Diet soda

Schwiggs

Conflicting research on this. I tend to not feel as up to exercise when I don't actually hydrate with water. Doesn't mean I think diet soda is the devil though. Just not a replacement in my book.

branflake5

i am not sure if this is true for everyone but in my 20's i would drink regular pop/soda no issues with my weight until i turned 30. started gaining at 30 and by 31 decided o well i am just gonna switch to diet coke that will knock off tons of calories and i will lose weight. well it didn't happen, however i was hooked on diet coke so i started jogging 4 days a week for at least 30 min per day. i still didn't lose anything. i am not a fan of water but when i got on mfp and really dedicated myself to losing this weight i started forcing myself to drink water. 1st couple weeks were a challenge now i need my water i still have an occasional diet coke but instead of a 12 pk a week its like 2 cans a week. and i have lost 4lbs in the past few weeks since i stopped with the diet coke.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I feel like an odd ball here. Its too cold for me to drink water xD I drink a pot of coffee a day and maybe a few diet sodas a week since the carbonation helps he feel full

tolygal

I am not a big fan of water. I try to drink some daily even the flavored water and just can't seem to drink enough. Can someone still lose weight by drinking mainly diet soda?

You may be able to lose weight by drinking mainly diet soda, but this would be TERRIBLE for your body :-(

Yes - I know lots and lots of people don't care about the chemicals, but I've been reading more and more about it, and the thought of someone chosing to drink soda in place of water makes me sad.... We need to be concerned about our overall health - only part of which is our weight.

edited to fix a typo (hope that's the only one)

BobinNC66

I still drink about a can of diet pepsi a day and I have still been losing. I know it's not the best for you, but at least it's somewhat better than regular pepsi. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I need to get my caffeine fix from somewhere!

That is exactly why I drink it too, might have to train myself to like coffee, I hear it is much healthier than diet soda. here is something mentioned from a Web MD article:

Artificially sweetened items have been shown to trick our body into thinking other sweet foods don’t have many calories and we are much more inclined to overeat as a consequence. The results of a study published in the International Journal of Obesity and reported on WebMD shows that when subjects are given artificially sweetened drinks over a period of 10 days, they are much more likely to overeat to compensate. Participants allowed to drink sweetened drinks registered the calories and did not overeat as a result.

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/diet-soda-shown-to-hinder-weight/page-2/#ixzz1cNmoEfvu

Espressocycle

My fiance has lost 15 lbs and guzzles diet iced tea all day and night. I think it's nasty, but whatever. Diet soda is both better than regular soda and better than dehydration. There is some research suggesting it makes you hungry due to the confusion of tasting sugar but getting none.

jsmeaton

Recently I have read a few different studies that state that diet soda can actually be a detriment to weight loss. The studies say that the artificial sweeteners in sodas actually trick our body into thinking we are consuming calories, and then when it realizes we aren't if forces our body to crave MORE calories. That is a very brief synopsis, but it basically covers it. Here is a link to a webmd article http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight?page=2. It is a few years old, but if you google "the effect of diet sodas on weight loss" you will find more recent results. I still drink a diet soda every now and then, but I only allow myself to have one if have had at least 3 or 4 glasses of water that day. Someone said they normally do one glass of water for every soda, that might be a good way to start.

77tes

I am a diet coke addict... I would honestly try everything in your power to not join me on that addiction It's proven bad for your bones/calcium retention as well, if I remember.

I WAS a diet Coke addict (almost a six pack a day), but I quit it cold turkey. I lost 15 pounds without dieting when I did. I really have no idea why or how I lost that weight, but it really happened. It was difficult because I found water boring. I drink lots of iced tea, and hot tea when the weather gets cool. My biggest victory was learning to drink my morning coffee black. I try to get 8 glasses of water everyday in addition to the tea and coffee. It tastes better, but I only drink filtered water.

MindiKat

I can't drink soda thanks to my migraine medicine (it makes it tastes like pennies) and I hate water. I do coffee in the morning and have tried all sorts of flavor packets. I HATE koolaid and Crystal Light and end up not drinking enough. I have found I like a few flavors of the Mio additives so I do these at work, diet Cranberry juice at home and I like the Propel Peach water better than most of the other things. I think if you find one or two you like and then try a coke a day you should be fine. Like many of the other posters have stated, there is conflicting research on this and even if they are diet, they are still not good for you... but hell, what is anymore?

auntdeedee87

Sodium. :ohwell:

Jessmiloo

Here's the latest I've read: http://www.fitsugar.com/Diet-Soda-Leads-Weight-Gain-New-Studies-Find-18073646

Diet soda has zero calories and therefore will not cause you to gain weight but according to the study the aspertame used as a sweetener might cause you to crave other food. There are studies that suggest that people who drink diet soda gain weight more than those who steer clear.

I think that one or two a day isn't going to hurt anything but it shouldn't be your only source of hydration. I'm someone who dislikes water so I add fruit to it in order to get it tolerable. I do drink a diet soda or two during the day but limit myself so I keep drinking water which is by far better for me.

Good luck! Hot topic! :bigsmile:

neanderthin

I lost weight eating rib steaks, full fat yogurt 8%, peanut butter, oatmeal etc, which is actual food with calories, so I think a diet coke with 0 calories will not in miraculous fashion, make me gain weight.

alyssamiller77

Here we go again. Let's dispel a lot of the mis-information and outright lies included in earlier responses to your topic.
1. You CANNOT gain fat simply by drinking diet soda. As someone else said, 0 calories means zero fat gain. The only way you can gain weight directly from drinking soda is if your body is retaining the water, but that's more of a function of your OVERALL sodium intake.
2. Let's talk about the sodium. 40mg as in a can of Coke Zero is not a lot of sodium by any stretch. Diet Pepsi has only 35mg, not much sodium.
3. The Ph of soda (it is slightly acidic) has absolutely nothing to do with hydration. Soda is 99% water (as Coca-Cola Inc is kind enough to remind us) and it will indeed hydrate your body.

So as long as you log your soda (for the sodium's sake) and you're within your calorie goals otherwise, you will not gain weight or impede your weight loss by drinking diet soda.

susanswan

I used to drink and love diet sodas, but don't drink more than a handful a year just in case! Diet sodas promote Metabolic Syndrome. You can google the topic and find more. Take it or leave it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19918336/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/zero-calories-same-great-taste-heart-risks/#.Tq7h2rKwUYo
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/nutrition/05symp.html

jsmeaton

My husband and I use the individual propel zero packets to flavor our water. They taste pretty good, not as sweet as crystal light, and supposedly are "nutrient enhanced."

WilliamD80

I have been drinking diet soda for years and lost lots of weight. Is it healthy ? most likely not but, neither is being extremely obese. So I decided I would drink diet soda to help me. I am now trying to kick my soda addiction after years of drinking a 2 liter a day. There are some discussions on how artificial sweeteners effect the body's metabolic system. Please don't quote me but, it something like your body is receiving sweet signals from your tastes buds but yet there is not calories for the body to use. Over time the body can not rely on your taste buds to determine if a sugar as been consumed. Made sense to me but, I don't know if there is a study to stand by this claim. I just worry about the chemical my body now has to cleanse from my body.

bluegem87

i do it on a daily basis, no joke, i drink close to 60 cans of diet pop a week. i still drink water when i work out & i love crystal light sugar free lemonade. bottom line is less calories are less calories, however the sodium will make you retain water and the artifical sweetners will make you crave sugar.
if your not already addicted to diet pop, id recommend trying carbonated water, black raspberry is awesome

MLeigh18

0 calories, 0 weight gain. Though with all the acid, it will not hydrate you and it is not great for your teeth. I think they promote water retention as well.

Not true. Dont listen to this nonsense. Calories aren't the only thing that make you gain weight. Sugar is one the primary reasons, as with salt. Diet sodas are yes, i believe better for you than regular soda IF YOU MUST DRINK IT but you have to be aware that diet soda contains forms of fake sugar ,primarily in aspartame, i.e. Splenda, Equal, Sweet n Lo, etc. Which is why you typically crave something sweet after eating/drinking something with fake sugar. Try diluting 2oz of soda into 2oz of regular water and 1oz of soda water. It doesn't taste as good as a regular diet soda, but it weens you off the sodas for a better, healthier you!

neanderthin

0 calories, 0 weight gain. Though with all the acid, it will not hydrate you and it is not great for your teeth. I think they promote water retention as well.

Not true. Dont listen to this nonsense. Calories aren't the only thing that make you gain weight. Sugar is one the primary reasons, as with salt. Diet sodas are yes, i believe better for you than regular soda IF YOU MUST DRINK IT but you have to be aware that diet soda contains forms of fake sugar ,primarily in aspartame, i.e. Splenda, Equal, Sweet n Lo, etc. Which is why you typically crave something sweet after eating/drinking something with fake sugar. Try diluting 2oz of soda into 2oz of regular water and 1oz of soda water. It doesn't taste as good as a regular diet soda, but it weens you off the sodas for a better, healthier you!

Your confused......if diet soda makes someone eat more, then well duh. If they eat more calories than they expend, they will gain weight, but saying diet soda causes weight gain is not thinking too clearly or understands nutrition 101. I will admit, on the internet I've heard just about everything but just can't find the science to back it up......for example,I gained weight from last night to this morning,and I didn't eat anything.............therefore sleep must cause weight gain, or was it the dark room.

WilliamD80

0 calories, 0 weight gain. Though with all the acid, it will not hydrate you and it is not great for your teeth. I think they promote water retention as well.

Not true. Dont listen to this nonsense. Calories aren't the only thing that make you gain weight. Sugar is one the primary reasons, as with salt. Diet sodas are yes, i believe better for you than regular soda IF YOU MUST DRINK IT but you have to be aware that diet soda contains forms of fake sugar ,primarily in aspartame, i.e. Splenda, Equal, Sweet n Lo, etc. Which is why you typically crave something sweet after eating/drinking something with fake sugar. Try diluting 2oz of soda into 2oz of regular water and 1oz of soda water. It doesn't taste as good as a regular diet soda, but it weens you off the sodas for a better, healthier you!

Your confused......if diet soda makes someone eat more, then well duh. If they eat more calories than they expend, they will gain weight, but saying diet soda causes weight gain is not thinking too clearly or understands nutrition 101. I will admit, on the internet I've heard just about everything but just can't find the science to back it up......for example,I gained weight from last night to this morning,and I didn't eat anything.............therefore sleep must cause weight gain, or was it the dark room.

I agree, show me the science or study to back it up. I also have read so much that it's hard to figure out what to believe. I had hard feelings towards sugar and in fact lost most of my weight on South Beach Diet. Or so I thought. I later realized it wasn't just SBD that help me lose weight, it was the fact I was tracking food and everything has damn sugar in it. Therefore I ate less. When I read about the Twinkie Diet (http://tinyurl.com/2422p2g) the professor did EVERYTHING I knew was wrong. Yet, weigh loss was obtained.......healthy ?? I don't know but, it kinda help me see that consumption is a huge part of weight loss. For me anyway but, whatever works for the individual. I didn't even know how to create my own system so I had to rely on books and others experience. I also learned that cutting too much out of your life at once can be a recipe for failure.