Why I Drank Diet Soda Instead of Eating Lunch

I used to keep a row of diet sodas lined up in the fridge, like trophies for willpower. Zero calories, zero guilt—at least, that’s what I told myself. Most days, I’d crack one open instead of eating lunch. The fizz filled the silence, the sweetness filled the ache. I’d scroll through forums, searching for proof that this counted as discipline, not damage. No one warned me that the emptiness would linger long after the can was empty. I wanted answers about fat loss, but what I really wanted was permission to let myself be hungry, or full, or anything at all. #FoodGuilt #ControlIsExhausting #NotJustAboutTheScale #Health #Diet