I am intrigued by your linguistic theories and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Umm- no, they don’t. The Dictionary doesn’t even get to do so, they only list usages. Do note that the root word dates back to ME, and before that to Latin. In fact, one of the great things about the English language is that you can, indeed, make “up your own definition for yourself”, and if it passes into common usage, you are right. Note “d-oh” from Homer Simpson, now added to the Dictionary.
I started doing the same thing. When people commented on my weight loss, at first I said I was doing Atkins, and some people thought it was cool, but others seemed to think I was going to drop dead at any minute from all the bacon and fried eggs they were just sure I was eating (and all the veggies they just knew I wasn’t eating :rolleyes: ) I got lots of horrified looks and lots of, “Atkins is sooo bad for you! All that red meat! And no vegetables! Don’t you worry about your health?”
I just gave up and started saying I was cutting out sugars and starches and eating mainly lean meats and veggies. Everyone was relieved. :smack:
Until about 2 years ago, I was way overweight, diabetic, with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, the whole bit.
In early 2003, I bought Atkin’s book, read it thoroughly, then put myself on the Induction Phase of the diet.
On day 2, my blood sugar normalized; not merely lower, but stable. After about a month, I saw my doctor (an endocrinologist). He was totally amazed at what he saw: not only weight loss and normal blood sugar, but normal blood pressure, and significantly lower cholesterol and triglycerides. I had already discontinued the insulin injections that I had previously been taking.
After the initial Induction Phase, I gradually started introducing more carbs into my diet, just as Atkins’ book recommends. I went a little too far, my weight and blood sugar started to rise, and I cut back. The trick is to find your own level at which you are stable, give or take 5 pounds.
I eat lots of lean poultry and fish, not as much red meat as I had at first. I eat lots of veggies (the ones with low glycemic index), especially in chef salads. I eat a moderate amount of certain fruits, especially berries. And recently, I’ve started drinking a glass of red wine every night. I do take supplements, as advised by Atkins, and I exercise regularly (I had exercised previously, so that’s not a factor).
And except for the initial 10 days, no plumbing problems.
Occasionally, I let myself cheat. I’m no saint, and don’t intend to become one.
I have an aunt with basically the same health issues as myself. When she saw the results my dieting had produced, she decided to try it herself. She went out and bought all of Atkins’ books, but never read any of them. She started eating tons of bacon cheeseburgers, with the bun, with fries, and with non-diet Coke. She thought the protein in the burgers would make her lose weight, counteracting all the carbs she was consuming. She gained weight and got sick.
It’s amazing how many people “do Atkins” without educating themselves. And when their efforts backfire, they conclude that “Atkins is stupid.”
How do you feel about changing diapers in restaurants?
There’s a world of difference between changing a diaper in a restaurant and giving an insulin injection. If you need to be told that the latter is less of a production, then you are beyond stupid. And if you can’t understand that Hentor is showing his son (as my parents showed me) that diabetes is nothing to be ashamed of, then I’m astonished you’re still breathing without outside guidance. If you are further unable to comprehend that finding another place to inject is not always possible or desirable, as WeRSauron* so neatly lays out, then I will have to assume that at some point you traded your brain for some shiny object – possibly a shoehorn, the better to cram your foot in your mouth, though a decorative stick to shove up your ass for those festive occasions is also a distinct possibility. With either option, I hope the purchasers received their change; I’d hate for them to be overcharged on a faulty product.
panache45, Type II diabetes, right?
*Nice job, by the way, you Lord of the Rings, you Prince of Cats.
applause to panache45 
I think that was milroyj’s point. Comparing insulin injection to breast feeding is a world of differeence just as insulin injections and diaper changing is.
We can’t teach our children that diabetes is nothing to be ashamed of while also teaching them that some things are inappropriate at the dinner table?
Let’s try a different analogy then : what about people who need to use inhalers?
Or breathing apparatus?
This is also a medical neccesity (I know misspelled), and might offend people too.
Should these people rush to the toilet too?
(I told myself I wouldn’t do this but I apparently have no self-control.)
No, we cannot. We cannot teach our children that there are certain things that ought to be done discreetly, if at all, in public. We cannot admonish them when they blow their noses on their sleeves; or when they adjust their packages; or when they undertake any number of personal tasks that other people would rather not see.
No, we cannot do so, because we do not want to teach them that there are limits to public behavior. We do not want them to be ashamed of their snot, or their units. No, sir.
Indeed, it is our obligation as red-blooded [insert nationality here] to look away and wipe the vision from our eyes. Look away, I tell you. And never speak of it again.
And, frankly, I am astonished that you would suggest otherwise. How dare you, sir. How dare you.
People, seriously. Let it go. Those of you who live with this disease or whose children live with it, I applaud your efforts to teach your children that an illness is nothing to be ashamed of. We would all be better off if our children grew up loving who they were and happy about their lives. There is no dispute about that.
No one is suggesting that you should spirit your children away to a broom closet to administer an injection. All that’s being said is that discretion is the key to anything: one can blow one’s nose in public discreetly; one can adjust one’s package in public discreetly; and one can administer an injection discreetly. Failure to undertake these types of personal tasks discreetly while in public can lead to the criticism that one is uncouth.
Please note: discreetly is not code for “in a broom closet” or “in a restroom.” It is code for “in such a manner so as not to draw unwarranted attention.” I presume from the posts that everyone who injects is already doing it that way. So where’s the beef? (No – must stop – no more Atkins discussion – )
That is not a criticism of a disease, but of the method of dealing with a personal issue in public. Now, again, for the love of all that’s holy, can we let this die?
Hmm
On Atkins diet, which is a high protein diet.
Go to eat at a restaurant which serves food that is predominately, that is more than two-thirds, carbohydrate?
:wally
I have had very little problem ordering to suit my regime in a regular place to eat. If nothing else, I can enjoy a salad. Unlike what many peole believe, veggies ARE on a low carb regime after induction. If absolutely everything is covered with breading or sauces, well - it is ONE MEAL. I can give myself permission to eat and deal with the headache that results from it and not be guilty. I can even go to a friends wedding and have the balls to actually eat a piecce of WEDDING CAKE without guilt. I simply deal with it by decreasing the carbs a smidge until I am back on track, then I go back to my regular 50-65 carbs a day.
I feel a need to make a minor correction* to aruvqan’s post. Veggies are on a low carb regime during induction, too.
[sub]*You guys have turned me into a pedant.[/sub]
Yeah, but the thing that makes sushi, well, sushi, is white sushi rice. That’s a big no no on reduction (and something to only consume sparingly after that). I wouldn’t say that, if you went to a Joe Blow’s Cafe and it was all breaded or what have you, that you were stupid if you cheated. But deliberately going to a sushi place seems completely counter to the diet.
It’d be like going to the Cheesecake Factory if you were on a low fat diet.
But- sashimi is generally high protein, 0 carb.
Cool. I’m aiming on being one of those types of Christians who doesn’t believe a word of this Jesus guy. Also fancy being a Nobel prize winner who hasn’t won anything and a Democrat who always votes Republican. Anyone who think my new definitions are dumb and contradictory, particularly Christians, Nobel prize winners or Democrats; tough.
The big difference about your stance here, which I would normally agree with, is sometimes there are people who have a much more invested in a word than those who might commonly get it wrong. The USSR, for instance, was commonly called Russia. Wrong or right? Ask those in the Soviet republics and you’ll find they have a very definite idea about that. It’s a matter of opinion, who’s right? Personally I’d side with those who were the ones getting called Russian, they should have more of a say.
Ask Christians how they’d feel about people who don’t believe in Jesus being a type of Christian. Ask Democrats how they’d feel being confused with the type that votes Republican. Ask vegetarians about being given fish because the “commonly known” type eats that.
Who’s right in each case?
[Hijack over]
It is taking longer than we thought.