Mélanie Dorangeville, 17, with a high bun and loose jogging, barely arrived when she tried the treadmill in the gym. This triple French judo champion in cadets and minimes, originally from Bourges, has gone from 87 to 120 kg in fifteen months, “Because of the confinements, then a case of Covid-19 in the team … All this caused the cancellation of all training”. Pushed by her parents, supported by their attending physician, Mélanie signed up for a summer hospitalization at the Théraé clinic, opened at La Chaussée-Saint-Victor in 2012 and specialized in the treatment of obesity, that defined by the WHO as being associated with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30.
Spreading over the entire Center-Val de Loire region, the site welcomes a majority of overweight adults, suffering from diabetes or cardiovascular problems. A separate wing, closed by badged doors, is reserved for teenagers: 16 middle and high school students live there from September to June. If they go to Blois, the neighboring town, to attend school, they take every meal at the clinic, including noon. Then sleep there, as in boarding school.
Even before the start of summer vacation, the place receives a new wave of teens, for one-month programs. Mélanie takes part in it, but also Devincy Babela, 15, Orléanaise looking worried. Long pink and black braids fall over her hoodie. She describes a long period of harassment: “From first grade to middle school, school mates, often girls, called me a fat cow. I didn’t say anything, I let myself go. Now, no more question. “ His arrival here illustrates his recovery in hand. “My father supports me. But this is quite normal. After all, I inherited its curves! “
Individualized and calibrated meals
The adolescent public with obesity requires extra attention from dieticians. “Some people immediately claim to be gluten-free or vegan, others observe the Ramadan fast. These are children who are immersed in many different culinary cultures and whom we wish to respect at all costs, explains Christine Delesalle, director of the establishment. At the table, we teach them to eat for at least a quarter of an hour so that they discover satiety, to like green vegetables, to alternate bowls and plates … and even to make their own hamburger, with much less fat and salt. “
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