Diet Soda

RodHudson1229

How do you all feel about it? I love my diet soda especially working night shift but it does seem to lead me down a bad road at times. diet soda from machine and well maybe that payday isn't so bad?

ninerbuff

I've drank diet soda for over 25+ years now. Have not suffered ANY of the so called maladies that people are supposed to succumb to from drinking it. Of course I'm not drinking a case or two a day either.

Get ready to hear about the "chemicals" in it. Not like there isn't chemicals in water either...................oh wait there is water in diet soda. Oh and how the acid will jack your teeth up...........if you have bad hygiene. And how formaldehyde forms.......................just like when you eat citrus fruits.

Personally I use it to sweeten things up without the expense of higher calories. I'd rather use them on food.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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RodaRose

Diet soda is fine. For night shift bring foods that you like and that will help you get through the night. In other words, plan better so that you have enjoyable foods that fit into your plan.

malibu927

Buy your soda and don't even look at the snack machine, or bring it in with you so you aren't tempted. I drink one a day, sometimes more, and I'm losing fine.

rebeccaEsmith

I have one diet coke a day 300ml and im still losing weight

SherryTeach

In my whole life, I have never suffered any ill effects from drinking diet soda.

MamaBirdBoss

Bring your diet soda from home and save some money. Your only problem is wasting money at the machine.

peter56765

Been drinking it for 20+ years. Zero issues. I drank it when I was overweight and I continue to drink it now that I'm not.

Not a very interesting story, although I suspect it represents the vast majority of consumers. The news media prefers to report on statistical outliers, like those who drink 4 cases a day or people who have rare digestive disorders or how rats or squirrels or muskrats respond to drinking it.

MonkeyMel21

I don't drink pop at all unless it's a coke with rum in it. And I tried getting diet coke to mix with my rum and I'd rather just drink the rum straight.

DuckReconMajor

I don't like how sweet soda is and diet soda always tasted sweeter to me for some reason so I don't like the taste.

But to my knowledge there is no issue with drinking it. Most of the "x sweetener causes cancer etc." have been debunked or not truly proven, and the studies saying "people who drink diet soda get fatter/dont lose weight" are typically flawed.

I had an older teacher in high school who pretty much mainlined diet coke, she seemed very happy and healthy, if a bit thin, though that is to be expected at her age. We found an old picture of her where she looked about 300 lb. So apparently it worked for her.

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

I don't drink pop at all unless it's a coke with rum in it. And I tried getting diet coke to mix with my rum and I'd rather just drink the rum straight.

Hah yes! why would you ruin good rum like that?! though i'd rather have it straight than mixed with anything, other than maybe a bit of water

Ninkyou

Love it.

nichalsont

Never could get used to the taste of diet sodas. Pretty much gave up the real thing too except on rare occassions. If any chemicals are going to get me, it will be Saccharin. I use it in my tea and coffee daily.

_incogNEATo_

This is going entirely too smooth. Neither are bad OP. I enjoy a diet coke or diet grape soda on occasion with peanuts IN the bottle. So we're not so different, you and I.

clh72569

I have had diet coke for about 40 years; when I was overweight and now lighter. I have had no problems. I find if I plan my snacks better I don't raid the vending machine.

Unknown

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GreenValli

Many of the warnings about the effects of diet soda and even regular soda are long term effects, for example the big one; bone loss. I drank diet soda when I was younger and I believe it never hindered me from losing weight, but probably helped just due to less calories.

Also, I am thinking I am older than anyone else that has posted here so far.

A few years ago I had a bunion removed from one of my feet. The doctor made a comment that my bone was softer than it should be for my age. I know that women do lose bone density, but he did say "for your age". I do not have bone loss to an extent for it to be considered osteoporosis, but now I do watch that I more calcium, and I sure drink a lot less diet soda now. I will be honest, just one occasionally. I have a daughter who is an R.N. who will not touch the stuff.

It may or may not catch up to you, but it you are drinking a lot, you may consider quitting, or cutting back at least. There sure are a lot of other good tasting drinks these days.

Kalikel

Don't need the salt.

Don't need the aspartame (and not everyone is in agreement that's it's even safe)

Don't miss the way it made me want to eat and eat.

Really don't miss the caffeine withdrawal headaches.

But it was nice to pop open a cold, fizzy drink.

Water and some fruit - just as refreshing, but no fizz.

sup3rb3ast

I used to buy into all that crap that is spewed about how horrible it is for you. Annnnnd... I was miserable without it. I have managed to lose weight while drinking diet soda and without it, so I have concluded that it makes no difference. Many times when I want something sweet, I will grab a diet soda instead of chocolate which is and save myself the calories while still enjoying something.

ManiacalLaugh

I had a coworker that began having seizures they believed were tied into her diet soda habit - BUT - she drank at least a six pack a day (sometimes two on the weekend). Seriously, she used to buy pallets of the stuff and keep it in her basement. I'm not discounting the idea that diet soda might cause some harm in one way or another, but I'm convinced that you'd have to drink it in volumes like this. Even the "rat studies" that they did to prove the harmful nature of artificial sweetners were flawed and involved huge amounts that a normal person would never consume.

So - I drink one or two cans a week. Usually, it's a Friday afternoon treat. Occasionally, I treat myself on a Monday when I'm having a tough time swinging back into my work schedule. I've never had any ill effects whatsoever - except that relying on soda keeps me from drinking my quota of water, which is the only reason I limit my intake.

peter56765

Kalikel wrote: »

Don't need the salt.

Why does this myth persist? A can of Diet Coke has around 40 mg of sodium which accounts for a paltry 2% of a recommended total of 2000 mg per day. Nobody is having sodium problems because they drink diet soda.

NikiChicken

Love it. Drink it daily. I've lost 94 pounds drinking it daily and getting a candy bar to go along with it doesn't ever even cross my mind. Diet soda is not evil. If you like it, drink it. If it causes problems for you, then don't drink it. Simple as that.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

peter56765 wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

Don't need the salt.

Why does this myth persist? A can of Diet Coke has around 40 mg of sodium which accounts for a paltry 2% of a recommended total of 2000 mg per day. Nobody is having sodium problems because they drink diet soda.

Agreed. Using salt as a reason to avoid diet soda is completely ridiculous. It has about as much sodium as plain tap water.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

OP, I love diet soda. It has helped me curb cravings for sweets in a pinch, and it's just an enjoyable addition to my everyday intake when I drink it in moderation. I don't drink more than a can or so a day (if that) just because I don't always buy it since it's expensive. But I don't feel any guilt or shame if I drink it, and I'm certainly not worried about the dodgy claims of its "dangers." Fear mongering isn't my style.

If you like it, drink it. If you don't like it, don't drink it. Just don't listen to people who are afraid of it because it contains chemikillz that they don't understand.

Lleldiranne

I think there's nothing wrong with a can or two a day. I like the fizz, and the caffeine is helpful for some people (people on night shift, like you, for example).

I agree with those who said bring your own from home. There's a couple of benefits - you avoid seeing the Payday in the candy machine, you have a greater variety and can be sure what you want is with you, and it costs a lot less. If you pay $5 for a case of 12 (that seems to be the average non-sale price around here), it's still just 42 cents per can, which is a lot less than vending machines.

nvmomketo

I stopped drinking it although it is a favourite food, or non-food. It isn't a natural substance - not a real food. I know many people will now say we eat lots of non-foods and chemicals but I think that comes from a play on words. Pop is not something hmans have evolved to eat and I think I am better off without out.

I stopped because I am trying to treat some health issues with food as well as lose weight, which I find very difficult with sweets around. My situation will not apply to others. I'm sure there are people who can drink pop and have no side effects, just like I know smokers of 30 years who have no health issues, heavy drinkers (compared to average) who are perfectly healthy, and people who eat sugary treats everyday yet appear slim and healthy.

I don't think there is a one size fits all diet. For me, pop is off my foods list. Do whatever works for you. If you find diet soda is leading to snacking, you might want to drop it. I switched to carbonated water with lemon and spinach, avocado, kiwi smoothies. It helps me not miss the pop as much.

Best wishes.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I've drank diet soda for decades, and lots of it. I drank it when I was gaining and as I've lost weight.
-It has zero calories, so I don't need to worry about that.
-It has water in it, which hydrates you (yes, studies have shown that your body DOES use water from carbonated and caffeinated diet soda).
-There have been more than 100 studes dones about aspartame (it may actually be the most studied substance regulated by the FDA). The 2 studies that show all kinds of health problems were done by a former doctor (her medical license was revoked) who did not use proper controls and testing to be used for anything. Even if you use the junk data, it doesn't actually conclude that there are risks for people who consume asapartame. So her conclusions didn't match even the inflated empirical results.
*There are some who have a rare genetic disorder that should avoid aspartame.

Most diet sodas are switching to Splenda these days anyway. Splenda is actually natural sugar, but with an atom removed so that your body is unable to absorb it. It just passes through, and thus represents 0 calories still.

OK, so now that I've gotten past that....

I drink a lot of diet soda. In fact, I think I'm addicted. I would like to decrease soda consumption for 2 reasons:
1. To save money. I can easily afford diet soda, but this would free up some extra cash... who doesn't want that?! But I don't want this badly enough to suffer through trying to quit.
2. I hate feeling like I need to have it. I don't like to be dependent on this substance, and I fear what would happen if I were unable to access diet soda for an extended period of time.

I'm not sure if I'll ever decrease consumption or quit, just because it is stressful... maybe when I have less stress otherwise in my life, I might try to quit.

angell2277

A couple of years ago. I was not losing so my friend suggested stop all diet soda, Nutrasweet and Spelenda in any form. Gave it up for three weeks. I did not lose a pound so I went back to all of it.

tesha_chandler

I love my diet Dr Pepper!! I have heard that drinking diet sodas can actually hinder weight loss. I've never actually looked into that nor did it cause me any issues, though. But we all know that "water is best"

T1DCarnivoreRunner

tesha_chandler wrote: »

I love my diet Dr Pepper!! I have heard that drinking diet sodas can actually hinder weight loss. I've never actually looked into that nor did it cause me any issues, though. But we all know that "water is best"

My understanding of why it supposedly hinders weight loss is because there is a belief that sweet taste (even at 0 calories) causes hunger. Based on that belief, people who drink diet soda will over-eat and cannot lose weight.

If someone is accurately tracking calorie intake, then the whole theory (that sweet taste = unknowing over-consumption) doesn't hold water.

pmm3437

The biggest concern with diet soda as it pertains to weight loss, is the fact it produces the same chemical triggers in the body as a regular soda or other high sugar item. You get the high, followed shortly by the crash, and the crash tends to cause ppl to crave and overeat.

How well you handle cravings will determine what you should do concerning allowing or limiting your intake.

As to health concerns due to artificial sweeteners or other additives, that is a whole different story. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist, and I dont keep up on the latest info, so I can't tell you which ones they have reclassified as poisons or safe this week.

Since they're constantly changing their recommendations on everything, and just about anything these days has some kinda chemical additive in it, your gonna get exposed to something that causes an increased risk of some medical issue like every 15 mins, and theres nothing you can do about it. Since it's impossible ( at least practically ) to get away from it, it just ends up being more useless noise/chatter, and I ignore it.

1princesswarrior

I miss it, there is nothing wrong with it.

I get bad migraines and when I stopped drinking diet soda with aspartame my headaches decreased. Otherwise I would still be drinking it. Unfortunately anything sweetened with aspartame triggers migraines for me so I have to watch all foods that are artificially sweetened.