Teen wanted more than weight loss

Blair Klostermeier

When Blair Klostermeier was an 8th-grader, she was worried her weight might be a danger to her health. But, the Clayton teenager didn't want to do just a crash diet.

Now, 1½ years later, the high school sophomore has accomplished more than losing nearly 60 pounds. She's adopted a whole new lifestyle that promises long-term benefits.

Blair said, "I'm more comfortable in school. I have more clothes choices. It's easier to be with people. It's easier to have fun. I'm much more comfortable to be in my skin."

And, she's determined to make her new lifestyle permanent. "With all the changes I've made physically and mentally, I'm not going to go back to what I was before," Blair said.

Blair's trip to that healthier lifestyle wasn't easy. After 1½ years, it's still not automatic.

She said, "You have to decide every day that you're going to keep it up."

But, Blair has had help and encouragement from her family and others.

Two summers ago, Blair started her lifestyle change at Camp Jump Start. That's the brainchild of a St. Louis couple, Tom and Jean Huelsing. Jean is a nurse for BJC Health Systems. Tom has been a youth sports coach for 20 years and a black belt in martial arts.

Their Camp Jump Start is located in southern Illinois, near the Shawnee National Forest. The summer camp has resident cabins and kids come there for one- or two-month sessions designed to change whole lifestyles.

Blair attended her first session in the summer of 2004. That's the same year the Huelsings opened the resident camp with kids from across the country.

The daily schedule included all sorts of activities.

Blair said, "We did aerobics every day. We did strength training several times a week. We did bike riding, canoeing and rode 'barracudas.'" (She described a "barracuda" as something like a bicycle-on-water.)

"Then, every afternoon, we did a team sport. And we had two-hours on the beach when we could do whatever. I usually went in the water," she said.

She said there were also nutrition classes, taught by a licensed dietitian.

Blair said she lost about 18½ pounds during the month at camp.

But, the end of camp wasn't the end of the drive for a healthier lifestyle.

Blair's mother, Catherine, said, "We changed the eating habits of the whole family."

Those dietary changes involved mostly better portion control. Blair said, "You can eat what you want but just less of it. I don't deprive myself."

However, the family eats in restaurants much less often. "And I pretty much don't eat any fast food," Blair said.

While the food intake went down, the level of physical activity went up. "I exercise every day," she said. At Clayton High School, she's been on the volleyball team.

During the 2004-2005 school year, Blair continued to lose weight. She subtracted about 17½ pounds during her freshman year.

She signed up for another month-long session at Camp Jump Start last summer.

"We did pretty much the same thing as we did in the first session," she said. But, the physical activity was much easier. "It was so much easier to walk up and down the hills from camp to Little Grassy Lake," she said.

Another measure of her improved conditioning was in her running times. "The first summer, I ran a 12½-minute mile. Last summer, I ran it in 8½ minutes," Blair said.

During the second camp session, Blair lost another 15 pounds.

So far this school year, she's dropped another six pounds.

Blair said she only weighs herself once a week. "Weighing yourself every day is bad for you. Your weight can fluctuate one day to the next," she said.

Besides increased physical activity, Blair said she's quite active at school and at her church. Besides volleyball, she is in speech and debate, the community service club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Asked about the discipline of her new lifestyle, Blair said, "It's easier now but it's not automatic. I have to decide to do it every day when I wake up." But, she's certain that she wants to feel like she does now, not like she did 1½ years ago.

If you'd like to know more about the Camp Jump Start program, visit www.campjumpstart.com.