Gain pounds

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Hi,I have three questions.Q1) What's the difference in meaning between the following expressions?A: gain pounds/weightB: put on pounds/weightC: pack on pounds/weightI think 'A' is different from 'B' and 'C' in that the act is not performed on purpose.  When you say,"I gained 15 pounds", you don't mean that you did it on purpose, right?  On the other hand, 'B' and 'C' seem to imply that you're purposely making an effort to gain weight.  Am I right about this?Q2)  "Let oneself go"I encountered this expression while watching a video clip about a trainer who wants to gain weight on purpose to experiece what overweight people go through.  He said something like this.  "I plan on letting myself go with an unrestricted diet and no exercise for the next six months."So does it mean something like you eat whatever you want to eat, not worrying about getting out of shape etc?  Is this the meaning most often used for this expression?  What other meanings does this phrase have?Q3)  "unrestricted diet"When I looked up the word "diet" in the dictionary, I found this definition that I thought was pertinent.diet: the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eatsSo "unrestricted diet" basically has the same meaning as "let oneself go", right?  Thanks in advance for your help.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

1. A, B, and C mean basically the same thing (one's weight has increased) and can be used almost interchangeably. However there are slight nuances in meaning so that they might be used in different situations.

A teenaged boy might say: "I gained 15 lbs.!" He's happy about it because he wants to make the (American style) football (not soccer) team, where weight is important.

A teenaged girl however might say: "I put on 5 lbs.!" She's unhappy about it because she's worried she won't look good with the extra weight.

The teenaged boy's father might have told him previously: "You need to pack on the lbs. if you want to make the football team." "Pack on" is more emphatic than "gain" or "put on".

2. When a person "let's him/herself go" (in the context of weight gain), he/she doesn't exercise, stuffs him/herself with food, lies around the house, and consequently packs on the lbs. over time. For example, a man might meet a woman that he knew in high school, where she was a slim cheerleader. She is now 200 lbs. + He might say: "I can't believe how you let yourself go like that."

3. An unrestricted diet means that you eat anything you want and in any quantity you want. That's all it means. It doesn't necessarily mean that the person puts on weight on an unrestricted diet. If the person is the naturally slim type and/or exercises a lot, he/she won't be in danger of putting on weight.

Dave_anon · Answer

Hi

Just on the question of "let yourself go". It has two main meanings..

Unhappily, it can mean that a person has started to act in a sloppy way - dress and act badly - usually because they have suffered some misfortune..

- Fred was drunk in the street again. Since he lost his job, he's really let himself go

Happily, it can also mean to relax and act in an uninhibited and exuberant way. This popular meaning - I would say - dates back to a dance tune by Irving Berlin (1936)

If you want to see a bit of an old movie, here are a couple dancing to the original tune: they are letting themselves go..

Dave

Jooney · Answer

Hi Anonymous,

Thank you very much for the helpful answers.

Jooney · Answer

Hi Dave,

Thank you so much for the reply. Thanks for the very interesting video clip as well.

It's now crystal clear what "let yourself go" means.

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