soda hypothetical. 40 oz/day. Better diet or regular?

_noob_
_noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
There is no option for neither or "OMG, I don't even drink soda"
You have to pick diet or regular.

Which in your opinion is healthier?
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Replies

  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Only 40 oz?

    With that little amount, the differences are negligible.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    It's essentially the same. Regular soda will give you sugar, diet soda will trick your body into thinking it's getting sugar, making you crave more sugar later.

    Unless you think you have some kind of superhuman willpower to resist a craving, lol.
  • annenhie
    annenhie Posts: 91 Member
    That's actually a lot. I'd do diet coz if I don't that is pretty much a whole meal in my allotted calorie consumption for a day.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    Diet, definitely.

    calories in, calories out
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    Cutting: Diet.
    Bulking: Regular.

    Culking: 50/50
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Can I do sweet tea with real sugar?

    The antioxidants kill the caffeine and carbs!
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  • sjsosu
    sjsosu Posts: 135 Member
    40 oz of regular coke is over 450 calories.

    That would be a significant part of most peoples daily calorie target allocated to a food with few (if any) nutrients.

    If you could hit your calorie target for your personal goals, and get adequate nutrients with an acceptable protein/fat/carb blend then personal preference should decide.

    Otherwise, the diet would be the best choice allowing you to use those calories for foods that allow you to hit your targets and provide some micro-nutrients.

    Personally, I would always choose the diet if I had to have a soda so that I could eat more of the nutrient dense foods.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    How much am I exercising in this hypothetical?
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
    Which would be more healthy?

    I doubt either would be healthy period.

    However I'd choose diet because it is less horribly sweet to me. Preferably diet coke because it's the taste I prefer.
  • parallelfifths
    parallelfifths Posts: 17 Member
    There is no option for neither or "OMG, I don't even drink soda"
    You have to pick diet or regular.

    Haha, someone knows MFP forums well!! :)
  • Susan_fessler
    Susan_fessler Posts: 56 Member
    Diet.I don't like to spend calories on drinks.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    How much am I exercising in this hypothetical?

    entirely up to you.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    For me, I'd say the diet is heatlhier because the extra calories from the sugar would likely cause me to go over calories rather than give up food to compensate.

    But for someone else, the extra sugar might not be a problem. But, I usually go with the forbidden option.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    It's essentially the same. Regular soda will give you sugar, diet soda will trick your body into thinking it's getting sugar, making you crave more sugar later.

    Unless you think you have some kind of superhuman willpower to resist a craving, lol.


    This is a myth. Sure, you can find it on many blogs and .com websites. But the preponderance of actual research shows it doesn't increase insulin response ("tricking your body"). Research on cravings is much harder, since there's no objective measurement, but as long as you track calories and sugars, you can keep it in check (and many people report, even here on MFP, that the diet helps soothe their sugar cravings).

    OP, I'd probably go for diet. 40 oz (3 1/2 cans) of Coke has 136.5 grams of sugar; that much added sugar on a daily basis would make me worry about Type II diabetes, not to mention the 500+ empty calories. That's a pound a week right there.

    Of course, I probably wouldn't drink that much diet coke on a daily basis either. It's not so much the aspartame (although I think a bit more moderation would be better) as the carbonation and caffeine and carbonic acid and how it'll affect my teeth and bones.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    I hate the taste of diet soda, so if forced I'd probably go with regular and try to work off the extra calories. I couldn't lose 450 calories of food from my diet just to accommodate soda.
  • BluejayNY
    BluejayNY Posts: 301 Member
    I do diet because it has no calories and woudl satisfy me just as much as full sugar soda.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    I would go diet because i thats what i do every day
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    It's essentially the same. Regular soda will give you sugar, diet soda will trick your body into thinking it's getting sugar, making you crave more sugar later.

    Unless you think you have some kind of superhuman willpower to resist a craving, lol.

    Willpower?! Willpower?! Willpower is a myth. Do you even forum?
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Regular (preferally made with cane sugar or beet sugar but beggers can't be choosers)... I feel way more satiated with a real soda than a diet one...
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I hate the taste of diet soda

    Try Coke Zero or Pepsi Max ---- they really did get a lot better: stuff doesn't taste so "diet-y"
  • Stary714
    Stary714 Posts: 110 Member
    Coke Zero! I prefer it if I'm in the mood for soda (which rarely happens now)
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    It's essentially the same. Regular soda will give you sugar, diet soda will trick your body into thinking it's getting sugar, making you crave more sugar later.

    Unless you think you have some kind of superhuman willpower to resist a craving, lol.
    In what fantasy universe does that happen? Or am I just a special snowflake that it doesn't happen to me?
  • twinsmom03
    twinsmom03 Posts: 90 Member
    It's essentially the same. Regular soda will give you sugar, diet soda will trick your body into thinking it's getting sugar, making you crave more sugar later.

    Unless you think you have some kind of superhuman willpower to resist a craving, lol.

    ^this
  • sslopez24
    sslopez24 Posts: 110 Member
    I hate the taste of diet soda

    Try Coke Zero or Pepsi Max ---- they really did get a lot better: stuff doesn't taste so "diet-y"

    I agree!! The taste is better. I love both of these!
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    How much am I exercising in this hypothetical?

    entirely up to you.

    If I'm eating in the neighborhood of 4000 plus calories a day because I'm engaged in cross country backpacking or the like, then I'm drinking the sugary stuff. Otherwise, I'd go diet. It's simply a matter of whether I need the extra calories.
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
    Diet will make it harder to loose fat cells and actually make them bigger. Aside from aspartame being a neurotoxin. I say regular and take the calorie hit.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    Diet, because I don't do well with sugar.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Some pretty big opportunity cost issues with the regular, but the diet tastes awful. Guess I'd take the diet and grab some hot wings to wipe out the taste.
  • NZhellkat
    NZhellkat Posts: 355 Member
    Diet tastes nasty. Sorry but that is the way it is for me. If I do drink sod straight or mix it with alcohol, I'll take regular every time. Calories be damn. Just means more exercise.