Do Artificial Sweeteners Hinder Weight Loss? What Are Healthy Alternatives that Satisfy?

ballardf

I get conflicting info about artificial sweeteners. Do they hinder weight loss? I use them sparingly but I have to have them in certain foods and beverages, mainly coffee and oatmeal. I have one cup of coffee daily and drink water the rest of the day- no soda. Once in a while if eating out I'll have unsweetened iced tea. Im diabetic so I really have to monitor my sugar intake.

nosebag1212

no, cals in-cals out is EVERYTHING

paperpudding

No calorie ( or next to no calories, before somebody pedantic comes in and tells us there is 2 calories or something in a box of Equal) sweeteners will not hinder your weight loss.

There was a really good sticky on aspartame - not sure if stickies are still there with new format of forum.

maybebaby34

Artificial sweetners are so bad for you. They contribute to many health problems. They also trigger your body to crave more sugar. Hence over eating and then gaining. If you need sugar in drinks and oatmeal use Sweet leaf stivia drops. They even come in soda flavors to give water extea taste. Stevia wont cause spikes in your blood sugar like other sweetners will.

ballardf

Thanks maybebaby34. I'm lucky in the fact I've gotten over the sugar cravings. But I think will give the stevia drops a try tho. Thank You!!!

Liftng4Lis

No, they don't hinder your weight loss. Most of them taste icky though!

Sabine_Stroehm

That depends. Do they make you hungry, causing you to eat more? Do they affect your blood sugar levels?

ballardf

No Sabine_Stroehm. Niether. I only use it 1-2 times a day tho. Three packs of equal when I do use it.

MelodyandBarbells

I use Splenda in my coffee regularly and also only drink diet soda (no full sugar soda). Calories in calories out. No negative impact on weight loss, because if anything, I can still enjoy the things I like for little to no calories

EvgenyP

well you should keep on researching then, asking people on forums isn't going to yield you anything that is not conflicting. Obviously its nothing good, like obviously, but its not as bad as holding a cellphone beside your ear or taking birth control pills.

For some diet drinks might help w/ weight loss due to addiction, if you drop everything you'v had in the past you will have hard time staying on track.

Whatever works for you. Definitely being over 20%bodyfat for men and 30% for women is worse than drinking 200L of diet drink in 1 year for the purpose of losing weight. Its bad, but not as bad as many things you do in your life. One of them is sedentary lifestyle that some people have.

In my own experience and research that I have read, all artificial sweeteners including stevia increase insulin resistance, which will lead to diabetes. They did this test on mice and confirmed(dont ask for reference, google yourself), they never tested on humans afaik

MelodyandBarbells

And of course, researching won't give you conflicting info, either

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

Coolhandkid

I have a severe diet coke addiction. I found I eat more sugar on days when I drink more diet coke. I think there is something to what Maybebaby34 is saying as it has impacted me personally. When I stick to water I don't have any of those cravings. YMMV.

EvgenyP

Worst offender is air we breathe. Has much more bad stuff than aspartame. Look at hong kong for example.

maybebaby34

True some Stevia can spike insulin, but not in the quantity that artificial sweeteners can. Again like you said google and research are key. Not all stevia is treated equal. Many have additives too. Any product we consume should be research, & fit into our lifestyle. I cannot stand artificial sweeteners, agave, or even stevia. I do believe if you decide you need something that Stevia is the right choice. No one is asking him to run out and purchase their favorite. But when asking for advice, of course everyone will have an opinion.

GulfcoastAL

My paternal family is diabetic, so I'm at risk for it. They developed it despite working out and diet- both were thin.

I don't touch artificial sweeteners. They did. Sweet and Low (grandfather); Aspartame/ Splenda (father).

I still don't have diabetes and I'm 45. I use plain old sugar in my coffee and drink water, no sodas.

shadowjack1965

Avoid the fear blogs and decide for yourself. Here's two excellent discussions about it:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/

It's really all up to you. If you choose to eliminate all artificial sweeteners, good for you. If you choose, like I do, to still have a diet soda once in a while or have some Equal, then you can read here and realize there's no harm to your body unless you're in one of the rare categories like those mentioned in the second link.

Best of luck!

LeonCX

This theory is bogus. I have been using artificial sweeteners for 20 years! And I...oh, yeah, I'm still fat.

ballardf

Thanks everone for youe comments!! I'm not insulin dependent. I do a pill regimen twice daily. As stated earlier I was fortunate enough to get rid of the sodas, even diet, as I can't stand the taste of them. I will do the research!

malibu927

Eh, I had a sweet tooth long before I switched to diet soda. And I'm still losing.

HeidiCooksSupper

For some of us, sweet tastes pique our appetites and the extra-sweet tastes of artificial sweeteners have more of an effect than straight sugar. I am one of those people. If I want the out-of-control munchies, all I need is a Diet Coke and I'm off to the snack races. There is science showing that a goodly number of people have this reaction and need to avoid the artificial sweeteners to keep our eating under control.

ninerbuff

maybebaby34 wrote: »

Artificial sweetners are so bad for you. They contribute to many health problems. They also trigger your body to crave more sugar. Hence over eating and then gaining. If you need sugar in drinks and oatmeal use Sweet leaf stivia drops. They even come in soda flavors to give water extea taste. Stevia wont cause spikes in your blood sugar like other sweetners will.

Not according to peer reviewed clinical studies. This is a subject I'm well versed at and NONE of my clients have any issues with weight loss using it.
Where does it become a issue? IMO, when people think that drinking a 0 calorie drink is "saving" them calories and go off and eat because they believe 0 calories allows room for a lot more.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

maybebaby34 wrote: »

True some Stevia can spike insulin, but not in the quantity that artificial sweeteners can.

Please don't make inferences to untrue information. Why in the world would the ADA recommend diet soda as a alternative to drink if it spiked insulin?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Ragbunch wrote: »

My paternal family is diabetic, so I'm at risk for it. They developed it despite working out and diet- both were thin.

I don't touch artificial sweeteners. They did. Sweet and Low (grandfather); Aspartame/ Splenda (father).

I still don't have diabetes and I'm 45. I use plain old sugar in my coffee and drink water, no sodas.

Diabetes is more dependent on genetics and being well overweight, then consumption of sugar.
Over consumption of sugar and calories lead to being over weight which increases risk of diabetes.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

RedArizona5

maybebaby34 wrote: »

Artificial sweetners are so bad for you. They contribute to many health problems. They also trigger your body to crave more sugar. Hence over eating and then gaining. If you need sugar in drinks and oatmeal use Sweet leaf stivia drops. They even come in soda flavors to give water extea taste. Stevia wont cause spikes in your blood sugar like other sweetners will.

+1
On occasion its ok..i like diet lipton green tea in citrus flavor sometimes I ll get into a kick to have one pre workout for a week then its no artificial sweeteners at all …if I consume anymore than that -then it must be in gum/and or lightly sweetened food ….which is I will ever consume..-canNOT stand diet sodas-give me full sugar if i can't control the exact amount as a treat and let me move on

ndj1979

no, overeating hinders weight loss….

jdhcm2006

I've decided to step back form using Splenda. In the past, it didn't cause me any issues, but now I'm finding that on the days I use it, it causes me to eat more than on the days that I do not. I don't know why my body has decided to react this way to it, but I'm guessing that after a few years of use, my body built up a resistance to it or something. Who knows. I'll just go back to using sugar and honey to sweeten things up, and just account for the calories.

LabAgility

Also, do not take the idea that because somebody dodged the diabetes bullet in their family that their lifestyle prevented it. It is largely genetic roulette. My dad is overweight type 2, my mom is normal weight type 2, my brother is a fit guy who became type 1 at 30. Me? I am an overweight chick who had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies and at 38 am still not a diabetic. I check regularly with a glucometer and get my A1C checked, too.

By all rights I should have it.... But I don't. Go figure. And I do indulge in artificial sweeteners. So does my brother. My mom does rarely and my father never does. It is what it is.....

GulfcoastAL

ninerbuff wrote: »

Ragbunch wrote: »

My paternal family is diabetic, so I'm at risk for it. They developed it despite working out and diet- both were thin.

I don't touch artificial sweeteners. They did. Sweet and Low (grandfather); Aspartame/ Splenda (father).

I still don't have diabetes and I'm 45. I use plain old sugar in my coffee and drink water, no sodas.

Diabetes is more dependent on genetics and being well overweight, then consumption of sugar.
Over consumption of sugar and calories lead to being over weight which increases risk of diabetes.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition


[/quote

This recent study says there may be more to connect artificial sweeteners and Diabetes. Obviously, more research needs to be done. I'm glad I don't use any of it considering my family is genetically predisposed to Diabetes, despite being thin. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/17/artificial-sweetener-diabetes/15777225/

zenner22

This can be a touchy subject. I almost didn't post because I'm new here and don't want to participate in any debates. However, I do feel strongly about this one so I'm taking the risk and posting... A few years ago my husband started developing some very scary neurological problems. He was fainting, loosing sight for a minute at a time, his leg would feel weak and give out. He had horrible headaches etc. We spent thousands of dollars on medical tests (at first they though MS, then after ruling that out they thought brain tumor etc.) The doctors didn't know what was wrong and prescribed him a stong anti-seizure medicine to control his symptoms. The medicine had a horrifying list of side effects, but he was desperate.

Luckily a coworker of mine happened to bring in a case of diet sprite and said we could have them at the office because she realized artificial sweeteners were causing her headaches. A bell went off in my head, my husband had consumed so many artificial sweeteners since he had decided to lose weight. He switched from his 2 cokes a day to coke zero. He suddenly developed more of a taste for them and since they were guilt free he was drinking 3 or more a day and he had developed a taste for sugar free jello too. These habit had been going on for months before his health issues and continued as we sought medical advice. No Dr had ever asked him about what he was eating.

Turns out my husband had aspartame poisoning (it's a real thing.) When he presented the idea to our Dr she said "Oh yes, some people are very sensitive to artificial sweeteners." Since then we've immersed ourselves in the research and know how dangerous this stuff is. He was much better within 3 weeks of quitting aspartame and totally healthy within about 3 months.

I think only some people have sensitivity to artificial sweeteners and I'm sure it's safe-ish for most people. Personally, after seeing first hand the damage it can do I don't consume them.

I am in no way proposing that aspartame is more dangerous than obesity. Loosing weight is important and we need resources and alternatives in order to not feel deprived. We should just be aware of what we are putting into our bodies and be alert to any possible sensitivities.

Kalikel

These conversations remind me so much of the ones about cigarettes back when people were still saying that there was no evidence they were bad for you.

I don't use them at all anymore.

I do miss my diet pop, but I don't miss the caffeine and sodium issues. I'm glad I don't take in artificial sweeteners, too. One less thing to worry about.

MelodyandBarbells

I don't worry about them either