tonight on "nightline," the biggest losers. with americans fatter than ever, we join a severely obese other and son on an inspiring journey to change the way they look and feel by pushing their bodies to the limit. fat chance. he weighs 249 pounds. she weighs 334 pounds. will a whole new approach to weight loss change their lives forever? our cameras are there every step

of the way. plus, california burning. entire neighborhoods destroyed. firefighters killed, a critical communications point at risk. fire season is raging and there is little relief in sight. we'll have the latest. captions paid for by abc, inc. good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with obesity in america. and one mother who said enough is enough. both for her and for her young son. just how widespread is this epidemic? consider a study released earlier this month that found more than two thirds of americans are now either overweight or obese. well, obesity rates are up in almost half the states and are on the decline nowhere. it is indeed a national health

crisis, one that affects children as well as adults. tonight, we follow one family in their war against fat as juju chang now reports. >> collin robinson enjoys the classic passions of an almost sixth grader. theater, video games, goofing around with friends oh, and food. >> my favorite thing to like actually eat at home, double quarter pounder with cheese, no onions, from mcdonald's. >> at 11 years old, collin is severely obese. >> his doctor told me i needed to do something immediately. >> collin's mom krista robinson knew she had to stop making excuses and do something. >> i have always felt like i'm -- people look at me like i'm lazy or how could she let her son get to that point? or doesn't she see? and i do.

i do see. >> in desperation, krista put $7,900 on her credit card so she and could collin could spend two weeks here. ♪ >> at a family weight loss camp in pine hurst, north carolina. >> we really needed almost like an intervention. >> know krista -- though krista found it after typing fat camp on the computer, they reject it. they think the key is to give the whole family a behavior make overthat will last a lifetime. they have come to shed pounds. for many it's a last resort. >> i have done weight watchers. i have done l.a. weight loss. i've done every fad diet you could probably imagine. >> we tried to do different things and it seemed like nothing, you know, changed. >> hey.

>> for krista and collin like all the campers here, the first hurdle, the weigh-in is uncomfortable. collin a bigs in at 2 -- collin weighs in at 249. and krista at 334 pounds. morbidly obese by medical standards. it's a crisis situation that's been silently plaguing krista. >> i think shame is probably the biggest feeling and -- you know, i don't really talk about it with friends or family or anything like that. >>s ça working single mom, too busy to cook, krista says the problem escalated out of control over the years. >> because i have chosen to, you knowgive him the fast food and everything, as a matter of ease and checking one more thing off to-do list for the day, i feel that's what does it.

i feel like that's how he got here. we do have some snacks too after dinner and none of them are healthy. we have either little debby's or ice cream or something like that. it is just a pattern. >> the wellspring camp is a total immersion program. over the next two weeks, the robinsons and the other families will hopefully learn a new way ofiving. >> there is transformations for some and there's dramatically increased awareness for others. >> on the first day, clinical director susan borgman introduces step one. take a nimum of 10,000 steps a day and use a pedometer to keep track. for krista, the biggest hurdle is the daily crack of dawn two-mile hike to jump start the metabolism. >> it's very hot. muggy. >> the robinsons are completely unaccustomed to daily workouts. >> before here i was pretty much walking back and forth to the car before and after school. pretty much it. >> collin eagerly leads the

front of the pack, but krista can hardly keep up with the group. later that day, away from our cameras she has a melt down with her son. >> the first thing we got back to the room, he said why are you crying? i was last, i knew i was going to be last on the walk. i just hated it. >> at wellspring, eating healthy is just as important as activity. nutrition and awareness is step two. it's zero grams of fat a day and no more than 800 calories at the largest meal. >> there is a controlled meal that the chefs will prepare on a plate with certain number of fat d calories. >> every entree is low in fat. today's lunch is a choice of a veggie burger or bison sloppy joe instead of beef with a side of beans. >> it's sweet. it's sweet. >> but not all the campers are sold on it. >> she didn't know it was bison until about halfway through. she wasn't too happy after that.

but she ate the rest of it. >> collin decides to give the veggie burger a try and to his surprise he likes it. >> if i had a choice between this and a cheeseburger, i would pick this. because it's healthier and it tastes a little bit better. >> in addition to the entree, campers are allowed to eat unlimited amounts of what's cacalled the uncontrolled bar. >> that table has all kis of fruits and vegetables and nonfat yogurt, nonfat cottage cheese. two different kinds of soups. to help people you can eat very low fat with a huge variety of food. >> ookay. that will be -- >> the campers are required t measure atever they take from the table because at the end of the meal everything consumed must be oked up in the lorie dex and entered into the journal. >> only 140 calories.s. >> the idea is to keep campers aware of what they're eating.

>> by recording it like that,t, they canan tweak things and mak adjustments as they move forward. >> today's lunch list for me was veggie burger, baked beans. half a teaspoon of mustard. about a fourth of an artichoke and gold leek soup. >> the kids are treated with stickers every time they try out a new healthy food. how many did you get? >> seven. >> it's jam-packed with sports and fitness activities. they start easy with fun games like lawn tags so the kids can get in the 10,000 steps. >> all that running can make you tired and i'm at 7,476. >> 5,596. >> later they learn about stretches and squats. and then, it's time for family aerobics. which krista avoids till collin

is -- the goal is to have them try as many activities as they can so one might stick and become ingrained in their routines when they get back home. >> i think it was a lot of fun. and it gave me a really good workout. >> but for krista it was all too much. >> i was just thinking there's no way that you can do all of this. i can't. i'm going have to work and get him to school and practice. are you guys nuts? you can't do this at home. this is crazy. >> when we come back, will she quit the camp and walk away forever? ♪ is to get as far away from it all as possible. don't let erectile dysfunction get in the way. ♪ viva viagra! viagra, america's most prescribed ed treatment, can help you enjoy... a more satisfying sexual experience.

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and the national debate over healthcare continues to heat up, and the president is back from his martha's vineyard's holiday and what affects many americans is their weight. it is estimated that nearly one third of americans are not

overweight, just one in three. so tonight we continue our look at one family's struggle. more now from juju change. >> just two days into the program, krista robinson is overwhelmed an feels like she wants to quit. >> there is a ton of activity every day. >> susan borgman says resistance is common and each day she works in therapeutic classes to help them see that change is possible. >> parents tend to bring guilt probably more than any other emotion. part of what we do is to set that all aside and help parents to see what they can do now. >> eating healy is important. but learning to cook healthy is even more so here at wellspring. the kids learn in fun cooking classes how to prepare healthy meals on theirwn. >> the first one is an oatmeal

bake and then the second one i'm going to show you is some zucchini stick. >> the children are introduced to healthy ingredient substitutions, like splenda and egg whites. of course, the parents get a lesson too. >> so today i'm going to show you exactly what we're having for lunch today which are chicken fingers. >> instead of deep fried in fat, the cutlets are dipped in eggbeaters and baked for a healthy snack. >> i think today it's way more realistic than i was thinking yesterday. i think today it's -- i'm starting to see how we could incorporate different things. >> the kids hit the gym midday. sit-ups, push-ups and an intensive workout on the elliptical. >> it was awesome, but hard working. >> my legs are pretty sore. >> yeah. >> after a lunch of baked chicken fingers and sweet potato

fries, the families head out on a field trip to the grocery store. >> they have nine grams of fat. put it back. >> their assignment -- to find low fat alternatives for the foods they'll miss the most. krista and collin go on a mission to find low-fat beef so they can enjoy hamburgers at home. >> as we found one substitute it is 140 calories, 4.5 grams of fat. >> next they're on the hunt for a low-fat dessert. >> we're looking for a substitute for cosmic brownies because they have 280 calories for one and 11 grams of fat. no pudge fudge brownie. calories, 110. zero grams. i think we found our substitutions. >> how many servings? >> 12. >> it's something we can do at home because it's easier to make than the brownies. >> the other families are shopping in a new way too. >> she loves spa get owes but

they had eight grams of fat. i think it's eye opening to come out and see. >> by midweek, krista has a turn around. she's more positive. she and collin try a challenging yoga session together. >> it s a hard day for me. monday. i tthougught, whwhatat amm i d? what am m i thinking?g? it's t too harard,d, i c can't . today,y, i f feel likeke i thin could go home anand dodo it. i'm afraid to stay with 1 -- to say with 100% certainty that we can do it. i think and i hope by saturday morning i'll be at 100%. >> throughout the week collin and the other kids try out tougher sports they start to -- as they start to build their endurance. kayaking on the lake. swimming at the marina and hiking in the hills. finally, it's time for the one week weigh-in. >> how are you this morning? >> good. >> if you lose -- i'llll be

excited. even if this scale is the same, we have changed as people. >> krista is up first. >> okay, here we go. >> she goes from 334 to 324. >> i would say that's ten pounds -- >> i don't belie it. ten pounds. >> kind of amazing, isn't it? >> next up, collin. he loses 11 and a quarter pounds in one week. >> are you happy? that is so awesome. did you think you could do that? are you okay? are you happy tears? that is so cool. that is really cool. yeah. ♪ >> e robinsons start week two with a growing realization that they can do this. ♪

krista used to begin her walk 30 minutes before the rest of the group. but since saturday of last week i just have been walking with the rest of the group. i'm toward the back most of the time but it's -- it's much better. >> at the final weigh-in, they lose even more weight. collin loses five more pounds. >> five pounds, man. that's awesome. >> krista another six. >> another six pounds. >> the overall weight loss is dramatic. both are down 16 pounds in just two weeks. >> that's 16.25 in two weeks? >> mother and son are elated. >> i feel more sure now than i did throughout the program that we're going to do this and we're going to be successful at it. for our life and our health and as role models for the rest of our family.

>> the emotional intensity has been a bonding experience for new, close friends. saying good-bye is hard. >> my concern is we walk through the door of our house, do we fall back into the same routine? that's what we need to nip in the bud. paat's going to be the hardest >> so ll collin and krista be able to keep it up after they leave? when we come back, what did they look like now? cally proven. olay professional pro-x wrinkle protocol is as effective as the leading wrinkle prescription brand at reducing the look of wrinkles. that's because olay has teamed with a highly specialized group of dermatologists and created a wrinkle protocol that gives you the results of the leading wrinkle prescription brand, without a prescription. olay professional pro-x. you're guaranteed to love.

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happen at home without the built-in support of others or the strict program to follow? all they learned will be put to the test. more from juju chang. >> we sent collin and krista robinson home with the camera to document their life after camp. the first step was getting rid of all the unhealthy food in their kitchen. >> seven grams of fat for seven chips. throw it in the garbage. this going to make collin sad, rahman noodles. what's in there, right, what could it possibly be? seven grams of fat. >> both krista and collin say tossing out all the junk food was unexpectedly liberating and made them feel in control. >> here's my precious -- >> hidden valley ranch. >> yeah. 14 grams of fat. >> this is real mayonnaise, ten grams of fat for one tablespoon. >> see ya. >> we caught up with them five

weeks after camp to check in on their progress. so you have lost 27 pounds. you look like a different guy. do you feel like a different guy? >> yes. >> in what way? >> i feel like i could do more now. there's not as much holding me back from what i want to do. i can just go out there and play basketball for an hour. but also i can go out there and meet like a group of people. >> not feel embarrassed. >> yeah. >> how much weight have you lost total, krista? >> almost 33 pounds. >> wow. and how does that make you feel? >> it's incredible. i mean, it's -- >> bravo. bravo. >> thank you. thank you. >> fantastic. >> i'm really inspired by collin. we get out, we walk every morning or most mornings. we have very low-fat foods for the most part. some days we only eat around 1,000 calories. >> what's the best part of losing the weight so far? >> for me, i really liked the

yoga class and now i'm doing the yoga at home. >> what's the biggest change you have seen in your mom? >> i have seen that she's been a lot more confident just walking out the door in the mornings. she's had a lot more energy since we came back from the camp. >> i don't wear em anymore because i'm afraid it's what too big. >> the impact on krista's health leaves a profounimpression. >> one of the huge benefits i never considered, i haven't had a migraine since i left camp. >> what was it like having an overweight mom? >> that was really hard for me. because i didn't want her to be like that. even more than i didn't want me to be like that. i was worried that she wasn't going to like make it. >> all those dire health fears are gone now. instead, there's a new found sense of confidence. what's the ultimate goal? >> my goal for me is just to

feel accepted to the world. >> krista has come a long way too. >> i was just mortified the first day. i was so mortified. as it went on, i got more and more confident. >> yet, the camp nearly jump started the process and this hopefully is just the beginning. >> i am very proud of her for losing all that weight. and i'm also pretty proud of myself. >> i'm juju chang for "nightline" in new york. >> and since our interview early this month collin and krista have continued to lose weight and collin has lost 39 1/2 pounds and his mother has lost 40 pounds. our congratulations to them. r thanks to juju chang. when we come back, the latest on the wild fires ravaging the california countryside. (employee 1) subject: urgent!! bob!!

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