Reprinted with the permission of
THE HARTFORD COURANT
Copyright (c) 1994, The Hartford Courant Company
DATE: Monday, April 11, 1994
By DAVE DRURY
Courant Staff Writer
 
Growing up with weight problem gives operator of clinic niche to aim at

ROCKY HILL – All her life, Pam Oliver has loved to eat.
Not because of any compulsion. Not because of anything traumatic in her childhood. She just relishes food – all food.

But Oliver paid a price for her affection. "I was a very heavy child. Which went into a heavy teenager and into a heavy young mother," she said.

She tried one fad diet after another. She would lose weight, only to see the unwanted pounds return as soon as the jelly doughnuts and ice cream sundaes resumed.

Then, five years ago, inspired by Richard Simmons, Oliver began a self-examination of her metabolism. She documented when and how often hunger struck, and what she ate. She then adjusted her eating habits accordingly, reducing fats, substituting carbohydrates, "playing around with food," she said.
The result?

"I've weighed the same for five years," said Oliver, a trim blonde who just a few years ago was approaching 200 pounds.

After first sharing her discoveries with friends and neighbors, she started a private consulting business. Two weeks ago that business had evolved to the point where she opened her own weight-loss counseling center, Body Transformers Inc., on New Britain Avenue.

Stark and sparsely furnished, there are no exercise machines or scales in sight. Oliver uses no pills, no pre-packaged foods. She relies on individual counseling, augmented by light, low-impact exercise.
What makes hers different from the myriad of other weight-reduction clinics is her clientele. About one-third of her clients are children and teenagers, ranging in age from 5 to 17, and it is with that age group that Oliver hopes her business will find its niche.

"There is nothing out there for Children," she said. "Parents think children with weight problems will outgrow it. That’s a misconception. I love kids and kids need to be helped through this."
Herself the mother of two boys, aged 5 and 9, Oliver takes the approach with overweight youngsters that she does with adults. That is, she gets them to think about their eating habits.

Take sweets, for instance.

"You can’t deprive a child 100 percent. My technique is the kid will say, ‘How many cookies can I have?’ and I throw it back. ‘How many should you have?’ And the kid will say, ‘Two or three.’ We allow them sweets, it’s just all in moderation."

Eating moderately means paying attention to the little things: substituting low-fat milk for whole milk; having the youngster compile a list of fruits and vegetables that he or she likes -- thereby developing some acceptable caloric substitutes to fatty foods; relying upon constant, positive reinforcement to build up self-esteem.