Reflections on the word "diet"

Here is something I wrote on August 6, 2013 while working on this blog and before the hiatus and brain re-wire work.

When I encounter the word diet, my mind sometimes follows this trajectory: losing weight, eating less, being healthy, working out, bathing suits, obsession, scale, my stomach feels fat, I am fat, I need to work out more, I should work out right now, How can I eat less today?

Sure, most people have had these thoughts run through their minds.  You're walking through the mall, and you see a display of swimsuits and wish that you were in better shape.  There's an ad on TV for the latest weight loss plan (gimmick), and you entertain the idea of learning more about it or maybe even trying it.

But my mind didn't use to stop with those thoughts.  My mind would latch onto a word, an image, an idea, a thought and not let go of it.

If someone mentioned that they were starting a diet, my mind would eventually lead me to think and believe that I needed to start a diet.  Depending on the day, I may have even convinced myself that the other person had hinted or even suggested that I too needed to go on a diet.

But before I drag you further into the dark creveces of my mind, I want to talk about the word diet. 

I would like to say that I understand and use the word diet as defined on Wikipedia as : "(nutrition), the sum of food consumed by an organism or group," as opposed to the definition of dieting: "the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake.: 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet

But I do not feel that I even talk about food in a healthy way, let alone think about, or eat it in a way that promotes health and well-being.

You may argue that it is a game of symantics, that my word choice does not matter.  But to me, it matters immensly.  Using the word "food", "nutrition", or "nutrients" for what I consume can feel as important to me as if someone calls me "white", "anglo", or "American".  These words feel very different as they are applied to me as a person.  The same is true for the words that I use for the stuff that I put in my mouth that I consume to survive.