Does the term "cutting" bother you?

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  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Lots of words have more than one meaning but more importantly different connotations we associate with that word based on our experience.

    For example Home is often associated with warmth comfort and love but for some people it is quite the opposite.

    Maybe it is more your personal connotations that make it an unpleasant word for you rather than the meaning of the word itself.

  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 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 :)
    I do like that. Though prepping is short for preparing. One prepares for an for an event like a competition. What if you are just in a reduction phase without an associated event?
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 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.

    Language reflects and informs how you perceive the world around you. If there's an opportunity to improve language, why shouldn't we examine the idea?
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    I usually say I'm "prepping" as when I'm losing weight it's during preparation for a competition. Sounds better to me :)
    I do like that. Though prepping is short for preparing. One prepares for an for an event like a competition. What if you are just in a reduction phase without an associated event?

    You tell us. You seem to be troubled by words so you tell the rest of the world what you want us to call it and I'm sure everyone will agree so as not to give you the heeby-jeebies.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I really like the term, actually, because it's an alternative with a more positive meaning to "diet" in my mind. Diet tend to convey to me a focus on being overly fat and unhappy with your body and just wanting to get smaller, to have a lower number on the scale. Cutting, because of its association with body building, seems to me to be focused on fat loss specifically in the context of wanting to increase overall the lean mass percentage and fitness and, especially, a greater sense of empowerment with respect to your body, vs. the almost self-loathing that to me gets associated with dieting.

    Sure, I know the self-abuse context too, but as noted above, context is everything.

    That it would be problematic if literal doesn't bother me, lots of English terms would be. Language is often not literal.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    I usually say I'm "prepping" as when I'm losing weight it's during preparation for a competition. Sounds better to me :)
    I do like that. Though prepping is short for preparing. One prepares for an for an event like a competition. What if you are just in a reduction phase without an associated event?

    I hope not to be in that position again....
    I haven't lost anything for something that wasn't comp prep for 4 years! I'm starting prep again in June, then going to reverse diet and hopefully just get to a point where I'm happy with my physique and slowly just adding muscle without forcing it or intentionally trying to grow.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    edited April 2015
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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:

    Ummm no. Both cutting and bulking is about changing weight/size of the body, not necessarily what you eat. I have people on my FL that eat the same things in a cut as they do a bulk..just more or less depending on the stage.

    And I don't understand how this somehow makes cutting calories healthy or unhealthy?
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
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    Lots of words have more than one meaning but more importantly different connotations we associate with that word based on our experience.

    For example Home is often associated with warmth comfort and love but for some people it is quite the opposite.

    Maybe it is more your personal connotations that make it an unpleasant word for you rather than the meaning of the word itself.

    Maybe. The connotations I bring to my interpretation of a word could be very different from others approaching the same word.

    Should a commonly used slang term, which have more than one meaning? Isn't that the fundamental problem with jargon and lingo? Wouldn't a precise and dedicated term be more appropriate? If one doesn't exist can and should a dedicated word be created? One free of other possible associations?
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    Lots of words have more than one meaning but more importantly different connotations we associate with that word based on our experience.

    For example Home is often associated with warmth comfort and love but for some people it is quite the opposite.

    Maybe it is more your personal connotations that make it an unpleasant word for you rather than the meaning of the word itself.

    Maybe. The connotations I bring to my interpretation of a word could be very different from others approaching the same word.

    Should a commonly used slang term, which have more than one meaning? Isn't that the fundamental problem with jargon and lingo? Wouldn't a precise and dedicated term be more appropriate? If one doesn't exist can and should a dedicated word be created? One free of other possible associations?

    Sure. Go ahead.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    Lots of words have more than one meaning but more importantly different connotations we associate with that word based on our experience.

    For example Home is often associated with warmth comfort and love but for some people it is quite the opposite.

    Maybe it is more your personal connotations that make it an unpleasant word for you rather than the meaning of the word itself.

    Maybe. The connotations I bring to my interpretation of a word could be very different from others approaching the same word.

    Should a commonly used slang term, which have more than one meaning? Isn't that the fundamental problem with jargon and lingo? Wouldn't a precise and dedicated term be more appropriate? If one doesn't exist can and should a dedicated word be created? One free of other possible associations?

    Oh? Do you know how many words have different meanings depending on context? You going to change them all?
  • TheNoLeafClover
    TheNoLeafClover Posts: 335 Member
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    I've struggled with self-harm throughout most my life. While the term "cutting" doesn't bother me enough to be a problem, there's an automatic emotional twinge because of the personal associations I have with the word. However, part of becoming healthier for me has been to notice my emotional responses, remind myself of the context the words are being used in, and calmly allow it to pass.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    I've struggled with self-harm throughout most my life. While the term "cutting" doesn't bother me enough to be a problem, there's an automatic emotional twinge because of the personal associations I have with the word. However, part of becoming healthier for me has been to notice my emotional responses, remind myself of the context the words are being used in, and calmly allow it to pass.

    tumblr_luoxltKH9w1r6aoq4o1_500.gif
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    tumblr_mhgigxynre1s1bg2po9_r1_250.gif
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
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    PikaKnight wrote: »
    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:

    Ummm no. Both cutting and bulking is about changing weight/size of the body, not necessarily what you eat. I have people on my FL that eat the same things in a cut as they do a bulk..just more or less depending on the stage.

    And I don't understand how this somehow makes cutting calories healthy or unhealthy?

    But cutting isn't the antonym of bulking. But I it's used that way my guess for lack of a better term. In fact bulking doesn't seem to have a defined antonym. I guess I just see an opportunity for a new verb to mean eating less calories.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    emily_stew wrote: »
    geotrice wrote: »
    Lots of words have more than one meaning but more importantly different connotations we associate with that word based on our experience.

    For example Home is often associated with warmth comfort and love but for some people it is quite the opposite.

    Maybe it is more your personal connotations that make it an unpleasant word for you rather than the meaning of the word itself.

    Maybe. The connotations I bring to my interpretation of a word could be very different from others approaching the same word.

    Should a commonly used slang term, which have more than one meaning? Isn't that the fundamental problem with jargon and lingo? Wouldn't a precise and dedicated term be more appropriate? If one doesn't exist can and should a dedicated word be created? One free of other possible associations?

    Sure, just make up words. Good luck finding a word in English at least that doesn't have more than one association depending on context though.

    Mean-Girls-stop-trying-to-make-fetch-happen.gif
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    sjohnny wrote: »
    geotrice wrote: »
    I usually say I'm "prepping" as when I'm losing weight it's during preparation for a competition. Sounds better to me :)
    I do like that. Though prepping is short for preparing. One prepares for an for an event like a competition. What if you are just in a reduction phase without an associated event?

    You tell us. You seem to be troubled by words so you tell the rest of the world what you want us to call it and I'm sure everyone will agree so as not to give you the heeby-jeebies.
    Lol. This.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    tumblr_inline_mhgec3em881rttpm5.gif
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    geotrice wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    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:

    Ummm no. Both cutting and bulking is about changing weight/size of the body, not necessarily what you eat. I have people on my FL that eat the same things in a cut as they do a bulk..just more or less depending on the stage.

    And I don't understand how this somehow makes cutting calories healthy or unhealthy?

    But cutting isn't the antonym of bulking. But I it's used that way my guess for lack of a better term. In fact bulking doesn't seem to have a defined antonym. I guess I just see an opportunity for a new verb to mean eating less calories.

    It's YOUR opinion that it's not an antonym. We're all allowed to have our own opinions.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    emily_stew wrote: »
    geotrice wrote: »
    Lots of words have more than one meaning but more importantly different connotations we associate with that word based on our experience.

    For example Home is often associated with warmth comfort and love but for some people it is quite the opposite.

    Maybe it is more your personal connotations that make it an unpleasant word for you rather than the meaning of the word itself.

    Maybe. The connotations I bring to my interpretation of a word could be very different from others approaching the same word.

    Should a commonly used slang term, which have more than one meaning? Isn't that the fundamental problem with jargon and lingo? Wouldn't a precise and dedicated term be more appropriate? If one doesn't exist can and should a dedicated word be created? One free of other possible associations?

    Sure, just make up words. Good luck finding a word in English at least that doesn't have more than one association depending on context though.

    Mean-Girls-stop-trying-to-make-fetch-happen.gif

    Damn it! You beat me to it! *pouts* :tongue: