Diet Coke...

Kittyy1994

Diet drinks are not supposed to have any calories! But surely they can’t be good for weight loss. Anyone drinking them and losing weight?
(Not a regular drinker less than once a week when I eat out I’ll order a Diet Coke or Coke Zero).... any thoughts?

lynn_glenmont

Why wouldn't they be good for weight loss, if you're replacing drinks that have calories with drinks that have virtually no calories? I had one or more diet sodas a day when I was looking weight.

carolemack

I drink at least 6 cans a day of diet coke and have done so for over 30 years...in the past 15 months I have lost over 100 pounds...obviously it doesn't hinder my weight loss although I am sure many would say I'm killing myself...LOL.

Caralarma

They have no impact on weight. There are however people who will tell you how they are unhealthy and cause cancer... but this is not true. Drink it if you want it. No harm and no weight gain

Sueydwi

Apparently, the sweetness in them kids the body to think it's eating sugar, therefore gives an insulin spike. There's no sugar in the bloodstream, so the blood sugar drops and you get hungry. This encourages eating more.

Lenala13

I drink a 12 oz bottle of Diet Pepsi with my lunch at work, Monday-Friday. It hasn’t affected my weight loss negatively at all...tastes better than Diet Coke, too 😇

tinkerbellang83

I have lost, maintained and gained weight whilst drinking a can or two of Diet Coke on work days as I don't drink tea or coffee, so it's my caffeine kick. They have had zero impact on my weight loss. It's my food intake and activity level that makes a difference.

For me a can of diet coke helps stave off hunger as the carbonation makes me feel full for a while.

They have very low calories as artificial sweeteners are a lot sweeter than sugar and so only require a tiny proportion to sufficiently sweeten the drink.

paperpudding

Sueydwi wrote: »

Apparently, the sweetness in them kids the body to think it's eating sugar, therefore gives an insulin spike. There's no sugar in the bloodstream, so the blood sugar drops and you get hungry. This encourages eating more.

That has never been my experience nor the experience of many other regular drinkers of diet soda.

I dont get any more or less hungry after drinking it than after drinking regular soda or anything else.

In answer to OP - I found them quite good for weight loss (and then maitenance)
One of the first things I did when starting to lose weight was swap regular soda for diet soda (yes I know people can fit regular in if they want to but it helped me cut down calories)
I then lost weight to goal at predicted rate and maintained at predicted calorie allowance.
I drink, on average, around 3 cans per week.

MY thoughts are that there is a lot of misinformation and hyperbole out there - and that diet sodas are fine for weight loss and if you like them - enjoy.

If you dont like them, that's fine too.

magnusthenerd

Diet coke is 0 calories because of rounding - the aspartame used for sweetening it is a peptide (simple protein) that is digested.
Still, the overall calories are so low that it really won't hinder weight loss if one isn't drinking multiple 2 liters a day.

Machka9

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

Anyone drinking them and losing weight?

Yes.

Commander_Keen

Yes, what's in diet coke that would be bad for you

Piqueaboo

I drink a can of coke zero per day, I love it. It has 0 calories which is a lot better than the alternatives (other sodas with 100+ calories a can). I think we're all on calorie restricted diets here, so every little helps. I lost 80lbs overall. Drinking diet soda is a choice, obviously, I love it and I don't think the quantity I consume is affecting my health.

You do you, I say, have what you enjoy and make sure it fits into your day !

TravisJHunt

I drink a ton of it (multiple 2 litres per day) and while not happy with the amount of chemicals I'm putting in my body, I've lost weight drinking it no problem. Its really just mostly water.

Terytha

Diet soda is made of stuff your body can't recognize or use, so it gets passed as waste. If nothing is used, how can it be bad?

Is it great for you? Not really. But mostly because the acidity is not ideal for your teeth and stomach. There's no influence on weight loss.

missysippy930

Consuming more calories than your body burns is bad for weight loss, not drinking very low calorie beverages. Stay in your calorie deficit for weight loss, it’s that simple.

Panini911

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

Anyone drinking them and losing weight?

yep, me. in fact it fills me up during dinner so i eat less (i am a volume eater so this is a good thing)

estherdragonbat

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

Diet drinks are not supposed to have any calories! But surely they can’t be good for weight loss. Anyone drinking them and losing weight?
(Not a regular drinker less than once a week when I eat out I’ll order a Diet Coke or Coke Zero).... any thoughts?

Dropped 108 lbs consuming over a liter of diet cola daily. No harm, more interesting than water (which I also drink), no impediment to weight loss.

o0kody0o

I used to drink a LOT of regular/full sugar drinks like Coca Cola and Pepsi. I could easily go through a 2 litre bottle during the day then I’d be buying more cans of the stuff (I enjoy it better from a can). About 4 months ago I stopped drinking it completely and switched to Diet Coke/Pepsi Max. I drink as much of it as I want and I’ve lost about 36lbs since then so I wouldn’t say it’s affected my weight loss.

scribblemoma

I’ve drank Diet Pepsi the entirety of my 87+ lbs of weight loss. I also drink water...but when I’m snacky I used the Pepsi as a craving killer. It does not make me hungrier, it does not mess with my blood sugar, and it has not stalled my weight loss. How could it if it doesn’t add calories to my deficit?

linsey0689

If you one to drink one and it’s only once a week do it. I drink about 1 a day and it’s totally fine. I think I could drink more just “treat” myself to about one a day

diannethegeek

I have about 20 oz of diety soda a day, most days. No blood sugar spikes. No extra hungry feelings. No interference with my weight loss.

Some artificial sweeteners are a known migraine trigger in some people. They also seem to make some people feel hungrier. But those are individual effects and you can judge for yourself whether you fit into any of those categories.

Why would the ADA recommend them for diabetics if they raise blood sugar in all cases? That just makes no sense.

Here's the requisite link to the Why Aspartame Isn't Scary thread if you want to dig into the science: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

alondrakar

Even if they don't hinder my progress, I can't bring myself to drink sodas like I do water. I only drink one diet soda can a week.

kimny72

Sueydwi wrote: »

Apparently, the sweetness in them kids the body to think it's eating sugar, therefore gives an insulin spike. There's no sugar in the bloodstream, so the blood sugar drops and you get hungry. This encourages eating more.

Except diabetics who routinely monitor their BG levels do not see this mythical spike. Insulin is released when it senses BG in the blood, not from taste.

Some people do say that artificial sweeteners increase their appetite. Since each sweetener is a different chemical compound, it's most likely this is a psychological or habitual issue, and it's definitely not universal.

OP, lots of us rely on diet drinks or sweetener in our coffee or tea to save calories, and have lost weight as expected. Health concerns related to artificial sweeteners are also mostly myth and only a concern if one particular sweetener is a migraine trigger for you personally or you have some kind of rare reaction. The typically cited "evidence" is rat studies, and has not been duplicated in human studies.

SillyGirl_6

I drink a Coke Zero everyday and have recently lost 10 lbs cutting calories. I also work in a hospital and we do glucose checks on diabetics every day. Diet soda doesn't spike insulin. Switching to diet drinks for soda drinkers is a basic part of diabetic education.

"Also, with the exception of aspartame, all of the sweeteners listed below cannot be broken down by the body. They pass through our systems without being digested so they provide no extra calories."

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/artificial-sweeteners/

sammidelvecchio

Coke zero has actually helped me so far. I have one every day at work in the afternoon.

EnriqueShockwave1911

Hello,

Over the past year I have lost about 70 pounds, (250lbs to 177ish) and every single day since then I have been drinking 2-3 16.9oz bottles of diet soda. I feel fine, have good energy, my health is normal. I love soda when playing xbox so it's not something I will stop. Diet soda will not hinder your weight loss at all.

ultra_violets

I drink diet soda every single day and I'm losing weight steadily. It doesn't have any impact on my blood sugar.

magnusthenerd

Terytha wrote: »

Diet soda is made of stuff your body can't recognize or use, so it gets passed as waste. If nothing is used, how can it be bad?

Is it great for you? Not really. But mostly because the acidity is not ideal for your teeth and stomach. There's no influence on weight loss.

Sucralose (Splenda) would be stuff your body can't use. Aspartame, on the other hand, is a peptide and metabolizes to fairly innocuous waste products.

Clarisse_McClellan

Diet Coke is life. They just started making an orange vanilla flavor that tastes just like a Creamsicle. It's like a zero calorie dessert in a can.

loralenoxx

Clarisse_McClellan wrote: »

Diet Coke is life. They just started making an orange vanilla flavor that tastes just like a Creamsicle. It's like a zero calorie dessert in a can.

Yes, but I mixed that sugar free coke flavor with a quart of vanilla ice cream and have had it for dessert nightly.
No weight lost. I think diet coke is incompatible with my blood type or something.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

But surely they can’t be good for weight loss.

Why do you think that? Weight gain comes from more calories than you are burning. Something that has no calories has no bearing on weight gain. I drink at least one diet soda a day when I prep for bikini shows, and clearly it's had no negative effect on my progress. (When I'm not in prep I have ~2 a week)