How to lose weight for a child? Why do children gain weight? What are the dangers of being overweight and childhood obesity? These questions are answered by a pediatrician of the first category, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Medisvit Medical Centers Tatyana Sergeevna Polishchuk.

16:17 6.05.2014

How to lose weight for a child: child weight norms

Parents certainly need to know that the most intense accumulation of fat occurs in infants under 1 year old, at the age of 5-7 years, in adolescents 12-17 years old. Moreover, only 1% of children are overweight due to genetic or endocrine pathology.

All other cases of obesity in children are associated with excessive intake of food in the body or with an unbalanced diet, in other words, with overeating, or with improper nutrition. in a sedentary manner life.

By 6 months of age, the baby should double its original weight, by 12 months - triple. After a year, children gain about 2 kg per year (up to 5 years). At the age of 5 average weight is 18-22 kg, at 10 years old 28-34 kg, at 12 years old 36-45 kg. An approximate calculation of the body weight of a child from 2 to 5 years old can be carried out according to the following formula: M \u003d 10 + 2n, where n is the child's age in years.

After 10 years, the annual increase is 4 kg, the formula for calculating will be: M \u003d 30 + 4 (n-10), where 30 is the average weight of a child at 10 years old, n is the age of the child. Pediatricians have special tables for assessing the weight and height of the child.

Obesity has long been recognized as a disease. In medicine, obesity overnutrition) is defined as chronic illness, characterized by a generalized excessive accumulation fat in the subcutaneous tissue and other tissues of the body, weight gain, metabolic disorders.

Why are doctors so worried when a child gains excess weight?

Yes, because if appropriate measures are not taken in time to normalize weight, during adulthood it can come already with a whole complex of serious illnesses: an increase in blood pressure, disruption of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, diabetes mellitus, fatty degeneration of the liver, cholelithiasis, pathology of the reproductive system.

Obesity occurs when calorie intake exceeds energy costs. Most an important factor in the increase in the incidence of obesity is the consumption of food with high content fats, as well as a rich diet high in easily digestible carbohydrates, especially in evening time. It's hard to deny that today's decline physical activity progresses rapidly: children spend more and more time in front of the TV, at the computer, less and less prefer walking and outdoor games.

How to lose weight for a child: top tips

The first and most difficult step for parents is to admit that their child is overweight. If parents are aware of the fact that a child needs help with weight loss, this is already half the battle on the road to success. The second point is the realization that the fight against obesity is a long process, psychologically difficult for the child and his family members.

Food for a child can be, first of all, a source of pleasure, a way of avoiding problems at school or in the family, "jamming" complexes - as a result, the development of overweight, obesity, diabetes, etc. And here it can be difficult for parents to understand the essence of the problem. Psychologists and psychotherapists will come to the rescue.

A difficult task for parents is to explain to the child why it is necessary to change his eating habits. By no means can it be said that his diet has changed because he is fat. When talking to your child about food, explain that good health and health we owe to the products that we eat, that food should be healthy and complete.

As a rule, children of overweight parents become overweight due to "inheritance" eating habits. It is in the family that we get used to eating this way and not otherwise. Have you ever wondered where sweets, cakes, cookies come from in your house? That's right, you bought it yourself.

The habit of buying “something sweet for tea” takes root very quickly, but this is definitely not the tradition that will bring peace and harmony to the family. Try instead of sweets to buy more fruits, vegetables, greens, fish, natural meat.

According to experts, today the problem childhood obesity relevant as ever. Total in the world from excess weight over a billion people are affected, and 30% of this figure is 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, abuse of harmful and high-calorie food, as well as comparatively passive image life.

If earlier children spent a lot of time in the yard on playgrounds, but without sports games not a day has passed, 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.

AT childhood Excess weight is highly undesirable, as it can provoke the development of many diseases. In particular, we are talking about diseases of cardio-vascular 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 force the boy to give up his favorite treats and exchange bright computer graphics to visit the sports section is not 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, you should understand that the diet for children clearly does not provide for any strict restrictions in food as express diet patterns. 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 times a day is ideal: 25-30% of everything daily ration accounts 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 saturated beneficial substances products. 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.

Children's diet - this is the same system of correct and balanced nutrition. There is only one feature: to switch to this method nutrition should be very gradual, since it is quite difficult for children to immediately abandon all harmful products for which they have such a fondness.

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

Teach your child to be healthy and healthy food preferably 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 for the normalization of the weight of the child is the consumption enough liquids. daily rate water for a healthy child's body - 30 ml per 1 kilogram of weight. Of course, you need to drink clean water and 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 ration, second breakfast - about 10-15%, lunch - 45%, dinner - 15%.

Preferably use for breakfast and lunch protein food(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 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 - portion oatmeal, a cup of tea with milk;
• second breakfast - fresh tomatoes, a slice of bread and a baked apple;
• dinner - vegetable okroshka, a slice of bread, a glass of carrot-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;
• dinner - mashed potatoes, beet 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 serving oatmeal soup with the addition of prunes;
• dinner - boiled potatoes, steamed meatballs, a glass of rosehip broth.

Children's weight

In children, a classification is used to determine the severity of overweight or obesity. So if real weight child exceeds the tabular figure by less than 15%, we are talking about overweight. This is not yet obesity, but it is better not to wait for its development to take action. If the weight is more than 15-30%, we can talk about obesity of the 1st degree, 30-50% of the second, 50-100% of the third, and if the weight is more than 100% (almost two or more times) higher than normal, we We are talking about 4 degrees of obesity.

From extra pounds not only adults suffer, but also children. And, more and more often. The frequency of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is growing and now reaches, according to the most conservative estimates, somewhere around 15-20%. And 30 years ago it did not exceed ten. These trends are frightening, since obesity in childhood is almost certainly obesity for life, with all the ensuing consequences. Explain weight gain painful reasons possible in no more than 5% of children. In other cases, no diseases that could cause extra pounds can be detected. In these no less than 95% of cases, we can talk about some natural causes that our children encounter in everyday life, in food choices, in communication with us or with each other.

We will consider some of them below:

New trends in food culture and children's weight

The general trends that humanity is now facing is that our food is becoming more and more fatty, sweet and refined. An increasing proportion of energy comes from treats. Not last role market laws play in these changes - food producers need to feed well-fed, satiated people. So we need an advertisement that convinces us to try a cheeseburger or a biscuit. And if you and I can still figure out what is useful and what is not, then our children are completely defenseless in front of this advertising flow. And it is on children that advertising of food products is increasingly oriented. And what does she offer them to eat or drink? Coca-Cola is a drink containing 4 teaspoons of sugar (!) per glass. Children's breakfast crackers with a fat content of about 10% (by comparison, regular bread contains only 1-2% fat), chips with a fat content of up to 30%, dairy drinks that are twice as fat as regular milk, plus, with an unnaturally high sugar content .

All these products cannot be the basis of nutrition. modern man, they directly contribute to the increase in body weight. But advertising does not just advise them to eat. It creates a culture of their consumption. What company, what friendly conversation without chips, nuts or crackers fried in oil? But how to play, run and jump, how not to slow down if there is no chocolate bar at hand? Youth party without cola? Do not make me laugh!

And as a result, we get a generation of people who from childhood are accustomed to eating on the go, chewing between times, while preferring food that is excessively fatty and sweet.

Child weight: the impact of sedentary forms of leisure

Children must play. It is during the games that the experience of communication, relationships with each other, the choice of roles, behaviors, and so on is formed. This process is absolutely necessary for the normal development of the human personality and psyche. And until recently, games also protected our children from weight gain. Painfully much they demanded energy. And time. Our children often forgot about food while playing.

But it turned out that it is possible to play and master “adult” skills literally on the spot. A computer console instead of a war game, serials instead of playing mother-daughter games. You can study without leaving your computer martial arts playing basketball or football.

By the way, inactivity is dangerous not only by reducing energy consumption, but also by increasing food intake. Works normal for wildlife switching. The animal either moves in search of food, or eats it, and in this case remains in relative motional rest. Stopping for an animal means that food is somewhere nearby. To feel the effect of this mechanism on yourself, it is enough to remember when we eat more, on weekdays or weekends? Studies show that food intake on weekends is about 20-30% more than on weekdays.

And a stereotype of behavior develops, one hundred percent leading to extra pounds - to sit for hours in front of the monitor screen and, in order to relieve the tension caused by computer game nervously eating some chips.

Child weight: a bad example of parents

A generally accepted fact. Fat children appear much more often in families of full parents. It is considered that if overweight both mom and dad suffer, all their children will be at least inclined to be overweight. If obesity is observed in one of the parents, the probability of extra pounds in the offspring is about 50-60%. Why? Here the opinion of scientists differs. Some believe that genetics is to blame. Some inherited genes make the likelihood of developing overweight significantly higher than the average for the population. Others reasonably note that in addition to all sorts of genes, children adopt their lifestyle and eating habits from their parents.

Most likely, both are right. The tendency to be overweight is partly inherited, partly transmitted with upbringing. Children, watching full parents, involuntarily adopt their way of eating (often with the usual excess of fats and sugars), their attitude towards mobility (often negative). BUT overweight are already a consequence of such a “fatty” lifestyle.

Paradox - the actions of parents, designed to save them from this fullness, lead to fullness in children.

But sometimes everything happens exactly the opposite. Parents, realizing the harm of extra pounds, at the slightest sign of fullness begin to limit the child's diet, forbid him chocolate and sweets, do not give him food after the notorious 18 hours, force him to run around the stadium, and so on. It seems that their actions are dictated by caring for the child, but in fact they do not help him lose weight. Moreover, there is always a way to steal food: a compassionate grandmother who feeds, money stashed away and spent on chips or chocolate bars. A negative attitude towards loads and sports efforts is developed. The child continues to get better. This justifies the parents in inventing new ways to limit tasty, and makes the child more resourceful in search of food. The circle closes.

Psychological Factors Contributing to Weight Gain in Children

The problem of childhood obesity is not limited to malnutrition or immobility. There are many more psychological factors, due to relationships in the family or in the company of peers, which contribute to the growth of excess weight and prevent its reduction.

It is known that peers often treat obese children and adolescents negatively, laugh at them, do not accept them into their companies or accept them for some secondary roles. Children, feeling and painfully experiencing their, as it seems to them, inferiority, often resort to food as a comforter. Delicious food, that is, excessively fatty and sweet, is especially comforting.

By the way, according to the observations of British doctors, obese children demonstrate higher rates of intelligence and school performance. Apparently, suffering from isolation, they try to prove themselves in other areas of life, and study their lessons more diligently.

I often had to observe that a child prone to fullness, in order to somehow stay in the company, agrees to the role of a kind of fat clown, ready for good-natured ridicule and even trying to provoke them. Watch American children's films. There are quite a few of these characters. It is important for us here that such a child will subconsciously oppose everything that leads to weight loss. Why lose weight? After all, he has already found his place under the sun.

Chubby teenage girls who feel uncomfortable in the company of their peers often find a place in the company of boys. The fullness smooths out their sexual differences, and now they can participate on an equal footing with the boys in their noisy games. The image of a girl-comrade, "her boyfriend" is being formed. If a girl values ​​​​such an attitude towards herself, she will also not strive to lose weight.

A lot of things that contribute to completeness are also present in the psychology of the relationship between children and parents.

For example, due to busyness, parents do not have time to fully communicate with their children. The child feels lonely, abandoned, yearns. Chocolate and other treats may be the only consolation in this situation.

Mom believes that her life is not very successful, and directs all her efforts to protect the teenage girl from mistakes, to help her in life. Her concern is dictated by the most better feelings. But the girl wants to live with her mind. He behaves contrary to his mother. They fight almost every day. The girl is inclined to be overweight, there are extra pounds. But since her mother constantly tells her that no one will need her so fat, the teenager, out of a sense of resistance, does not want to do anything to lose weight. Think it doesn't happen? How it happens! I recently had exactly the same case. And deal with dead center did not move until I reconciled them. And I would not have achieved anything, or would have received a very short-term effect, if I simply explained to them that they should eat less fat and do exercises.

What is the danger of obesity in children?

Some of these dangers have already been discussed above.

1. Obesity in children is almost an obligate predictor of obesity in adults

It really is. The probability of developing obesity in adulthood in overweight children approaches 100%. Moreover, often obesity in such people reaches downright frightening degrees, the third and fourth. It is often complicated early development diabetes, arterial hypertension, progressive atherosclerosis. And it can cause a reduction in life expectancy by an average of 10-15 years.

2. Obesity in children often disrupts sexual development and can cause infertility at an older age.

Adipose tissue interferes with the exchange of sex hormones. Accumulates them, turns them into less active forms. It is known that adipose tissue is involved in the transformation of female sex hormones into male ones. In the presence of severe obesity in boys, underdevelopment of the gonads (adiposogenital dystrophy) is possible with an increase mammary glands(gynecomastia), in girls against the background of obesity, a syndrome can develop, manifested by underdevelopment of the uterus and appendages, a violation of cyclic activity and excessive hair growth.

3. Obesity disrupts the development of the child's personality.

It is often difficult for a full child or teenager to find their place in the company of their peers. Further fat people often have difficulty finding a mate and creating a full-fledged family. Extra pounds and unsuccessful attempts to get rid of them can cause unstable self-esteem and neuroses.

What to do? How to lose weight for a child?

The best place to start is to consult a pediatrician, pediatric neurologist or endocrinologist. These consultations are all the more desirable if we are dealing with obesity of the third or fourth degree, when the child's weight exceeds normal by 50 percent or more. This will allow us not to miss those cases of obesity that are caused by painful causes, diseases nervous system or endocrine. In these cases, special treatment is needed.

The main methods of weight correction in a child

Dietary weight loss method for a child

As numerous studies have shown, the most common cause weight gain - the relative excess of fat in the diet. Hence, the main dietary action is to limit fat content. This can be achieved different methods. Reduce consumption of frankly fatty foods - oils, mayonnaise, fatty meat, creamy yoghurts and so on. Something can be replaced with low-fat counterparts. You can fry food in non-stick frying pans with a little oil or bake in foil.

Along with reducing fat, it is desirable to reduce the consumption of sweets. Sugar stimulates appetite, promotes overeating. Naturally, all restrictions must fully preserve the comfort of eating. Try to separate in the child's mind the concepts of tasty and everyday food. Treats should be given to the child in small quantities when he is already full. It is advisable to give preference to low-fat delicacies, marshmallows, marshmallows, caramel.

The basis of nutrition should be lean meat, fish, cottage cheese, dairy products, complex carbohydrates- cereals, bread, pasta, potatoes, as well as vegetables and fruits. It is desirable to take food more often in small portions.

Physical activity and weight loss

It is necessary to encourage the mobility of the child, his participation in games. Try to take more walks, imperceptibly increase the pace of walking. Loads are needed to maintain high muscle tone. This, in turn, will activate the systems for extracting fat from their reserves and breaking it down.

The method of psychological correction for losing weight in children

As we have already said, weight gain may be based on psychological reasons. And in this case, it is necessary to work with a psychologist or psychotherapist. Moreover, often the object of this work should be, along with children, their parents and possibly other adult family members.

Basic principles of weight management in children and adolescents

Voluntariness

The child must fully agree to all your actions. It is clear that this is possible only if your actions are not violent, do not cause pain to the child, on the contrary, they are comfortable and really improve the quality of life right now. For example, light food does not leave behind heaviness in the stomach, does not interfere with games and sleep.

It is important to emphasize that everything taken voluntarily will remain further in habits and will allow a person at an older age to successfully control his weight.

benevolence

Try to be as correct and constructive as possible in conversations about the weight of the child. The child should not feel your negative, derogatory attitude. He must know that the situation can be corrected, and you will help him with this. In no case do not scold children for their completeness. They are not to blame for it.

Absence of dietary restrictions and violence in sports exercises

As we have already seen, all these actions, for all their seeming logic, actually lead to the exact opposite, to weight gain. The ban gives rise to lust, the desire to get a treat at any cost. One lady told me that she hid sweets in a wardrobe from her overweight children until she realized that children could easily find them by smell.

We add that gross food restrictions, protein and vitamin deficiencies can be harmful to health, disrupt development (including mental development) and slow down growth.

Continuity

Actions aimed at correcting weight should not be in the nature of a campaign. On the contrary, they must be continuous. There will be no benefit in short-term attempts to restrict the child's food or force him to exercise. As soon as you relax the efforts, the causes that cause extra pounds will work again and the progression of weight will continue.

Sufficiency (moderation)

Children and adolescents often do not need to insist on weight loss and be upset if this reduction is not obtained. Moderate fat restriction, encouragement of games will lead to the fact that the weight is stabilized, and growth and development will continue. And after some time (sometimes several years), the weight of the child will come into line with his new height.

Let me give you one observation as an example.
The boy, due to heredity inclined to be overweight, already weighed 16 kilograms a year, and 20 at a year and a half, and had all the signs of severe obesity.

We have taken the following tactic. Limit fat content. Made meals more frequent, up to 5 meals per day in the form of small portions. Adults stopped eating in the presence of the child and tried not to talk about food in his presence. If the boy wanted a candy, it was cut into 6-8 parts and he received it one by one, only after eating the previous one.

As a result, half or even a third of the candy was enough to eat. The same was true for other treats. By means of preferences, they achieved that the child would rather choose fruits and bread as light snacks than sweets. No one insisted that the boy finish his portion. Walks and games were encouraged in every possible way.

Now the boy is three years old, he weighs the same 19-20 kilograms. And no one will call him fat. This is a strong healthy baby.

And finally, one piece of advice. If you see that the child has a negative attitude towards the very idea of ​​\u200b\u200bweight loss, he resists your efforts. If there is no agreement among senior family members regarding tactics. If you feel that the child is embarrassed by his fullness and, due to weight, limits contacts with peers or agrees to secondary roles, then you have direct evidence to discuss this situation with a family or child psychologist.

I must warn you, working with a psychologist or psychotherapist is far from a heart-to-heart conversation, which aims to convince you of the correctness of intentions and the purity of thoughts. Not always this the conversation is going on in a way that pleases you, and the revealed truths delight you. But if you are positive and really want to help your children live happy and healthy life, such work will be extremely useful for you.

Doctor medical sciences, nutritionist Mikhail Ginzburg, Cocktails for weight loss "Energetik Slim"