peoples opinions of diet coke/pepsi? good or bad?

Kaylee_law_123

water>diet coke

diet coke>pigging out

This ... although my body can't take diet coke, but it can diet pepsi, weird!!

I know it's something that I will need to deal with and stop eventually, but at the moment I want to focus on the diet and then deal with this, as it is helping me get through it all.

Some people have some very very strong opinions about it, just do what you think is best in your weight loss journey :-)

SideSteel

Diet Coke has Methanol in it , very dangerous to your health .

No it doesn't, and no it isn't.


Methanol is a digestive byproduct of aspartame and it's also a digestive byproduct of other food sources such as fruit. If methanol is your reason to stay away from diet soda then you're going to want to stay away from plenty of whole food sources as well.

(But in closing, you don't need to fear methanol as your body is very well equipped to handle it).

NovemberJune

Yes I drink about 20 oz/day of diet coke and it hasn't hindered my weight loss

JUDDDing

Diet Coke has Methanol in it , very dangerous to your health .

http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc196.htm#SubSectionNumber:5.1.3

The amount of methanol present in an average serving of beverage
sweetened by aspartame alone is considerably less than in the same
volume of many fruit and vegetable juices. For instance, tomato juice
will result in 6 times the amount of methanol exposure than
consumption of an equivalent volume of aspartame sweetened beverage
(Wucherpfennig et al., 1983).

Wucherpfennig K, Dietrich H, & Bechtel J (1983) Alcohol actual, total
and potential methyl alcohol of fruit juices. Flussiges Obst, 8:
348-354.

MB_Positif

My opinion is that it tastes gross. I refuse to drink diet soda. I only drink regular soda if it has alcohol in it.

HeidiCooksSupper

there was a study which showed diet soda increases sugar cravings

Here's a recent study done in 2013 that suggests otherwise:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/01/30/ajcn.112.048405

This seems to differ from person to person. I used to be a heavy diet coke drinker but recently stopped because just one can and I want to chew my arm off. So, rather than fight the cravings I just stopped drinking it. Funny thing is, after a few weeks without it and consuming no artificial sweeteners, I took two sips of one and it tasted disgusting to me. Go figure. It used to be my go to drink.

SideSteel

there was a study which showed diet soda increases sugar cravings

Here's a recent study done in 2013 that suggests otherwise:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/01/30/ajcn.112.048405

This seems to differ from person to person.

That seems intuitive to me as well, and even if it's just placebo it would be reasonable for people to see whether or not diet soda makes them hungry or makes them satisfied and make their decisions based on it. For some people, diet soda may be the thing that keeps them from consuming extra calories. And if it does the opposite (makes them eat more) then obviously that would be counterproductive to dieting efforts.

Fortunately on MFP, we track our intake and can readily see if we are over-eating.

I_Will_End_You

diet coke- delicious
diet pepsi- dookie

^ What he said.

littlesis4321

Thanks for updating the info, Side Steel! :-)
As a nurse, I get irritated at people who quote ambiguous research or research that is faulty. Question for everyone: what other sweeteners are out there for someone diagnosed with Diabetes? Remember Saccharine? It was out there for several years. My grandmother had to use it as a sugar substitute as she had diabetes "back in those days." She died of complications from her diabetes (10 years of dialysis/loss of limbs), not cancer caused by the saccharine. I agree with those who state in moderation, if you choose to have it, go for it. Since joining roughly 3 months ago, I have lost 19 pounds, and I have diet soda included in my diet. I used to drink 8 cans of regular soda a day. That is more dangerous than the aspartame in diet soda. I've gotten myself to diet soda, now I'm trying to wean it down so I don't drink as much of it. I have no desire for water due to no flavor. As a result, it's a relearning process for my body - by adding lemon or orange wedges, or buying flavored waters to at least help with the substitution. However, if there was a serious link to aspartame and cancer, the FDA would have pulled it by now. By the way, saccharine is still out there. Those who substitute their sugar with Sweet & Low? It's saccharine.
There are getting to be a few more sweeteners out on the market, but on a limited budget they are very expensive still. While news sites (CNN, etc) are fair places to get information, if you want accurate information regarding health issues I suggest using medical sites (mayo clinic, WebMD, National Institutes of Health, CDC, CINAHL just to name a few). They are more reliable sources when it comes to health/medicine than some of the sites I've seen. Yes, even the National Cancer Society is a bit suspect - they're going to try and put a fear in you to change your lifestyle for fear of getting cancer. While I'd use them as a resource, I'd double check my information from a secondary source.
Like I said, just my opinion. However, when I educate patients, I make sure they know what websites to go to when needing additional information. Then, with that information, they can discuss whatever their concerns are with their doctor. Good luck to you in whatever you choose, and good luck with your lifestyle change.

There is no such thing as a "diet" or "dieting".....it is a change you make for your lifetime if you're serious about being healthy.

whitebalance

I will not give up my Diet Coke. But because I'm prone to dependency on it (well over a six-pack a day when I was buying it at Sam's Club) and because I like to drink it with salty, crunchy, high-calorie, carb-laden snacks and tend to eat more of those items when there's a Diet Coke to drink with them... I no longer keep it in the house. The deal with myself is that if I want a Diet Coke, most of the time I have to walk or run for it. To and from one of the stores within a 3-mile or so radius (the nearest is about half a mile away). As a result, I drink less and move more.

whitebalance

I'm healthy and have not yet sprouted a second head from the chemicals.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time. :bigsmile:

whitebalance

diet coke- delicious
diet pepsi- dookie

^ What he said.

QFT.

chrisdavey

http://cdnutritionandfitness.com/aspartame-is-the-devil/

astartig

way too many scary chemicals in those. My husband has a degree in organic chemistry and he won't go near diet soda. Says the chemicals in that stuff will kill you. I drink plain fizzy water when I need a soda fix.

I love the people that come back with it hasn't killed me yet.. or my grand mother hasn't died yet..

Later when you get cancer you'll be all like Why me?



cause that gnarly diet soda was TOTALLY WORTH IT.

yellowmirror

water>diet coke

diet coke>pigging out

this ^

Cranquistador

I LOVE COCA COLA.

yellowmirror

I have a diet soda or diet raspberry ginger ale everyday . On another weight loss forum there was heavy discussion about diet soda- mostly about how some people felt they have high calories and are fooling the consumer.. this I do not agree with- and so I'm no longer a member over there- it was a very petty/catty site.

Anyway, I try to make water my first choice - but there are times I lose to diet soda. I know that for me choosing a diet drink is better than the alternative, choosing regular soda which is loaded with calories. Up until recently I wouldn't think twice about grabbing a can of coke and downing it, only to later realize it was 150 calories!!

that's my 2 cents. :-)

dctexas65

I was/am addicted to Diet Coke. I decided to give it up because I was having problems sleeping (caffeine), memory issues, feeling achy and just plain crappy. Then hubby comes home and tells me that a coworker had just gotten back from an assignment in a Cola manufacturing plant and when he saw the chemicals used to make the Cola leak onto the floor and burn a hole in it...well he was done with drinking soda for ever. Battery Cable Cleaner ring a bell? Anyway...gave it up and starting to feel better but that is just my personal opinion.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I've yet to read any studies that provided convincing evidence that drinking diet soda in moderation is harmful.

momjmd

I used to drink a lot diet mountain dew-- loved the stuff. But I also found that I couldn't lose weight and generally gained when I drank it. I don't know if it was the cause but..... I feel better now that I am not drinking it anymore.

unFATuated

Depends on how much of it you drink and how it affects you. I personally don't think that a small amount each day or a few times a week is terrible, provided it doesn't have flow-on effects, like making you crave sugary foods, giving you head and body aches and things like that.

Up until about 3 months ago, I was drinking sometimes up to a litre or more of Diet Coke per day, and pigging out on sugary/fatty/carby foods while doing so because it made me crave them. I had constant headaches, body aches, was taking painkillers several times a day, sleeping terribly and really struggling with my weight.

While I've made overall lifestyle changes, which include giving up the junk food and eating more whole foods, fruit and veggies and making treats an occasional thing, giving up Diet Coke has been the biggest thing for me. I find if I even have one now I have headaches for days (and I drink coffee daily, so I know it's not the caffeine) and often feel quite ill, sometimes to the point of an upset stomach. I attribute those negative effects to the artificial sugar. I haven't tried the Pepsi Next (with natvia or whatever it is) yet, but am interested to see if it affects me in the same way.

freyaheart

water>diet coke

diet coke>pigging out

This ^

I like to have Coke Zero or Pepsi Max when ever I absolutely have to have it. They are both zero calorie but don't have the bitter after taste of their diet counterparts.

emlott88

I used to drink 3-4 cans a day of Diet Coke ('DC' as myself, partner, friends and colleagues came to hear it referred to as!). There were many times when my co workers used to look over my cubicle shaking their head as I cracked into my first 'DC' at 8.30. It used to be a running joke that I'd get a hi-5 if I waited until 9am.

Anyway, I ended up moving to the US to be with my now-husband and it didn't change, in fact I had MORE time to dwell on my DC addiction. I ended up being inactive and realised the effect of the sugar cravings that come along with the DC's!

First step was getting off the caffeine. I switched to caffeine free DC. It took a week of headaches etc, but it was fine. It isn't available everywhere, but if I can't find it when we go out, then I'll go to a regular DC - there's no dependency on caffeine anymore so it doesn't get me addicted or anything to have it sporadically.

Once we moved to Germany I noticed the cans piled next to me one day while watching Netflix (and while staring at my gross expanding belly), knew I had to cut it before I could start a healthy life style change food-wise. I'm now down to one a day, either with or after dinner, and I have to have had at least 2 litres (80 oz) of water before I am 'allowed' one. I'm at the point of almost skipping it too.

Side note: DC entered my childhood home when I was 14 because my brother got type 1 diabetes and we couldn't have sugar in the house anymore. I lost ALL my puppy fat when that happened! However, it started the addiction pretty early. I have bad teeth 11 years of DC has done permanent damage! Even though I have a great smile after braces, I have had cavities in almost all my back teeth. My mother also now has fibromyalgia- as someone referred to above. I know this stuff is dangerous and not good for you, but all in moderation.

randomtai

way too many scary chemicals in those. My husband has a degree in organic chemistry and he won't go near diet soda. Says the chemicals in that stuff will kill you. I drink plain fizzy water when I need a soda fix.

I love the people that come back with it hasn't killed me yet.. or my grand mother hasn't died yet..

Later when you get cancer you'll be all like Why me?



cause that gnarly diet soda was TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Riiiight. :laugh:

NYgirl1990

It bloats me up and I never buy it for myself.

hzliiz

I'm healthy and have not yet sprouted a second head from the chemicals.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time. :bigsmile:

Great, just what I need, another pie hole to feed!

_EndGame_

Bad.

littlesis4321

way too many scary chemicals in those. My husband has a degree in organic chemistry and he won't go near diet soda. Says the chemicals in that stuff will kill you. I drink plain fizzy water when I need a soda fix.

I love the people that come back with it hasn't killed me yet.. or my grand mother hasn't died yet..

Later when you get cancer you'll be all like Why me?



cause that gnarly diet soda was TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Sorry to blast back at you - but respect other people's choices and quit attacking their reasoning/beliefs behind their choice. That's no better than being a judgmental twerp.

Guess what? We all have to die of something...a sad fact is no matter how healthy you live, you still have a risk of cancer. I've seen some very healthy people get their butt kicked and killed by cancer - and they didn't do one single thing wrong in regards to their eating/health/etc. I've also seen those very healthy people get run over by trucks, killed by drunk drivers, etc. Need I go on for the risks regardless if you drink diet soda or not? I choose to drink diet soda in moderation as it doesn't increase sweet cravings/food intake for me, and try to gradually increase water as well as choose healthier foods. Your choice is to stay away based on your spouse's knowledge. I choose to have it in moderation based on my nursing knowledge.

That said, again I ask you to quit knocking people for their choices. If you read my post right, I said my grandma didn't die of cancer from saccharine but complications from diabetes. So you might want to reconsider the "my grand mother hasn't died yet" in your post because yes, my grandma IS dead.

chrisdavey

Just to let you all know, water is also a chemical.

kazsjourney

I drink it and it has never negatively affected my weight loss.