Weight Management Program

The Weight Management Program at The Children’s Hospital treats children who are overweight or obese in the Denver metro area, throughout Colorado and the five-state region. With medical assessment and evaluation from a team of pediatric experts, weight management at The Children's Hospital is an ongoing process.

Patients’ primary care providers should refer them to Children's for weight management services if they are overweight, gaining too much weight, are obese, or have obesity-related illnesses such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, or insulin resistance.

We treat severely obese patients with inpatient stay, special diets, bariatric surgery or other intensive interventions. Weight management patients have access to free exercise classes in the Wellness Center, w hich includes a yoga room and fitness room. In addition, The Children's Hospital offers several clinical programs, including the GoodLIFE Clinics and the SHAPEDOWN® Program. 

Why choose Children’s?

For more than twenty years, we have treated children with weight management issues. The Children’s Hospital provides a team of experts to treat children who are mildly overweight to those who are severely obese with related, severe illnesses. As one of the only programs in the country to see children from birth to adulthood, we are also the only regional specialty care center to treat the obese pediatric patient and focus on obesity treatment for the special needs population. Our experts lead national obesity studies, and one of our physicians helped create the obesity guidelines for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

All clinics in the Weight Management Program offer a multidisciplinary team experience, with pediatric-trained experts, including psychologists, exercise physiologists, recreational therapists and physicians with specialty training in the following areas; endocrinology, gastroenterology, nutrition, cardiology and surgery.

Our team understands that weight management requires the whole family to commit to changing their lifestyle. Our teams attempt different approaches with families to motivate them to make life-long changes. We are thrilled when a family wants to be involved in the life of their child struggling with weight management.

Specific conditions treated

• Obesity / overweight children and teens
• Metabolic syndrome
• Dyslipidimia (high cholesterol, high triglycerides, low HDL)
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Obstructive sleep apnea/sleep disorder
• Type 2 diabetes
• Insulin resistance
• High blood pressure

Services offered

• Blood tests
• Radiologic studies
• Sleep studies
• Lifestyle changes (primary)
• Supplements (fish oils, vitamin E, multivitamin, calcium)
• Medication
• Bariatric Surgery (LAP Band)
• Variety of clinical research and trials for patients who meet criteria
• Related clinics, activities, etc.
  • Lipid Clinic in cardiology for children with obesity-related high cholesterol or familial high cholesterol
  • Annual “Walk for the Stars” for all weight management patients
  • Parent information night for Weight Management Programs, held the fourth Tuesday of each month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at The Children's Hospital
  • Weekly exercise classes for Weight Management patients on Tuesdays (ages 5-11) and Thursdays (ages 12+) at The Children’s Hospital Wellness Center

Weight management programs and clinics for kids and teens

The Children’s Hospital offers the region’s leading pediatric weight management program. Each of the treatment options is aimed at meeting the needs of overweight and obese pediatric patients through an individualized family-centered care approach. A primary goal of each of the multidisciplinary clinics includes providing kids and families the opportunity to receive education and support in order to make life-long changes.

The multidisciplinary team consists of pediatricians, a nurse, a dietitian, a therapeutic recreation specialist, an exercise physiologist and psychologists with a focus on healthy eating, physical activity and behavior changes. The following program descriptions will help you to understand each of the programs offered.

GoodLIFE Clinics

The GoodLife (Lifestyles Influencing Fitness and Eating) Clinics provide treatment options for overweight and obese infants, toddlers, school-age children and adolescents. The GoodLIFE clinics are for severely obese children or for children who need a medical evaluation for their obesity-related problems. These clinics are directed by a physician and provide the medical assessment and care related to your child’s obesity.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 720-777-6669.

BAND Clinic

The BAND (Bariatrics and Advanced Nutritional Disease) Clinic offers Lap Band Surgery. This is currently the only surgical treatment that Children's is performing for the treatment of severe obesity. The clinic provides multidisciplinary care in order to meet the diverse needs of each individual. There are specific requirements that each patient must meet in order to be approved for the Lap Band Surgery.

Metabolic Syndrome Clinic

The multidisciplinary Metabolic Syndrome clinic provides evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents whose weight is associated with insulin resistance-related disorders. This clinic is for severely obese children or for children who need a medical evaluation for their obesity-related problems. Labs must be reviewed by a nurse or physician in endocrinology in order to be scheduled in this clinic.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Endocrinology at (720) 777-6128.

SHAPEDOWN®

The SHAPEDOWN® Program, provided by Children’s Hospital Heart Institute, is a 10-week group participation program. SHAPEDOWN® is the nation’s leading weight program for teens and children. The SHAPEDOWN® team consists of social workers trained in pediatrics or family systems, therapeutic recreation specialists and a registered dietitian.

For more information, or to make an appointment, call Cardiology at (720) 777-6820.

Weight Management Dietitian Consultation

Outpatient dietary counseling for weight management is available through the Clinical Nutrition Department by a registered dietitian. Private nutrition counseling is available at The Children’s Hospital main campus. 

For more information, or to schedule and appointment, call the Nutrition Department at (720) 777-2691.