Adjust calorie intake so that the weight of obese children is more ideal

An obese child does not always indicate that he is growing healthy. It could be that the child has obesity, which is overweight. Children with this condition must be treated early, so as not to cause diseases that endanger their health in the future. One of them is by reducing children's calorie intake per day. So, how many calories should children reduce so that obese children can lose weight? Come on, see the following explanation.

When is your little one considered obese?

If you ask what is the ideal body weight for children, the answer must be different. The ideal child's weight must be adjusted to the child's height and age. To find out the ideal child's weight and obesity, consider the table below:

Based on the table above, you can match the child's normal weight. However, you will need to calculate your body mass index or BMI (you can check it here). The method of calculating BMI is to divide the child's weight in kilograms by the child's height in meters squared.

If the calculation results show the numbers 23 to 24.9, then your child is in the fat category. Meanwhile, if the results show a number above 30, your child is categorized as obese.

Then, how many calories should be cut for obese children?

Basically, being overweight occurs because the incoming calories are used less. For that, one way to overcome obesity in children is done by reducing calorie intake per day. However, reducing calories should not be done haphazardly. The reason is, children need foods high in nutrients to support their growth.

Then, how many calories need to be reduced so that obese children can lose weight? Calculating the number of calories that must be reduced is not easy. You need to adjust the child's age, weight, height, and overall health. Therefore, consult further from a pediatrician or child nutritionist.

However, you can follow the standard of calorie intake per day for children from the guidelines for the Adequacy Rate of Nutrition established by the Indonesian Ministry of Health through the Minister of Health Regulation No. 75 of 2013, the following:

Age 0-6 months: 550 Kcal per day
Age 7-11 months: 725 Kcal per day
1-3 years old: 1125 Kcal per day
4-6 years old: 1600 kcal per day
7-9 years old: 1850 Kcal per day

If the child's age is 10 years or more, the calorie needs will be differentiated according to sex, including:

Boys

Age 10-12 years: 2100 Kcal per day
Age 13-15 years: 2475 Kcal per day
Age 16-18 years: 2675 Kcal per day

Girl

Age 10-12 years: 2000 Kcal per day
Age 13-15 years: 2125 Kcal per day
Age 16-18 years: 2125 Kcal per day

Another way is that obese children can lose weight

In addition to rearranging the child's diet, the next step is to balance it with physical activity, such as sports. Try to look back at how the child's daily activities, whether the child tends to mager aka lazy to move or actively move.

There are several steps you can apply to make your child more active, such as:

Invite to exercise together, play together in the park, or walk with a pet with children
Don't skip breakfast and limit snack foods that can contain calories
Limit the time children play video games or watch TV at home
Drink lots of water and also avoid soft drinks that contain high calories.