Monster Drinks or Diet Soda

Schila64
Schila64 Posts: 240 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If you had to get rid of one , which one is the least harmful ? I’ve been drinking at least one diet soda per day . I need to stop and thinking that if I need that fizz I would go for a monster drink . Your thoughts!
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Replies

  • sarah7591
    sarah7591 Posts: 415 Member
    I would get rid of the monster drink....don't they have a lot of caffeine? I drink one diet soda a day as well....i want to stop but are they really that bad? Have you tried the flavored waters that are fizzy?
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I'm of the opinion that if you're picking one, diet soda is probably better than an energy drink habit, largely due to the possibility of heart-related complications that can come from overdoing energy drinks and the non-caffeine stimulants they contain. I say this even as a near-daily sugar free red bull drinker.

    Overall, there's some recent evidence that suggests liver problems can come from artificial sweetener use so you're best bet is likely neither altogether. If you want something fizzy try some sparkling water. Even flavored I don't think they're nearly as good but probably the best alternative.
  • Hotelsma
    Hotelsma Posts: 404 Member
    edited April 2021
    Schila64 wrote: »
    If you had to get rid of one , which one is the least harmful ? I’ve been drinking at least one diet soda per day . I need to stop and thinking that if I need that fizz I would go for a monster drink . Your thoughts!

    @Schila64 i was a fizzy drink addict. Lived off Diet Cokes. My bro drinks sparking water and I tried it. After feeling sick drinking it I now love it and have replaced sodas with it. It gives you that hit. Try it
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    I'd probably drop the energy drinks first. I still drink diet soda every now and then, but to me, one of those isn't that much different than a cup of coffee with sweetener. For some reason, I have a huge block in my mind about drinking coffee anytime after noon. It just doesn't seem right, for some reason.

    I also think that energy drinks taste awful, so that likely influences my decision. :smiley:

    It depends too on what the drink is doing for you - I associate a diet soda with the break after lunch when my kids (in theory) are napping or having quiet time. I can sit down and have a few minutes to myself to chill out. I could swap out something else if I wanted to, and have in the past with iced tea or similar. If I felt like I had to have it, or a bunch of them, in order to function or make it through the day, it would probably mean I wasn't getting enough sleep or something else was wrong, and I would try to adjust that instead.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I tend to dislike the taste of energy drinks, so for me it's a no-brainer. I'll have the diet soda.
  • Schila64
    Schila64 Posts: 240 Member
    sarah7591 wrote: »
    I would get rid of the monster drink....don't they have a lot of caffeine? I drink one diet soda a day as well....i want to stop but are they really that bad? Have you tried the flavored waters that are fizzy?
    The only reason why I want yo stop the diet soda is because they are the definitely the cause of cellulite .
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    edited April 2021
    Schila64 wrote: »
    sarah7591 wrote: »
    I would get rid of the monster drink....don't they have a lot of caffeine? I drink one diet soda a day as well....i want to stop but are they really that bad? Have you tried the flavored waters that are fizzy?
    The only reason why I want yo stop the diet soda is because they are the definitely the cause of cellulite .

    Source? I know I didn't include a link to my claim about liver disease but this seems a little more anecdotal and outlandish.

    link to study on AS consumption and liver damage: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7257251/
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,496 Member
    Ditch the energy drinks yesterday.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    Schila64 wrote: »
    sarah7591 wrote: »
    I would get rid of the monster drink....don't they have a lot of caffeine? I drink one diet soda a day as well....i want to stop but are they really that bad? Have you tried the flavored waters that are fizzy?
    The only reason why I want yo stop the diet soda is because they are the definitely the cause of cellulite .

    That's a new one. I wonder how I got cellulite, then? I almost never drink soda (maybe once or twice a year?) and never drink diet soda (tastes yuck, IMO, regardless of which sweetener, on top of the not-so-tasty soda flavors in the first place).

    I figured I got cellulite because I was female, plus genetics. There's been less with weight loss, and more muscle, but I think there's still some on body parts I don't look at very often, because they're behind me.
  • mrmota70
    mrmota70 Posts: 533 Member
    edited April 2021
    Id say drop those both... If you still need to keep one do the diet coke.. keep it to your one a day... thats not a horrible thing to do.. I have dropped all soft drinks for almost 1 1/2 years...... 2 cups of coffee in the AM and 80-100oz of just water a day. I do these for the fizz and they actually are pretty tasty and add some vodka or tequila and have a nice adult drink(4 oz of either has been the right mix for me)... https://www.drinkbai.com/bai-bubbles It has a little caffeine, but cals is minimal and less than 10 carbs per. Don't fall for the whole antioxidant thing they claim. For me its just a good substitute to satiate the fizz craving. I do one of these every few days... not a daily thing...
  • Beverly2Hansen
    Beverly2Hansen Posts: 378 Member
    Err, honestly I just switched to 0-10calorie energy drinks because when I drop them I get tired and over eat. With that in mind I'd give up the diet soda. Or I'd switch to 5hr energy shots and quit both.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Is it only Monster? Cause Bangs are pretty damn good. I would choose to give up Monsters.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    Beverly2Hansen wrote: »
    Err, honestly I just switched to 0-10calorie energy drinks because when I drop them I get tired and over eat. With that in mind I'd give up the diet soda. Or I'd switch to 5hr energy shots and quit both.

    I second this as someone who NEVER thought I'd be able to function without my morning AND afternoon coffee. I loved my coffee, and my once-a-week Starbucks.

    I'm on an elimination diet for food sensitivities, and those first few days were BAD. I was actually quite upset about having to give up coffee. However, 3 weeks in I really do have a lot more energy, and it's lot more steady without those energy dips that caffeine can help create. I never thought I"d actually admit to that, either. Once I'm allowed to have coffee again, I know I am definitely cutting back, maybe switch to decaf or not make it a daily habit anymore.
  • Schila64
    Schila64 Posts: 240 Member
    mrmota70 wrote: »
    Id say drop those both... If you still need to keep one do the diet coke.. keep it to your one a day... thats not a horrible thing to do.. I have dropped all soft drinks for almost 1 1/2 years...... 2 cups of coffee in the AM and 80-100oz of just water a day. I do these for the fizz and they actually are pretty tasty and add some vodka or tequila and have a nice adult drink(4 oz of either has been the right mix for me)... https://www.drinkbai.com/bai-bubbles It has a little caffeine, but cals is minimal and less than 10 carbs per. Don't fall for the whole antioxidant thing they claim. For me its just a good substitute to satiate the fizz craving. I do one of these every few days... not a daily thing...
    Thank you !

  • Schila64
    Schila64 Posts: 240 Member

    [/quote]
    Source? I know I didn't include a link to my claim about liver disease but this seems a little more anecdotal and outlandish.
    [/quote]

    I don't have a source. I can only speak from personal experience. Back in 2017 I decided to get very strict about what I ate. Besides working out, I was eating healthy, nutritious food. Stayed away from processed ones. One of the things I did, was cut cold turkey diet sodas. Well I got great results and my cellulite just disappear. That was then. 2020 Covid brought a lot of bad habits back. One is the Diet Coke and diet dr. pepper, and of course the cellulite. Probably the fading of the cellulite was a combination of a lot of things. That is why I believe that Diet Sodas are a huge factor when it comes to cellulite.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,496 Member
    Energy Drinks = Devil's Urine.
  • Beverly2Hansen
    Beverly2Hansen Posts: 378 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Beverly2Hansen wrote: »
    Err, honestly I just switched to 0-10calorie energy drinks because when I drop them I get tired and over eat. With that in mind I'd give up the diet soda. Or I'd switch to 5hr energy shots and quit both.

    Fix your sleep patterns instead of relying on that stuff. You will feel much better.

    I did and I gave up every form of caffeine for a year... I really hated it. After giving up mind altering substances, cigarettes, gluten, dairy and all fast food the energy drinks were my line and I'm personally okay with that. I have a vitamin B Deficiency though and they're loaded with it so I think there's definitely an extra allure to them for me.
  • Schila64
    Schila64 Posts: 240 Member
    edited April 2021
    ExistingFish wrote: »
    Drop the energy drinks. You can get an entire 12 pack of diet soda for the price of a 4 pack of energy drinks.

    I wouldn't be the slim person I am today without Coke Zero - it got me through until they released Dr. Pepper Zero. You can pry the Dr. Pepper Zero from my cold dead hands, I'll takeu the cellulite. For the record, I don't have cellulite - I was just thinking if Dr. Pepper Zero gives it to me, I'll take it.

    I just have stretch marks. No cellulite, but stretch marks everywhere. Bodies do what bodies do.

    Isn’t Dr Pepper Zero basically new ? I haven’t been able to find it anywhere

  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Schila64 wrote: »
    ExistingFish wrote: »
    Drop the energy drinks. You can get an entire 12 pack of diet soda for the price of a 4 pack of energy drinks.

    I wouldn't be the slim person I am today without Coke Zero - it got me through until they released Dr. Pepper Zero. You can pry the Dr. Pepper Zero from my cold dead hands, I'll takeu the cellulite. For the record, I don't have cellulite - I was just thinking if Dr. Pepper Zero gives it to me, I'll take it.

    I just have stretch marks. No cellulite, but stretch marks everywhere. Bodies do what bodies do.

    Isn’t Dr Pepper Zero basically new ? I haven’t been able to find it anywhere

    Uh yeah - let me tell you a story.

    a couple of weeks ago I was walking past someone in a lawn chair at my kids soccer game and I saw the can. I asked - she said it was good it tasted like regular Dr. Pepper but slightly less sweet.

    The next day I went grocery shopping and I bought some (found it at Kroger). It was everything she promised. I told my coworkers about it in our weekly meeting, got a coworker hooked.

    The next weekend Walmart didn't have it in their online grocery, and Kroger did not fill mine in my online grocery order. I even went in the store and checked, none in stock. So I went to Walmart on the way home from picking up my Kroger order, they had a few in stock.

    This week I shopped in person at Walmart and they had plenty in stock.

    I love this stuff.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    Speakeasy76 wrote: »
    Beverly2Hansen wrote: »
    Err, honestly I just switched to 0-10calorie energy drinks because when I drop them I get tired and over eat. With that in mind I'd give up the diet soda. Or I'd switch to 5hr energy shots and quit both.

    I second this as someone who NEVER thought I'd be able to function without my morning AND afternoon coffee. I loved my coffee, and my once-a-week Starbucks.

    I'm on an elimination diet for food sensitivities, and those first few days were BAD. I was actually quite upset about having to give up coffee. However, 3 weeks in I really do have a lot more energy, and it's lot more steady without those energy dips that caffeine can help create. I never thought I"d actually admit to that, either. Once I'm allowed to have coffee again, I know I am definitely cutting back, maybe switch to decaf or not make it a daily habit anymore.

    Just an anecdotal FYI

    I switched coffee for decaf. I sleep better, evened out the energy highs and lows.
    But since I could drink it at night, too, I found myself drinking so much I had to get up at night to use the bathroom. Darn! Still can’t drink all I want
    at night!

  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited April 2021
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't think diet sodas are particularly harmful to begin with...I get way too wired with energy drinks though and my heart goes all over the place.

    IMO, a diet soda is pretty benign. I have a Coke Zero pretty much everyday with my lunch and make mocktail drinks in the evening with zero sugar ginger beer.

    100% this for me. I have a hard time with strong doses of caffeine...Energy drink and Cold Brews are generally a no for me. I also drink one Coke Zero daily and do not think diet sodas are harmful, outside of the possible caffeine some of them have (and that's strictly for me, not saying caffeine is bad for everyone). I know some people like to give artificial sweeteners a boogey man rap, though.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited April 2021
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Schila64 wrote: »


    I don't have a source. I can only speak from personal experience. Back in 2017 I decided to get very strict about what I ate. Besides working out, I was eating healthy, nutritious food. Stayed away from processed ones. One of the things I did, was cut cold turkey diet sodas. Well I got great results and my cellulite just disappear. That was then. 2020 Covid brought a lot of bad habits back. One is the Diet Coke and diet dr. pepper, and of course the cellulite. Probably the fading of the cellulite was a combination of a lot of things. That is why I believe that Diet Sodas are a huge factor when it comes to cellulite.

    The issue with individual anecdotal experience is that it is awfully hard to root cause that way and there are plenty of people who have different experiences. I regularly drink diet soda, have for years, and cellulite is not a problem for me. So if you're using anecdotal experience to determine that it is a definite cause of cellulite, what do you make of my experience.

    You also say that Covid brought back "a lot of bad habits." If you have changed a lot of things, why would you tie cellulite to this specific change?

    I'm not saying this to convince you to drink diet soda. You shouldn't drink anything unless you want to drink it. It's just that I think the causes of cellulite are probably more complex than that.

    Same here. I had (and still have, to some degree) a decent amount of cellulite. I've also gone through periods like now, where I drink a diet soda every single day, and other times where I've sworn off the sodas for years. My cellulite didn't change until I started losing weight and working out.

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