interesting Points regarding Diet Pop from my trainer

cath1024

My personal trainer and Boot Camp Trainer each week sends out interesting emails each week and this is one i thought i might share with you guys.

Read carefully - This is something that could be hindering your weight loss success


It blows my mind when I go through a mall and I see loads of people walking around drinking diet pop, diet juice, or coffee and tea with artificial sweeteners - most of these people being overweight or obese. Diet pop is manufactured by companies that want to make money, not help you lose weight. This is the first red flag. The second red flag is the fact that artificial sweeteners were made in a scientific lab by people who configured a chemical substance to taste like sugar. That's disgusting when you actually think about it. Not only should these two facts be alarming alone, but why would you want to put something in your body that is fake, just to save a couple calories? Our bodies are supposed to be the temples that we live through. We need to feed ourselves quality food to influence good health and live with vitality.

Here's my take on diet drinks - they make you fat, and keep you fat. If you want to be healthy, you don't want to drink anything with artificial sweeteners. Especially aspartame!!!! Artificial sweeteners come with health risks, have addictive properties, and shut down our bodies natural ability to count calories. Our bodies don't understand how to metabolise things like aspartame, and actually sees artificial sweeteners as toxic. When we consume toxic things, our bodies go into a protection mode, making us store fat cells and water weight "to save us" from these foreign substances. We want to lose fat cells - not make them! Things like aspartame also turn off the satiation centre in your brain, making you crave more food later on, potentially causing you to reach for the wrong foods and over-eat. It can also diminish your serotonin levels, which are the feel-good chemicals you produce in your brain. When serotonin levels are down, you can feel sad, tired, *****y, hungry, and reaching for foods that quickly pick up your serotonin levels like white bread, cookies, chocolate, chips or more pop! Not something you want to do if you're trying to lose weight - it makes you crave the bad carbohydrates. This has personally happened to me. I used to be fully addicted to diet pop, and noticed I was putting on weight, feeling tired and not wanting to workout, kind of sad, constantly hungry, experiencing hormonal problems, and the weirdest thing - sometimes leaking a little bit of pee in my pants. Not cool!!!! I knew something was up, and that was the only major change I had done with my "diet", so I started to research and educate myself on it. Some of the things I learned were so alarming that I immediately stopped drinking diet pop, and even though I went through some withdrawal symptoms like headaches and cravings, I then soon lost weight, became energized, and stopped having little pee accidents. Yeah! This experience has made me very passionate about how bad artificial sweeteners are for you, so if you can learn anything from me, have it be this - don't drink diet pop!!!! Now, I don't even chew gum, and I always check food and drink labels for aspartame - like yogurts, and so-called healthy drinks. This is a choice I have made, and plan on sticking to, because it has made me feel loads better. After reading this, the choice is yours.

Here's some other quick facts and links if you'd like to learn more:
#1. Brand names of aspartame: NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Equal-Measure, Amino-Sweet - check for these on your food and drink labels.
#2. Aspartame is being linked to MS, Lupus and Parkinson's disease. I know a couple people that have MS through friends and family - they all have, or still do, drink diet pop. Here's a link to learn more. http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/aspartame-poison.html http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-information.html
#3. Healthy sugar replacements: Natural honey, 100% pure maple syrup, coconut (palm) sugar, and stevia. Stevia is naturally carb free and made from a plant source. I buy the palm sugar at the bulk barn, and grab the stevia from the superstore. They both have properties to help you with blood sugar control, unlike most sugars that throw your blood sugar onto a rollercoaster ride and cause you to store fat.

kimkat77

Thank you!!!! I have always told my friends that anything artificial cannot be processed or really understood by our bodies...in essence it is FAKE FOOD. I use the word "food" lightly! Thanks again for the perspective!

SpaceMarkus

yep. Diet drinks are hardly that! I wish the FDA would make them change the labels. They're playing off people's fear of being fat.

Gigi_licious

Wow! Thank you for sharing!!

runnermel

I am seeing this information more and more. it is unbelievable to think about the fact that all of us are trying to do something to help ourselves, but we are actually hurting ourselves!! just unreal...

KZOsMommy

THank you for sharing that! I am diet soda drinker but only one small glass a day and only right before my time of the month. I have decided to change that recently so thank you for helping me remind myself why I made that choice

freerange

I always say, don’t drink or eat anything that says “Diet” on it, it will make you fat. Ever see a skinny person drinking diet pop? I rest my case.

carmenstop1

Yikes, this might help me kick my Coke Zero habit!

McGruber03

This article is this guys opinion, none of it is fact. I would like to see real, scientific journal articles from a real medical journal. Many 'trainers' call themselves nutritionists, when they are not, in fact nutritionists or dietitians. I know plenty of people who drink diet drinks who are not overweight or obese. Excess calories and sedentary lifestyle cause weight gain. Diet drinks have ZERO calories, therefore, will not cause weight gain. Now, what if those who are drinking diet colas rationalize by saying "i saved 300 kcal by drinking diet instead of regular, I deserve the Big Mac and fries"? Is it the diet cola that caused weight gain? Or the Big Mac and fries? Am I saying diet cola is good for you? Absolutely not. Especially when it replaces healthier options like water and milk. Does it cause weight gain. Absolutely not. Be smart. Moderation is key.

RhonndaJ

I will believe as soon as the warnings can be backed up by clinical studies from trusted medical sources. For all I see these warnings posted about one every three days, I've yet to see any of the 'information' substantiated.

Do fat people drink diet soda? Sure. But odds are good that they are not fat because of it. More likely they are fat because of poor eating habits and simply took up diet soda to appease their conscience when they're 'trying' to lose weight.

Happyhappy352

I have never really been a fan of soda. I might have one once in a while but not on a daily or weekly basis. I use splenda is that bad?

sbrown6

Our bodies don't understand how to metabolise things like aspartame, and actually sees artificial sweeteners as toxic. When we consume toxic things, our bodies go into a protection mode, making us store fat cells and water weight "to save us" from these foreign substances. We want to lose fat cells - not make them! Things like aspartame also turn off the satiation centre in your brain, making you crave more food later on, potentially causing you to reach for the wrong foods and over-eat. It can also diminish your serotonin levels, which are the feel-good chemicals you produce in your brain. When serotonin levels are down, you can feel sad, tired, *****y, hungry, and reaching for foods that quickly pick up your serotonin levels like white bread, cookies, chocolate, chips or more pop! Not something you want to do if you're trying to lose weight - it makes you crave the bad carbohydrates. This has personally happened to me.

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I have heard the part about making us crave more but never the part about storing fat and water. SInce I started MFP, I have drastically cut down on teh diet soda -- down to about 1 a day. Now I will give it up for sure. I also put a little bit of sweet n low in my coffee. 1 use 1 packet for 2 cups. Guess I'll have to switch to something else. Maybe agave nectar.

I used to be fully addicted to diet pop, and noticed I was putting on weight, feeling tired and not wanting to workout, kind of sad, constantly hungry, experiencing hormonal problems, and the weirdest thing - sometimes leaking a little bit of pee in my pants. Not cool!!!!

What is with the pee thing? Is that really related to sweeteners? Or is it because of week abdominal muscles? I have definitely never heard of a connection between sweetners and weak bladders. If that's true, that alone is reason enough to give them up.

FearAnLoathing

Here's my take on diet drinks - they make you fat, and keep you fat.

Wow I must have imagined losing 55 pounds

Heather75

*sigh*

FearAnLoathing

For the record I drink diet drinks and have never felt better.I have tons of energy,i never get sick,in fact i feel better now than I have in a long long time.

Thriceshy

I always say, don’t drink or eat anything that says “Diet” on it, it will make you fat. Ever see a skinny person drinking diet pop? I rest my case.

Actually, most of the skinny people I know drink diet soda. I lost 135 lbs in high school drinking diet soda, and I kept the weight off for 8 years (while continuing to drink diet soda). And the reason you see fat people drinking it is not because it made them fat, but because they're trying to lose weight (and, sadly, often think that giving up sugary sodas is all they have to do to achieve that goal).

I've read the essays on the evils of diet sodas. I've also read the American Diabetes Association's, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists', and the CDC's positions on diet sodas. I'll take science over woo-woo pop-nutrition any day. I'm diabetic, I need to go for the factual stuff.

Ultimately, go with what's working for you. If diet sodas seem to make you crave more sweets or don't work for you in your weight loss scheme, then definitely ditch them. But there's no need to demonize them--they work for many of us.

Kris

McGruber03

I will believe as soon as the warnings can be backed up by clinical studies from trusted medical sources. For all I see these warnings posted about one every three days, I've yet to see any of the 'information' substantiated.

Do fat people drink diet soda? Sure. But odds are good that they are not fat because of it. More likely they are fat because of poor eating habits and simply took up diet soda to appease their conscience when they're 'trying' to lose weight.

Agreed!

LorinaLynn

Here's my take on diet drinks - they make you fat, and keep you fat.

Wow I must have imagined losing 55 pounds

I'm afraid to stop drinking diet drinks now. I'll quickly become emaciated and blow away with the wind if that's what's keeping weight on me.

McGruber03

I always say, don’t drink or eat anything that says “Diet” on it, it will make you fat. Ever see a skinny person drinking diet pop? I rest my case.

Actually, most of the skinny people I know drink diet soda. I lost 135 lbs in high school drinking diet soda, and I kept the weight off for 8 years (while continuing to drink diet soda). And the reason you see fat people drinking it is not because it made them fat, but because they're trying to lose weight (and, sadly, often think that giving up sugary sodas is all they have to do to achieve that goal).

I've read the essays on the evils of diet sodas. I've also read the American Diabetes Association's, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists', and the CDC's positions on diet sodas. I'll take science over woo-woo pop-nutrition any day. I'm diabetic, I need to go for the factual stuff.

Ultimately, go with what's working for you. If diet sodas seem to make you crave more sweets or don't work for you in your weight loss scheme, then definitely ditch them. But there's no need to demonize them--they work for many of us.

Kris

You are so right. I'm a dietitian, have a normal BMI, and enjoy a diet coke every now and again. I've been the same weight since about 11th grade and I'm now 33. I have had periods where I drink it everyday, drink it never (b/c I was too cheap to buy it) and now I drink it only when I go out to eat which is about once a week. My weight has never fluctuated with my ever changing consumption of diet coke.

Larius

My 2 cents. Based on myself, I think as some people age (not everyone) their bodies no longer handle caffeine in the same way. I was a coffee and tea drinker that never went near sodas. Eliminating caffeine from my diet has helped me shed fat. Caffeine use over the long term increases cortisol; Cortisol increases fat storage. People who are lower stress to begin with may have less of this cortisol enhancing effect.

Thriceshy

This article is this guys opinion, none of it is fact. I would like to see real, scientific journal articles from a real medical journal. Many 'trainers' call themselves nutritionists, when they are not, in fact nutritionists or dietitians. I know plenty of people who drink diet drinks who are not overweight or obese. Excess calories and sedentary lifestyle cause weight gain. Diet drinks have ZERO calories, therefore, will not cause weight gain. Now, what if those who are drinking diet colas rationalize by saying "i saved 300 kcal by drinking diet instead of regular, I deserve the Big Mac and fries"? Is it the diet cola that caused weight gain? Or the Big Mac and fries? Am I saying diet cola is good for you? Absolutely not. Especially when it replaces healthier options like water and milk. Does it cause weight gain. Absolutely not. Be smart. Moderation is key.

Bingo.

I drink a couple a day-one when I wake up to rid my mouth of that morning slump, and one with dinner. I drink 4 times as much water each day. I'm not worried about diet sodas, and I don't see any interference with my weight loss. The sodium for two sodas a day is minimal, and I don't do caffeine.

Moderation. That's almost always the answer.

Kris