20101210 Should You Diet or Not (1)

Should You Diet or Not?

Does dieting really help with long-term weight control?

Nate and Carla are old friends. They meet after not seeing each other for several weeks.

Conversation A

Nate: Hi, Carla. Say, you are looking really good. Have you dropped some pounds?

Carla : Yes, I have. Thanks for noticing. I've been on this great diet. I've lost 15 pounds in just two weeks.

Nate: Carla! It's not healthy to lose so much weight so fast.

Carla: Well, I feel fine. And I love what it's done for my figure. I'll probably stay on it a couple more weeks.

Nate: And then what? When you go off the diet, you'll gain the weight back – and probably more.

Carla: Don't be so pessimistic. I'll be fine. I'll just eat less.

Nate: Good luck with that. Your fad diet helped you lose weight in the short term. But in the long term, it won’t help you. You need to make lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off. Diets don’t work!

Carla: Sure, they do. I’ve lost 15 pounds.

Nate: Yes. But you’re not staying on that diet for the rest of your life.

Carla: Of course not. I’ll go back to eating regular food.

Nate: Then you’d better have lots of self-control and willpower. A better way to lose weight is to change the way you eat.

Carla: But isn’t that dieting?

figure n. 女性的身材/體型

eg: Sherry has a very good figure since she works out every day.

=> 自從Sherry天天運動後，她的身材非常好。

eg: Renee got her figure back just a few months after she had her baby.

=> Renee生完小孩才幾個月身材就恢復了

pessimistic adj. 悲觀的

eg: The author's pessimistic views of the world were expressed in his work.

=> 這位作者對世界悲觀的看法從他的作品中表達出來

eg: The doctor is pessimistic about the patient's condition.

=> 醫生對於這位病患的病況感到悲觀

optimistic adj.樂觀的

eg: Our team is very optimistic about winning the title.

=> 我們的隊伍對贏得冠軍相當樂觀

fad n.一時的流行或狂熱

eg: The fad of wearing mini skirts has lasted for many years.

=> 穿迷你裙的風尚持續了好幾年

eg: Some teenage girls spend a lot of time and money following latest fashion fads.

=> 一些少女花很多時間和金錢追隨最新流行的時尚

//== Chat room ==//

carry extra pounds 過重

=> overweight

pound n.磅(美國重量單位)

eg: Have you dropped some pounds？

=> 妳是不是瘦了幾磅？

put on extra pounds 發福了

shed v. 脫落/脫掉

shed some pounds 減重

sweat off the pounds 將多餘的重量燃燒掉

//== Grammar on the go ==//

Say, you are looking really good. Have you dropped some pounds?

Say

=> Be quite! or Bring me a chair, please.

=> In order to get the listener's attention

=> Used in casual situation

eg: Say, is anyone interested in getting ice cream?

eg: All this talk about food is making me hungry. Say, does anyone know what time the restaurant opens for dinner?