Does the term "cutting" bother you?

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geotrice
geotrice Posts: 274 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
"Cutting" also has some negative associations. Every time I read a post which uses "cutting" I immediately think the person is suicidal. Maybe it's just me?

Wouldn't something like "curbing" or "trimming" or "thinning" be just as good?
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Replies

  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    "Cutting" has been used for years in reference to dieting down. When I think of "trimming" or "thinning" i think of hair.

    *shrug*
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    On here? No, as that's basically what it is...cutting the fat off your body. Now, if they were discussing depression/self-harm, then yes I would be bothered.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    It's just you.
  • JordisTSM
    JordisTSM Posts: 359 Member
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    Nope. Because context.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    I don't love any of the common terms like "cutting," "shredding," etc. Not sure why, they just hit me the wrong way. I never thought about the term in its self-injury meaning, though.
  • LazyCatPame
    LazyCatPame Posts: 112 Member
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    Well... English is not my mother tongue, and besides the literal meaning of the word, I first came across with the Self-harm meaning cutting; then I realized that as many English words, it´s a matter of context. I mean, it would be very ugly if 15 posters in a row were (self-harm) cutting, don´t you think?
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
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    Yeah, no I get that it's a common term. I'm not discounting it. I understand that it's referencing cutting calories from your diet. From that perspective it's fine. Not ideal or precise, in my opinion. But I get it.

    But there's another aspect: it's often used as an antonym to "bulking". Bulking implies adding weight or size to the body. I guess, for me, the duality doesn't really hold up between the terms. One is about the changing the body, the other is about changing the diet. Combine that with the unintentional overlap with the unfortunate meaning and it seems a bit problematic. Especially if the focus on "cutting calories" should be done in a healthy way.

    Don't mind me...just picking nits. Again maybe it's just me. :neutral:
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    no more than my kid talking about cutting a piece of paper.

    context, dude.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
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    Oh please. Let's not start that crap.
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
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    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    no more than my kid talking about cutting a piece of paper.

    context, dude.

    Right, but cutting a piece of paper is literally what one does to paper. Unless you're cutting a piece of meat with kitchen scissors or cutting a cake you're not really cutting calories, you're removing or reducing them.
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
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    kikichewie wrote: »
    Oh please. Let's not start that crap.

    #byefelecia
  • Rlavigne93
    Rlavigne93 Posts: 119 Member
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    It doesn't exactly bother me, but I was definitely alarmed the first few times I saw people using the term.
  • Dreamyriver
    Dreamyriver Posts: 91 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    no more than my kid talking about cutting a piece of paper.

    context, dude.

    Right, but cutting a piece of paper is literally what one does to paper. Unless you're cutting a piece of meat with kitchen scissors or cutting a cake you're not really cutting calories, you're removing or reducing them.

    You know that words have different meanings according to context?
    6 Reduce the amount or quantity of:
    buyers will bargain hard to cut the cost of the house they want
    I should cut down my sugar intake
    [NO OBJECT]: they’ve cut back on costs
    we’re looking to cut down on the use of chemicals

    Oxford Dictionaries
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    kikichewie wrote: »
    Oh please. Let's not start that crap.
    tumblr_m8r8a8PRx61qjemo2o1_500.gif

    Love to know what you mean by that.

    OT: doesn't bother me. I understand the difference in meaning and I really think it's a perfectly fine word to use in the context.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    kipit6zflcmp.gif

    This is some serious cutting.
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
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    Dreamyriver wrote: »
    geotrice wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    no more than my kid talking about cutting a piece of paper.

    context, dude.

    Right, but cutting a piece of paper is literally what one does to paper. Unless you're cutting a piece of meat with kitchen scissors or cutting a cake you're not really cutting calories, you're removing or reducing them.

    You know that words have different meanings according to context?
    6 Reduce the amount or quantity of:
    buyers will bargain hard to cut the cost of the house they want
    I should cut down my sugar intake
    [NO OBJECT]: they’ve cut back on costs
    we’re looking to cut down on the use of chemicals

    Oxford Dictionaries

    Yes. I am aware of contextual meaning. In the examples you provided the object being cut were also used (costs, sugar, chemicals). "Cutting calories" does not give me the associations of self harm. "Cutting" (by itself) does however, at least initially. I know on these forums the "calories" is implied. But again maybe it's just me.
  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    It makes me think about a song that has nothing to do with self harm. But it doesn't bother me at all.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    Yeah, no I get that it's a common term. I'm not discounting it. I understand that it's referencing cutting calories from your diet. From that perspective it's fine. Not ideal or precise, in my opinion. But I get it.

    But there's another aspect: it's often used as an antonym to "bulking". Bulking implies adding weight or size to the body. I guess, for me, the duality doesn't really hold up between the terms. One is about the changing the body, the other is about changing the diet. Combine that with the unintentional overlap with the unfortunate meaning and it seems a bit problematic. Especially if the focus on "cutting calories" should be done in a healthy way.

    Don't mind me...just picking nits. Again maybe it's just me. :neutral:

    They are both about changing the body. Losing fat and some muscle, or adding muscle and some fat... seems like antonyms to me.

    I have enough in life to worry about to not worry about something so little.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    I usually say I'm "prepping" as when I'm losing weight it's during preparation for a competition. Sounds better to me :)

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