Summer is the golden window period for children's weight management, and it is also the stage when obesity problems are concentrated and outbreak occurs. There are more "little chubby guys" entering the hospital weight management clinic. On July 17th, the Capital Children's Medical Center affiliated with Capital Medical University held a media briefing to introduce the "Summer Lightweight Program" launched by the hospital's Medical Weight Management Center. This program can tailor scientific weight loss plans for children from four core dimensions: diet, exercise, daily routine, and psychology. Through interdisciplinary cooperation across departments, it accompanies children with professionalism and care to spend a light, healthy, and fulfilling vacation. The summer family dining environment is more controllable, which is a good opportunity to adjust the dietary structure. In terms of dietary management, Wang Xiaoyan, director of the Clinical Nutrition Center at the Capital Children's Medical Center affiliated with Capital Medical University, introduced that the key is to control intake and cultivate good eating habits. For example, controlling the speed of eating and wolfing down food can easily lead to overeating. She suggested using the "putting down the utensils method" - putting down the utensils after the food enters the mouth, taking another bite after swallowing, and reducing the single intake with small utensils. Parents can also divide food into small pieces and encourage their children to chew more, developing the good habit of chewing carefully and slowly. Wang Xiaoyan stated that daily diet should pay attention to balanced nutrition, ensuring protein and fiber intake, which can help increase satiety. Be wary of hidden sugar traps: avoid freshly squeezed fruit juice, dried fruits, seasoned nuts, and high sugar sauces (such as tomato sauce), and use sugar free yogurt and low sugar fruits (apples, blueberries, etc.) as alternatives to snacks. It is recommended that parents use summer vacation to provide nutrition education to their children, teaching them to read food ingredient lists to avoid the "sweet trap" in beverages, snacks, and sauces. If there is no scientific plan and arrangement for children during the summer, it is easy to lead to rapid weight gain. ”Cao Bingyan, the director of the endocrinology department, emphasized that summer can help children establish regular exercise habits. She suggests that outdoor activities can be preferred, such as playing ball games and ensuring 1 to 2 hours of exercise time per day. Outdoor sunlight can also promote vitamin D synthesis and aid bone development. On hot days, parents can switch indoors or use the evening for parent-child resistance training. Parents can bring their children to do activities such as plank support, elastic band exercises, skipping rope, etc. Exercise can also be integrated into daily life, encouraging children to take on household chores such as sweeping, mopping, and doing laundry to reduce prolonged sitting. The screen usage time (for non learning purposes) is strictly limited to 2 hours, and it is recommended to avoid snacking while watching the screen. Cao Bingyan stated that for some overweight special needs children, doctors will also prescribe personalized exercise prescriptions for them after visiting the clinic. Lack of sleep is one of the risk factors for obesity. Cao Bingyan reminds that it is essential to ensure sufficient sleep for children, with primary school students requiring 9-11 hours and middle school students requiring 8-10 hours. Maintain a regular schedule and avoid staying up late. Lack of sleep may affect metabolism and appetite regulation, which is not conducive to weight control. Cao Bingyan also reminds parents to pay attention to their children's physical feedback, avoid excessive anxiety when occasionally snacking or not exercising, and accept small fluctuations. At the same time, helping children record intuitive changes, such as running longer, clothes becoming looser, and using positive feedback to replace excessive attention to weight numbers, also helps children build confidence. Weight management requires a good family environment support, especially when parents and children work together, which can help children build confidence and become the main body of self-management, rather than others making them lose weight. ”Director Zhang Xiaoming of the Department of Psychiatry said. She stated that children are influenced by family culture from a young age, and weight management requires the overall mobilization of the whole family, not just focusing on the child; Avoiding the excessive concept of 'beauty in thinness' can easily lead to another extreme - eating disorders. Weight management should be aimed at health. Zhang Xiaoming also reminded parents of several precautions. Firstly, they should avoid overevaluating their children and provide more understanding and tolerance. They should see their children's progress and give positive feedback to help them build confidence; Secondly, in terms of diet, parents can actively guide their children to carefully perceive and taste food, enhance the experience of the eating process, and allow children to have a satisfying experience in the eating process, rather than eating as much as possible; The third is to pay attention to the child's emotions. For example, if a child suddenly overeats, it is likely due to anxiety and other emotions that lead to excessive eating. Parents need to pay attention to the emotional motivations behind their child's behavior and provide timely guidance. (New Society)