Diet Soda

Laurieann137

Hi Everyone,

Years ago I switched from regular soda to diet. I noticed I wasn't so bloated and it helped me lose 20lbs. My family and I are looking to make our eating habits heathier but my husband and I want to make the first changes. We both drink diet soda and usually have 3+ cans a day. Our kids barely ever drink soda and we want to keep it that way. Has anyone gone off of diet soda and found it made a difference in the way you feel? I know there are health reasons to not take in to much aspartame and that is certainly a motivator, but do you feel better when not drinking it anymore? Are there substitutes besides water that still give you the satisfaction you get from diet soda?

Thanks in advance!!

michelle850

I'm curious to see what people have to say. I drink two diet sodas a day and would love to quit, but my lack of willpower doesn't help, and the only other thing I really drink (besides the occasional beer or wine) is water. I don't like juice or milk so my choices are pretty limited!

MrDude_1

I have a waterbottle at work.... If I dont feel like water, I use one of the flavor packet sticks to make it into something....
that eliminates 90% of my diet soda intake. and saves me money from soda.

that said, I just got a diet pepsi from the vending machine.

soccerella

Ugh

I used to never drink soda and now i've found i drink diet sodas alot. I think I crave something sweet and having caffeine, but i know its not good for you. I need to try to switch back to tea

anyhow. I KNOW that it messes with my sodium levels in my body and i retain water more AND have to urinate more which is highly annoying and I find I get up a bunch in the middle of the night to go. When I just drink water, not so much

I think I really like the carbonation, so carbonated water works for me sometimes....Otherwise I just put in lemon or lime into my water...oh an crystal light pure is good too but I use a packet per gallon, not the 8 oz or whatever it sugggests....most drink mixes are too sweet for me

bjfrezell

I cut back to 1 or 2 diet sodas a week. Mostly I drink water, occasionally I'll have some skim milk. Some times I'll drink ice tea or add a mix to add flavor to my water. I just graduated from law school last year while working full time. During my three years in law school I was drinking diet soda until it was coming out of my ears just to get enough caffeine. My body feels so much better now that I'm not drinking a lot of diet soda. I missed it at first, but now I'm okay without it. And strangely enough, I don't feel less tired without the caffeine.

WhitneyT586

If its carbonation you want, try fruit juice mixed with sparkling water to get that fizzy fix. I like Healthy Balance Apple Cranberry or Grape with equal amounts of sparkling seltzer water, mix well, and serve over ice.

I gave up caffeine several years ago for Lent and still do not drink much with caffeine in it, maybe once every few months. This year, I'm giving up all sodas. I've gotten in a bad habit of drinking real Sprite if I want something different because it doesn't have caffeine or aspertame/Splenda. Thats bad though cuz of the sugar and calories that it does have. So now its gonna be water all the time.

pf3855

I've never been a fan of diet soda, I had to have the real thing or nothing. So since the real thing isn't an option except for a special occasion anymore I drink iced tea with lemon & splenda or truvia. There are alot of flavored teas out there and if you have Keurig you can buy the K-cups with lemon, raspberry, peach, etc. I also drink alot of Crystal Light. I'm not a big fan of just plain water so I'll add the little packet of Crystal Light. The flavored waters are also good - raspberry is my favorite. There's alot of options besides pop.

CyberEd312

I don't by into all the hype that gets thrown around about diet soda and yes I have seen and read alot of the studies and articles. To each their own do what you think works best for you.. I myself have not and will not be giving up my diet pepsi.... I drink 2 or 3 24oz. bottles a day (I still get in my 8 glasses of water). I once weighed 560 lbs, and could barely walk from room to room and when I began this journey I said if there was one thing I would not give up it was my diet pepsi. I gave up junk food and replaced with a healthy lifestyle.... 32 months later I have lost 302 lbs. and have never seen the correlation that diet pepsi makes me crave sweets yada yada yada.... and it certainly has not hindered my weightloss....

ninerbuff

No peer reviewed clinical studies show that diet soda is harmful to consume. Personally I've been drinking 2 a day for the last 30 years with no health issues. I will have a regular soda once in awhile, but I find when I do that I drink more of it. With diet soda, I'm usually content with one can for several hours to fulfill my sweet tooth.


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dlyeates

i would love to know if there is a difference. I usually have 1-2 a day. I have a Coke Zero (20 oz.) with lunch for the caffeine and if I don't want to drink water at home sometimes a Caffeine free Diet Pepsi just for something different.

I do drink a lot of Crystal Light and that still has the chemicals in it but it's a way to up my water intake and make the water at home palitable (our pipes suck and I'm a water snob). I do need the caffeine but wonder if I should switch to coffee (but then I just use fake sugar anyways so what's the point).

Hmmmm????

wellbert

Some people shouldn't have aspartame. These groups include: People with sensitivity to artificial sweeteners, people who believe everything they read on the internet, and lab rats.

NikoM5

What ninerbuff said

linders1216

I'm with you on that one. I swear by the flavor packets!! I haven't had a diet pop since September!!

waylandcool

I'm still trying to find a diet soda I like. The only one that came close was Diet Coke with Lime. I usually stick to the leaded pop although I am trying to give that up for lent.

julieban1

I go for green tea to give me the caffeine I seek. Aspartame causes cancer. Do real research. It is horrible for you.

Jeeenjohnson19

I would love to quit! I have tried, but I get very tetchy without a Pepsi Max or Diet Coke during the day. Might be something to do with the fact that i'm a student; as I have found I have drunk more of the stuff since I started University. Maybe i'll be able to quit when I graduate lol!

memcd911

I like Diet Coke made with Splenda instead of aspartame. I only have 1-2 DC in a week, so I don't spaz if I have to get a regular one. But the elimination of aspartame in my diet lessens my migraines greatly. So if I'm going to buy a 12-pack, I'm definitely buying DC with Splenda. It also tastes better IMHO.

bgrune131

I know that they say diet soda is bad for your health, but I'm not completely convinced. I hardly drink soda, but when I do, it's something diet. It gives me a caffiine boost I may be needing, or a calorie free sweet alternative. That's just how I see it I'd say you should be fine!

dragynyss

I quite about 2 years ago and found an immense difference. Weightloss and no more aspartame headaches. And I feel better about the fact that I'm not ingesting a bunch of mystery chemicals into my body.

I now drink lots & lots of water and unsweetened tea on occasion. I do admit to going to Sonic about once a month and indulging in a Diet Cherry Limeade however. As long as I don't have more than that I do fine without it.

I would say give it a try. It can't hurt and can only help, right?

jb100908

Artificial sweeteners still affect your blood sugar, which in turn affects your appetite. Maybe try a seltzer water or sparkling water if you like the carbonation. If it's flavor your after...add a little lemon or lime juice. Cucumber water is also very refreshing.

TiffanyDeanee

Needs to be banned. The stuff is nasty.

NikoM5

I heard on the news yesterday about a new study linking aspartame with heart disease but even the authors admitted that the study was highly correlative.

mhaynam1970

I went straight from drinking regular pop (soda depending where you are from) to water or adding the little sugar free packets to the water. I can not stand the after taste I get from diet pop. I felt a little tired the first couple of days but it really doesn't even appeal to me anymore.

hauer01

I just gave up diet soda for lent today. Good-bye!

change_happens

I love lemon and water.

Qatsi

I used to drink a lot more soda when my company provided it free in the break room fridge. When they stopped doing that, I cut it out almost entirely, and to be honest, I don't miss it. Every once in a while I get a taste for a Coca-Cola Classic, but it's definitely an occasional treat rather than something I have to have on a daily basis.

As far as diet sodas go, I like Diet Dr Pepper or Dr Pepper Ten, but again, I don't have more than 2-3 a week.

Now coffee - that's a story for a different thread. Don't even THINK of taking my Caffe Verona away... :noway:

nbaxter1104

Instead of drinking DC, I drink club soda. And if I want some extra flavor I would add some lemon or lime (or both)!!

SwannySez

I used to down soda by practically the gallon and still will if it's in the fridge so I cut it out. I'm with the posters above who suggested fruit juice or Crystal Light Pure with seltzer. For a real sweet kick I'll have Diet V8 Splash.

NikoM5

Needs to be banned. The stuff is nasty.

Can you elaborate?

Artificial sweeteners still affect your blood sugar

Where did you hear this?

Also, juice is full of sugar. Your body doesn't care whether the sugar comes from soda or juice.

carolemack

Some people shouldn't have aspartame. These groups include: People with sensitivity to artificial sweeteners, people who believe everything they read on the internet, and lab rats.

***THIS*** I drink between 6 - 8 cans of Diet Coke a day and have done so for most of my life. It does not appear to be impairing my ability to lose weight, and it certainly doesn't make me crave sweets - just the opposite, I have no difficulty leaving sweets alone.

klcatterton

My doctor who, while a family practitioner, specializes in diabetes, told me that sugarfree foods such as diet soda really don't help in weight loss--the sweetness "tricks" the body into thinking it's actually getting sugar and produces an insulin response regardless.

Here's an article on the concept: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704432

I've stopped drinking the artificially sweetened drinks (as well as the regular stuff) and have dropped 16 lbs since Christmas.