Sayings about Diet and Weight Loss

One of the most difficult issues that many people are facing today is their relationship with food and appearance. Since small, slim body and toned muscles have become the ideal picture of human body regardless of their age and sex in modern society, almost everyone desires sylphlike or beautifully buff silhouette. Yes, it is possible for anyone to make that dream come true, but easier said than done. Some may say inside most of us is a very thin person struggling to get out but continuously sedated by cheese cake, chocolate chip cookies, and pizza. LOL. It could be a lifelong project to be on the healthy side. Let us eat healthy and rock on.

This week, let me introduce some interesting and fun-filled quotes and saying related to diet and weight loss.

(*source from http://www.quotegarden.com/dieting.html)

“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” …. English proverb

“More die in the United States of too much food than too little.”

…..  John Kenneth Galbraith, the Affluent Society

“Diets are for those who are thick and tired of it.”

….Mary Tyler Moore

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.”

…….Author unknown

“The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life.”

…….Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave

“I keep trying to lose weight, but it keeps finding me.”

….Author unknown

“If nature had intended our skeletons to be visible it would have put them on the outside of our bodies.”

…..Elmer Rice

“I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is fourteen days.”

….Totie Fields

“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!”

…..Author unknown

“The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books- how not to eat what you’ve just learned how to cook.” ……Andy Rooney

“No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office.”

…..George Bernard Shaw

“Life itself is a proper binge.”

…..Julia Child

Idiomatic Expressions Related to Being Hopeful

Are you a believer of Murphie’s Law? The line that you’re in for the cashier’s counter at a grocery store is always moving slow. You see the gas tank warning light when you’re late to work. It starts to drizzle on the day you’ve planned for an outing with friends. The toilet tissue dispenser happens to be empty when you’re in dire need. Hmmm….you might think the world is filled with so many things to complain about with anger or frustration. However, you’ve got another day dawning that may have a lot more hopeful things to be stoked about! J  This week, let us brush up on some idiomatic expressions related to being hopeful.

(source from https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-106712.php)

1.   to hope against hope: to hope very strongly when the situation is hopeless

2.   There are plenty of fish in the sea: There are other choices to make.

3.   to count one’s blessings: to be grateful for good things in life or what you have.

4.   as luck would have it : an expression used to describe something useful that has happened by chance

5.   something drops/falls into one’s lap: to have something desirable happen/to acquire something desirable without putting in any effort

6.   to luck out : to be very lucky

7.   to lick one’s wounds: to try to recover one’s confidence or spirit after a defeat or failure, disappointment

8.   to look on the bright side: to view a mostly unfortunate situation in a positive and optimistic way and see the favorable aspects

Time to put the above expressions into practice and let us stay positive!

1.  Jessie can hardly ever feel at home in London, but her friends back in her hometown keep telling her to look ______________________________. They say London is one of the most attractive cities in the world.

2.  Dan was hammered at his friend’s birthday party, but as _______________________ it, there was a guy who never touched a can of beer who could drive him home.

3.  Dr.Esther hoped ____________________ that her terminally ill patient would have enough time to wrap up his life with his beloved family and friends.

4.  The Russian soccer team really ______________ out in the game against Spain! Little did we expect they’d win the game.

5.  Hey, Irene, don’t despair. Tom is not the only guy for you in the world.

There are _______________________________________ in the sea.

6.  Each time I become disappointed by the harsh way my life treats me, my mother says “Count your ________________.”

7.  His internship opportunity did not just drop _________________________________. He had been doing his very best to maintain his great GPA and get deeply involved in a lot of activities.

8.  GE has been suffering from a series of failure in selling their products, but now is ____________________________ its wounds for another chance.

Answer Keys

1.  on the bright side

2.  luck would have

3.  against hope

4.  lucked out

5.  a plenty of fish

6.  blessings

7.  into his lap

8.  licking

New Slang/ Idioms used among young ones in America

How long do you believe it would take for an English expression (especially idiomatic expressions) to be outdated? It seems that we are facing newly coined phrases and nouns every couple of years or faster than that here in America. This week, I would like to share some interesting expressions that are going viral today among young ones in the States.

(*source from https://www.refinery29.com/2016/05/107772/cool-words-slang-dictionary-popular-sayings)

  1.   lit: (adjective) cool, turned up, fun, or popping

  2.   to keep it 100: (phrase) to keep yourself real and true, to be honest and stick to the way you are, no matter what any one else thinks

  3.   trill: (adjective): true + real/ 100% honest

  4.   Gucci: (adjective) Not referring to the Italian brand name here. It means ‘good, fine, or ok’ . This is a slang term mostly used by people living in ghetto or slum.   e.g., What’s Gucci? = What’s poppin? Or You gucci? = How’re you doin’?

  5.   No new friends!: (phrase) the expression you throw out when you are bragging about your squad or dissing the friends who are not quite committed. This expression is used to show cohesiveness amongst friends and an aversion to new "fair weather friends".

  6.   Bible!: (phrase) This expression was often used by the Kardashian family, instead of "I swear" or "I promise" or "I am not joking"  in order to mean “the whole truth”

  7.   adulting: (gerund form of “to adult”) to do one or more of the duties and responsibilities expected of fully developed individuals (paying off that credit card debt, paying taxes or reporting tax report, or working through the summer instead of going on a vacation, etc). Exclusively used by those who adult less than 50% of the time

  8.   snatched: (adjective) perfect / nice/ sweet / on fleek / fashionable/

  9.   plug: (noun = verb) to self promote your social media and or merchandise

  10. jomo:(abbreviated phrase) the Joy of Missing Out  (ó fomo: the fear of missing out something great)

Now why don’t we fill in the following blanks with proper expressions given above?

1.   Jean would rather enjoy ________________ even though there’s a lot of fun parties or swirls around her on weekends.

2.   OMG!!!!!! I just saw Adam Levine at the restaurant!!!!! Straight up! You don’t believe me? Trust me! ________________

3.   Hans is working hard in this internship program all Summer long instead of going out on a vacation. Yup, he is practicing ____________________.

4.   Well, when Joanna saw Paula added the caption “___________________________” to her instagram photo of her friend group, she felt hurt inside. Joanna thought she was in Paula’s tight squad.

5.   A: How was Drew’s birthday party last night? Did you have fun?

B: Oh, yeah, it was _______!!! I had the time of my life there, meeting new friends.

6.   A: Charlie is such a down-to-earth kind of man. He never holds back anything whenever we have conversations. He truly keeps ___________________.

B: Yes, I agree with you. He is totally __________.

7.   Hey, you __________?  Yeah, I’m doing well.

8.   I’m sick and tired of her tweeting about her newly released album. Don’t wanna see her ____________ anymore.

9.   Wow~ Look at you!!! Your new haircut looks _______________!

<Answer Keys>

   1.  jomo

   2.  Bible!

   3.  adulting

   4.  No new friends

   5.  lit

   6.  it to 100

   trill

   7.  gucci

   8.  plug

   9.  snatched

Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary: Episode #2

Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single father who lost his wife to accidental drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world. Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given him different feelings from the ones through their formal encounter groups or support meetings for therapy. These people he has accidentally come across were the paths through which Dr. Jedidiah could look back on his own life, being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left him with some food for thoughts in life.

Episode # 2

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when people in the street looked somewhat listless like the unkempt lawn under the scorching sun. Each time I visit this City of Angels, I find myself wondering where all these homeless folks in the inner city originally come from or where they truly belong.

After I finished my daily dose of walking around the block – even while I was on a short trip for a conference here in Los Angeles – I threw myself onto the lawn inside the nearby public park to catch up my breath. A couple of pale-faced and mumpish guys were seen lying on the benches as if they had been the invisible dust in this world. The dark palpebral lines of their eyes seemed to have lost the will to see or find anything hopeful in this world. As I was staring at the ghostly crowd of homeless fellas, one man’s eyes met mine. It felt like an eternity until I made up my mind to get up and walk up to that man. His eyes were filled with hopelessness that I was able to fathom.

A few minutes later, he caught me by surprise, being so abrupt and snappish. “Are you giving me some dough? What do you want from me?” It was a bit awkward but I said with a hesitant smile “Finding no space in the shelter? How long have you been lying here?”

The man kept quiet for a while and seemed to believe that I wasn’t a cop or narc. He started to tell me about some of his situation. “I’m José. I have nowhere to go. I collect recyclable trash for some small cash. Yeah, I’m meth head. That’s how I can stay alive. My wife left me with our little kiddo last year. She always said that I should stop pulling stupid stunts. But it all started when I was given prescribed Opioid painkiller by my doc. It was so hard to live a normal life without the drug. Since I wasn’t able to afford it, I started to guzzle cheap booze that I could find in any liquor stores. I don’t give a damn what others call me. Just let them go. This is how I live….. but sometimes I feel so frustrated and trapped in this awfully vicious circle.”

As a medical doctor, I felt deeply guilty about what José’s been going through. It is not his fault to be addicted to the powerful pain killer Opioid. It takes our effort and time to raise the fatal drug awareness before those innocent patients fall victim to unintentional drug abuse. Next time I visit here, I do hope I can see José again, not as a helplessly dying person that sleeps in the park, but as a healthy friend of mine that feels happy to be in the City of Angels.

Expressions

   1.   unkempt: neglected/ disheveled/messy/crude

   2.   mumpish: sullen/ sulky

   3.   palpebral: relating to the eyelids

   4.   snappish: irritable/ inclined to attack or bite

   5.   narc: a federal agent or police officer who enforces the laws regarding illicit sale or use of drugs and narcotics.

   6.   Opioid: possessing some properties characteristic of opiate narcotics but not derived from opium, which is used as a strong pain reliever

   7.   booze: alcoholic beverage

   8.   to fall victim to something: to fail or suffer because of something

Relationship Idioms

Humans are, by nature, a social being. No one can live by himself or herself completely away from others in many different aspects of life. That is why most people always search for relationships or connections with others. This week, we would like to work on some frequently used idiomatic expressions that are related to human relationship.

Let’s check out the following expressions and fill in the blanks with proper idioms.

(source from https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/relationship-idioms)

bad blood: hatred or dislike among individuals or groups of people.

You can't please everyone: No single action can make everyone action.

to build bridges : to increase understanding / friendship between different people or groups.

to burn one’s bridges: do something that makes it impossible to return to an earlier state

Blood is thicker than water: People who are related have stronger obligations to each other than to people outside the family.

to have strong feelings: To have strong emotions for someone, often attraction./ to have a thing for someone

fair-weather friend : Someone who is your friend only when things are pleasant or going well for you.

an item: a term used for a couple who are in a relationship.

blind date: A blind date is when the two people going out on the date are meeting for the first time.

to talk to someone: To have a good feeling towards someone

The honeymoon is over: The early pleasant beginning (as at the start of a marriage) has ended.

1. Don't be upset if they got you wrong and keep criticizing you, Matt. You can’t ____________________  everyone.

2. She's one of those people who is only around when everything is fine. She's a __________________________.

        

3. Yes, James and I are an _______________ now. We've been dating for two months.

4. I'm going on a __________________ I'm so nervous! What if I'm not attracted to him?

5. Our relationship has gotten much harder since we had children. I think ___.

6. I know you're angry with your brother. But remember, _______________________________________.

7. There's no ______________________ between us now. We hadn't spoken for weeks but we made up last Monday.

8. I think we should try to ________________________ between Harry and Sally, I'm sick of them bickering all the time.

9. I __________________ for Eddy, but unfortunately I don't think he feels the same way about me.

10. Sarah has already __________________________ with her previous boss by publicly criticizing his marketing policy.

Answer Keys

1.      Please

2.      fair-weather friend

3.      item

4.      blind date

5.      The honeymoon is over.

6.      Blood is thicker than water.

7.      bad blood

8.      build bridges

9.      strong feelings

10.    burned her bridges

Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary Episode #1

Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single father who lost his wife to drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world. Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given him different feelings from the ones through the formal encounter groups or support groups for therapy. These people he has accidentally come across were the paths through which Dr. Jedidiah could look back on his own life, being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left him with some food for thoughts in life….or some fodder to justify his own mistakes with in the past.

Episode #1

This mid-aged woman named Amanda looked frazzled and sapped of energy when I first met her at St. James Cathedral in Chicago. Her eyes were swollen and reddened. She must have cried a river before I happened to sit right next to her. After some quiet time of prayers, she started to talk to me. “Hi…I’m Amanda. Are you from Chicago? I’ve been living here all my life. Guess I’ve seen you for all those years around this area, and heard people calling you Dr. J. Well…. If you don’t mind and have some time, I’d like to tell you about what I’ve been going through lately.”  It didn’t come as surprise to me that I found myself walking out of the Cathedral and heading to a nearby café with a stranger for a talk over a cup of joe or two.  Yes, I love meeting and listening to people that I come across in life.

Amanda said his husband died five years ago. She still could not get used to the fact that she had to eat, go see a movie, shop for home goods, pay bills, mow the lawn, take out the trash, wash the car, walk their dogs, grumble over their nasty neighborhood, sleep,…..and wake up all by herself. She said her life had been completely shattered since the day her husband died. Recently, her church friend set her up with a wonderful man, which was like a gift from God. Amanda said the man was so gentle, thoughtful, and even physically attractive. She fell in love with this neatnik that was perfectly gorgeous both inside and out. The two hit it off from the beginning, but Amanda said the guy could not give her the feelings of love that her past hubby used to fill her life with. Each time she went out on a date with this guy, her mind was filled with her husband who had been with her for twenty years. She said she would never ever have someone special like her husband in her life again. Since she did not ask me to give her any solution or opinions of mine, I just kept silent but was all ears to her story.

I did not give her any words of certainty about her rosy future with this new guy in her life. It is because I myself am still reeling from the shock caused by my wife’s untimely demise. Well… if Amanda wanted me to give in my two cents’ worth, I’d say, no one could be replaced by any other human beings. But that does not mean she is not able to meet someone who can hold a special place in her heart again. I just wanted to tell her to stay open-minded and follow her heart. It doesn’t mean that she should be impervious to the sudden rush of feelings of love for her husband in Heaven. Whenever her heart is full of her husband, she could willingly welcome the moment of reconnecting with him without feeling guilty or sad. That might be the way her husband would want his wife to be living. Just be in the moment and live it up, and then some day, she will say to herself ‘Tempus fugit!’ and smile.

Amanda, do not try to fill in the hole left by your husband. Leave that empty space in your heart for all the time and memories you had shared with your husband. I wonder what my friends out there would say or feel in Amanda’s situation.

Expressions

   1.   support group: Support groups for addiction or post traumatic pain allow people to share their personal experiences. There are groups that can benefit anyone with any type of addiction or trauma.

   2.   fodder: food for thought or excuse/ inferior or readily available material used to supply a heavy demand

   3.   frazzled: in a state of extreme physical or nervous fatigue and agitation

   4.   a cup of joe: a cup of coffee

   5.   neatnik: a person who is compulsively neat

   6.   Tempus fugit!: Latin phrase meaning ‘Time flies!’