Excess weight in children: causes, consequences, methods of correction. Children's diet for weight loss: how to get rid of excess weight for a child

According to statistics, almost 17% of children are overweight. And only 25% of parents are able to recognize this problem in time and take all necessary measures. The result is a delay in sexual development, osteoarthritis, hepatosis, diabetes mellitus, liver failure, psychosocial disorders and many other pathologies that, manifesting themselves at an early age, will become a person’s companions for life, reducing not only its quality, but also its duration.

To minimize the risk of developing these diseases, the issue of losing weight should be addressed in a timely manner and only in conjunction with specialists - a pediatrician, endocrinologist, nutritionist. Diets, training programs and drugs for adults will help here. First of all, you need to take into account age characteristics.

Reasons for being overweight in children

Noticing that a child is overweight, the first thing most parents do is limit his diet. If this is done correctly and under the supervision of a specialist, the problem is solved safely. However, not everyone knows that the wrong diet and overeating are to blame only in 45% of cases. Therefore, before taking any action, you need to understand what exactly causes completeness. The most common reasons:

• eating disorders;
• , unbalanced diet;
• insufficient physical activity;
• heredity, gene mutations;
• brain pathology: tumors, injuries;
• neuroendocrine diseases;
• lack of sleep;
• non-compliance with the daily routine;
• prolonged, incorrect intake of certain medications: hormonal, glucocorticoid, antidepressants;
• mental illness;
• depression, constant nervous breakdowns, stress;
• hormonal disbalance.

There is no need to write off the fullness of the child only for overeating, especially if you notice that he does not eat that much. To lose weight, he will first have to undergo a complete medical examination. It will exclude or confirm the presence of diseases that can cause excess weight. Without identifying and eliminating provoking factors, all efforts will be useless.

On a note. The most severe and unexplored to date are cases of hypothalamic excess weight. They are associated with brain tumors and skull injuries. Observed in 50% of children who have undergone radiation therapy and surgery to treat these diseases. Inevitably lead to obesity, in which neither dietary nor pharmacological prescriptions are effective.

Age features

During the neonatal period (in newborns), which lasts only 1 month, it is too early to talk about excess weight and obesity. Even if a baby is born a hero weighing 5-6 kg, this still does not mean anything: heredity and individual characteristics of the course of pregnancy most often work here. Parents should not worry, by the age of 6 months you cannot distinguish him by weight from the rest.

Breast period - from 1 month to 1 year

Indicators:

There is only one reason for excess weight in infants (except for diseases) - maternal malnutrition. Formula-fed babies get fat if too high-calorie milk formula has been chosen.

After the introduction of complementary foods, a sharp jump in weight can be observed due to:

• lack of a meal schedule;
• too much feeding;
• non-compliance with WHO recommendations on infant nutrition;
• disturbed metabolism;
• insufficient physical activity;
• increased insulin;
• excess fluid;
• improperly organized first feeding.

What to do to make the baby lose weight:

• adjust his diet together with the pediatrician;
• donate blood for sugar to exclude diabetes mellitus;
• donate blood for gene mutations and consult a geneticist;
• sign up for a professional massage;
• more often walk with him in the fresh air.

Unfortunately, at this age, a fat child most often causes affection: chubby cheeks, rounded shapes of arms and legs do not cause any alertness. Because of this, parents often miss the moment when they need to take action.

Early childhood - 1-3 years

Indicators for boys:

Indicators for girls:

This period is considered critical for excess weight: pediatricians warn parents that it is from 1 to 3 years that the foundation of the future constitution is laid. This is where the “legs” of obesity in the future “grow”. Caring mom and dad, grandparents, as well as an army of other relatives are trying to pamper the baby with something tasty. Result: malnutrition (children refuse to eat healthy soups and cereals after sweets), damaged teeth and excess weight.

At the same age, congenital diseases begin to appear that are not detected in the first year of life and contribute to overweight.

To lose weight, you have to remove sweets and starchy foods from your diet. Moreover, all relatives should be warned about the diet. To exclude diseases, you need to undergo a complete medical examination.

Quote on topic."Grandma is the only person for whom grandchildren are always thin."

Preschool age - 4-6 years

Indicators for boys:

Indicators for girls:

This is one of the quietest periods of childhood, with regards to overweight. Either the problem has already been identified at an earlier age and the search for ways to solve it continues, or with proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and the absence of diseases in a preschooler, everything is normal.

Junior school age - 7-10 years

Indicators for boys:

Indicators for girls:

From the age of 6-7, children become schoolchildren, which is a serious stress for most of them. The body is rebuilt to a new mode, sleep disturbances are often observed. Under the influence of classmates and teachers, a child can eat much more in the canteen than he ate at home before. These factors make this age also critical in terms of excess weight. To help your child lose weight, minimize his worries, speed up the adaptation to school life, talk with the class teacher about nutrition at school.

For those parents who recognized the problem in time in grade 1, 8-9 years is a stage of relative calm. The student begins to actively engage in physical education. If there is a risk of fullness, you can take care of prevention in advance and give it to the sports section or dancing.

Adolescence - 11-17 years

From 10-11 years old, girls begin puberty (for boys - a little later). This leads to changes in the hormonal background, due to which a rapid set of kilograms can begin.

This period is also dangerous with a reassessment of values. There is a desire to please the opposite sex, but everyone has different external data. Complexes are formed that lead to eating disorders. Someone seizes problems with high-calorie and tasty food in the absence of parental control, others bring themselves to anorexia. A psychologist or psychotherapist can help a teenager overcome these trials.

Research result. John Eliot, a professor at the University of Cambridge, achieved sustained weight loss in a group of teenage test subjects in a very unusual way. Throughout the year, schoolchildren were manually stimulated daily ... soles! Scientists have found that they are associated with satiety centers in the brain. More than 25% of children lost weight in this way without dietary changes and additional physical activity.

Food

As we found out, it is far from always that a child’s overweight indicates that he has an excellent appetite, and at home they use this and overfeed him, being afraid to refuse the next piece. But this situation, indeed, develops in many families. When a doctor advises a mom to limit portions and eat right during medical examinations, some cannot understand: “How can I refuse food to my boy / girl?”. However, this must be done for their own good. Changes in diet will depend on age.

Rules for feeding up to a year, which will help to lose weight even for such babies:

• new products to include in the menu once a week;
• do not introduce new products during teething, before vaccinations, immediately after them, after illnesses, when the climate changes;
• feed by the hour;
• do not force the baby to eat;
• complementary foods - an addition to breast milk, and not its replacement;
• portion sizes should be clearly fixed: less than the values ​​\u200b\u200bspecified in the table - you can, more - you can’t:

At the age of 6 years, it is important not to overdo it with sweets and teach the baby to the right eating habits: eat by the hour and eat mostly healthy foods. This is the main rule of losing weight at this stage.

As soon as the school time begins, it is necessary to increase the daily calorie content of the diet, since energy will be spent on increased physical and intellectual stress. However, here it is important not to overdo it and not overfeed. Do not refuse lunches in the dining room, because hot meals and a short break between meals will have a beneficial effect on digestion and normalization of weight.

To help your child lose weight, you need to organize his food in accordance with certain rules:

• fragmentation;
• ensuring sufficient drinking regimen (at least a liter of water per day);
• diet - balanced and varied;
• exclusion of overeating;
• calculation of the optimal daily calorie content and the preparation of a menu in accordance with it;
• strict adherence to the schedule of meals;
• refusal to eat before bed.

In no case should you put a child on a diet. This is possible only under two conditions: if it was prescribed by a doctor or. In all other cases, hunger strikes are contraindicated for children.

• dietary meat;
• homemade crackers, rye bread, whole grain toast;
• cereal cereals (semolina and corn excluded);
• brown rice, buckwheat;
• tea, dried fruit compote, unsweetened jelly;
• all dairy products without fat content restrictions;
• greens, vegetables, fruits, berries;
• natural vegetable oils;
• fish, seafood;
• eggs.

Products restricted for consumption by children as part of weight loss (useful, but too high in calories) - they can be given no more than 2 times a week:

• honey, jam, jelly, marshmallow, jam, dark chocolate;
• juices;
• nuts;
• candied fruits, dried fruits.

Mushrooms are not prohibited, but they are too heavy for a child's stomach. Teenagers can have them, but do not rush to introduce them into the diet for small ones.

• carbonated, any sweet store drinks;
• wheat bread;
• sweet pastries, pastries;
• sweets (other than those mentioned in the list above);
• mayonnaise, sauces, ketchup;
• pasta;
• fatty meat, sausages, semi-finished meat products;
• fast food, chips, crackers, nuts and other snacks.

Parents need to take into account that everything forbidden for children is too alluring and seductive. Categorically prohibit the child from chips or sweet buns, which he used to love so much - you won’t be able to lose weight. He will eat it all by hook or by crook. Therefore, give them a holiday at least once a week and allow them to eat a controlled amount of their favorite treat. But after that, try to have them burn the excess calories they have consumed in games or sports.

Quote on topic."Balanced nutrition in children's minds: a hamburger in the right hand and a hamburger in the left."

Physical exercise

If a child needs to lose weight quickly, dietary restrictions alone will not be enough. You will have to take control of his physical activity, and here you will also have to face certain difficulties. As you know, overweight children who are not accustomed to sports from childhood are reluctant to go in for physical education at school, do not enroll in sections and prefer to sit at home instead of walking and playing football in the yard.

You will have to convince the child almost by his own example and accustom him almost by force to the sport. Naturally, he will not do exercises alone, nor run in the mornings. From this situation, parents have only two options:

1. Contact a professional trainer who leads the section: his experience + collective classes can captivate and draw you into the sport.
2. Practice with your child at home.

Loads should be selected according to age. Before school, it should be mostly games, and on the street.

The student will need a more advanced program:

• morning exercises;
• simple exercises in accordance with age: swinging legs and arms, jumping, tilting, squats;
• for teenagers, training should include simulators, jogging in the morning, power loads;
• hiking;
• team games;
• it’s a good idea to enroll a boy in a martial arts section, a girl in dancing or gymnastics;
• there are universal sports that are also worth paying attention to: tennis or swimming, for example.

After you manage to lose weight, sports can remain a useful hobby for the child for life, for which he will later say a separate “thank you” to his parents.

Preparations

Unfortunately, many parents start looking for diet pills. The danger is that there are unscrupulous manufacturers on the dietary supplements market who do not indicate that their drugs are contraindicated for children. The result is poisoning, hormonal disruptions, even more weight gain, digestive disorders, etc.

While the child's body is being formed and developed, one should not poison it with this "chemistry". You will not achieve what you want, but you will undermine your health in such a way that the child will have to pay for this mistake for the rest of his life.

The only exceptions are drugs and (the first is allowed from 12, the second - from 10 years). But they can be taken only as directed by a doctor and only for obesity.

And the last thing I want to warn parents about: you can’t force a child to lose weight, you can convince and persuade him. And be sure to show your own example - look fit and slim, eat right, play sports. Otherwise, strict prohibitions will become for him only an obsession that will frustrate all your plans.

In most cases, overweight in children is formed due to malnutrition and lack of sufficient physical activity. But first of all, you need to make sure that excess weight is not one of the symptoms of endocrinological disease.

Last consultation

Maria asks:

Hello. We passed the commission at the end of October. Weight was 15 with a little. Recently weighed 18 kg. Is this normal?

Answers:

Good afternoon, it is impossible to evaluate the parameters of weight gain and growth of a child according to general parameters. It is necessary to look at the parents, to know how tall the child is, and many other factors. Therefore, it would be logical to consult with your pediatrician.

Igor asks:

Hello, Doctor! We have such a problem - my child is rather large, but some say that everything is in order, while others - on the contrary, that something is wrong. The doctor has told or said, that it is necessary to look at centile tables. Help with these tables! My son is 7 years old. Thank you.

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon, Igor!
To determine the average norm of indicators of weight and height of the baby, depending on age, scientists compiled special tables, which are called centile. This is a fairly fast, practical and accessible method. In addition, it contains not only the so-called ideal weight, but also the allowable values ​​​​of body weight (centile corridors), the values ​​\u200b\u200bof which are also within the normal range, but not ideal. So, I present to your attention a centile table for children aged 3 to 12 years and the rules for decoding it. So, the average height of the child should be in the zone of 25-75 centiles. Growth between the 10th and 25th centiles is also considered normal, but indicates some tendency for the child to be stunted. Growth in the range of 75-90 centiles is also normal, but indicates a tendency to outperform growth. Growth between 3-10 centiles is considered low, while growth between 90-97 centiles is considered high. If the growth is 97 centile, then here we can talk about the presence of a child's pathology.
Centile values ​​of body length (cm) for boys (3-12 years old)

Svetlana asks:

Is there a difference in what should be the height and weight of the child, depending on whether it is a boy or a girl? And what should they be? I heard a lot about centile tables, I watched them myself, but I would like to ask you to write in a simple way, how much should boys and girls weigh from a year to 3 years old? Thank you!

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon, Svetlana! Of course, a certain difference in height and weight indicators in children, depending on gender, can really be traced. Below I will give a table with the average height and weight for boys and girls. I draw your attention to the fact that this and other formulas, tables, etc. the physical development of the child is provided by average statistical indicators without taking into account the constitutional characteristics of a person (heredity, race, etc.). Therefore, for an adequate assessment of the physical development of the child, contact a specialist - a family doctor or pediatrician.
Table: Indicators of weight and height of children depending on age and gender

Lena asks:

Doctor, help me figure it out! My son is 14 years old, height 144 cm. Today the pediatrician said that, judging by the centile tables, we are in red and we definitely have a disease and we are very small. Explain, please, what kind of table is it and is it possible to immediately make a diagnosis only on it?

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon, Lena! Centile tables are a unified method for determining height and weight depending on the sex and age of the child. According to this table, it is possible to determine the range of growth and weight indicators that is characteristic of the normal development of the child. Moreover, for convenience, the groups are divided not only into centels, but also painted in a certain color. So, the average height of a child is considered if it is within the green and blue values ​​​​(25-75 centiles). Height and weight are also considered normal if its indicator is between the yellow and green values ​​​​(10-25 centiles), but the presence of a tendency for a child to lag behind in height and weight cannot be denied. Height and weight in the zone between the blue and yellow values ​​(75-90 centiles) is also normal, but indicates a tendency for the child to be ahead in height or weight. If you found the indicator of height and weight between the red and yellow values, then height or weight is considered low or insufficient (3-10 centile) or high and overweight (90-97 centile). Such a zone does not necessarily indicate the presence of a pathology (but this cannot be ruled out), it may be due to the constitutional features of the body structure. But if the height or weight is outside the red border, then this is a clear sign of the disease (endocrine, neurogenic, etc.). Be sure to seek the advice of a specialist.
Centile values ​​of body length (cm) boys (12 - 17 years)

Valeria asks:

Good afternoon! My son is 4 months old, every time at the doctor's appointment we always weigh ourselves. Tell me - why do this every month? Or maybe we are not all right, and the doctor is just silent? Tell me, what is the normal height and weight for children under one year old? We have a height of 65 cm and a weight of 6800.

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Hello! One of the important indicators of the physiological development of a child up to a year is a normal increase in height and weight, since they are able to objectively reflect the process of a baby's development. Therefore, pediatricians pay such special attention to this - they weigh and measure the child every month without fail! In addition, it is also important to study the dynamics of such indicators as the circumference of the head and chest, because a violation of their ratio may indicate the beginning of the development of a pathological process (hydrocephalus, rickets, etc.). Therefore, the most correct and complete study of the physical development of the baby will be a measurement in the dynamics of growth, weight, head and chest circumference. I will give a table with normal indicators of these values ​​in children under one year old.
Table of physical development of children up to a year (height, weight, head and chest circumference)

Marina asks:

My daughter is 8 years old, she weighs 34 kilograms, doctors say a lot, but they can’t advise me what to do.

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Hello Marina! Unfortunately, you did not indicate the height of the child. For an 8-year-old girl, normal body weight is calculated using the formula P x 0.42-29.9, where P is height in cm. If the calculations showed that the girl is overweight, follow these recommendations:
- Nutrition: the use of vegetables and fruits with high fiber content, establish 4-5 meals a day; the last meal at 17-18 hours, later - only milk or sour-milk products; reduce the consumption of flour, confectionery products, cereals, sweets; exclude the consumption of spices, spices and carbonated drinks; fight food in a hurry and dry food; teach your child to drink more water (especially before meals), weight loss foods: cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, cabbage - fresh;
- active lifestyle, sports, outdoor walks, hardening;
- in the absence of effect - consultation of a pediatric endocrinologist.
Take care of your health!

Natalia asks:

Please tell me my daughter is 1.8, height 85cm, and weight 14,200. Tell me how to properly feed the child so as not to gain weight, since according to the tables, her weight should be 12 kg

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon.
To begin with, I would like to note that the weight and height correspondence tables carry average statistical data. When determining the norm of weight for a particular child, one should also take into account constitutional features, for example, heredity.
The child's diet should be balanced, varied, include cereals, meat, fish, vegetables, fruits. Teach your child to 4 meals a day so that he gets a full breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon snack should be light. Avoid snacking between meals. Remove starchy, sweet foods from the diet as much as possible, teach your child to eat fruits.
Be sure to remember about the child's motor activity, even if the child is calm, then exercises, walks on the street, outdoor games must become a habit.
Be healthy.

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon.
Considering the data of the centile tables, the weight of your child is above average, but constitutional features should also be taken into account. To correct the child's weight, it is necessary to analyze the child's nutrition, physical activity, and exclude hormonal disorders. To get started, contact your pediatrician and endocrinologist for examination and laboratory tests to exclude diseases in which there is increased body weight.
Optimal for this age is 4 meals a day, excluding snacks (especially sweet and starchy foods). With increased body weight, focus on vegetables, not forgetting meat and fish. Reduce the amount of cereals, but do not exclude them, as they contain vitamins and other useful substances that the child needs. Replace cookies and sweets with dried fruits. You need to pay attention to the nutrition of the family as a whole, because if dad eats a chocolate bar, then it will be hard for the child to explain why he can’t.
Teach your child to exercise, walks and outdoor games.
All the best.

Olga asks:

My parents are fat, and I have been on diets all my life so as not to lose shape. Now I have a girl (she is 6 months old), her weight is normal now, but I am afraid that she will not suffer like I do. Tell me what can be done to prevent obesity, and when is it right to start it?

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon, Olga!
The hereditary predisposition to gaining excess weight is indeed traceable, but sometimes it is also confused with the food culture in the family (heavy feasts, a lot of fatty foods, pastries, etc.). In addition, obesity may be the result of certain diseases, which may also tend to be inherited (pathology of the endocrine glands, etc.).
Find out the cause of fullness specifically in yourself and close relatives, and it will be easier for you to deal with it, and you will also be able to purposefully carry out preventive measures. So, it is necessary to monitor normal weight already from infancy.
Prevention of obesity is breastfeeding and late introduction of complementary foods (not earlier than 6 months). In the future, teach your baby to an active lifestyle - maximum physical activity and stay in the fresh air. Avoid stressful situations in the family and try to always be balanced when communicating with the baby.
And now about nutrition. Teaching a child to a diet is fundamentally wrong. But it is necessary to instill a culture of proper and balanced nutrition from early childhood and better by example. An intensively growing organism must receive in sufficient quantities the required amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Here are a few specific examples: the daily diet should consist of lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, cereals, vegetables and fruits. Limit the consumption of beef, pork, lamb fat, butter, pasta, confectionery. Small "snacks" that children love so much should consist of fruits, yogurts, crackers, jellies, etc., and not chocolates, chips, etc.
More detailed recommendations can be given to you by your doctor on an individual basis. All the best!

Natalia asks:

My daughter is 8 years old, height 142, weight 42 kg, is she overweight. Thanks

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Hello Natalia! In the vast majority of cases, overweight in children is associated with malnutrition and physical inactivity (lack of mobility). Therefore, start by organizing the right diet for your child: limit sweets, bakery and confectionery products, fatty, salty, smoked, fried foods, exclude semolina, chips, snacks and chocolate bars; increase the consumption of vegetables, fruits, berries; give your child milk and dairy products regularly. Forbid the child to sit in front of the TV or at the computer for a long time - let the girl spend most of her free time in motion - sign her up for dancing or in the sports section. All these recommendations are applicable if, in addition to being overweight, the child does not have serious diseases. To exclude them, you need to consult a pediatrician and a pediatric endocrinologist. Take care of your health!

Lena asks:

Good afternoon! My son gained almost 2 kg in two months of life. The doctor says that this is a lot and you need to feed less, otherwise there will be obesity. Is there obesity in infants and what should I do? Thank you.

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Hello Lena! In medicine, there are special tables and formulas with the help of which the optimal weight and its increase for children are calculated.
You do not indicate how many months the baby is, and therefore it is difficult for me to determine 2 kg - is it really a lot or a little. So, normal weight gain in children of the first year of life is considered to be as follows: for 1 month - 600 g, 2-3 months - 750 g each, then 3-6 months - 700 g each, at 6-9 months - 550 g each and in 9-12 months for 350 g.
Please note that these are average data that require individual correction. Obesity in infancy is quite rare and is usually mild. The main reason for increased weight gain is the usual overfeeding of the child, especially if carbohydrate foods predominate in the baby's diet.
I must say that children who are bottle-fed are more prone to the possibility of excess fat. An important role is played by the constitutional type of body structure, hereditary predisposition, and most importantly, the presence of certain pathological conditions in the body.
I say “most important” because the main thing here is not to miss the disease at the very early stage of its development.
Thus, a number of hereditary diseases, disorders in the functioning of the thyroid and other endocrine glands, diseases of the brain can be manifested by a sharp and unreasonable weight gain. Therefore, without fail, consult with an endocrinologist and a neuropathologist. The pediatrician will select the optimal diet for your baby and determine the required amount of food taken. Also, the doctor should give individual recommendations on ways to control weight, and introduce measures for its correction. All the best!

Dmitry asks:

Good afternoon! My nephew is very fat. I can’t say for sure neither weight nor height, but even outwardly I see that he is obese. Poor parents put him on a diet and forced him to run, but they never got any real results. I insist on consulting a doctor, but they do not listen to me. Tell me, can the disease be the cause of fullness, and which specialist should I go to? Thank you.

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Hello Dmitry!
Obesity is a disease that only a specialist should treat. And even if the extra pounds did not appear as a result of any disturbances in the body, but were the result of a banal overeating, all the same, the struggle for normalization of weight should take place under the supervision of a specialist. It must be pointed out that although primary alimentary obesity (developed due to increased calorie intake with minimal consumption) is much more common among overweight people, we must not forget about those situations when the disease of the internal organs served as an impetus for weight gain.
So, obesity can develop as a result of: pathologies of the endocrine system (diseases of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, ovaries, etc.), digestive tract (pancreas, liver, small and large intestines), metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus), central nervous system and genetic disorders. Therefore, to find out the true cause of excessive fat deposition, you may need a complete comprehensive examination: consultation with an endocrinologist, neuropathologist, gastroenterologist and genetics. In addition, sometimes prolonged psycho-emotional stress and stress can contribute to weight gain. In this case, a psychotherapist can help. :

Good afternoon!
Obesity is a multifactorial disease with many causes, and they can be quite different in nature. So, the deposition of an excessive amount of adipose tissue in childhood may be associated with:
- excessive food intake (when the diet is dominated by high-calorie foods containing a large amount of fats and carbohydrates),
- with a sedentary lifestyle (this issue is especially relevant in the modern world, since many children prefer to spend time at the computer or in front of the TV),
- diseases of the endocrine system (thyroid gland, adrenal glands, etc.),
- genetic diseases (Down syndrome, Prader-Viliya syndrome, etc.),
- damage to the central nervous system: after a head injury (concussion, brain contusion, increased intracranial pressure, etc.), inflammatory processes (encephalitis, meningitis, etc.), vascular accidents (aneurysm rupture, etc.) , oncological processes,
- pathological processes in the pituitary gland (inflammatory, vascular pathologies, as well as neoplasms). January 28, 2013

Responsible Medical consultant of the health-ua.org portal:

Good afternoon!
Obesity is a special pathological condition in which there is an excessive deposition of adipose tissue. This may be the result of both banal overeating and physical inactivity, and be a manifestation of certain diseases (endocrine, neurogenic, metabolic disorders, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, etc.), and also have a genetic predisposition. And the mechanism, accordingly, varies in each specific variant of the disease. So, there were even cases when a child was already born with an excess of adipocytes (this is the name of fat cells).
It is believed that if one of the parents is obese, then the risk of having excessive body weight in the offspring is about 30%. And now directly about the process of growth and reproduction of fat cells. In childhood, the number of fat cells from birth increases in two stages - in early childhood and during puberty (this process is strictly hereditary).
After a child reaches adolescence and further throughout life, the number of fat cells remains unchanged, although they can significantly increase in size (several tens or hundreds of times). Therefore, children can get better both by increasing the total number of cells, and by increasing the size of each of them, but adults gain weight only with the accumulation of fat deposits in the cell with their number unchanged. All the best! - determination of body mass index (BMI, Quetelet index) - the ratio of the child's weight (in kilograms) to the square of height (in meters). Body weight is treated as normal if the indicator is 25-29.9. If the index is more than 30, then such a condition is considered obese (30-35 - obesity of the first degree, 35-40 - obesity of the second degree, 40 or more - obesity of the third degree),
- determination of Broca's index (can be used only with a height of 155-170 cm),
- definition of the Bornhardt index,
- definition of the Davenport index,
- determination of the nature of the distribution of fat in the body: the ratio of the lengths of the circumferences of the waist and hips (FROM / OB),
- determination of the percentage of adipose tissue in the body (by weighing in water, measuring the electrical resistance of tissues, etc.),
- determination of the nature of fat deposition (tomography of the abdominal region).
The most universal and, therefore, widely used in practice is the determination of the Quetelet index - it allows you to objectively assess the presence or absence of excess weight, and, moreover, to determine the degree of obesity. All the best!

Tatyana asks:

My daughter is 16 years old. She is chubby, she became very worried about this. What would you recommend for her to lose weight? I heard that there are special diet pills, tell me which ones are better?

Responsible Lobas Ekaterina Vladimirovna:

The sooner she starts to follow a healthy lifestyle, the better it will be for her health in the future. Just do it wisely. You must teach her to control her eating habits: review her daily diet, count how many calories she consumes per day. Gradually move to calorie 1600 kcal / day. You only need to enter the diet for 2 to 4 weeks and it must be balanced in all major groups (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins). Add in a regular gym session and swimming pool - this will help her burn calories faster, and significantly improve the result. And drugs for weight loss are recommended from the age of 18. Therefore, the only thing left is diet and sports!

According to experts, today the problem of childhood obesity is more relevant than ever. In total, over a billion people in the world suffer from excess weight, and 30% of this figure is in children. But how to lose weight for a child of 12 years old in a week at home?

Often the cause of childhood obesity is malnutrition, the abuse of harmful and high-calorie foods, as well as a relatively passive lifestyle.

If earlier children spent a lot of time in the yard at playgrounds, and not a day passed without sports games, today all this has been replaced by tablet applications, computer games, cartoons, etc.

how to lose weight for a child 10-12 years old in a week at home

What can we say about the addiction of most children to all sorts of chips, fast food, crackers, sweet soda, chocolate bars, etc. Of course, eating regularly in this way, overweight simply cannot be avoided, especially if you also combine such a dubious diet with a sedentary lifestyle of the modern child.

In childhood, being overweight is highly undesirable, as it can provoke the development of many diseases. In particular, we are talking about diseases of the cardiovascular system and bone deformities. If your child has a problem of excess weight, of course, you need to deal with it urgently. But how to do it correctly? After all, to make a boy give up his favorite treats and exchange bright computer graphics for a visit to the sports section is far from an easy task! That is why experts have developed a children's diet for children of 11 years old and a schedule, following which the child will be as comfortable and easy as possible to switch to a new diet.

Diet for children 10-12 years old: features

How to lose weight in a week by 10 kg at home for children 10 years old? First of all, it should be understood that a diet for children clearly does not provide for any strict food restrictions, like express diet models. A children's diet is a balanced diet that should bring maximum benefit to a growing and developing organism.

It is extremely important to adjust the diet itself. Four meals a day are ideal: 25-30% of the total daily diet is for breakfast, 10-15% for lunch, 40-45% for lunch and only 15-20% for dinner.

Breakfast and lunch of the children's diet should consist mainly of protein foods. Eggs, lean meats and fish are ideal. Legumes are also useful - they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, besides, they perfectly saturate and give a boost of energy, which is so necessary for the child's body.

How to lose weight at the age of 13 for a girl in a week? For dinner, cook meals for children from cereals and vegetables. Do not forget that the entire children's diet should consist only of natural and nutrient-rich foods. Any canned food, fast food, convenience foods, store-bought snacks, etc., are definitely not the place for a child's menu!

How to lose weight for a 12-year-old girl at home in a week? The most suitable products for a children's diet include the following:

• fish;
• meat;
• seafood;
• fruit;
• vegetables;
• dairy;
• bran and rye bread;
• fresh juices;
• mineral water without gas.

For a children's diet, it is advisable to cook all the dishes yourself, and not use store-bought ones. Homemade food is always safer in any case, since you probably know what ingredients are used to prepare it.

But to exclude from the children's diet is such products as:

• canned food with a shelf life of more than three months;
• sausages, sausages;
• store cutlets;
• food cooked with margarine;
• chips, salted nuts, etc.;
• chocolate bars;
• lollipops;
• food containing flavor enhancers;
• sweet sodas.

The above food not only provokes weight gain, while not saturating the body with any useful substances, but also can be addictive in children.

Sweets and chocolates can be replaced with dried fruits - they give the body the right dose of sugar, create a long-lasting feeling of satiety and contain only natural and important components for our health.

A children's diet is the same system of proper and balanced nutrition. There is only one feature: you need to switch to this way of eating very gradually, since it is quite difficult for children to immediately give up all the harmful foods to which they have such an addiction.

To begin with, you can simply allow the child his favorite store-bought treats only in the morning, since their use in the evening provokes active fat deposition. Then you can include such food in the child's diet only once every few days, then on weekends, etc. You can use chips, chocolates, etc. as a reward for certain merit. But, of course, if you eat something like that, then only occasionally and in small quantities.

Nuances

It is desirable to accustom a child to healthy and wholesome food gradually, because immediately after hamburgers it will be difficult for children to fall in love with broccoli. To get started, try to get your child to follow a few basic rules.

1. Do not eat at night (dinner should be no later than 19.00 and not very dense).
2. Have a hearty breakfast.
3. Do not eat at the computer or in front of the TV.
4. Avoid snacking on sweets, chocolates, etc. If the child is hungry between main meals, he can refresh himself with any fruit, vegetable salad or fermented milk product.
5. Avoid fried foods. It is preferable to steam, boil or bake foods.
6. Don't eat at fast foods.
7. Do not eat salads dressed with mayonnaise (for starters, you can at least switch to diet mayonnaise).

It is also important to normalize the weight of the child is also the intake of a sufficient amount of fluid. The daily norm of water for a healthy child's body is 30 ml per 1 kilogram of weight. Of course, you need to drink clean water, not sweet soda. By the way, tea, cocoa and other hot drinks should also be consumed without sugar. Of course, this will be difficult for the child, so try to at least gradually reduce the amount of sugar added to the cup.

The first breakfast should be about 25-30% of the total daily diet, the second breakfast - about 10-15%, lunch - 45%, dinner - 15%.

For breakfast and lunch, use mainly protein foods (fish, eggs and meat), and for dinner - cereals and vegetables.

Diet for an overweight child 8 years old: menu

The first option of the diet menu:

• first breakfast - scrambled eggs with carrots, a slice of rye bread, a cup of tea or compote;
• second breakfast - a sandwich with cheese, a glass of dried fruit compote;
• lunch - potato or meat soup, a slice of rye bread or bread;
• dinner - boiled potatoes or stewed vegetables, a glass of apple jelly.

Second option:

• first breakfast - a portion of buckwheat porridge with milk;
• second breakfast - steamed beetroot cutlets, a glass of apple compote;
• lunch - borscht cooked in low-fat meat broth, boiled potatoes, stewed vegetables, a slice of rye bread;
• dinner - a salad of fresh vegetables (you can season with dietary mayonnaise, a glass of dried fruit jelly.

Third option:

• first breakfast - a portion of oatmeal, a cup of tea with milk;
• second breakfast - fresh tomatoes, a slice of bread and a baked apple;
• lunch - vegetable okroshka, a slice of bread, a glass of carrot and apple juice;
• dinner - stewed zucchini, boiled potatoes and a cup of tea.

Fourth option:

• the first breakfast - an omelette with the addition of apples, a glass of rosehip broth;
• second breakfast - some potato pancakes with the addition of low-fat sour cream;
• lunch - mashed potatoes, beetroot cutlets, rye bread, any fresh fruit;
• dinner - oatmeal with raisins.

Fifth option:

• first breakfast - semolina pancakes with apples and raisins, a glass of compote;
• second breakfast - liver pate with rye bread, some fresh fruit;
• lunch - a slice of rye bread and a portion of oatmeal soup with the addition of prunes;
• dinner - boiled potatoes, steamed meatballs, a glass of rosehip broth.

Gaining excess weight is not only a health problem, but also a social plus psychological side of life. Not only parents, but also girls and boys themselves are thinking about how to lose weight for a child, so answers to questions about where the extra weight comes from, what diets and exercises help to lose weight are especially relevant. Learn how to warn your child and overcome problems if they arise!

fat children

The problem of excess weight in children is spreading more and more every year, and it is more difficult to carry out weight loss activities for a girl or boy than for an adult. Previously, this issue was encountered less often, because the children were more often engaged in outdoor games, being deprived of modern “benefits” in the form of a computer and other gadgets. Just think how difficult a diet is for a 10-year-old child, when it is difficult for a person in years and with motivation to resist gastronomic temptations.

Overweight children are more likely to get sick than their peers, as they have reduced resistance to infections, they may have problems with the cardiovascular system, and a predisposition to serious diseases, such as diabetes. They are not only exposed to health risks, but also have problems in the social sphere. Such guys often become objects of ridicule among their peers or even outcasts.

Causes of obesity

The main factor contributing to weight gain is heredity. This reason is due to genetic predisposition or endocrine diseases. Experts note the following reasons:

1. Wrong nutrition. This is a particularly relevant point now, when fast food is available, and flour food during a break is the norm. Even a fast metabolism in mobile children does not help with weight loss if the diet is not properly composed.
2. A sedentary lifestyle that is associated with spending time on gadgets, which leads to an insufficient level of physical activity.
3. Psychological problems that teenagers seize. Getting pleasure from high-calorie, sweet food, children replace dissatisfaction in other areas, such as communication with peers, problems in the family. High school children are especially vulnerable to this. At the same time, ladies are more vulnerable, therefore they are more likely to be at risk of overeating. Result: questions often arise about how to lose weight for a 10-year-old girl

Degrees of obesity

Excess weight with a slight level of excess does not affect health in any way, but can lead to obesity. This is a disease that has different degrees of severity:

• I - 15-25% excess weight over the norm;
• II - 26-50%;
• III - 51-100%;
• IV - weight twice or more exceeds the norm.

How to lose weight for an infant

As a rule, babies and children under one year of age are not limited in food by mothers; at each call they are encouraged to eat. They especially try to “feed” the child when it was born prematurely. Remember that the little ones are also overweight! At this age, girls or boys cannot control how much food they need, so parents need to monitor this. The weight should correspond to the height of the baby.

In the fight against extra pounds, their methods and methods are intended for children under one year old. So, doctors recommend observing the regimen of feeding and rest, monitor the amount of milk that the child takes. With lack of sleep, excess weight may appear from the general inertia of the baby. Play more with the child, make him move. Another way to lose weight for children under one year old is massage. It helps you improve blood circulation. At this age, it contributes to the proper development of the musculoskeletal system.

How to lose weight for a 6 year old

In the preschool years, it is still difficult for children to control their own nutrition. It will not be easy for a child to resist the constant temptations of sweets and starchy foods if he sees how adults consume him endlessly. Therefore, before using methods and methods for children 4-6 years old and older, streamline your diet. Proper nutrition for the whole family will not only support the child's weight loss, but also the basis of the health of all family members.

Physical activity helps to lose weight. You can enroll your child in aerobics, gymnastics, running, swimming pool. Sport will solve not only the question of how to lose weight for a child, but also help to get healthier. Thanks to physical education, the body will develop correctly, there will be a “adjustment” of a fast metabolism. At the same time, the love for sports instilled in childhood will guarantee the further absence of problems with being overweight.

How to lose weight for a student

A small citizen makes new acquaintances at school, assessment appears, which develops the spirit of competition, so it is important for girls and boys to gain authority. Excess weight can cause insecurity, which will negatively affect school grades, recognition among peers, and mood. Methods and methods for children from 7 to 14 years old are based on the fact that a teenager himself already has sufficient willpower and independence.

In view of this, the diet for children 10 years old becomes effective. With her, the diet is calculated based on the number of calories. Fatty foods are excluded from the menu, the amount of sugar and portion size are limited. A diet for a child of 11 years old for weight loss should be built on a sufficient amount of vegetables, because they contain fiber, which should be consumed at least 30 grams daily, which helps to lose weight.

How to help your child lose weight

The problem of overweight children primarily comes from the habits of the family. It is necessary to decide how to lose weight for a child together with a teenager. You can not resort to food restrictions, use other ways to deal with weight:

• acupuncture - an acupuncture specialist can help get rid of kilograms;
• get a dog - a teenager will perform the duties of a daily walk;
• outdoor games: in summer - team games, for example, football, basketball (where you need to run), in winter - swimming pool and gym classes;
• fight laziness and do not let too much sit at the computer, encouraging an active lifestyle.

Children's exercises for weight loss

It is advisable to do any exercises 3-4 times a week. One of the most effective is running, you can do it both in the summer outdoors and in indoor gyms during the cold season. For weight loss, alternating fast and slow pace is recommended. Other cardio exercises are useful, where the pace changes, and the process of burning calories occurs not only during classes, but also for some time after them:

• jump squat;
• jumping to a hill (you can use a chair or stool);
• workout with dumbbells at home, which can be replaced with bottles filled with water.

Children's diet for weight loss

Be sure to diet food should be built on the principles that will help you lose weight:

1. The diet must include cereals such as wheat, oatmeal, pearl barley. It is recommended to include at least 50 g every day.
2. It is necessary to eat 4 fruits and 400 g of vegetables daily so that the body receives the right amount of vitamins / fiber.
3. For a day, a student should consume 1 egg and 150 g of lean meat, which are better to include in 1 half of the day.
4. Be sure to have a hearty breakfast, dinner, on the contrary, should be light.
5. Arrange snacks so that, taking into account the main meals, food arrives every 3 hours. This is necessary because this way the body will not accumulate fat during periods of starvation.

Video: how to help your child lose weight

It's not just adults who are overweight. The number of overweight children is growing every year. This condition not only entails a deterioration in health, but also has a negative impact on the fragile psyche of the child, who is forced to face criticism from peers.

How can you tell if a child is overweight?

Parents should monitor the health of their child. They can independently conclude that he has problems with the figure, and begin to deal with them. To do this, it is necessary to analyze his habits, mode and quality of nutrition, physical activity.

Up to 3 years

Infants should be fed according to two main schemes: according to the regimen or on demand. The problem is that due to the developed sucking reflex, the baby often continues to suck on the breast or bottle even after he is satiated, which can cause the baby to be overweight. Symptoms of this condition:

• violation of the stool (constipation or diarrhea);
• overweight for age.

You can find the rules in the table below:

Since children under one year old are subject to a mandatory monthly examination by a pediatrician, where one of the mandatory procedures is weighing, excess weight is almost always detected on time. The doctor will draw the attention of the parents to this and help adjust the baby's nutrition.

From 3 to 10 years old

According to statistics, the age from 6-7 to 9 years is considered a dangerous period when excess weight appears in children. Symptoms to watch out for parents:

• profuse sweating;
• shortness of breath after increased physical activity;
• the changed figure of the child: a protruding belly, plump limbs, shoulders, ridges on the sides;
• child's complaints of headache caused by high blood pressure;
• refusal of the child to physical activity;
• overweight.

Weight norms at this age are presented in the table:

From 10 years old

The most critical age is considered to be about 12-17 years. Added to the above symptoms are:

• violation of puberty;
• depressive state;
• pain in the joints;
• deviation of weight from the average value for age.

Weight norms at 10-17 years old:

When is overweight considered pathological?

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve exactly your problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

In medicine, there are 4 degrees of obesity, each of which is a pathology of varying severity:

• 1 degree. Weight deviates from the average values ​​for the age group by 15-20%. A child from an early age looks somewhat more well-fed compared to his peers. Usually parents turn a blind eye to this, justifying changes in the figure with a good appetite for their child.
• 2 degree. Weight deviation from the norm reaches 50%. At this stage, the first health problems appear. The child avoids physical activity, since any, even minor efforts cause shortness of breath and profuse sweating, and a large belly makes it difficult to move. Depression develops due to ridicule from peers.
• 3 degree. The weight of the child exceeds the norm up to 100%. Due to the increased load on the skeleton, joint pains appear, blood pressure rises, sugar levels rise, threatening to turn into diabetes mellitus. The depression gets worse.
• 4 degree. Weight exceeds the norm twice or more, health problems continue to multiply and worsen.

Reasons for being overweight in children

It has been proven that the main cause of weight gain in children is heredity, which consists in a genetic predisposition to obesity. Endocrine diseases are also inherited and cause fullness.

In addition, there are a number of other reasons:

• Wrong nutrition. This factor is confused with heredity, because in the family of full parents, children also suffer from excess weight, but this may not be due to genetic characteristics, but to the lack of a healthy eating culture.
• Lack of physical activity. Modern children often prefer spending time playing gadgets than sports and active activities (see also:).
• Problems of a psychological nature, when children “eat” sweets, problems with socialization, troubles when changing a team, school. Most often, this behavior is observed among older children, especially among girls.

Diet and diet for an overweight child

• fried foods: potatoes, cutlets, scrambled eggs in butter (see also:);
• semi-finished products: sausages, sausages;
• fast food;
• fatty sauces: mayonnaise, ketchup, etc.;
• sweets with a dubious composition, bought in stores;
• sweet carbonated drinks;
• foods high in simple carbohydrates: white bread, pies, muffins, pasta.

Along with this, the child's diet should be varied and include:

• steamed dishes in the oven;
• lean meat and necessarily red fish;
• salad dressings based on low-fat natural yogurt and olive oil;
• natural and healthy sweets: nuts, honey, dried fruits, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content;
• enough fruits and vegetables daily.

Such a diet should be perceived by the child not as a temporary restriction with a subsequent return to their favorite dishes, but as a food culture that needs to be inculcated gradually. Parents, by their example, should force him to reduce weight. To do this, not only the person suffering from overweight is required to eat appropriately, but the whole family, which will also benefit from this.

Not only the set of products is important, but also the diet, as well as the amount of food eaten at a time. The best option is 5 meals a day, consisting of lunch, breakfast, dinner and two light snacks. The main consumption of carbohydrates should be transferred to the first half of the day so that the body has time to process them, and dinner should be a light meat dish with vegetables.

Fruits, dairy products, and nuts are great snacks. If hunger caught the child before bedtime, offer him a glass of kefir or an apple.

Children's gymnastics for weight loss at home

Establishing proper nutrition is not the only measure aimed at correcting the figure of a child. It is important to interest him in daily physical activity, to do exercises in order to quickly lose weight and lose weight. Before drawing up a training plan, it is best to consult a doctor about possible contraindications. Remember also that the benefits of training are achieved only if they are carried out regularly.

Warm up

Any exercise for weight loss begins with a warm-up to warm up the muscles and prepare them for more serious activity. The warm-up is 5-10 minutes:

• walking in place;
• jumping;
• swing arms, legs;
• bending back and forth and to the sides.

We train endurance

An obligatory element of physical activity is endurance training exercises. It can be walking long distances, running, swimming, cycling and others. If you have an exercise bike or a treadmill, you can do it at home, and in the warm season it is better to give preference to outdoor training. It is good if the child himself chooses what kind of load he wants to do.

You should explain to your child that exercise is not always boring, so dancing is a great option for endurance exercise. You can motivate him to study at home or record in a studio.

A set of strength exercises

Training must include a power block:

• pull-ups;
• push ups;
• lunges;
• bench press with dumbbells.

These exercises help burn fat and build muscle. Each exercise should consist of 3-5 trips, 15-20 times each. To lose weight in the abdomen, you need to do a complex of twists and exercises for the press.

Stretching

After strength exercises, it is necessary to stretch so that the muscles do not hurt the next day. Stretching is performed at a leisurely pace to avoid injury:

• tilt to the fingertips;
• spreading the arms in front of the chest to the sides;
• tilts alternately to one and to the other leg from a sitting position.

Flexibility should be developed gradually, exercises should be performed with effort, but without bringing the sensations to critically painful. At the point of maximum tension, it is worth lingering motionless for 8-30 seconds. An example of charging for weight loss can be viewed in the video.