The Diet of Worms

While driving to work today, I thought about the connotations of the word "diet".

If you didn't know this, I am a member of Weight Watchers. (Well, for a few weeks of time anyway.) Since February of this year, I have gone from fat to somewhat less fat. My weight loss over this period of time - 44 pounds.

One of the things you learn in Weight Watchers is never to use the word "diet". The reason is that diets don't work. You're either "in Weight Watchers" or "intelligent eating" or on a "plan" or some other euphemism. The idea is that "diet" has a connotation of either a) eating things you'd rather not eat (like green beans) or b) not eating things you'd rather eat (like a bacon double cheeseburger).

This dooms dieters in two ways. First, they always feel deprived and their worst enemy is...themselves. They see all that food that they could be eating and are not eating it, or are guilty for not liking food they should be eating. Second, other people attempt to undermine someone who is on a diet. "Hey, one fudge sundae won't kill you!" The problem is that that one fudge sundae usually leads to a following one.

So what is the actual definition of diet?

a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed

b : habitual nourishment

c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason

d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight

It's the sparingly in definition d that is the problem.

Could some sort of synonym be employed? Let's look at the standard synonyms:

fast: The problem is that fast implies abstinence - that you're not eating or drinking anything at all, or that if you are you're taking in food and liquid at minimal levels. So fast doesn't work as a synonym.

nutritional therapy: This doesn't work either. This term implies that the subject is lacking in some sort of essential vitamins or nutrients and also implies that either a doctor or a nutritionist is implementing the therapy. All in all, this term implies scientific supervision.

regime: This word implies some system of control. The problems here are that it usually implies external control (like, say, the Sex Pistols and their "fascist regime") and is rather non-specific about what kind of control. Something's going on, but we don't really know what it is.

regimen: This is pretty much a synonym of regime. Regimen is sometimes used to emphasize that the control is gradual.

restriction: This indicates that bounds have been put on something, namely, that there is an actor and something acted upon. Can one restrict oneself? Possibly.

starvation: Starvation implies that you want to eat but are lacking food. Furthermore, it emphasizes suffering and discomfort. A teenage kid who cries "I'm starving!" means something different than when he says, "I'm on a diet!"

weight-reduction plan: This is probably the best synonym, at least for someone in Weight Watchers. Most attendees want to reduce their weight for cosmetic or health reasons. The "plan" is just that, a set of instructions one can follow to achieve one's goal. It lacks the negative connotations of "diet". The problem is that the synonym is far too bulky. It's like calling a television a dynamic image receiver.

So will any of these synonyms work? Maybe one. "Plan". Or better, "food plan". "Sorry, but I can't eat that sundae, I'm on a food plan." If someone asks why, you can mention the weight reduction. And if anyone asks again, you can sing "You are holding out your hand/You want to know the simple things in my simple plan...."




(The above was inspired by S. I. Hayakawa's "Use the Right Word".)