the Bronx Nutrition and Fitness Initiative for Teens (B'N Fit) to help overweight and obese teens. At the B'N Fit program, young people are offered a comprehensive medical, nutritional, psychosocial and home evaluation. They are enrolled in an intensive 12-week program, followed by a weekly maintenance program. It is available to young people between the ages of 12 to 21.

"The program allows teens to have fun meeting new friends, playing a variety of games and sports, trying new foods, going on trips and much more,'' the Montefiore Web site says. "All activities are under the supervision of caring and dedicated professionals. Our diverse professional staff are all experienced and committed to working with teens.''

Dee Aguiar's daughter, Eleisha, attended B'N Fit for about a week. She lost 3 pounds from her 5-foot-5 physique, taking her down from 179 to 176. Aguiar paid an initial fee of $75, and her health insurance paid the rest, she said.

"You know fat camps are the new summer camps, with obesity becoming so prevalent among teens,'' Aguiar said. "I think it's great that Eleisha learned so much in so little time. The camp was excellent. They were strict with the food, the lunch and snacks and all. And in the summer, she didn't want to deal with that. But she took what she learned and she's doing it at home."

Palmer has a different story. The native of Springfield, Mass., said before camp she was inactive. She chowed down on fast food, junk food and soul food. She said it was emotional eating to hide the pain of being overweight. She didn't like to go to school because students made fun of her. "They called her stinky,'' her father, Bernard Moultrie, said in a phone call from home. She missed so many days that she fell behind a grade.

But Palmer's weight problems started long before she had any control over her eating. She had childhood epilepsy and gained weight from the medication used to control seizures, Moultrie said.

So it was blessing when she and her sister found Wellspring, Palmer said. The camp is set on the 14,200-acre campus of Paul Smith's College in the heart of the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Towering mountains, shimmering lakes and lush forests surround the 5-year-old camp, which has helped nearly 1,000 young women. Sessions run between June 22 to July 19 and between July 20 to Aug. 16.

Thomas says the camp uses behavioral therapists to help campers modify their eating habits and develop healthy lifestyles. She said Wellspring screens campers, who must be 20 to 30 pounds overweight to be accepted, calling it a therapeutic environment for people with issues with their relationship with food.

"We're looking at the campers as athletes opposed to being people addicted to food,'' Thomas said. "We're working to change their overall lifestyles. It's not just diet plans. It's something they can use for the rest of their lives. They wear pedometers, and we teach the slogan that they have "move to lose.''

The food plan is pretty strict. Campers eat under 20 grams of fat a day and aim for 0 grams, Thomas said. "There are controlled foods that we serve them,'' she said. "They're used to having very high-fat content foods. We teach them how to shop and how to manage their eating habits each day. The key is to write down everything they eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.'' It helps control emotional eating. Are they happy or sad? Are they having a good day or a bad day? Those are the questions they need to answer before they eat and as they write in their food journals, she said.

A typical day at Wellspring looks something like this:
7 a.m.: Wake up
7:15 a.m.: Get moving. Stretch circle.
7:30 a.m. -8:15 a.m.: Swimming, walking or some other activity
8:30 a.m.: Breakfast. Sample menu: hash browns, turkey bacon, turkey ham, apple pancakes, waffles, eggbeaters, Cornflakes, Cheerios, skim milk, soy milk, English muffins, wheat bread or white bread. (There are also uncontrolled foods that have little to no fat, including watermelon, pineapple, honeydew melon, mixed berries, fat-free yogurt and cottage cheese.)
9:15 a.m.: One or more of these sessions: group behavior, personal training, group sports, including hockey, soccer, speedball, or basketball
1 p.m.: Lunch. Sample menu: Ground buffalo meat with onions, cabbage and green peppers wrapped in dough and baked; grilled cheese, pita pizza; chicken fajitas; taco salad; and turkey wraps.
2 p.m.: More activities, including computer and phone time to e-mail or call parents, individual counseling sessions, culinary nutrition classes where campers learn to order at restaurants, shop at grocery stores, and cook and eat healthy meals.
3:30 p.m.: Snack time. Sample menu: Pretzels, no pudge brownies and blueberry cupcakes.
5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Dinner. Sample menu. Buffalo spaghetti, chicken fajitas with Spanish rice or brown rice, buffalo meat loaf, baked potato with buffalo chili, or pigs in a blanket. Desserts such as soft serve ice cream and chocolate pudding served in a cup.
6:30 p.m.: Movie, social or dance.
10 p.m.: Lights out.

Palmer is hesitant to leave Wellspring. She worries about falling back into old habits. "I feel like going back to home and to school, it's going to be hard to stay on plan,'' she said. "But I'm really proud of myself. I think I have the tools. They've worked really hard with us. I think I can do it.''