Shadowing Practice: The Best Way To Stop Overeating - Learn English Speaking with Video
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21 sentences
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1
Indulging in food is a favorite pastime for many.
2
But considering that ⅔ of Americans, or approximately 207337021 are overweight?
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Perhaps we enjoy food a bit too much.
4
So, why can't we stop ourselves from consuming so much fatty and sugary food?
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How do we beat overeating?
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When your stomach is empty it releases a hormone called ghrelin.
7
Ghrelin interacts in the brain with the neurotransmitter NPY and turns on the desire to eat.
8
Once you satisfy this desire by eating, ghrelin levels drop back down and hunger subsides.
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Conversely, after eating, a different hormone, leptin, is released from the stomach and fat cells, and interferes with NPY, further turning off the desire to eat, and making you feel full.
10
But if this hunger regulation system is in place, why can't we say no to that piece of cake, or second helping of chips?
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Many food psychologists believe that in the past, energy-rich foods such as those with lots of fat and sugar, were hard to come by.
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As hunter-gatherers, the human body needed to take advantage of these meals for survival, and as a result, they became extremely desirable.
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But in today's world, we can get a high fat and sugary meal on any corner at any hour.
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The problem is, the instinct and desire still remains, and so we struggle to stop eating these meals.
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Recently, it's been discovered that the continual intake of fat and sugar overrides the regulatory system of ghrelin and leptin.
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The signalling pathway is insufficient to control our new diet, and so our initial evolutionary desire now plagues our ability to choose wisely and eat healthy.
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It's a self-perpetuating problem.
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The more unhealthy food you eat, the more you desire food.
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Got a burning question you want answered?
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Ask it in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter.
21
And subscribe for more weekly science videos!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Best Way To Stop Overeating”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: desire, ghrelin, fat, eat, meal. This video has 21 sentences and 313 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:43. The speaker talks fast, about 182 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 5 of its 21 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ghrelin noun | /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/ | A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. |
| leptin noun | /ˈlɛptɪn/ | A protein hormone produced in adipose tissue; it plays a role in regulating appetite and metabolism. |
| hormone noun | /ˈhoɹmoʊn/ | Any substance produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity. |
| hunger noun | /ˈhʌŋɡɚ/ | A need or compelling desire for food. |
| continual adjective | /kənˈtɪnjuəl/ | Recurring in steady, rapid succession. |
| gatherer noun | A person who gathers things. | |
| neurotransmitter noun | Any substance, such as acetylcholine or dopamine, responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons. | |
| overeat verb | /ˌoʊvɚˈit/ | To eat too much. |
| override verb | /oʊ.vɚˈɹaɪd/ | To ride across or beyond something. |
| pastime noun | /ˈpæs.taɪm/ | Something which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably. |
| perpetuate verb | /pɚˈpɛt͡ʃəˌweɪt/ | To make (something) perpetual; to make (something) continue for an indefinite time; also, to preserve (something) from extinction or oblivion. |
| subside verb | /sʌbˈsaɪd/ | To sink or fall to the bottom; to settle, as lees. |
| conversely adverb | /kənˈvɝsli/ | With a reversed relationship. |
| indulge verb | /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/ | To yield to a temptation or desire. |
| wisely adverb | /ˈwaɪzli/ | In a wise manner; using good judgement. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| drop back verb | Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to… |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: unhealthy /ʌnˈhɛl.θi/, pathway /ˈpæθˌweɪ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: insufficient /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənt/, evolutionary /ˌiː.vəˈluː.ʃən.ɛɹ.i/
- Long words — get the stress right: perpetuate /pɚˈpɛt͡ʃəˌweɪt/, insufficient /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənt/, psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/, evolutionary /ˌiː.vəˈluː.ʃən.ɛɹ.i/, desirable /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like ghrelin, leptin, hormone.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.