We've sunk to a new low

Advertisers REALLY think we are dumb. In the past week or so, I've noticed two billboards on my way to and from work. One sits at about NB I-35 and Roe Lane. It says something like "Bacardi and Diet Cola: 0 carbs." The other sits at SB I-35 and Metcalf Ave. It's for Michelob Ultra and says something like "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle", alongside which is a person running in the snow and then again in the foreground visibly showing muscle definition through his shirt. This is obviously a result of the Atkins/Low-Carb craze.

My sister-in-law sells pharmaceuticals to local doctors and has spoken to them about Atkins. She says that it's really only meant for people in late stages of severe cardiac disease. The diet itself puts such a tax on the body, it's meant only as a last resort. For most people, the best diet advice is reduce caloric intake and add exercise. The idea that ALCOHOL can a diet food is ridiculous. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat (9 cal/gm) and almost twice as much as carbs (4 cal/gm). Besides, Bacardi and Diet cola? You've got to be kidding me. And honestly who drinks a crappy beer and then goes running through the snow?

Yes, I'm sure you're about to say "but you don't have to diet because you have this insane metabolism." Currently that's the truth, but I have no illusions about my physique. I guarantee I won't be eating the 20-oz porterhouse steak, washing it down with a Michelob Ultra, and finishing dinner with a Bacardi and diet-cola when I go on a diet.