The Middle Way: What Diet Pepsi Can Teach Us About Sustainable Health
What if the habit holding you back is also helping you hold it together?
By Coach Cierra Bloom — The Holistic Tweakologist | Black Flag Strength & Conditioning
Two Things Can Be True at Once
Someone recently shared something with me that got me thinking.
He wants to lose weight.
He wants more energy, to feel better in his body, and to start taking better care of himself.
But there’s one thing he’s not particularly excited about changing.
Diet Pepsi.
And not just because he likes the taste.
Life has been stressful. Really stressful. And somewhere in the middle of everything he’s navigating, that Diet Pepsi has become a small source of comfort.
Something familiar. Something enjoyable. Maybe even one of the few moments in his day that feels like it’s just for him.
Depending on who you ask, there are two predictable responses.
“It’s diet soda. It has basically no calories. Drink it and move on.”
Or…
“If you’re serious about getting healthy, you need to cut that stuff out.”
But what if neither extreme is the most helpful answer?
What if there’s something to learn from both?
1 — The Middle Way Isn’t About Being Right or Wrong
In health and fitness, we tend to approach things as opposites.
Good foods. Bad foods.
Discipline. Excuses.
Progress. Failure.
But people don’t exist in neat little categories.
And neither does health.
That Diet Pepsi might genuinely bring someone comfort during a difficult season of life.
And it might also be a habit worth examining as they work toward better health.
Both can be true.
One doesn’t automatically invalidate the other.
The middle way isn’t about finding a perfect compromise between two extremes. It’s about understanding where you are, what you need, and which direction will actually move you toward your goals.
Sometimes that means more structure.
Sometimes more flexibility.
Sometimes pushing harder.
Sometimes pulling back.
The answer depends on the person, their circumstances, and their capacity to adapt.
2 — Sometimes the Habit Isn’t the Whole Problem
My first instinct as a coach isn’t to take away the Diet Pepsi.
But it’s not to ignore it either.
It’s to get curious.
How much are you drinking?
When do you reach for it?
Is it the caffeine? The taste? The routine? The five minutes of peace?
What else helps you manage stress?
And what would happen if we took it away tomorrow?
Because habits don’t develop in isolation.
Research shows that stress can shift behavior toward familiar, habitual responses rather than deliberate, goal-directed decisions [1].
And the more consistently we repeat a behavior in a familiar context, the more automatic it can become [2].
Think about it.
Stressful day → familiar habit → temporary relief.
Repeat that enough times, and the behavior becomes something we reach for almost without thinking.
Now, Diet Pepsi itself isn’t automatically preventing weight loss. It’s a low-calorie beverage, and research suggests replacing sugar-sweetened drinks with low- or no-calorie alternatives can support modest improvements in weight management [3].
But that doesn’t mean every aspect of the habit is helping.
Caffeine, sleep, hydration routines, and our reliance on certain behaviors for emotional relief may still deserve attention.
The question isn’t simply whether a habit is good or bad.
It’s whether that habit, within the context of your life, is helping you become who you’re trying to be.
3 — Behavior Change Is a Form of Progressive Overload
Here’s where strength training gives us a useful lesson.
When someone starts lifting weights, we don’t immediately hand them the heaviest barbell possible.
We assess their starting point.
Introduce an appropriate challenge.
Allow recovery.
Then gradually increase the demand as their capacity improves.
That’s progressive overload.
Too little challenge, and progress may be limited.
Too much, too soon, and the system can become overwhelmed.
So why do we approach lifestyle changes differently?
Why do we expect someone already overwhelmed by work, relationships, responsibilities, and stress to suddenly eliminate their favorite foods, exercise six days a week, meal prep everything, and completely transform their routine?
Then call it a lack of discipline when they can’t sustain it?
Maybe the problem isn’t motivation.
Maybe the demand exceeds their current capacity.
The same general principle applies to building habits.
Research on habit formation shows that automaticity develops through consistent repetition, with considerable variation in how long that process takes [2].
Meaningful change requires intention.
But lasting change also requires an appropriate starting point.
4 — What Would I Actually Do?
I’d start small.
Maybe we begin by identifying when and why he reaches for Diet Pepsi.
Maybe we experiment with replacing one serving, choosing a caffeine-free alternative, or creating another small ritual that provides a similar sense of relief.
And while we’re doing that?
We’re building healthier habits elsewhere.
Strength training twice a week.
A ten-minute walk after dinner.
More consistent meals.
Better sleep.
A little more attention to recovery.
Physical activity alone offers meaningful physical and mental health benefits, and even small amounts are better than none [4].
None of these changes requires someone to become a completely different person overnight.
Over time, maybe he finds he doesn’t need as much Diet Pepsi.
Or maybe he still enjoys one every day, but now it’s a conscious choice rather than an automatic response to stress.
Either way, we’ve made progress.
Because the goal was never simply to win a battle against a can of soda.
It was to build a healthier relationship with his habits, his body, and himself.
The Bigger Picture — The Middle Way Isn’t the Easy Way
This approach doesn’t mean avoiding difficult changes.
Sometimes growth requires discomfort.
Sometimes we need to recognize that something providing short-term relief may not be serving our long-term goals.
But there’s a difference between intentional discomfort that supports growth and unnecessary suffering from trying to change everything at once.
The middle way isn’t about staying comfortable forever.
It’s about learning when to push, when to pull back, what to hold onto for now, and what we’re ready to release.
It’s recognizing that health isn’t a destination somewhere between two extremes.
It’s a continual process of adjustment.
So here’s something to think about:
What’s one habit you’re holding onto because of what it gives you?
What purpose does it serve?
And what’s one small change you could make that moves you toward your goals without ignoring where you are right now?
Because maybe the answer isn’t found at either extreme.
Maybe it’s somewhere in the middle.
And maybe that middle isn’t a fixed destination at all.
Maybe it’s the practice of continually finding balance between where you are, what you need, and who you’re becoming.
🏴 Built on precision. Driven by human potential.
Coach Cierra Bloom
Movement & Performance Coach | Holistic Tweakologist
Black Flag Strength & Conditioning
References
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Schwabe, L., & Wolf, O. T. (2009). Stress prompts habit behavior in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(22), 7191–7198. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0979-09.2009
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Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674
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McGlynn, N. D., et al. (2022). Association of low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages as a replacement for sugar-sweetened beverages with body weight and cardiometabolic risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(3), e222092. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.2092
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Adding physical activity as an adult.https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/adding-adults/