Responses Discussion Paper: High Percentage of Proteins

Page 1; read topic: Based upon what you may know or have observed about weight loss practices in the United States, do you think the Chi Kung approach would work here? Why?
then my response: Weight loss practices in the United States are based on the principle of using up more calories than an individual is taking. This means that anybody anticipating weight loss must engage in rigorous activity that helps in burning more calories than those that will be replaced by from food. To achieve a deficit between intake calories and output, one also has to ensure that the food taken does not supply a lot of calories. Therefore, in short, weight loss practices involve a healthy diet and good exercise. Health diet is a diet with more roughage and vitamins and fewer proteins and fats.
Chi Kung approach would therefore not work in weight loss practices. This is because Chi Kung approach combines meditation, breathing exercises, slow and deliberate movements. This approach was not initially aimed at burning calories rather it was a martial art that was intended to help people in keeping their balance, circulation, and alignment fit. Low-impact meditational movements involve standing upright and balancing. The mostly targeted parts of the body are arms, legs, gluts and back. They are meant to strengthen these parts and keep them fit. However, it does not target the aerobic part of the body. Weight loss practices have no short cut other than burning calories which are the best target by practices that target the aerobic part of the body such as physical exercise that leads to increased heartbeat and general respiratory activity which would see the body burn extra fats to supply energy. Chi Kung approach does not aim this and therefore would not be effective in weight loss approaches.
then 2 peer responses: 
peer 1: 
It's hard to say whether or not Chi Kung would work here in the United States. I think the real question is: Would people here in the United States be willing to try Chi Kung as a viable means of losing weight? As Zerbe states in the text when referring to the size of the portions in the diet that goes along with Chi Kung, the portions are minuscule. Undoubtedly, if someone who was overweight were to drastically reduce their caloric intake to such low levels there would certainly be some amount of weight loss. 
The fact that the results behind the research of Chi Kung are so inconsistent leads me to believe that most Americans wouldn't be willing to give it a try as a means of losing weight. Even as controversial as the Atkins diet may be, the results did show that people adhering to it did lost more weight than those following traditional diets, initially. Just like the student Zerbe referred to in the text, most Americans are skeptical of implementing are skeptical of implementing new weight loss practices without some kind of research backing the results. Also, without the implementation of some kind of exercise routine incorporated with the diet, Americans probably wouldn’t take Chi Kung seriously as a weight loss plan.
peer 2: I believe that most American are focused on a quick fix when it comes to weight loss and that the Chi Kung approach would not work here. Much of this is cultural and I agree with Zerbe in regards to the Cultural Specificity of Chi Kung. "Chi Kung would not work well for most Americans (unless they lived in a community in which traditional Chinese culture is prevalent) because American cultural practices are different" (Zerbe 148). A small group Americans in cities with a large Chinese population might enjoy the experience of Chi Kung as a cultural experience to lose weight but it is unlikely that a typical American would adjust this or her lifestyle to accommodate such a drastically different cultural practice (Zerbe 148).
Americans are predisposed to losing weight by taking in less calories than we burn. We burn these calories all day even while sedentary or sleeping but to lose weight faster we should exercise. The more we exercise the more calories we burn but diet is still important since it is difficult to burn a lot of calories to make up for a piece of chocolate cake. My health teacher in my undergrad program said go ahead and eat that piece of cake but you'll need to jog to Savannah to burn it off. A bit of hyperbole but I got his point.
Chi Kung might work for some enthusiastic dieters interest in Chinese culture but probably will not gain much traction as the new diet phenomenon in America.
WHAT you WRITE: tell what you agree/like about each response keeping in mind of my response to topic. Use 1/2 page per peer. 
Page 2: If you were to write about science, what you write about? How would you approach it from a rhetorical perspective? What resources would you make use of?