Diet Soda: the Elephant in the Room
A wave of anxiety crashes over Melissa as the nurse asks her to step on the scale. She tries to think that certainly the numbers will change this time around. She’d been restrictive in her foods, she had even started working out three times a week. Surely her weight would reflect all that hard work. The coat she came in with slips off her shoulders as she holds a breath for good news and steps onto the square surface in front of her. The nurse records the number. Gives her a nod. “245. Okay Melissa, follow me.” Disappointment slugs her in the stomach as she walks to the room around the corner. 245? On the verge of tears, the corrosive thoughts bombard her confidence. I haven’t lost a single pound! Why am I such a failure? As she waits for the doctor, Melissa cannot help but be cruel to herself. Here she was, thinking that by swapping out her soda for diet soda, working out, and trying so desperately to monitor her portion size, she would have lost some much needed weight. The frustration and insecurities she holds about her appearance and health continue to loom over her for the rest of the day, and by the time she goes to bed, she hates herself even …show more content…
Many buyers are confused by this information, seeing as the word “diet” is stamped right onto the label. Well, the additives inside diet and sugar-free products actually make people gain more weight than regular sugar. Perhaps if Melissa knew that “artificial sweeteners confuse our bodies and weaken the link in our brains between sweetness and calories, [which] can lead to weight gain and cravings for sweeter and sweeter treats” (Oaklander), she would have instead cut down on the amount of regular soda she was drinking, instead of switching to
A wave of anxiety crashes over Melissa as the nurse asks her to step on the scale. She tries to think that certainly the numbers will change this time around. She’d been restrictive in her foods, she had even started working out three times a week. Surely her weight would reflect all that hard work. The coat she came in with slips off her shoulders as she holds a breath for good news and steps onto the square surface in front of her. The nurse records the number. Gives her a nod. “245. Okay Melissa, follow me.” Disappointment slugs her in the stomach as she walks to the room around the corner. 245? On the verge of tears, the corrosive thoughts bombard her confidence. I haven’t lost a single pound! Why am I such a failure? As she waits for the doctor, Melissa cannot help but be cruel to herself. Here she was, thinking that by swapping out her soda for diet soda, working out, and trying so desperately to monitor her portion size, she would have lost some much needed weight. The frustration and insecurities she holds about her appearance and health continue to loom over her for the rest of the day, and by the time she goes to bed, she hates herself even …show more content…
Many buyers are confused by this information, seeing as the word “diet” is stamped right onto the label. Well, the additives inside diet and sugar-free products actually make people gain more weight than regular sugar. Perhaps if Melissa knew that “artificial sweeteners confuse our bodies and weaken the link in our brains between sweetness and calories, [which] can lead to weight gain and cravings for sweeter and sweeter treats” (Oaklander), she would have instead cut down on the amount of regular soda she was drinking, instead of switching to