Flavored Water & Weight Loss? (Aspartame)

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YoshiBF
YoshiBF Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I hate drinking just regular water. The past couple of days, I've tried to drink nothing but regular water. However, whenever I try to drink regular water, since it doesn't taste good I don't remember to drink enough of it. I drink maybe 4 cups a day (half the amount you're supposed to I believe) on just water.

So just today I bought some water flavoring packets and I think they're great. One packet only adds 5 calories, and it has no sugars. It's called "Crystal Light Energy: Wild Strawberry"

From the title and label it looks like complete magic, adding flavors with no sugar or calories:
Calories - 5
Total Fat - 0g
Sodium - 0g
Total Carb - 0g
Sugars - 0g
Protein - 0g
Niacin - 10%
Vitamin B6 - 10%
Vitamin B12 - 10%
Biotin - 10%
Pantothenic Acid - 10%

However, when you take a look at the ingredients:
Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Aspartame, Caffeine, etc..

There's been controversial topics on whether Aspartame causes weight gain by storing fat. It is a substitute for sugar, as its much more sweet and contains no calories, but some people claim that it causes weight gain, and some say it doesn't.

What do you think about the subject? Should I try and continue drinking regular water or will I be fine with the flavored water?
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Replies

  • Kellster30
    Kellster30 Posts: 63 Member
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    I drink water with Crystal Light all the time and I've managed to lose 25lbs so far. The only time I have water without Crystal Light is when I work out because I prefer plain water while working out. Any other time, I drink it with Crystal Light.
  • YoshiBF
    YoshiBF Posts: 6
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    I drink water with Crystal Light all the time and I've managed to lose 25lbs so far. The only time I have water without Crystal Light is when I work out because I prefer plain water while working out. Any other time, I drink it with Crystal Light.

    Thank you. I'm going to continue drinking it with it as there is no evidence that it causes weight gain.
  • Kellster30
    Kellster30 Posts: 63 Member
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    I drink water with Crystal Light all the time and I've managed to lose 25lbs so far. The only time I have water without Crystal Light is when I work out because I prefer plain water while working out. Any other time, I drink it with Crystal Light.

    Thank you. I'm going to continue drinking it with it as there is no evidence that it causes weight gain.

    There might be evidence that it causes weight gain - I'm not a doctor or anything. I'm just saying, in my experience it hasn't prevented me from losing weight.
  • poeticallydevine
    poeticallydevine Posts: 56 Member
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    same here... i use the hawiiaan punch and wyler packets... still manged to lose. im not to fond of the the taste of regular water either
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
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    There hasn't been any scientific proof that it causes weight gain in humans. If it helps you get your water in than keep on doing it!

    If you're one that doesn't like the chemicals in it you can try things like decaf tea to make iced teas, lemon slices etc.
  • spinqueen72
    spinqueen72 Posts: 406 Member
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    I won't eat or drink ANYTHING that contains Aspartame! Or high fructose corn syrup!
    Yes....BOTH of those nasty little ingredients spike the blood sugars much higher than normal...and when the high is gone....there is a blood sugar crash!
    People with diabetes....and hypoglycemic problems should AVOID them at all costs!!!
    Artificial sweeteners are 3 times MORE sweet than regular sugar. I don't care what anybody says....the body DOES NOT treat them the same as sugar! ESPECIALLY if you have the above-mentioned health issues!
    I have found that when I used to eat products that had HFCS in them, I would continually crave more of it! And Aspartame gave me headaches!
    If you don't have a sensitivity to caffeine...then it will be fine.
    However.....if it gives you jitters, sweats, heart palpitations, or anything else that seems strange...STOP CONSUMING IT!!!!
    Anyways...that's just my honest opinion!
  • Pfauxmeh
    Pfauxmeh Posts: 259
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    I heard it causes cancer! I avoid it like the plague :)
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    I hate the taste of water...I just use a little Kool-Aid in my water...Either the to go packs or I make a big pitcher of it...I just don't use as much Kool-Aid as it says to...It's way less expensive than Crystal Light or any of the other flavors for drinks & it's really the same thing for cheaper...Hope this helps.... :)

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  • YoshiBF
    YoshiBF Posts: 6
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    I won't eat or drink ANYTHING that contains Aspartame! Or high fructose corn syrup!
    Yes....BOTH of those nasty little ingredients spike the blood sugars much higher than normal...and when the high is gone....there is a blood sugar crash!
    People with diabetes....and hypoglycemic problems should AVOID them at all costs!!!
    Artificial sweeteners are 3 times MORE sweet than regular sugar. I don't care what anybody says....the body DOES NOT treat them the same as sugar! ESPECIALLY if you have the above-mentioned health issues!
    I have found that when I used to eat products that had HFCS in them, I would continually crave more of it! And Aspartame gave me headaches!
    If you don't have a sensitivity to caffeine...then it will be fine.
    However.....if it gives you jitters, sweats, heart palpitations, or anything else that seems strange...STOP CONSUMING IT!!!!
    Anyways...that's just my honest opinion!

    Thank you for your opinion. I was waiting for somebody from the opposing side!
    I don't have any problems with my blood sugar, I don't have diabetes, and no hypoglycemic problems.

    It has been proven that it does cause addiction and cravings, which is never good: but it's better than drinking 6 cans of soda everyday like I did a month ago!

    Thanks again though, and I'll keep a look out for those things.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
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    I LOVE Crystal Light!!! I drink that flavor, the wild strawberry, as well as others like the Peach Mango and Pomegranate Lemonade every day. I've been doing it for the past year and a half, and I've lost weight. So I think its ok :)
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
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    ^^ what spinqueen72 said.


    And, yes, there is evidence that it causes weight gain. Not directly, as a calorie, but sideways, by increasing carb cravings.

    http://blpublications.com/html/body_aspartame.html
  • rebeccasedwards
    rebeccasedwards Posts: 208
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    I drink a lot of flavored water too and have lost weight. I'll drink plain water after exercise and with meals when we eat out. I do not like plain water either.
  • poeticallydevine
    poeticallydevine Posts: 56 Member
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    I heard it causes cancer! I avoid it like the plague :)


    i hate quotes like this.. everything causes cancer... always per some high school study
  • spinqueen72
    spinqueen72 Posts: 406 Member
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    BTW: water DOES NOT have a taste! Unless of course your drinking from a garden hose that's been left out in the sun!!!
    Get a water bottle with a filter in it!
    I have a WaterU Fresh Sip 20oz bottle. The concept is the same as the Brita filter water bottle...except the Fresh Sip bottle's filter in on the bottom of the straw. It lasts longer than the Brita....and it's cheaper than the Brita....especially the refill filter straws!! I also put fresh frozen fruits in my water. Or lemon & lime. Get creative....don't opt for chemically altered flavors to ruin the health benefits of plain old water!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Drink whatever you want.

    Aspartame is not evil. It's actually just protein. The entire conspiracy was started by some random woman (I don't remember her name) who launched a smear campaign in the 60's. None of her claims had any evidence to support them, and science has so far debunked them all. Unfortunately for aspartame, this woman was so thorough with her mailing lists and her campaigning, that people believed her, and still do to this day. Most of the anti-aspartame websites and emails out there are her pamphlets, almost word for word.

    Caffeine isn't evil, either, for the record. You'd need to drink the rough equivalent of 14 cans of caffeinated soda to reach a dosage level that would have any kind of dehydrating effect. You'd also need to somehow NOT consume any of the water in those said sodas in order for it to have an effect. If you can figure out how to drink a Coke without drinking any of the liquid, I'd love to see it. :laugh: :drinker:

    To be honest, even beer and wine hydrate you. They have such a relatively low alcohol to water ratio that the hydration power of the water more than offsets the dehydrating power of the alcohol. Otherwise, humans never would've made it out of the 1700's (beer was safer to drink than water in most cities back then, due to poor sanitation, so beer was typically what was drunk, more than any other drink.) :laugh:
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    I drink Mio in my water. I find it tastes a little better than the powders and mixes very well. No effect on my weight loss sofar!

    Diet soda, however, does make me retain a ton of water weight. Not saying it's bad, but I don't like seeing that much bloating.
  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
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    I have a friend that pissed me off with the Aspartame in drinks and cancer, so I looked it up. Basically I found out that it's inconclusive. Look up the aspartame controversy. I always have sugar free drinks since my father has diabetes.
  • tialynn1
    tialynn1 Posts: 886 Member
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    I drink the crystal light iced tea packets for the water that I drink in the evenings and weekends. At work, I purchase boxes of things called "True Lemon". Each individual packet equals a lemon wedge. It is no calories all natural.
  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
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    I heard it causes cancer! I avoid it like the plague :)


    i hate quotes like this.. everything causes cancer... always per some high school study

    yeah I heard that about red meat, cell phones...ect. I eat read meat and have a cell phone.. No cancer :-)
  • poeticallydevine
    poeticallydevine Posts: 56 Member
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    BTW: water DOES NOT have a taste! Unless of course your drinking from a garden hose that's been left out in the sun!!!
    Get a water bottle with a filter in it!
    I have a WaterU Fresh Sip 20oz bottle. The concept is the same as the Brita filter water bottle...except the Fresh Sip bottle's filter in on the bottom of the straw. It lasts longer than the Brita....and it's cheaper than the Brita....especially the refill filter straws!! I also put fresh frozen fruits in my water. Or lemon & lime. Get creative....don't opt for chemically altered flavors to ruin the health benefits of plain old water!

    but its still water in the end, do what ever you need to do to increase your fluid intake period

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