I drink too much Diet Coke but it fills me up

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Racheldasilva174
Racheldasilva174 Posts: 87 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My family keeps telling me it will make me gain weight but it's 0 calories. I drink lots of water too. But Diet Coke is addicting. Anyone on here drink a lot?
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Replies

  • hec1985
    hec1985 Posts: 10 Member
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    It's the artificial sweeteners in diet coke. Studies have shown that those sweeteners have actually made people gain weight and have other health related problems.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Zero calories - you can't gain weight from zero calories. However - if you are drinking so much you're getting full and not getting the calories and nutrition you need that can be a problem. Make sure you're still eating actual food along with the diet coke - get your protein, fats and fiber, etc... Don't sacrifice your health and nutrition because you're too full of diet coke.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    You win on logic. Your diet coke is not filling you up. Continue to enjoy it, I say. Let your scale to the talking to the naysayers.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    hec1985 wrote: »
    It's the artificial sweeteners in diet coke. Studies have shown that those sweeteners have actually made people gain weight and have other health related problems.

    citation?
  • hec1985
    hec1985 Posts: 10 Member
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    I stand corrected, I haven't read the latest on the topic. Seems to me, and this is just my opinion after doing a little research, that drinking things like diet coke gives some people a false sense to get away with eating more which in turn can cause weight gain. Again just my opinion.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,583 Member
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    hec1985 wrote: »
    It's the artificial sweeteners in diet coke. Studies have shown that those sweeteners have actually made people gain weight and have other health related problems.
    No. You DON'T gain weight from 0 calorie sweeteners. You gain weight from eating too many calories. And if one isn't suffering from a health issue, what health related properties are you speaking of?

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited June 2016
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    hec1985 wrote: »
    I stand corrected, I haven't read the latest on the topic. Seems to me, and this is just my opinion after doing a little research, that drinking things like diet coke gives some people a false sense to get away with eating more which in turn can cause weight gain. Again just my opinion.

    In that case, the cause of the weight gain would be consuming more calories -- not drinking diet Coke. If someone doesn't understand how calories correspond to weight gain, the solution is a better understanding, not demonizing artificial sweeteners.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    I don't drink a lot, but I keep a box of Diet Coke with Lime at home to drink with Rum. A girl's gotta have some fun, right!
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited June 2016
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    There is some room for debate, but I read a study (and heard the same thing from my RD) that while diet drinks do not actually make you gain weight there is a physical effect drinking them has on your body . . . well actually, any item with artificial sweeteners will do the same thing.

    So artificial sweeteners (AS) trigger the release of insulin in your body but the drink itself isn't actually putting any sugar into your body, but since insulin helps to clear sugar from the blood stream this effect is still happening because of the AS. So this leads to low sugar levels in your body, and you feel hungrier. Also because your sugar levels are low your body's automatic response is to find food with simple carbs, which quickly increase your sugar levels, and those foods tend to be calorie dense so you actually end up eating more than you normally would, or even should.

    Again I am not saying this is absolute fact but this is how it was explained to me. So diet drinks do not directly lead to weight gain, but the physical effects of them can lead to higher caloric intake, which does lead to weight gain. So if you can control your caloric intake drinking them has zero effect on your life. I mean there isn't any nutritional benefit to them, but really if you have your CICO under control then there isn't any harm in it and drinking diet pops do not lead to weigh gain, just control your intake of calories like everything else.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    There is some room for debate, but I read a study (and heard the same thing from my RD) that while diet drinks do not actually make you gain weight there is a physical effect drinking them has on your body . . . well actually, any item with artificial sweeteners will do the same thing.

    So artificial sweeteners (AS) trigger the release of insulin in your body but the drink itself isn't actually putting any sugar into your body, but since insulin helps to clear sugar from the blood stream this effect is still happening because of the AS. So this leads to low sugar levels in your body, and you feel hungrier. Also because your sugar levels are low your body's automatic response is to find food with simple carbs, which quickly increase your sugar levels, and those foods tend to be calorie dense so you actually end up eating more than you normally would, or even should.

    Again I am not saying this is absolute fact but this is how it was explained to me. So diet drinks do not directly lead to weight gain, but the physical effects of them can lead to higher caloric intake, which does lead to weight gain.

    Do you have the links to these studies?? I drink diet soda and have had for a very long time and never had the need to eat more food because I was hungrier.
  • Montepulciano
    Montepulciano Posts: 845 Member
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    Just as an option, I gave up soda a few years back for various reasons. I find in the summer when I want something bubbly that Perrier works, either plain or flavored. Plus it gives a really good carbonated burp that I miss from my Diet Coke days. :D
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    There is some room for debate, but I read a study (and heard the same thing from my RD) that while diet drinks do not actually make you gain weight there is a physical effect drinking them has on your body . . . well actually, any item with artificial sweeteners will do the same thing.

    So artificial sweeteners (AS) trigger the release of insulin in your body but the drink itself isn't actually putting any sugar into your body, but since insulin helps to clear sugar from the blood stream this effect is still happening because of the AS. So this leads to low sugar levels in your body, and you feel hungrier. Also because your sugar levels are low your body's automatic response is to find food with simple carbs, which quickly increase your sugar levels, and those foods tend to be calorie dense so you actually end up eating more than you normally would, or even should.

    Again I am not saying this is absolute fact but this is how it was explained to me. So diet drinks do not directly lead to weight gain, but the physical effects of them can lead to higher caloric intake, which does lead to weight gain.

    Do you have the links to these studies?? I drink diet soda and have had for a very long time and never had the need to eat more food because I was hungrier.

    I can ask my RD for her links, as for my own research it was just information I read as I was surfing around. I can try to find them for you if you'd like.

    But as I said, if you can control you intake and you have a good relationship with your hunger signals then maybe you haven't experienced this.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    hec1985 wrote: »
    It's the artificial sweeteners in diet coke. Studies have shown that those sweeteners have actually made people gain weight and have other health related problems.

    The study showed that people with health problems, were over weight etc were drinking diet pop. Not that diet pop caused the problem. There is a difference. If you are over weight, you may turn to diet drinks as a replacement but they are not the cause
    Of the problem.
  • Emijanine
    Emijanine Posts: 158 Member
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    I think it is more the chemicals in ALL soft drinks that make them terrible for you. I like to add cucumbers and different fruits to my water to make it more tasty!
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    Emijanine wrote: »
    I think it is more the chemicals in ALL soft drinks that make them terrible for you. I like to add cucumbers and different fruits to my water to make it more tasty!

    Please provide scientific evidence showing which chemicals are bad, and in what dosage.
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
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    Are you happy with the amount you drink? Or do you feel you are addicted and want to stop?
    If you are happy, just ignore the naysayers!

    I don't drink diet (or any) soda regularly but that is a choice I have made for my teeth! According to my dentist, even carbonated water can create an acidic environment in the mouth, and my teeth are bad enough already.
    But it makes no difference for my weightloss and I noticed no change in my appetite.

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