I don't eat those things, usually, because they either have aspertame or they just plain taste gross.

I wouldn't say that calories are the entire point of food. After all, food also provides us with many essential nutrients, and aren't a lot of nutrient-rich vegetables among the zero-point foods?

I realize, though, that you are primarily talking about junk foods that are processed to be sugar-free or fat-free, and those foods tend not to have many nutrients in them anyway. I'm not familiar with Weight Watchers, but I would hope that they teach people that junk food is junk food, regardless of how many calories it has.

And of course, there are also non-junk-food reduced-fat foods out there (particularly things like milk and yogurt) and I don't see how these foods are particularly problematic.

When I see a no/low/reduced/sugar/fat/carbs/protien item, I think it'll taste like chemicals and I give it a pass.

With regards to dairy, I can't eat it (lactose intolerance ftw!)

One of the lovely women in my office today informed me she has 24 weeks to lose 50 lbs or else she isn't going to Hawai'i, and therefore she can't look at my candy bar.

I'm still confused as to what my candy bar has to do with her going to Hawai'i.

The low-fat/fat-free versions usually don't keep me full as long. I will usually only buy these items if they are condiments or beverages (whether that's bad or good), because I don't need these things to fill me up. When I count calories I feel like I am hungry more often than when I just listen to my body. For me, the point is to try to eat from as many different food groups as I can in each meal (not excluding fat) and always get some protein and fiber. I feel like I am a normal-weight person, so I must be doing something healthy.

If it is a green vegetable, I give myself license to binge on it.

If, instead, I have a bag of reduced fat chips in front of me, I ave to remember that what I'm eating is still crap, just reduced fat crap.

It's definitely obvious that some people take diet-eating to the extreme. As a rule, I do opt for low-fat versions or sugar free versions of my favorite indulgences, but I still don't go overboard with them.

If it says Low Fat, it always seems to be high in calories (usually from HFCS), and if its Sugar Free, it either tastes gross or is full of chemicals or both. I do find it hilarious and hateful that food is now sold to us at a higher price for what it DOESN'T have in it; low fat cheese is more expensive than regular cheese, for instance. Years ago, people used to equate the value of food with its nutritional density; I think the sheer plentifulness of food now has swung things the other way. It took me a long time to train myself to eat natural, whole foods (and crowbar my wallet open to pay for them) rather than the poor imitations of treats so I could have them every day, but its worth it. And if I want a cookie, dammit, I'm eating a real cookie, not a whole box of low fat crap crackers!! And its always more satisfying, but it took a while to rewire my brain to remember that ahead of time.

That reminds me of part of the book Losing It by Laura Fraser (great read, even though it's quite dated now), about how so-called low-calorie and fat-free junk food is so not satisfying that one tends to binge on that food, instead of being content with a smaller portion. It's like comparing candy bars with true chocolate bars: I find that the former doesn't satisfy me, while the latter is satisfying with only a few pieces...

I'm also reminded of the time I ate at Subway and took the cookies in my trio. I didn't pay attention and accidently picked the Atkins cookies instead of the regular ones. It was horrible -- just couldn't eat them. And the girl wouldn't give me regular cookies when I realized my mistake.