Basic Trope: Someone orders a large amount of unhealthy food with one healthier option, usually thinking it'll offset the unhealthiness.
- Straight: Bob orders 4 large pizzas, 3 hamburgers, a large bucket of fried chicken, an ice cream sundae, and a diet Coke.
- Exaggerated: Bob gets 50 orders of every unhealthy food on the menu, and orders one small diet Coke.
- Downplayed: Bob orders 4 large pizzas, and a salad on the side.
- Justified:
- Bob isn't the smartest and he believes that diet Coke really will help him lose weight.
- Bob likes the taste of diet Coke better than regular Coke.
- Bob cannot have sugar, but can still have the ingredients in pizza, so diet Coke really is a healthier option for him.
- Diet Coke contains several hundred calories less than regular Coke. While it might not seem like it, which Coke Bob orders can be the difference between his calorie intake reaching critical levels and him being just below the borderline.
- Inverted: Bob orders multiple salads and other healthy food with regular Coke.
- Subverted: Bob is seen ordering a large amount of food with a diet Coke, but it's revealed that some of the food isn't for him.
- Double Subverted: They're for his friend, Alice, who is also ordering a diet Coke to drink.
- Parodied: Bob actually does lose weight after ordering diet Coke with his food.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob repeatedly decides for and against ordering diet Coke.
- Averted:
- No one orders food.
- Bob doesn't order diet beverages with his food.
- Bob orders a relatively small amount of food.
- Enforced: To add an Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking joke.
- Lampshaded: Alice comments on Bob's food order, saying, "Wow, Bob, I see you're really embracing the concept of balance with that diet Coke."
- Invoked: Bob, who is familiar with this trope, deliberately orders a diet Coke to go along with his unhealthy food, thinking it will make him feel better about his choices.
- Exploited: The restaurant offers a "Combo Deal" where customers can get a discounted price if they order a large quantity of food, so Bob orders a lot of unhealthy items and adds a diet Coke to take advantage of the deal.
- Defied: "Bob, if you actually want to lose weight, maybe you should order a few less items instead of just getting a diet Coke."
- Discussed: Bob and Alice are watching a TV show where a character orders a massive amount of unhealthy food with a diet soda, and they discuss the trope, with Bob saying, "Hey, that's just like what I do!"
- Conversed:Alice: "You ever notice characters ordering loads of junk food with a diet soda?"Bob: "Yeah, they think one diet soda will magically make it all healthy."
- Played for Laughs: Bob's food order keeps getting bigger and more ridiculous, while his diet Coke remains the same size, creating a humorous contrast.
- Played for Drama: Bob's unhealthy eating habits and his belief in the power of a diet Coke to balance them out become a point of contention in his relationships and affect his overall well-being.
- Played for Horror: Bob's excessive consumption of unhealthy food and his reliance on a diet Coke to mitigate the consequences lead to severe health issues and a disturbing downward spiral.
- Implied: The scene cuts from Bob ordering the food to him sitting at a table with an empty diet Coke can and the remnants of a massive feast.
- Unparodied: Bob orders a large amount of food with a diet Coke, and it is treated as a normal occurrence without any comedic exaggeration or mockery.
- Untwisted: It initially seems like Bob is going to order a diet Coke, but he surprises everyone by ordering a regular soda instead, sticking to his unhealthy choices.
- Deconstructed: Bob's belief that a diet Coke can counterbalance his unhealthy food choices is explored in depth, revealing the flawed logic and potential consequences of relying on this notion.
- Reconstructed: After the deconstruction, the narrative presents a revised understanding of the trope, highlighting how moderation and a well-rounded diet are more effective than relying solely on a diet soda to justify unhealthy eating habits.
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