Soda Drinkers

dayone987

i have actually heard studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners actually cause you to crave fatty foods so the drink itself may not be bad but may cause unnecesary cravings. i have found replacing soda with vitamin water zero has worked for me. there is a lemonade one that i really like and the acai-blueberry-pomegranate is really good. plus it uses natural sweeteners but is still sugar free

I'm glad you found something you like but even "natural" sweeteners have/are sugar.

it uses stevia which as far as i understand is not sugar and there are no sugars listed on the nutritional guide

Right, sorry I forgot about stevia; i was thinking it used sweeteners like honey etc.

MsMargie1116

I drink the Clear American flavored drinks from Wal-Mart... I really like them, and really satisfy my desire for a "Soda"... But usually it's only I've had all my regular water.

smantha32

I do have adverse reactions to the aspartame eventually if I drink too much of them, but I have lost weight drinking diet sodas.

I've noticed however, that when I plateau, if I ditch them and drink just water I start losing again.

danimal5867

The first step I made in my quest to get healthy was to eliminate all carbonated beverages. I had managed to gain 100 pounds while drinking diet sodas (I prefer the taste of artificial sweeteners to high fructose corn syrup). I still drink various artificially sweetened beverages but they are of a healthier variety. I drink a lot of green tea as well as various other non-calorie enhanced water products.

pupcamper

I don't really worry too much about what 'they' say but I know I feel very bloated if I drink soda so I tend to steer clear of it - diet drinks seem to make me feel worse that the full fat version etc. I still crave it once in a while so I will have it but find that a few sips gets rid of my craving (unless ofcourse I add something else to it!!) :drinker: .

Try not drinking it for a couple of weeks and then have some and see if you notice a difference, if you do then decide whether it is worth it for you!!

melissa_leah

It's still 0 calories, so yes you can still lose weight, but some people say that artificial sweeteners make you feel more hungry... but oh well haha it's up to you! I still drink diet soda every once in a while but try to stick with water. I love fresca

knk1553

Try limiting yourself, or my great alternative to sprite when I'm craving it is the key lime flavored carbonated water! I find that I don't really so much crave soda, but carbonation, so the carbonated water does the trick! I haven't really noticed much of a difference in my weight from drinking diet soda versus regular soda, i know if I drink regular I drink less because I hate drinking away my calories. I think each person will tell you something different and different results

mdsjmom98

I've heard several things. One being that if it's a caffeinated soda that it makes you retain more water. Based on that, as long as you keep it de-caff you should not have any problems. I've also had a friend tell me that as soon as she quit drinking diet soda, she lost weight better. I'm not sure I understand that, but everyone is different. I do notice that I personally retain more water when I drink a regular diet coke as opposed to a caff free diet. Again, all a matter of listening to your own body.

Sharon009

I drink diet drinks everyday. But I make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water, pure water. I had no problems losing weight. My mom said it causes cellulite but I totally dont believe that because I had cellulite at 16 and I was super thin and she never let me have soda of any kind. My niece had cellulite on her little chubby legs at 4 yrs of age. So it may not be the healthiest thing to drink but it doesnt cause you to gain weight.

Sharon009

Try limiting yourself, or my great alternative to sprite when I'm craving it is the key lime flavored carbonated water! I find that I don't really so much crave soda, but carbonation, so the carbonated water does the trick! I haven't really noticed much of a difference in my weight from drinking diet soda versus regular soda, i know if I drink regular I drink less because I hate drinking away my calories. I think each person will tell you something different and different results

This, I crave carbonation so a club soda and lime will do.

T_Marie4

I personally craved and ate more junk foods and candy while drinking the diet sodas vs regular. My sweet tooth was out of control - when I switched to regular pop, before starting on my weight loss journey, I immediately noticed a decline in chocolate cravings and other junk foods. Just my personal experience with it. I am convinced that's why I gained so much to begin with - I've been drinking diet sodas for years. Since starting my weight loss journey, I've given up sodas almost completely - considering I drank 4 or 5 cans a day, only having 4 in the past 40 days is an awesome achievement for me. Good luck!

gpstrucker

I've never been a big fan of sodas but do have a diet soda once in a while for a change of pace. Having a Coke Zero as I type this. I have maybe on a week.

LizzieBee17

I was a smoker and a fast food junkie and close to being an alcoholic and never have I had a habit worse than soda. It consumes me and is killing me. It was Coke and now it's Dr. Pepper. I say if you have broken the habit stay far far away but if you really crave the fizz do sparkling water because it will only take me one to be completely off the wagon and I don't know about you but that diet crap is just no replacement.

auntiebabs

Both sugar and artificial sweeteners increase your appetite.

If i drink diet soda I find it really difficult to stay in my calorie range.

dayone987

Regular Soda = High Fructose Corn Syrup = Poison
Diet Soda = Aspartame (or any other fake sweetener) = ???

I am leery of anything remotely sweet with 0 calories. Even without a whole lot of (conclusive) studies, I would say stay away from it. Whether or not it helps or hurts a diet? I will never know because I think "diet" anything tastes horrible.

BTW, the sodium is added to make you thirstier so that the companies get richer from you buying more and more of their poison.

um, 50 mg o f sodium is not likely to trigger thirst....

emtron500

It's better to avoid artificial sweeteners than to drink them, but if you're desperate for a treat and the diet sodas make you happy, I don't think it's a big deal. Personally I've switched to mostly drinking plain carbonated water (made at home with a Soda Stream) with some lemon or lime added for flavour, but I still have the occasional Diet Coke (used to be a major habit - now it's an "every now and then" thing). Saves a lot of $$!

groovyfirechick

As of today I am going to (again) try to give up soda.....so far so good.....

kkujawski

You do have to be careful about the sodium. One diet soda may only have a small amount of sodium, but if are drinking a lot of them then you are taking in a lot of sodium. Sodium makes you retain water weight, and is bad for your heart. I found a drink called Sparkling Ice...it's favored sparkling water, but it doesn't taste like the carbination it has a pleasant taste and is carbonated more like a soda. They are very cheap and very good! Crystal light is wonderful too but even they have artificial sweeteners as does the Ice.

cfieds

I only drink diet sodas and have since high school. No reason other than I love the taste of Diet Coke and my mom is diabetic, so if she buys soda, most of it's diet anyways.

I keep myself to a max of 2 cans a day, most days just one...and usually it's at work. I've gotten myself into the habit of drinking water with lemon or iced tea, instead.

skcornett

I drank a lot of soft drinks, mostly diet but I also enjoyed the "fully leaded" version from time to time. I finally figured out that what I was craving and enjoying was the carbonation, not the actual soft drink. So I now enjoy carbonated or sparking water with no artificial sweeteners. I have a diet drink no more than once a week.

You just have to figure out what works for you.