A 33-stone British Teenager Hopes a U.S. Fat Camp Will Save Her Life

In a desperate attempt to save her life Georgia Davis of Aberdare, South Wales has decided to go to America to attend a “fat camp” for 6 months to lose 20 stone, after doctors warned her that her weight could kill her anytime.

Georgia began comfort eating at the age of five when her father died of emphysema. By the time she was seven years old she was already weighing 11 stone.

Like anorexia and binge eating, comfort eating is also a leading psychological problem effecting children. Eating in response to emotions, particularly if one is not hungry is called comfort eating. Eating your favorite food when something is upsetting is alright, but using food to cope up with feelings of anger, loneliness or guilt makes it comfort eating.

Talking about her eating problem, Georgia said, “It’s like a drug. Some people choose heroin but I’ve chosen food and it’s killing me.”

Davis’ typical daily diet consists of a medium chocolate cake, six bags of chips, a gallon of milk, two loaves of bread and two plates of French Fries. She also snacks on sandwiches, toast, peanuts, chips and Coke.

Davis said she was banned from her school cafeteria for overeating and stopped going to gym class last year. She tried dancing lessons for exercise but hurt her knee and stopped taking classes.

Her mother, Lesley Davis, told The Sun she thinks her daughter’s weight problems are her fault. She, too, has struggled with weight and remembers “comfort eating” with her daughter after her husband died.

Georgia’s weight has caused her to develop Type 2 diabetesdefine. She is also unable to walk more than a few steps without gasping for breath.

When doctors warned her that she could drop dead any moment because of her weight, she decided to fly to Wellspring Academy for treatment.

Wellspring Academy, a residential weight loss center operates nine schools in North Carolina, California and one in the United Kingdom. She enrolls in the academy on September 1.

According to Wellspring’s Web site, students receive core academic curriculum, instructions on nutrition and fitness, and psychological counseling. Each child also receives a pedometer to clock the 10,000 steps required by the academy each day.

For now, Davis says she gets pleasure out of time spent online. She adopts a “cyber” alternative identity on Second Life Web sites. She says the site allow her to “be who you want to be. No one judges you on what you look like. On the Internet I’m married and living in a little house with two children.”

Davis hopes that enrolling in the academy will help her lose 280 pounds in six months, and that one day she’ll be able to live the life she pretends to have online.