Large Fries and a Diet Coke

Every so often, I hear someone snort derisively about an overweight person who will go to a restaurant (especially a fast-food joint), and order some high-calorie meal, and get a diet soft drink to go with it. These critics think it's the height of stupidity and pointlessness.

Hardly.

Granted, an overwight person probably shouldn't be ordering that fattening meal. (Odds are the bigger problem isn't their eating habits but their exercise habits, but that's another topic.) But they - OK... at 200lbs+, I should say "we" - do it anyway. We all like to eat food we enjoy, and some of us give in to that desire more than others. Given that fact, substituting a diet soft drink isn't stupidity. It isn't hypocrisy. It's moderation.

We know it's not going to make us any thinner. That's not the point. The point is that it's not going to make us any fatter. If I'd ordered a non-"diet" drink, I'd have to give up those yummy fries to make up for that. And in comparison to someone ordering that same caloric meal with a large syrupy-sugared cola (which often describes the above-mentioned critics), it's downright smart.