For 12-year-old Londyn, her favorite part of the Healthy Weight Program (HWP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is working with Christine Giovinazzo, the physical activity specialist assigned to her case.

“She calls her ‘my personal trainer,’” says Londyn’s mom, Shakia, with a laugh. “Christine can get her to jump through hoops.”

Londyn’s journey

From birth, Londyn’s height and weight were “off the charts.” But Londyn also has asthma, and throughout her young life the changing seasons have triggered flare-ups that, when severe enough, led to persistent vomiting associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The prescribed steroids necessary to calm those flare-ups brought consistent weight gain that Londyn couldn’t shake. About three years ago, Londyn’s pediatrician Katie McPeak, MD, recommended that Shakia schedule a consultation with the Healthy Weight Program (HWP).

The HWP works with families to change their lifestyles through healthy eating and exercise. In addition to monitoring chronic conditions that may affect a child’s health and weight, the program focuses on guiding families as they make healthy, incremental changes in response to issues such as picky eating, poor-quality sleep and not enough physical activity.

A team approach to care

“I never knew anything about the program,” says Shakia, herself a nutrition liaison in the Nutrition Department at CHOP. “But they’re amazing. Me trying to teach Londyn was one thing. Once they were teaching her, they got the job done. Because kids don’t always listen to mom.”

Initially, some members of the HWP team saw Londyn every two months, including Giovinazzo (the aforementioned “personal trainer”), nutritionist Elizabeth Coover, RD, CSP, and physician Jennifer Robbins, MD, whom Shakia calls the “healthy weight primary care doctor.” Robbins monitors lab work and keeps Dr. McPeak apprised of progress.

Shakia works in partnership with the team, providing feedback on the kinds of foods Londyn responds to, the challenges she faces at home and school, and how diligent she’s being with physical activity.

Focusing on solutions, not deprivation

For example, Londyn struggles with eating breakfast, so nutritionist Elizabeth Coover, RD, CSP, LDN, gave her some ideas for quick, nutritious snacks to start the day off right. And because Londyn loves cereal, they focus on swapping in healthier cereals for high-sugar “fruity” cereals.

Londyn’s progress hasn’t been linear; they’ve navigated a few bumps in the road. “At first she was totally uninterested,” says Shakia. “She did not want to go. It felt like a duty.” And she resisted changing her habits, choosing not to eat rather than eating healthier foods.

What finally clicked? The dieticians realized it was important for Londyn to eat the foods she wanted. So, they coached her to eat her favorite foods in moderation and to integrate daily exercise into her routine.

“Now, she is much more aware,” Shakia says. “She says, ‘Mom, the key is that you can still give yourself what you want if you don't overdo it. Just don't deprive yourself. Because if you do, you're going to go crazy when you finally get it.’”

Making movement fun

And she’s discovered a passion for exercise. Besides her “personal trainer” workouts, Londyn has taken up dance, volleyball and basketball. “She even has me on the exercise routine that she’s on,” says Shakia, a self-described “gym rat.” “So, we do a mile. I'm like, ‘When did you want to start doing a mile?’ And she says, ’Mom, I can't make it through the whole run, but I can walk, then jog, then walk."

With these strategies, Londyn has found her groove. Friends and family are “astounded” at her great progress. By incorporating the changes provided by the Healthy Weight team, her weight has stabilized. The HWP team, who continues to track her progress, calls out Londyn’s positivity and commitment to change as the reasons she has more energy, greater lung capacity and a healthier approach to making food choices.

Building lifelong habits

Given Shakia’s nutritionist background and Londyn’s success, mom and daughter are determined to spread the word. They’ve given talks at their church about portion control, healthy food swaps, how to read nutrition labels and how to prepare food that’s tasty as well as healthy.

For parents who worry that a healthy weight program could negatively affect a child’s body image, Shakia offers reassurance.

“Parents may think, ‘That weight’s going to come off eventually. It’s just baby weight.’ But the way the program presents itself, they don’t make the kids feel like, ‘I have to come here because I’m fat.’ What they do is give the kids knowledge. And they make it fun. Why not alter these food and exercise patterns now? What you teach them now is what they are going to grow up on.”