Diet Soda Helps Me Keep it Simple

I remember in high school when I literally consumed about 5 Dr. Peppers throughout the course of a school day. I assumed, incorrectly, that because it was a liquid it couldn’t contain many calories and cause me to gain weight. After school let pout, I would often stop by Sonic’s drive-through and pick up a gargantuous size Dr. Pepper to hold me over until dinner. Hmm, maybe that’s why I gained 5 pounds in 2 months my senior year…

Apparently I’m not alone in this assumption and many people fail to account for the calories they’re drinking. An article in the Daily Vidette from Illinois State University indicates people often ignore or dismiss the calories in liquids and then proceed to wonder why they’ve gained weight. Alcohol often plays a huge role in this miscalculation of calories. “Consuming up to seven Smirnoff beverages in one night resulted in a calorie intake of up to 1,000 calories,” notes Julie Raeder Schumacher, RD. Up to 1,000 calories! Add couple hundred more calories and that’s my calorie limit for the day.

It’s important to be conscientious of the calories we eat as well as the calories we drink. Lucky for me, I pretty much live on diet soda, diet lemonade and water. With diet soda there’s no wondering how many calories I’m drinking or if I’m consuming too much sugar. That’s why I like diet soda you see – I’m a simple girl and diet soda keeps things simple for me