Is Mio really a good idea?

cafeaulait7

I used to drink several Diet Pepsis throughout the day and lost weight totally fine. But then I got GERD, and there's no way I can drink all that acid! I wanted to be off them anyway, so I'm glad I don't crave them anymore.

I wouldn't be surprised if they find that drinking so much diet soda causes GERD, though. At very least, if people have to take NSAIDs (like I did), I don't recommend drinking much of those sodas. I know the NSAIDs probably caused my GERD, but it's not like the extra phosphoric acid helped.

Asher_Ethan

I've lost more weight drinking diet soda and eating at a deficit than I did drinking NO diet soda and eating totally, "Clean." Diet soda helps me when I get a sweet tooth.

Equus5374

I use a WalMart brand drink enhancer that has Stevia as the sweetener; it's the only thing that gets me to drink enough water. I just am not motivated enough to drink plain water unless I've been working out/running. I have flavored water with all my meals. I have no side effects and feel it's better to hydrate that way than not hydrate at all.

afatpersonwholikesfood

What drives me crazy are the ones who think that drinking water with Crystal Light or Mio in it is somehow "better" than diet soda. Same ingredients minus carbonation. Dunno where the logic is.

I was a water drinker growing up. We had Pepsi at dinner, and I would split one with my mom. That was it. I was still a fat kid. I grew up, met my husband, and picked up his crazy soda habit. I switched to diet several years ago while working on my weight. No, I didn't go to the drive through and order a Big Mac with a diet soda to even out the calories. Har har. One day, I discovered I could no longer stand the taste of regular cola. The weight came back, but the real sugar did not. That's when I started ordering upsized value meals with diet drinks, and saving calories had nothing to do with it.

I can easily go through a 2 liter of soda in a day. I still drink plain, icy water and enjoy it very much, by the way. I am pretty much always drinking something. I start with soda in the morning and switch every other glass sometimes. This is not a new habit by any means. I'll concede that it's possibly related to an oral fixation. At least my husband has nothing to complain about in that department. Joking aside, even if there is a behavior link (replacing food with beverage), I'm not looking for a cure for my food issues. I'm just looking to manage them in a livable way.

I will never give up diet soda. From time to time, I cut back purely for monetary reasons.

AnvilHead

"schwich13 wrote: »

...Science has shown that even the taste of sweet without any calories produces an insulin release, in anticipation of glucose. So if we flood our blood with insulin, guess what happens? Our blood sugar drops, which leads us where? To be hungry.
So even though we're well hydrated, are these water substitutes just causing us to eat more, either by physiology (insulin release), or through the habit of keeping our mouths and taste buds busy, or just because we like the sweet taste?...

Actually, the studies I've read (some of them linked through this article) indicate that artificial sweeteners have been shown not to stimulate insulin release, even in diabetics.

"schwich13 wrote: »

...When your blood sugar drops, you get hungry. Then you eat...

Leptin and ghrelin have a lot more to do with hunger signaling and satiety than blood sugar.

Strawblackcat

I don't personally like mio (I think it tastes pretty nasty) and I don't drink many soft drinks, but I think that zero calorie beverages are better than sugared beverages from a weight loss perspective. At the end of the day, they're still calories that you didn't drink. Calories obtained through drinks aren't registered well by the part of your brain that measures satiety anyway, so I'd be willing to bet that those people drinking mio and diet Pepsi an whatever else would still be eating the extra food that they do now, even if they had been drinking a regular coke instead of a diet one.

I find that I like artificially sweetened beverages sometimes when I'm hungry and I don't feel like drinking water to hold me over to the next meal. Carbonated ones and hot beverages are particularly nice since the carbonation fills your stomach a little more and the hot beverage forces you to sip and pace yourself rather than gulp.

robertw486

I've never tried Mio, but get tired of regular unflavored water. At times I even mix a little bit of iced tea into one of my water bottles when I go for a bike ride. And really if someone uses anything other than full calorie drinks to substitute and help them break the habit, a lot calorie flavored drink it still often the better choice overall.

I do see the point, some are just changing one habit for another. But if it's changing to a healthier habit, it's still change for the better IMO.

Wynterbourne

I absolutely loathe/abhor the taste of water. The only time I can tolerate drinking straight water is if I've been doing exercise pretty much to the point of collapse in the heat. If I didn't add a 'flavor enhancer' I'd probably never touch it. I also drink diet soda regularly. I've lost 40 lbs since July. I almost never crave sweets. It's been that way my whole life. Thanksgiving Thursday was the first time I have had any sweets in months. I personally don't believe that the fake sweeteners affect everyone the same way. It's not a guarantee. If it affects you that way, don't use them or be aware of possible cravings. If it doesn't affect you, great. Thankfully, personally, I can drink them constantly and I never get hungry or crave sweets as a result.

louislove17

I have been dieting on and off for years. I NEVER liked water, but hear me out- I always used to drink things like diet sodas and flavored waters. I would never be able to stick to a diet. For the past 2-3 months I have completely dropped those zero calorie flavored drinks to just drink only water, 1 cup coffee a day, and the occasional herbal tea. At first you're gonna have to make yourself like water, but you eventually will end up being fine and even like drinking it. its so much better for me. I feel healthier, my brain works better, I'm more energetic, and I'm able to control my cravings. I make sure to get AT LEAST 8 cups of 8oz water a day. It certainly has saved me money not buying artificially sweetened drinks! But that's just me. Never have been a fan of Mio though. Whatever works for others is great! I recommend water though lol.

pander101

I have tired Mio and honestly think it tastes disgusting. Have also tried other water additives and have just opted for plain water. I am also a diet pop enthusiast. But I find that it does NOT make me crave any sort of sweet foods or any foods for that matter. I also have have no found any evidence that these artificial sweeteners have any harmful effects on the body. Until a reliable peer-reviewed journal published results, I will keep drinking it.

amusedmonkey

You reminded me of the conversations I usually have with people around me. Such statements often confuse me because I have the exact opposite reaction to artificially sweetened drinks. Granted I don't drink them often, but once in awhile I would buy a 12 pack of diet 7Up cans and drink daily for a week or two. I find they actually curb my appetite and leave me feeling full because of they are carbonated. I also find I reach for sweet snacks less often because it feels like I've had my sweet fix for the day. So why do I not drink them every day if they make weight loss easier for me? Because I like tea more and get bored of soft drinks fast. Simple as that.

I wonder if using the "habit" argument is just an excuse to demonize artificially sweetened beverages. I mean no one around me comments on my habit of drinking a liter of unsweetened teas of all flavors and varieties every day, apparently beverages don't fuel a snacking habit until you add artificial sweeteners to them because as soon as someone sees a can of 7Up in my hand I'm suddenly "fueling old habits".

What's wrong with having a snacking habit anyway? It is not the snacking that leads to weight gain, but he consumption of too many calories. If someone is a grazer by nature, a full overhaul of habits is not needed and is often not well-tolerated long term. All that is needed is to consider the types and quantities of foods used for grazing making sure they don't put you over your calorie goal. Attempting a 180 is often one of the main reasons some dieters fail to last, because it's too extreme of a change.

Is it because they "replace" water? Not in my case, if anything they actually add to the water I already drink. I drink tea/diet soft drinks because I feel like it and I drink water because I'm thirsty. The two instances are completely separate to me. Nothing in existence can quench my thirst as well as water. I only found out that some people actually don't like water when I started communicating on the internet. The concept felt foreign to me at first. It sounded like someone saying "I don't like breathing air without an air freshener because I don't like the way it smells". I mean water to me has always been something that you drink without thinking or any kind of judgemental calls, just like breathing or going to the bathroom. Since then I have learned it's actually common not to like water. If that's the case for some people and artificially sweetened beverages help them quench their thirst then why not? They would still be getting the H2O their body needs, even if it comes packed with other flavors.

I believe people over-react to certain nutrition topics trying to micro-manage every aspect of weight loss when in reality not stressing about all the details and learning from your own experiences may be the best route for a smooth ride, regardless of the type of beverages you like, number of meals you prefer, snacking, carbs, fat, meal timing, exercise type/timing or any other micro-detail that highly depends on personal experience. Who is anyone to generalize a "one true way" of doing something when different people find success using different strategies?