Ok what's the "skinny" on diet soda is it good or bad

135hearmeroar

I am a soda glutton I love coke all day but I know it hinders my weight loss goal so I tried diet soda and I didn't like it so much but it is doable but if this is similar to drinking regular soda then I am wasting my time. This is an alternative I am willing to try but will it make me gain more weight an does it truly have 0 calories. I get so many different answers I need someone with personal experience with soda addiction and who tried diet instead, please help I am drinking regular soda as we speak. Yummy.

maidentl

Well, it depends on the soda you choose. Some, such as Dr. Pepper 10, have ten calories. Most have zero. You'd have to drink an awful lot of the 10 calorie soda to gain weight.

Aaron_K123

"Is it good or bad"

Neither...its neutral. Its flavored water basically.

Diet soda will not make you gain weight. It doesn't have 0 calories it has like 3 or 4 calories in a can but yeah you aren't going to gain weight drinking that. Weight gain and weight loss is just calories in, calories out.

If you drink a lot of soda switching from full sugar soda to diet soda could definitely help you limit your calories and hit a caloric deficit though.

Mathguy1

For myself, diet soda tends to make me bloated. Therefore, the only times I drink it is when I'm at a movie (or if I'm eating pizza). When I was at my heaviest (230+lbs), switching from regular to diet soda easily saved me 700ish calories/day. Later, once I gave up on drinking diet soda, along with a healthy nutrition plan, my bloated stomach started disappearing. Again, it wasn't the diet soda alone that made my stomach appear large, but I did notice it shrink once I gave the stuff up.

Look at it this way, if drinking diet soda was a healthy option for you, all of the professional athletes would drink it during training and workouts.

Please keep in mind, not everyone who drinks diet soda becomes bloated. There are many fit people out there that drink the stuff. For myself, I cant drink it and maintain a healthy look with 10% body fat (what I looked like a year ago that I'm currently returning to).

lindsey1979

I think it really depends on what your goals are and where it is on the spectrum of good vs. bad. It's not terrible, but it doesn't really have any heath benefits either -- so there is nothing "good" about it. But the negatives are pretty minor.

Pros/Health Benefits: 0
Cons:
(1) Chemicals -- There area lot of chemicals in it, so if that's an issue for you, that's on the negative side.
(2) May Raise Insulin Levels -- There has been some talk of it raising insulin levels due to the artificial sweeteners. So even though it's 0 calories, it may contribute to weight gain indirectly (rise in insulin will make you hungry and store more fat when you do actually eat food). so if you generally avoid artificial sweeteners, this would also something you should avoid or minimize.
(3) Phosphoric Acid -- It's been linked to enamel erosion on teeth, decalcification in bones and kidney issues (only in colas -- diet non-cola drinks don't seem to have this issue)

I think it's one of those things that you probably don't want to drink a lot of as a general rule. If you find yourself drinking several cans a day, you'd probably be better off switching to something healthier.

Aaron_K123

I think it really depends on what your goals are and where it is on the spectrum of good vs. bad. It's not terrible, but it doesn't really have any heath benefits either -- so there is nothing "good" about it. But the negatives are pretty minor.

Pros/Health Benefits: 0
Cons:
(1) Chemicals -- There area lot of chemicals in it, so if that's an issue for you, that's on the negative side.
(2) May Raise Insulin Levels -- There has been some talk of it raising insulin levels due to the artificial sweeteners. So even though it's 0 calories, it may contribute to weight gain indirectly (rise in insulin will make you hungry and store more fat when you do actually eat food). so if you generally avoid artificial sweeteners, this would also something you should avoid or minimize.
(3) Phosphoric Acid -- It's been linked to enamel erosion on teeth, decalcification in bones and kidney issues (only in colas -- diet non-cola drinks don't seem to have this issue)

I think it's one of those things that you probably don't want to drink a lot of as a general rule. If you find yourself drinking several cans a day, you'd probably be better off switching to something healthier.

Keep in mind the choice here is between soda and diet soda not between diet soda and nothing. OP might decide to ween off soda but in the short term I think diet soda is a better option than soda if the intent is weight loss.

paperpudding

I am a soda glutton I love coke all day but I know it hinders my weight loss goal so I tried diet soda and I didn't like it so much but it is doable but if this is similar to drinking regular soda then I am wasting my time. This is an alternative I am willing to try but will it make me gain more weight an does it truly have 0 calories. I get so many different answers I need someone with personal experience with soda addiction and who tried diet instead, please help I am drinking regular soda as we speak. Yummy.

Well I wouldnt say I have personal experience with soda addiction - I never drank a great deal of it anyway - but when I started trying to lose weight, I switched from drinking regular to diet versions.

Helps me stay under calorie goal - and I steadily lost weight whilst drinking aprox 4 cans per week of diet soda - about the same amount of regular soda I drank before.

Of course, I also made other changes to my diet to reduce my calorie intake.

CindyMarcuzAdams

I dont drink a great deal of soda but when I do its diet. Only because I like it better. I only buy pop without aspartame. There is lots of choices you just have to look...if that matters to you at all. I just find splenda doesn't leave an after taste.

meganhertz

I've read several articles on it, and I find that while they can't prove that you gain weight, the diet chemicals supposedly make you crave more sugar, which causes you to eat more. So if you stick to a calorie count and ignore cravings, you'd be fine (this is what I do). But if you don't track calories you might find yourself eating more sugary stuff. But it doesn't actually cause weight gain.

lindsey1979

I think it really depends on what your goals are and where it is on the spectrum of good vs. bad. It's not terrible, but it doesn't really have any heath benefits either -- so there is nothing "good" about it. But the negatives are pretty minor.

Pros/Health Benefits: 0
Cons:
(1) Chemicals -- There area lot of chemicals in it, so if that's an issue for you, that's on the negative side.
(2) May Raise Insulin Levels -- There has been some talk of it raising insulin levels due to the artificial sweeteners. So even though it's 0 calories, it may contribute to weight gain indirectly (rise in insulin will make you hungry and store more fat when you do actually eat food). so if you generally avoid artificial sweeteners, this would also something you should avoid or minimize.
(3) Phosphoric Acid -- It's been linked to enamel erosion on teeth, decalcification in bones and kidney issues (only in colas -- diet non-cola drinks don't seem to have this issue)

I think it's one of those things that you probably don't want to drink a lot of as a general rule. If you find yourself drinking several cans a day, you'd probably be better off switching to something healthier.

Keep in mind the choice here is between soda and diet soda not between diet soda and nothing. OP might decide to ween off soda but in the short term I think diet soda is a better option than soda if the intent is weight loss.

Sure, but better to know all of the facts. Some would prefer the sugar to the artificial sweeteners -- just depends on your preferences and goals.

QuietBloom

Diet soda has zero calories, so it is definitely the way to go if you are trying to lose weight. There is nothing in diet sodas that is harmful, despite the hype and fear mongering.

lindsey1979

Diet soda has zero calories, so it is definitely the way to go if you are trying to lose weight. There is nothing in diet sodas that is harmful, despite the hype and fear mongering.

There is quite a bit out there about the phosphoric acid. Is it super harmful? Probably not. Like many things in life, you've just got to balance the benefits vs. the potential detriments.

lanthiriel

This is totally anecdotal, but I lost three pounds the week I gave up diet soda (I'm not a fan of regular soda... too syrupy for my tastes). I'm sure it was mostly from "bloat" like a previous poster mentioned. That said, my decision to give it up wasn't based on calories or weight loss, really, but more from a desire to start eating foods with more nutritional value. I'm learning to look at labels and buy food that has natural ingredients. Now I drink a lot of unsweetened herbal tea (Stash's Licorice Spice FTW!) and have kicked the caffeine headaches

QuietBloom

Diet soda has zero calories, so it is definitely the way to go if you are trying to lose weight. There is nothing in diet sodas that is harmful, despite the hype and fear mongering.

There is quite a bit out there about the phosphoric acid. Is it super harmful? Probably not. Like many things in life, you've just got to balance the benefits vs. the potential detriments.

What is wrong is your claim that non-nutrative sweeteners have an effect on insulin, and that diet coke contains a bunch of 'chemicals' because EVERYTHING is a chemical and you know that. Phosphoric acid is in both regular and diet colas, nothing much to be seen there.

As you say there is 'quite a bit out there' on phosphoric acid and it's harmfulness, how about linking us up to some? I've seen some speculation, but that's it.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

I drink a couple every day!

Buckeyebill413

I enjoy diet soda and have been drinking it for years. I met with two different dietitians and they did not agree on whether diet soda is good or bad. I drink in moderation and try to drink at least as much water as diet soda. Moderation is always the best route so keep drinking just pay attention to how much.

aedreana

I drink diet soda, and tea with artificial sweetener. I don't miss regular soda at all. I am a fat-craver, not a sugar craver. I am dieting right now, and I snack on Splenda-sweetened pickles and sip diet soda/diet tea during the day so that I can save my calories for my one small meal late at night. Works for me.

mg1123

I drank diet cherry 7up. I loved it. Then I had to give it up for my recent elimination diet. I decided to cut all ties with it a few weeks in, since I had kicked the habit. Then I had to test benzoates (which are in a lot of sodas), so I picked a pineapple soda, and by the end of that day, I had a really horrible headache and had some brain fog going on. It really is no joke about the chemicals. Cut it out for a few weeks, then do a challenge day and see if you have any effects. It might surprise you.

lindsey1979

Diet soda has zero calories, so it is definitely the way to go if you are trying to lose weight. There is nothing in diet sodas that is harmful, despite the hype and fear mongering.

That's BS. There is quite a bit out there about the phosphoric acid. Is it super harmful? Probably not. But to pretend that there isn't any harm, that's just BS. Like many things in life, you've just got to balance the benefits vs. the potential detriments.

What is BS is your claim that non-nutrative sweeteners have an effect on insulin, and that diet coke contains a bunch of 'chemicals' because EVERYTHING is a chemical Lindsey, and you know that. Phosphoric acid is in both regular and diet colas, nothing much to be seen there.

As you say there is 'quite a bit out there' on phosphoric acid and it's harmfulness, how about linking us up to some? I've seen some speculation, but that's it. I usually stay away from your posts like the plague because you excel at circular arguments and tunnel vision, but for you to call ME out for supposed 'BS' is a bit much.

Everything is a chemical? Wow.

Are apples chemicals? How about beef? How about a chair? Sure, they're composed of chemical elements, as all matter is, but is that what you consider the use of "chemicals" to mean in colloquial terms?

Until you figure that out, perhaps you should lay off the personal insults about tunnel vision, circular reasoning or otherwise -- especially when none of it involves the topic at hand.

lindsey1979

Here's at least one article about the potential for artificial sweeteners (sucrulose in this case) to cause an increased insulin spike:
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/04/30/dc12-2221.abstract?sid=802a9949-c04c-4304-b31c-b78bc39f73d1

Or one on phosphoric acid and loss of bone density: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17023723, another one showed it wasn't the phosphoric acid in soda but the combination of carbonation and caffeine http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11522558

But, either way, there is quite a bit of literature out there showing a correlation between drinking diet soda with weight gain and increased incidence of metabolic syndrome:

"“for each diet soft drink our participants drank per day, they were 65 percent more likely to become overweight during the next seven to eight years, and 41 percent more likely to become obese.” http://uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=1539

Another one showed a 34% increased risk in developing metabolic syndrome. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/117/6/754.abstract?searchid=1&HITS=10&hits=10&resourcetype=HWCIT&maxtoshow=&RESULTFORMAT=&FIRSTINDEX=0&fulltext=steffen

Some researches speculate it's because the artificial sweeteners prolong sugar cravings, not eliminate them.

Research is far from definitive, but like the correlation on phosphoric acid and bone density and tooth enamel issues, there is some support out there and suspicion that there is some casual connection. Look into the information and decide for yourself. But to pretend that none of this exists and is all "fear mongering" and "hype" is just flat out wrong.

Why some people come on here to just tell others how all artificial sweeteners are "fine", highly processed foods are just the same a non-processed foods (just stay in your calories), nothing in diet soda is harmful, etc. is beyond me. It does seem to me that they have ulterior motives. Why champion such nutrient lacking foods so vehemently?

Oh, wait. Didn't Coke launch a big ad campaign lately taking just this approach? Hmmm....

Aaron_K123

Why some people come on here to just tell others how all artificial sweeteners are "fine", highly processed foods are just the same a non-processed foods (just stay in your calories), nothing in diet soda is harmful, etc. is beyond me. It does seem to me that they have ulterior motives. Why champion such nutrient lacking foods so vehemently?

Because part of good health is being low stress and there is no sense in stressing yourself out unnecessarily for no reason other than illegitimately placed fear or avoidance of certain foods or drinks.