Which therapy is necessary?
Which therapy is necessary depends mainly on two questions. If the child is only slightly overweight (just over the 90 percentile) and it is to be expected that he/she will grow in length, it is quite sufficient to try to keep his/her weight. If the body grows in length while the weight remains constant, the BMI will automatically decrease – the child will lose weight without losing weight.
If the child is obese (weight above the 97th percentile), it is recommended to reduce the weight to lower the BMI. In this case the first step should be to go to the pediatrician. He will discuss the necessary therapy concepts.
- How overweight is the child?
- Are there any length growth spurts still to come? These take place at the age of 5 to 7 years and from 11 to 18 years.
After such diets, weight can hardly be stabilized in the long term and there is a risk of the yo-yo effect (increasing faster and more than before the diet). In addition, these diets can promote the development of eating disorders.
Slow changeover
It only makes sense to change slowly but permanently to a balanced, low-fat and high-carbohydrate mixed diet. Eating habits and eating patterns should be changed slowly and in small steps. Only in this way does the child have a chance to keep its weight within the normal range.
A change in diet with the optimized mixed diet as a basis is transferable to the entire family and healthy for everyone. For the overweight child, it is always best if the whole family is prepared to change their diet gradually. Children cannot manage this task alone and need support.
In addition, it is important to change the children’s exercise behavior for the better. Here too, parents are called upon to support their child. A world of seating should become a world of movement.
This begins in everyday life and the example of the parents is important. Here too, a change in small steps is recommended in order not to overburden the child. Does slimming through slimming drops also work?
