I wanna talk about losing weight

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/i-wanna-talk-about/losing-weight

Introduction
This support pack accompanies: I wanna talk about losing weight
To watch the video online, go to: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/i-wanna-talk-about/losing-weight
This support pack contains the following materials:
• a pre-listening vocabulary activity;
• the tape script
• a comprehension task

Before you listen / read

Match the words and phrases in the table to their definitions.

1. self-esteem 2. hormones 3. circulation 4. metabolism

7. in good
5. diet 6. skinny 8. consume
shape

Definitions:
a. all the chemical processes in the body, especially those that cause food to be used for
energy and growth
b. the food and drink eaten and drunk by a person
c. very thin
d. self-confidence
e. a more formal word for ‘eat’
f. the movement of blood around the body
g. chemical substances produced in animals and plants that controls and influences
development, growth and sex and so on.
h. fit and healthy

© The British Council, 2010 Page 1 of 3

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 I wanna talk about losing weight
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/i-wanna-talk-about/losing-weight

Transcript: I wanna talk about losing weight

I wanna talk about losing weight. I suppose lover like me and it’s sometimes hard to
many people agree that this is such an maintain the diet.
important topic for girls in Hong Kong. You can
And the third method that I tried was to sleep
tell by the number of advertisements in the MTR
earlier than I usually do, which is around, say
stations, magazines and even on TV promoting
11pm. I think it is really a good method or it’s
the importance of it…in your everyday life.
really good for your health because it keeps
If you walk in the streets in Hong Kong, you will your metabolism going. And also to sleep late,
find that the majority of women are fairly skinny, say 2 am, usually you’ll get hungry and you’ll
maybe skinnier than they need to be because I grab a supper too, meaning that you will
guess if they are not in good shape, they know consume more food than you really need to.
that if they are not in good shape, they’ll be And the fourth method that I tried, that I finally
considered ugly or in general not attractive at tried, which is by far the most effective method
all. There was a piece of news that a girl in high was to work out, or to go to the gym regularly,
school had committed suicide because she was not that it helps you to achieve your goal – to
considered fat and had been consistently lose weight and it is actually not difficult to do
teased by her peers or been called names by because if you go to the gym or run for like
her peers, and she couldn't take the pressure every day for at least half an hour or say just
and I guess she had the concept of being fat is half an hour, you can achieve your goal within
generally a sin. one month. And also noticed myself getting
healthier because it improves my blood
In fact I myself have tried different ways of
circulation, substantially I would say, and I
losing weight. The first method that I’ve tried
guess less tired and I start to perform well or
was go to beauty salons regularly and there are
better at work as well. And people say that your
of course pros and cons of doing that. One of
brains produces [produce] what I call the happy
the pros is that it’s really fast and it’s quite
hormones after you finish your work out and I
effective in fact. Of course the biggest con is
really like the feeling of being happy especially if
that it’s quite costly - it can cost you from say
I go to the gym after work and it’s a great stress
5000 grand to more than 10,000 grand
reliever.
depending on how many days or how many
courses you open. And the other con is that it in And in summary I think that it is not a bad idea
fact rebounds quite quickly if you don’t go to the to lose weight on a regular basis because you
beauty salons on a regular basis. And other get a better appearance by doing that, and that
than going to the beauty salon, you can also generally does boost one’s self-esteem. And
control your diet by eating less than you usually also if you work out to lose weight, obviously
do but it can really be a killer if you are a food you get a healthier body, which is one of the, or
I say the most important thing for life.

© The British Council, 2010 Page 2 of 3

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 I wanna talk about losing weight
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/i-wanna-talk-about/losing-weight

Comprehension Task
Read the questions and choose the correct answers.

1. The speaker mentions a story about a school girl who killed herself because...
a. ...she was teased by her classmates.
b. ...she was teased by her teacher.
c. ...she was teased by her parents.
2. The speaker says that the biggest problem with going to beauty salons is...
a. ...the effects don’t last.
b. ...it is very expensive.
c. ...it is not effective.
3. The speaker thinks...
a. ...getting up early helps you lose weight.
b. ...going to bed early helps you lose weight.
c. ...going to be late helps you lose weight.
4. The speaker thinks that going to the gym is the most effective method. It also helps you by...
a. ...improving your concentration.
b. ...improving your circulation.
c. ...improving your eyesight.
5. The speaker thinks that losing weight regularly is good for your...
a. ...finances.
b. ...social life.
c. ...self-confidence.

Answers

© The British Council, 2010 Page 3 of 3

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.