Diet Soda

jm70614

I'm going back to grad school this fall while I'll still be working full-time so I'm going to be quite tired. I'd like to believe my healthy habits of today will keep me from relying on caffeine (kicked the addiction 2 years ago after undergrad) but I know myself too well to believe it's true.

So question of the day for me: thoughts on diet soda? Is it something that others have been able to drink while maintaining an otherwise healthy diet? Or does it derail you?

Before the replies come flooding in--I know that diet soda is bad, causes cancer, isn't really calorie neutral, will likely cause the apocalypse and so on. I'm really looking for the better of two evils--diet soda or other caffeine options (not black coffee--YUCK!).

Thanks!

jwdieter

I find black coffee to be pretty nasty. But it provides coffee benefits without the mental drawbacks that accompany artificial sweeteners.

If you have a solid grasp of your intake, and can override your stomach on decision-making, then it doesn't really matter if you drink diet or not.

ThinLizzie0802

I really do like 5 hour energy because I don't have to drink 12 ozs of liquid to get refreshed. I'm fairly sensitive to stimulants but never feel jittery when I drink them and the no crash claim seems to be true for me. I also like Starbucks refreshers with the green coffee extract...and that said, green coffee extract supplements work too!

catfive1

Have you tried eating an apple when you are tired? Great trick worth trying.

epie2098

Diet soda absolutely derails me. I crave sweet foods all day long. If you really want something to drink that's not water, get a Sodastream and carbonate your own water or cut lemon slices and put those in your water (you can replenish them all day) to change it up a bit.

thisismeraw

I would go ahead and drink the diet pop. There is nothing really wrong with it provided you don't have a personal issue with the artificial sweeteners. There has yet to be anything proven on humans in moderate amounts that diet pops or artificial sweeteners are bad. The main studies have been on rats... and a lot of the "information" out there is based on someone's opinion instead of facts. I don't find pop causes me to eat more (the opposite really... it helps me from not eating or reaching for something sweet) and I don't find it causes me to crave anything. It helps me so I drink it.

Another option is tea. They tend to have less caffeine than coffee does... or instant coffee as instant has less caffeine than the normal brewed coffee. Nothing wrong with coffee if you don't mind the higher caffeine content. Now and again I have a cup of coffee with flavoured creamer and it's amazing.

To lessen how tired you will be, focus on getting enough sleep. Make a schedule between school and work and try to fit in as much sleep as possible. Make sure you are eating enough and eating well to help with your energy as well. I find when I'm eating fresh foods and enough calories I have the energy I need without caffeine. When I eat processed foods or not the greatest foods than I lack energy.

TribeHokie

Black coffee = yummmm

I started grad school last fall and got a Keurig for christmas.

It really just depends on which choice makes you happier. Will you feel super bad about yourself if you drink diet soda? If it is caffeine in general that you don't want to consume, try finding other sources of energy or schedule out your time better so that you can get enough sleep. As a fellow grad student who is also working (20+ hours a week though, not 40), I know it is hard but it is possible.

ninerbuff

I'm going back to grad school this fall while I'll still be working full-time so I'm going to be quite tired. I'd like to believe my healthy habits of today will keep me from relying on caffeine (kicked the addiction 2 years ago after undergrad) but I know myself too well to believe it's true.

So question of the day for me: thoughts on diet soda? Is it something that others have been able to drink while maintaining an otherwise healthy diet? Or does it derail you?

Before the replies come flooding in--I know that diet soda is bad, causes cancer, isn't really calorie neutral, will likely cause the apocalypse and so on. I'm really looking for the better of two evils--diet soda or other caffeine options (not black coffee--YUCK!).

Thanks!

It doesn't CAUSE cancer. Most studies (done on rats) LINK cancer to consumption. Not to mention these rats were fed an equivalent of a case or more of aspartame a day. Correlation isn't causation. Just thought I'd clear that up.
My own experience, I dislike coffee (even down to the smell) and have drank diet soda for 25 years with no issues claimed by proponents who are against it. But that's me.
A can or two a day shouldn't disrupt much. Oh and before someone says it, yes formaldehyde can form from it, but it's not any more than what you would also get from eating citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, etc.)

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Briargrey

I would suggest healthy food snacks and perhaps getting up and moving around a bit to naturally wake you up versus any sort of artificial stimulant. Also, diet soda is horrible for you. I'd rather have the sugar calories from a regular soda than the zero calories and put those chemicals from the sugar substitutes in my body. I've also had a nephrologist tell me that she's seen several women who just seem to stop on weight loss when it comes to any carbonated drink. It was hard, but I got rid of them entirely this time, and while I've built in an 'allowance' so I don't feel like I'm forbidding anything, I haven't touched one in months and I don't plan on it. Definitely need to find something else to substitute for soda, in my opinion, that will serve the same purpose in a healthier way!

If I truly need a caffeine burst (and I really don't), then I go for some tea, occasionally a coffee, even more rarely one of those faux coffees from General Foods International. For energy, I try for small snacks, getting up and moving every hour or so, and positive thinking. I know, very crunchy (and I'm not really a crunchy person), but it works!

Congrats on grad school -- I went back in 2007 and got a master's, and it was a lot of fun, but it is tiring! Getting back into homework plus working full-time plus kids -- it is intense. You can do it though! Enjoy