Apparently people feel like soda is the reason why they are overweight. So what should you do? Stop drinking soda or build a diet and exercise regimen and enjoy a soda now and then.

Balance is the essential word here.
If you only eat unhealthy things you enjoy then your body is going to react the way it does. Your body requires energy to function. We eat and drink to satisfy that demand. Our brain has a reward sensor that translates foods we like as rewards and so habits and addiction can form.

The energy we give our body is used throughout the day but if we don't move around then our body doesn't use all of that energy. Instead the energy is saved as fat to use for later. If you constantly give your body more than what it needs or uses bad on your life style then the weight will pile on.

I know this because it happens to me.  I have an inner struggle with maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine. When I follow it, I feel empowered and energized. However one day a craving will come and that door opens me to my habits and I slip back into that place of constantly giving my brain the reward it wants.

When I notice I've gained back the weight I've worked hard to keep off it motivates me to get back on track....for a while.

This is a constant struggle and it's hard to over come. As I write this I have a soda. A sweet delicious can of root beer.  Do I feel guilty?  Yes. It motivated me to write this. Will I drink another sip? Yes because life is short and I want to savor it.

But giving into temptation all the time every time leads me to feeling more uncomfortable with my body image than it makes me feel good in the 5 seconds it's in my mouth.

So now decisions have to be made. We start the next cycle of good habits and we lie to ourselves that this time it will be different. The goal here isn't to be perfect but to try our best to do something good for our body and mind.

Enjoy the things you like that may not be good for you but also enjoy working hard to make your body a better body.

A lot of people blame companies for their weight gain but are people really that ignorant?  You do realize that you choose to eat that food. You aren't forced to. Just because there's heroin being sold on the streets for $5 doesn't mean you're going to saddle up and start getting addicted to it. And if you do then please seek some help. 

Just because fatty foods and drinks exist doesn't mean you are required to eat them. There are delicious and healthy alternatives available. Surprisingly enough, not all of them are expensive.

Don't blame them for your poor choices. Blame yourself for a moment and discipline yourself by slowly making better choices. They will pay off. If you slip up and fall down it's not over. Just get up and try again.  The sooner we do right for our bodies the less problems we'll have to deal with when we're old.

We will all die someday but I want to leave this world knowing I've tried my best to be the best I can be.