Is my addiction to diet soda keeping the scale from moving?

Alioops831

I'm 5'5", 185 lbs. I lost 30 lbs between June 2012 and December 2012 by eating less calories and working out 5 days a week. After Christmas, I kept working out and eating less calories than I had when I was heavier, but the weight just wouldn't come off like it did before.

Now it's June of 2013 and I'm so frustrated. I'm burning calories like crazy every day (Turbo Fire) and eating about 1500-1800 calories a day, but the scale just isn't budging.

I don't drink water unless I'm working out. I drink Diet Mountain Dew. I'm beginning to wonder if my addiction to diet dew is keeping the weight on. What do you all think?

SteelySunshine

I think it is ridiculous. It's calories one way or another that is keeping the weight on. Get a check up to find out if you have a metabolic issue that could be making losing harder. There really isn't a reason on paper why you aren't losing.

PS I quite diet soda and artificial sweeteners for over 3 month's I didn't lose a single pound.

crippledvirgin

Well, diet soda is 0 calories, so it's not the soda. You could start by drinking a gallon of water a day. Just buy a jug of water and take it with you so keep motivated and know how much you're drinking.

shadow2soul

It is highly unlikely that it's the diet soda. I drink diet soda on a regular basis and I'm still losing weight.

tabfjo

I don't know what's keeping the scale from moving but I would take soda out of the equation all together. It has no health benefits! Look into clean eating. A great place to start is with Kelsey Byers' book "Eat Clean and Follow Your Dreams." In it she talks about how she really didn't see results until she changed her diet. Most trainers and nutritionists will tell you that becoming fit is 20% fitness, 80% diet.

JustPeachy044

I agree with the recommendation on clean eating. Really, have you read the ingredients in diet soda? Yuck.

shutupandlift13

Considering its 0 or negligible calories, its probably not the problem.

I would turn more to lack of understanding of daily caloric needs, inaccurate weighing or measuring of food, inconsistent logging, overestimation of caloric burns from exercise, very common mistakes that I too have made in the past. Focus on those things I listed and throw in a little bit about eating appropriate macronutrients for your goals and you will start seeing the weight drop, I'm sure.

shutupandlift13

Also, in for definitions of "clean eating" and how it leads to better results than simply caloric deficit and proper macro goals.

jamielynas

When I was anorexic I was drinking about 6 liters of diet coke a day, funnily enough the fact I wasn't eating seemed to have more impact

CrankMeUp

shutupandlift13

True story.

broscientist

In for definition of "Clean" eating as well.


If I spray my steak with Windex, Does that make it "clean"?

cmriverside

Are you logging all your food? Are you using a digital food scale to measure your portions?

It's really easy to make 300-800 calorie a day mistakes if you aren't.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Considering its 0 or negligible calories, its probably not the problem.

I would turn more to lack of understanding of daily caloric needs, inaccurate weighing or measuring of food, inconsistent logging, overestimation of caloric burns from exercise, very common mistakes that I too have made in the past. Focus on those things I listed and throw in a little bit about eating appropriate macronutrients for your goals and you will start seeing the weight drop, I'm sure.

This.

whierd

I agree with the recommendation on clean eating. Really, have you read the ingredients in diet soda? Yuck.

What does this even mean?

horselvr1

I have seen studies where diet sodas will keep you from meeting your weight loss goals. At first you may lose weight, but you will plateu. If you are 185 lbs you should drink about 93 ounces of water a day ( 1/2 your body weight in ounces is the rule). I was addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper for years, drinking as many as 100 ounces a day everyday! It has taken me a long time to stop drinking it and has been very hard. Somedays I still get a headache from the withdrawls but I know I'm healthier for not drinking them. If you have trouble drinking plain water try adding something to it like lemon. There are powders that you can add to bottled water also, just make sure to choose something that doesn't contain aspartame. hope this is helpful to you.

danasings

Are you logging all your food? Are you using a digital food scale to measure your portions?

It's really easy to make 300-800 calorie a day mistakes if you aren't.

QFT.

Mokey41

I have seen studies where diet sodas will keep you from meeting your weight loss goals. At first you may lose weight, but you will plateu. If you are 185 lbs you should drink about 93 ounces of water a day ( 1/2 your body weight in ounces is the rule). I was addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper for years, drinking as many as 100 ounces a day everyday! It has taken me a long time to stop drinking it and has been very hard. Somedays I still get a headache from the withdrawls but I know I'm healthier for not drinking them. If you have trouble drinking plain water try adding something to it like lemon. There are powders that you can add to bottled water also, just make sure to choose something that doesn't contain aspartame. hope this is helpful to you.

There is no rule to drinking any amount of water beyond enough to stay hydrated and it doesn't have to even be water, any fluid is fine. Diet sodas have been linked to problems with weight loss only because some people have an issue with artificial sweeteners making them crave more sweets.

Not losing weight especially when you have a lot to lose is either a medical issue or just not actually logging correctly.

ladynocturne

Are you netting 1500-1800 calories? Or 1500-1800 total?

mygrl4meee

I don't think its the diet soda. I drink enough to call it an addiction and haven't had trouble losing weight. However, I drink lots of water too.

broscientist

I have seen studies where diet sodas will keep you from meeting your weight loss goals.

That was an extremely poorly designed study.
The study just showed a correlation that people who drank regular soda, weighed less than people who drank diet soda. They came to a ridiculous conclusion that drinking diet soda was more conducive to being overweight than regular soda.

Correlation does not equal Causation.

The people who were heavier, was already that way independent of the soda consumption, It didn't occurred to them that people who were overweight tends to drink diet soda and that leaner individual tends to drink regular soda.

KathleenMurry

It may not be the diet soda directly BUT... it could be a) you aren't drinking enough water and the aspartame in diet soda is making your brain thing it's consuming sugar but it's not getting the sugar high it expects, which causes sugar cravings. Do you find yourself eating sweets or LOTS of fruit?

cwolfman13

First of all, it's not an addiction...it's a habit. Calling it an addiction is an insult to crack heads everywhere. And no...it's not the diet soda...it's your caloric intake...you are either underestimating intake and/or overestimating burn.

KathleenMurry

I would consider it an addiction, just not a severe one. Caffeine is a drug and most diet sodas have TONS of it. When I go a day without caffeine, I get headaches, shaky, can't concentrate....Once, after a few days without caffeine, I started hallucinating. Cats everywhere!!!

I wouldn't stop diet soda cold turkey, but you should cut it out. Try substituting one diet soda with a flavoured water every day. And gradually wean yourself off.

It's definitely not the only reason the scale isn't moving though. UNLESS it is causing you to eat a lot of sugar. Every time you lose a bit of weight, you should reevaluate your caloric needs. And, if you're continuing the same workout after 12 weeks, you'll plateau. You probably need to change or intensify your workouts.