The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

> By KATHY YANCHUS < Oakville Beaver Staff "They‘re greedy, lazy or stupid. There are so many things that go There are many misconceptions about overweight people. Guide for parents of overweight 384 Iroquois Shore, Oakville 849â€"7827 Mask ( PG) Satâ€"Sun 3:00, 7:00 9:00 F Mâ€"T 7:00 9:00 Buy any two footlongs get 1 free of equal value Only with this coupon at this location Corrina Corrina éPGZ Satâ€"Sun 2:50 9:05 F Mâ€"T 9:05 Andre (F)* Satâ€"Sun 1:00 5:00 F Mâ€"T 5:00 BUY 2â€"GET 1 FREE The Little Rascals fld Satâ€"Sun 1:10 5:10 FMâ€"T 5:10 In The Army Now (PG) Daily 7:00 It‘s a struggle for all concerned because we live in a society obsessed with being thin, says Pitman who found the research she uncovered "fascinating". The useful practical guide is written specifically for parents and its emphasis is not simply on how to rid a child of excess pounds, but on broader issues of lifestyle and diet and on society‘s bias against fat. It demonstrates through examples, recipes and solid, straightforward "warm" advice, how the entire famâ€" ily can alter their attitudes towards food and exercise for an overall healthier lifestyle, and in so doing, encourage an overweight child to eat better, exercise more frequently and maintain self esteem. along with it that are very hurtful to a person who is larger than averâ€" age," comments Teresa Pitman, mother, educator, awardâ€"winning writer and coâ€"author of a new Today‘s Parent book, All Shapes and Sizes (Promoting Fitness and Self Esteem in Your Overweight Child). neceecseee P For example, Pitman points out "When they‘re reading a book, they‘re at least using their mind," she says. There is also clearly a genetic factor, says Pitman. One study which focused on adopted children found a definite correlation between a child‘s weight and the birth parâ€" ents‘ weight. the correlation between TV viewing and the slowdown of metabolism. A child reading a book is nut the same as a child watching television because the latter goes "into a tranceâ€" like state," says Pitman, who coâ€"wrote the guide with Hospital for Sick Children pediatrician Dr. Miriam Kaufman. One factor behind this genetic link is something called brown fat which, in people of average weight, works to break down extra calories. "In people with less brown. fat, this stabilizing mechanism doesn t work," says Pmnan "It didn‘t correlate at all to the adoptive parents," she says. Author Teresa Pitman and family, Jeremy, Lisa, Matthew and Danny. (Photo by Riziero Vertolli) The book also includes a major section on teasing and its damaging effects on an overweight child and strongly emphasizes that dieting is not the answer for a child, and can be dangerous. A child placed on a low calorie diet, does not get all the nutrients he or she needs, she says. Another study conducted inside a prison which tried to force weight gain on a select group of prisoners , reaffirmed the theory that it‘s very hard to make a person gain weight and viceâ€"versa, lose weight. Secondly, Pitman recommends increasing the child‘s activity level whether it‘s through organized fitâ€" ness or walking home from school. "First of all, accept the child as he is now, whatever size he is," she says. ‘‘Fat children are as lovable as thin children. As a parent you may need to accept that your child is going to be heavier than average." If you are the parents of an overâ€" weight child, Pitman has this advice. children Picture Only Us is located at 1592 Bayview Ave. (opposite Bayview Playhouse) and is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays). Kingsland has been working hard to amass a body of work for this show and more than 30 paintâ€" ings will be featured. In addition there will be 30 of his limited ediâ€" tion published works on display. And Pitman says there are situaâ€" tions like trips to fast food restauâ€" rants â€" which she admits are making an effort towards healthier menu selections â€" and special events like birthday parties that can‘t be avoidâ€" ed and shouldn‘t be. Pitman‘s hope for the book is that it‘s "‘useful" to people. "We have information that‘s not widely available to people," she says. The book will be officially launched at Sick Kids Hospital on Sept. 28th and Pitman will be speaking on the topic Oct. 27th at the Oakville Parentâ€"Child Centre on Kerr Street and Nov. 16th at a meetâ€" ing of the University Women‘s Club. Quest Booksellers on Trafalgar Road will also be featurâ€" ing a book signing with Pitman Nov. 19th. Kingsland exhibit The works of internationally renowned artist Alan Kingsland will be featured in a oneâ€"man exhibit at Picture Only Us Gallery in Toronto. The exhibit opens Thursday, Sept. 29th and runs for two weeks. "Work at reducing fat in the diet. You want low fat, high fibre foods," she says. "You don‘t want to make your child go hungry." "Make sure they don‘t feel they‘re being punished their whole life," she recommends. And finally and equally as imporâ€" tant, lower their fat intake. Be in tune with the OSO Call 844â€"7984 to receive a copy of our 1994â€"95 Seasons Brochure.