Misconception about Weight Loss

Obesity-related diseases have been a growing concern over the years. But no one has really looked at the dangers of the overly underweight. There are at least 100 different diets out there. Not only are the women dieting, but the men are too. I actually know more guys than girls doing the cleansing diets and the low carb diets. There is a reason these diets are not working.

Firstly, I would like to say that the word diet has been taken out of context. Diet is defined as “the usual food and drink consumed by an organism.” Now every time the word is muttered, the immediate thought would be of weight loss. For the purpose of discussion, the latter definition will be used.

There is a misconception between weight loss and a slimmer body. Essentially, the obsession over dieting and weight loss is due to the dissatisfaction of one’s body shape. If you explore the reasons for dieting, it all leads to wanting a slimmer waistline, thighs, arms, etc.

I have never been concerned about my weight or my body, although, I’m not saying I’m perfectly happy with it; but recently, I’ve been more bothered by it. I am constantly being told to “eat more, you won’t get fat” and “you are so skinny, what is wrong with you?” These comments are starting to irritate and offend me. Here are the reasons why:

1) I am fit. People who really know skinny, would not say I am. I swim, play tennis, and practice yoga to increase strength, tone my muscles, and maintain flexibility. As tempting as it is to snap me in half like a twig, I’m more likely to bend like a straw.

2) I do eat. You just don’t see me eating a lot all in one sitting. I split my meals into two sittings and I snack all day long. I cannot live without rice and meat. In fact, that’s pretty much all I eat. Having something throughout the day keeps my blood sugar and metabolism regulated.

3) Being skinny is just how my body is structured. I would be ecstatic to add 5” more to my waist.

My point is: Weight does not equate with the perfect body. If you are a 5’4”, 110 lb female, you should not be trying to lose more weight. According to the Body Mass Index (BMI), you need to be gaining at least another 10 lbs. And what better way to gain that is to add muscle mass.

The more accurate focus of all this “weight losing” is body toning or physical exercise. Following a certain diet will NOT keep fat from accumulating in your tummy, arms, butt, or wherever it is unwanted. It only reduces the amount of intake of nutrients that eventually metabolizes into fat.

Go have a swim or go for a jog. Maintaining a total body workout will give you a more satisfying result than dieting. It will probably be a lot easier too.

Paradox of My Character: A review of Dick Meyer's Why We Hate Us

People who know me personally know that I yearn to move out of the United States. Why, they would ask? I tell them that I despise America for its futile arguments over controversial issues, its sudden attentiveness for the environment, and its exploitative use of media.

One day, I was picking up at book on the hold shelf in the library. As I rushed across the library to check it out (I forgot to feed the parking meter), a title stopped me in my tracks. It was called “Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium by Dick Meyer. I was surprised. I couldn’t believe there was a book about this. I found out later, every word Meyer wrote were my exact same thoughts, except with better wording.

Meyer explains that our discontent is fueled by bullshit, belligerence, and boorishness, which are brought on by phoniness and the revolution of technology. The more I read, the more my thoughts unraveled and the more cynical I became (as if I wasn’t cynical enough already). At the same time, I felt myself unraveling. I came to realize that Meyer was talking about me. I was shocked. I always thought I was part of the solution, but Meyer says differently. I am why we hate us.

Truthiness

I talk a lot of bullshit, but not a lot of people are able to spot it. I call it truthiness, a term coined by Stephen Colbert. Now in the Webster’s dictionary, truthiness is defined in two ways: 1) truth that comes from the gut, not books, and 2) the quality of preferring concepts of facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts of facts known to be true. When truthinesses clash, it’s a pointless argument ready to happen.

I make you believe that natural and fair trade products are good for you and for the people on the other side of the world, despite the fact that natural doesn’t always mean the ingredients were obtained fairly or that fair trade is really that fair.

I disable you as a fan of a certain music artist just because I don’t like their music. I don’t have a legitimate reason to not like them, but I embellish my reason to make it sound reasonable just so I have something to say.

I just demonstrated Meyer’s theory that belligerence flows from bullshit. Meyer writes, “The idea of choosing goods and values individually, by taste and preference, is what truthiness is all about. It actually has a philosophic pedigree. It is called ‘emotivism,’ a term resurrected by MacIntyre from early nineteenth-century British philosophy. In After virtue, MacIntyre defines it this way: “emotivism is the doctrine that all evaluative judgments and, more specifically, all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling.” So in this view there is no difference between saying ‘the death penalty is wrong’ and ‘I don’t like the death penalty.’ ‘Gay marriage is immoral’ is just another way of saying ‘I don’t like gay marriage.’ Now you see why we are getting nowhere with issues of gay rights and abortion.

Belligerence

“The need to make others wrong has turned into an addiction,” writes Meyers. That is very true…for me. As a former debater, I am unable to let go of my debating habit. To win a round, all I have to do is prove to the judge that the other party wrong.

Another habit obtained from debating, is producing arguments that are not necessarily the view of one’s own beliefs. I have also brought this habit into my world outside of debate. I can, on the spot, make up a plausible explanation for (almost) anything to provoke an argument; because I am convinced I can prove you wrong 90% of the time.

We are faced with belligerence all the time, especially on TV. Do you know what is common in all those reality shows? Drama. Contestants are always fighting with each other. Meyer compares reality TV to voyeurism, “part of the allure of reality TV is the voyeuristic thrill of watching real people fight and melt down—and the performers deliver. Game shows goad contestants into catfights. We enjoy watching the naked aggression of exhibitionists. We find it entertaining, even soothing.” Remember the Jerry Springer Show and all the fights hunky Steve had to break up?

Balkinization

This is, in some way and not, where I offend America the most. Meyer defines cultural Balkinization as “exaggerated attachments to a point of view or single issue.” People place identifiers on themselves every day. I’ll point myself out. I call myself a tennis player, a swimmer, and a gymnast. In reality, I can’t serve, it takes me 32 seconds to swim 50 meters, and I can’t do the splits.

Identifiers are very common these days. Meyer takes it to the next level to say that “people have an increased need to display badges of their own personal ‘Balkin states’ to the world with the whole branding concept in fashion and marketing” which I am guilty of.

Balkinization leads to a type of phoniness, called artificiality. I never noticed my artificiality until I walked into a certain Wal-mart. Every time I walk into that certain Wal-mart, I get jeers and stares. It’s a little uncomforting. Then I realize it might be what I am wearing and carrying into the store—a Coach purse and shoes, Armani Exchange t-shirt.

Why We Hate Us brought my life into perspective. Usually with these kinds of epiphany, I find myself trying to minimize these traits. However, I feel I am unable to make myself more authentic or stop from starting an argument when opportunity arises. Meyer offers a remedy to make us belittle our hatefulness. To sum it up in one sentence, he says “strive to make thoughtful choices using a sound moral temperament.” I guess acknowledging my hatefulness is a start.

Pay Attention to How You Say It

I’m really cranky today. It’s all because of one question: Do you want to join us for clean up? Of course I don’t. It’s just a question, and it wasn’t asked in any way rude at all. What is really bothering me is the semantic of the question. Semantics is the study of language, often used in ordinary language to denote a problem of understanding that comes down to word selection or connotation. I can get really anal when it comes to word selection and connotation.

While working as a staff writer for the school newspaper and having my editor tell me that my sentences are too vague or ambiguous, I started noticing the vagueness and ambiguity in the spoken language. I was “writing like I speak”, as people tell me to do.

My outrage over poor semantics is also stimulated by “Yes I can” followed by inaction in response to the question “Can you hand me the _____?” Although said jokingly, it makes me sound stupid.

It’s really annoying when people take the context for granted. For the most part, misunderstanding will come about from the difference in interpersonal communications. Because of such vagueness and ambiguity, what is said may be misinterpreted by the other person. It also makes you sound stupid and a little conceited. Either you have limited vocabulary and is unable to express yourself, or you expect everyone to know what you are referring to.

Back to the question at hand: Do you want to join us for clean up? Like I said before, no I don’t. In context, it is more of a command than a question; however, putting it in that way gives the askee the option to say yes or no. You could start with “Can you…?” but that would just feed my rage. I am not an etymologist, but I think the proper way would be to say “Come help us clean up.” It will limit the responses and will do a better job of calling someone to action.

It takes an above average effort for me to deal with poor semantics. I can understand if one’s usage of English is translated from another language, since English is a bit weird. But if one is proficient in English and say to me “What time is it? I need a watch,” then I will definitely tell you “It’s time to get a watch.”

Another thing that really annoys me is redundant phrases, or tautology. The book Armed Gunmen, True Facts, and Other Ridiculous Nonsense: A Compiled Compendium of Repetitive Redundancies is self-explanatory.