History Main / AndADietCoke

Despite being a staple joke on obesity and hypocrisy (especially the trusted [[{{Eagleland}} "Americans are fatasses"]] routine), it happens in RealLife for various legitimate reasons. Diabetics may not be concerned about their intake of savories but must watch their sugar. Some people might also just ''prefer'' the taste of diet sodas. For instance, Diet Coke has its own distinct formula and tastes vastly different from regular Coca-Cola, and many people prefer it for being less sweet. Finally, even from the much-mocked calorie intake standpoint it actually does make sense -- a 1,000-calorie gut bomb with a diet soda may be silly on its face, but it's [[LesserOfTwoEvils still relatively better]] than a 1,200-calorie meal with a regular soft drink! A heavy soda drinker can see a tremendous benefit from cutting those calories, as soft drinks are the biggest source of sucrose and fructose in fast food. Also, unless the comedic effect stems from the juxtaposition of ordering large number of sugary foods and a sugar-free soda, a large meal with 'diet' drink is common among people working on muscle building, who tend to eat a lot of fats and proteins while limiting the intake of carbohydrates.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': In "Upgrades", the team's metabolisms are vastly accelerated due to alien armbands they're wearing, so they break out of the Mountain in search of protein. Jack orders three steaks and a baked potato, Daniel [[IllTakeTwoBeersToo orders the same but with four steaks]], and Sam orders the same again (so, four steaks with baked potato) but additionally with french fries. Oh, and a diet soda. Seeing the looks Jack, Daniel and the waitress are giving her, she protests "I like the taste better!"

* Creator/MarvelComics once did a gag issue of its ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' title, featuring short gags of a single page or less. [[https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1666447.html One gag]] was "What If [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] had an eating problem instead of a drinking problem?" The first panel shows an overweight Stark telling his date he can stop eating anytime he wants to, then he gives the waiter his order: "I'll have a ''cow'', medium rare. And a Tab."

* A sketch on ''Series/TheOssieOstrichVideoShow}}'' had Ossie asking for 25 sugars in his cup of tea before adding "...but don't stir it. I hate anything sweet."

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Cyborg does this at an entirely meat based restaurant. He orders multiple ''combo meals'' in rapid succession, then stops and asks for a diet soda. But when told they do not have soda (only meat), he simply asks for a cup of meat juice. Being part cyborg as well as in shape makes this lesser than most examples.

This is a standard comedic effect used in various media to emphasize the overindulgence that came before. In various talk shows that featured exceptionally obese people, they would often show a fast food customer ordering an exceptionally large meal including multiple sandwiches, fries and desserts, and concluding with, "and a Diet Coke.".

* Also done in ''Film/TrueRomance'' when Christian Slater's character goes to buy "the two biggest, fattest burgers" a burger stand has, two chili fries… and a Diet Coke.

* In ''Film/NuttyProfessorIITheKlumps'', Sherman's mother mentions her latest diet: You can eat as much as you want, as long as you also drink lots of grapefruit juice to help digest it. Presumably she thought the citric acid would destroy the food completely. This diet exists outside the movie. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_diet No shit.]]

Despite being a staple joke on obesity and hypocrisy (especially the trusted [[{{Eagleland}} "Americans are fatasses"]] routine), it happens in RealLife for various legitimate reasons. Diabetics may not be concerned about their intake of savories but must watch their sugars. Some people just ''prefer'' the taste of diet sodas (Diet Coke, for instance, tastes very different from classic Coca-Cola; in fact, the infamous New Coke used a slightly altered version of the Diet Coke formula). Finally, even from the much-mocked calorie intake standpoint it actually does make sense -- a 1,000-calorie gut bomb with a diet soda may be silly on its face, but it's [[LesserOfTwoEvils still relatively better]] than a 1,200-calorie meal with a regular soft drink! A heavy soda drinker can see a tremendous benefit from cutting those calories, as soft drinks are the biggest source of sucrose and fructose in fast food. Also, unless the comedic effect stems from the juxtaposition of ordering large number of sugary foods and a sugar-free soda, a large meal with 'diet' drink is common among people working on muscle building, who tend to eat a lot of fats and proteins while limiting the intake of carbohydrates.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* In ''VideoGame/PapasHotDoggeria'' Big Pauly's standard order is a kielbasa loaded with everything under the sun, a large box of [[BlandNameProduct Candy Jack]] and a large Diet Fizzo.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[folder:Sports]]
* During an episode of NBA Open Court, a question was asked about what the panel used to eat before a basketball game. Notably, Charles Barkley said he used to have "a [=McDonald's=] fish fillet, a large fries, a milkshake, and a Diet Coke, and that's how I kept my girlish figure" before games early in his career. Mark Jackson, too.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* UsefulNotes/BillClinton often went to UsefulNotes/McDonalds and ordered a huge, fattening meal with a small diet soda; notoriously, he even did so while on the way back to TheWhiteHouse ''on a jog''. Of course, it ultimately didn't work in the end, considering how his eating habits led to him requiring open heart surgery in 2004. He eventually went vegan.
* UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump reportedly subsisted on fast food and Diet Coke while on the 2016 campaign trail. He was rumored to have installed a button to request Diet Coke in the Oval Office during his presidency. Even now, he continues to eat fast food on a regular basis.
* Diabetics will order fast food and then get a diet soda, since the carbs in the food are usually much lower on the glycemic index than the carbs in regular soda.
* ''Food Insider'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsofSoht7TQ shows]] that, of 1600 kcals contained in an average US Burger King's Large Whopper meal, 510 kcal or almost a third is from the drink. Switching to sugar-free drink would shave most of those calories away to the single digits.
* In the behind-the-scenes ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' documentary ''6 Days to Air'', Creator/{{Trey Parker|AndMattStone}} admits that he powers himself with [=McDonalds=] during production. He can be seen chowing down on large orders while taking cans of Coke Zero from his minifridge.
* Certain diets (such as Atkins and Keto) involve eating high-fat foods without carbs or sugar in order to force the body to burn fat rather than store it "for later". Keto cookbooks are therefore piled high with sumptuous, high-fat goodies, but not a grain of processed sugar or crumb of wheat to be found. If someone on such a diet insists on soda, they drink diet soda by nescessity. The process, called Ketosis, can be disrupted by a single wheat/sugar treat a week.
[[/folder]]

* Played straight as an arrow by [[FatBastard Big Smoke]] in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' when CJ and the Grove Street gang visit a fast food drive-through in one of the very first missions. Except he doesn't even bother with the "diet" part, ordering a large soda instead.

* Certain diets (such as Atkins and Keto) involve eating high-fat foods without carbs or sugar in order to force the body to burn fat rather than store it "for later". Keto cookbooks are therefore piled high with sumptuous, high-fat goodies, but not a grain of processed sugar or crumb of wheat to be found. If someone on such a diet insists on soda, they drink diet soda by nescessity. The process, called Ketosis, can be disrupted by a single weat/sugar treat a week.

** That being said, this might not be a good idea in some cases. One of the most popular artificial sweeteners, aspartame (sometimes known under the brand names [=NutraSweet=] or Equal), has to carry a warning for people who suffer the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (an issue metabolizing the amino acid phenylalanine, which is a component of aspartame). There are plenty of other artificial sweeteners, such as sodium saccharin (brand name Sweet-n-Low, which required a warning label until its safety was proven in the 1990s); cyclamate; acesulfame potassium (also known as ace-K); natural extracts of Stevia and Monkfruit; and invert sugars sucralose (invert sucrose, brand name Splenda) and psicose (invert fructose, brand name Allulose).

** That being said, this might not be a good idea in some cases. One of the most popular artificial sweeteners, aspartame (sometimes known under the brand names [=NutraSweet=] or Equal), has to carry a warning for people who suffer the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (an issue metabolizing the amino acid phenylalanine, which is a component of aspartame). There are plenty of other artificial sweeteners, such as sodium saccharin (which required a warning label until its safety was proven in the 1990s); cyclamate; acesulfame potassium (also known as ace-K); natural extracts of Stevia and Monkfruit; and invert sugars sucralose (invert sucrose, brand name Splenda) and psicose (invert fructose, brand name Allulose).

* On an episode of the ''Series/MadTV1991'' sketch ''Reality Check'' that had Michael Jackson as its "celebrity guest," co-host Belma Buttons does this.

* On an episode of the ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' sketch ''Reality Check'' that had Michael Jackson as its "celebrity guest," co-host Belma Buttons does this.

* UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump reportedly subsisted on fast food and Diet Coke while on the 2016 campaign trail. Even now, he continues to eat fast food on a regular basis.

* ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'': ''Literature/TheBandsOfMourning'' has a variation: Wax, in order to use [[NotQuiteFlight his powers]], needs to drink steel flakes in a non-aqueous solution in order to be effective in combat. He prefers whiskey. His wife, Steris, prefers [[IAteWhat cod liver oil]].

%%* Done in ''Film/ACinderellaStory''.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Spawn}}'' during one episode, has this between detectives Twitch and his obese partner Sam. After the two talk about Fat Tony and the mob, Sam sends Twitch out on a doughnut run:
-->'''Twitch''': "Your usual dozen Sir?"
-->'''Sam''' "Half that, you know I'm on a diet."

[[caption-width-right:250:"I'm sure to lose weight now!"]]

* A 2013 scientific study found that use of artificial sweeteners can help diabetics control blood sugar, but found no link between use of artificial sweeteners and weight loss. Other studies warn of possible links between overuse of artificial sweeteners and some forms of cancer.
** The common sweetener aspartame (brand name [=NutraSweet=]) is known to be harmful to people with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (intolerance of the amino acid phenylalanine), and has been suspected of causing neurological issues in otherwise healthy humans.
** Another common artifical sweetener, Saccharin (brand name Sweet'n Low), was once linked to bladder cancer in the 1970s, and in the United States was forced to carry a warning label. Revisits of the studies that led to that conclusion resulted in the warning being rescinded in 2001.

* Some studies have even found a correlation between consumption of diet soda and weight gain. One possible reason is that diet soda drinkers still consume other high-calorie foods.

This is a standard comedic effect used in various media to emphasize the overindulgence that came before. In various talk shows that featured exceptionally obese people, they would often show a fast food customer ordering an exceptionally large meal including multiple sandwiches, fries and desserts, and concluding with, "and a Diet Coke."