July 7, 2004
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Anamarie Regino, 7, can't stop gaining weight even though she's on a daily diet of just 1,200 calories.
Since she was an infant, the Albuquerque, N.M., girl has gained weight at an alarming rate. At a year, she weighed 65 pounds. At 2, she was 80 pounds. Her growth was so fast, in fact, that she was removed from her parents' custody by the state of New Mexico for several months until an investigation found they were not overfeeding her. At the time, she was a 90-pound 3-year-old.
That was four years ago, and now Anamarie is about to start second grade with many supportive friends and a growth rate that continues to baffle her physician, who predicts she could reach puberty by the time she's 9.
A Confounding Problem
When Anamarie was in pre-school, she weighed 100 pounds and looked years older than toddlers in her class. She gained another 20 pounds by the time of her kindergarten graduation. Academically, she was top in her class.
But her grades slipped in first grade as she grew to 4 1⁄2 feet and 130 pounds. Now, at 7, she is 5 feet 1 inch tall and 180 pounds.
"I don't think that, overall, she's being overfed," said Dr. Javier Aceves. "I think that Ana has a very unique metabolism that makes her accumulate fat, and she doesn't burn it very easily."
Anamarie's mother, Adela Martinez-Regino, monitors every mouthful of food that her daughter consumes. The girl's diet consists of 1,200 calories a day — breakfast is an egg, half a banana and a little bit of cereal.
Anamarie also gets a lot of exercise, swimming more than four hours a day in the summer. But a physical therapist still works on improving her visual and motor skills through such exercises as suspending her in a swing while making her reach for toys.
Just tying her shoes is a challenge. So is walking. During the four-block walk to her school, Anamarie always stops to rest along the way.
A ‘Best Friend’
In many ways, Anamarie's life is normal. Her family says there has been very little teasing — and lots of support — from her much smaller classmates. Like many 7-year-olds, she's got a best buddy, Natalie Bustillos, also 7, who said Anamarie is "the best friend I ever had."
As they try to help her, Anamarie's friends and family hope she has a bright future.
"I want help for my daughter," her mother said. "A long, healthy life is what I would like for her. I pray for it."
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/overweight_girl_040707-1.html