Why Do We Drink Out of Stadium Cups?

I was in a gas station the other day and saw a sign that read ANY SIZE SOFT DRINK $1. I laughed and thought this is truly the voice of the devil as far as weight management is concerned. Sadly, in these difficult economic times, the bargain aspect of this offer will also  appeal to some folks. But, to what end?

We have written about portion control numerous times here in the blog. You will find two entries on our How to lose weight – and keep it off page. Twenty years ago we drank out of eight ounce bottles of soda. There was no widespread dehydration despite the size of our pop bottles.

Stadium Cups – our universal assualt on portion control

I can understand that if you are in a stadium at a game and you want a drink that will last you the entire game, more than 2 hours for most sports events, a 16 ounce drink might make some sense.

But, filling your gas tank for a 30 minute drive home? Surely, you don’t need ANY SIZE SOFT DRINK?

I regularly ride 15 to 20 miles over a two hour period on my bike. My bike carries two 16 ounce water bottles. One is filled with an energy drink, the other plain water. At the end of the ride, I usually have a a half full water bottle and about half of the energy drink. I weigh 155 pounds and have never suffered dehydration on a ride, nor gone home thirsty. I also ride with my dog who gets water when we have rest stops.

We, as a nation, really must pay more attention to the amount we are consuming. Is it any wonder 60% of us are overweight and 30% obese. Another 10 percent has Type 2 diabetes, a preventable and ruinous disease that stems from inactivity and poor nutrition.

Tony