Diet soda and weight gain. Myth or Truth?

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Replies

  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
    I am very greatful for diet sodas I don't know what I would do without them. If they cause weight gain I'd like to see the evidence.
  • RNTanya
    RNTanya Posts: 26 Member
    The research you're thinking of states that diet drinks cause the same release of insulin (metabolic response) that sugary sodas do. In other words, the brain thinks it's getting sugar and releases insulin which can slow weight loss. Research is also showing that diet drinks and all other diet products increase sugar/carb cravings.
    However, the studies are not conclusive so I wouldn't cut out diet drinks. Eating clean and having the occasional diet drink/snack will not adversely affect your metabolism.

    So enjoy your diet root beer!
  • BrienJD
    BrienJD Posts: 541 Member
    Myth I hope....I :heart: anything carbonated
  • Amazon_Who
    Amazon_Who Posts: 1,092 Member
    One of these day I am going to find "They" and strangle them. (I am guilty of quoting them too.)

    Personal Experience:
    Diet drinks actually tend to make me want salty snacks. I have switched to drinking unsweetened tea and only occasional diet sodas. It is easier to keep my sodium lower than it was. YMMV
    :drinker:
  • ndianewilson
    ndianewilson Posts: 1
    Ugh I can't let go of my diet soda yet...I do feel better but I also went on a whim and bought a bunch of flavors of the MIO to add to bottled water..they are really good and the MIO energy works well too...no calories..nothing but flavor!
  • prairiedawg2014
    prairiedawg2014 Posts: 367
    i have never given up my diet dr pepper thru this weightloss journey. i drink 1 diet dr pepper everyday and still lose weight.
  • enewsome2
    enewsome2 Posts: 355 Member
    I quit coke zero a while back and feel better without it.

    That being said, I have found since I quit drinking diet sodas, I don't like them anymore. I only drink soda once a month or less but I just go for the "full fledged" stuff.

    There is research linking aspartame to some really nasty diseases, but again, correlation studies don't always tell the whole story.

    As far as gaining weight? I think it's just a psychological thing. I believe that people think that they can eat more if they are "saving" calories by drinking diet soda.
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    I don't think HRCS is good for you, nor the artificial sugars.

    Of course you sound (and look!) super healthy, so you're doing something right!

    I used to think diet soda was fine, sugar-free, fat-free, thought it all was fine. Till I stopped eating them for a couple weeks, tried to just eat veggies/fruits/proteins.

    I made some pumpkin and banana creme instant pudding last night (put in pumpkin to banana creme) and holy crap I could NOT get rid of that disgusting artificial taste! Granted I'm more sensitive than most but I threw out the whole batch and will make some with real ingredients, like cream! I'd rather have a smaller amount of real food than buckets of sugar-free/fat-free or anything with ingredients I can't pronounce.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    The research you're thinking of states that diet drinks cause the same release of insulin (metabolic response) that sugary sodas do. In other words, the brain thinks it's getting sugar and releases insulin which can slow weight loss. Research is also showing that diet drinks and all other diet products increase sugar/carb cravings.
    However, the studies are not conclusive so I wouldn't cut out diet drinks. Eating clean and having the occasional diet drink/snack will not adversely affect your metabolism.

    So enjoy your diet root beer!
    Unfortunately, that research is completely untrue. Otherwise diet soda would be the ultimate tool for building muscle... 0 calories + huge insulin response? If only that were true :P
  • matchbox_girl
    matchbox_girl Posts: 535 Member
    Like a lot of people mentioned, there is a chemical in diet soda that supposedly triggers you to crave more sweets and sugars, which in return sabotages the point. (I also read it in a Jillian Michaels book.)

    HOWEVER, I never noticed that diet soda did that to me. It generally helps with my craving and leaves me guilt-free.....so I guess it depends on the person?
  • xiofett
    xiofett Posts: 138 Member
    The best way to drink diet soda is mixed with rum...
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    Really people. The research is bad. Go look for it on the national public radio site. Don't make changes that are disagreeable or difficult to you if they aren't even effective. Get the real deal, then decide.
  • Amazon_Who
    Amazon_Who Posts: 1,092 Member
    The only problem I have with diet soda is that I want to eat salty things with it. I am the same way with regular soda. It is my problem not the diet soda's.
  • GypsySoul_74
    GypsySoul_74 Posts: 152 Member
    i have a can of diet soda almost every day and have been losing steadily, when i was at my original weight (which is now my goal weight), i often had two or three cans per day because it felt like a treat and the carbonation kept me a little bit more full. i've never experienced weight gain or difficulty losing as a result of diet soda. once in awhile i do feel like i retain water from drinking it, but of course that's temporary :)

    i think you're right about what they call the "halo effect"--people think they did a good thing by choosing diet soda instead of regular, so they think that gives them license to eat a little more of something else later. instead of thinking of the diet soda as a treat in itself, they look at it as making room in their calories to eat more.

    also, i think it's possible that the sweet taste of the soda can make some people crave more sweet things--but it doesn't work that way for me.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    The first year of my current weight loss journey, all I did was give up "real" Coke for Diet Coke or Coke Zero (I was drinking about 3 per day) and start walking 15-30 minutes per day. I lost 16 lbs. I'm now down to 1 Coke Zero per day (unless I'm traveling) and still losing in "maintenance." As long as you don't "fall off the wagon," one every day or week should be just fine. No treats at all makes me feel like binging. I try to treat myself most days with something that fits my calories and macros.
  • Becky388
    Becky388 Posts: 157 Member
    At one point in my life diet soda was the only thing I drank, gave it up cold turkey and went 19 months without a drop - I did not lose a single ounce from that change. I do believe not drinking them is better overall for your body but I don't buy into it causing weight gain. As far as causing cravings, maybe, but I think it's more in what you eat that causes them. For me it's carbs in general that cause the cravings not the diet soda. I do drink them again now but not every day, my go-to drink is ice water now.
  • poulnabronemodesty
    poulnabronemodesty Posts: 7
    Once in a while won't hurt.

    But for those who drink it regularly watch out for your teeth... it will eat them up as if they were made of plastic.

    And the composition, Acésulfame K - however you translate that - is bad, it's actually carcinogenic, so avoid it.
    But if the sugar replacement is Stevia, then you're fine.
  • ScatteredThoughts
    ScatteredThoughts Posts: 3,562 Member

    But for those who drink it regularly watch out for your teeth... it will eat them up as if they were made of plastic.

    Say what? You aren't supposed to soak your teeth in soda, diet or not, and regular brushing is a good thing. Also, citrus fruits are more acidic than soda.
  • aphid
    aphid Posts: 47
    i don't see how it's bad for you. it fills me up because of all the bubbles, but it has no sugar, so i can't see how it leads to weight gain. possibly the artificial sweeteners are bad for you in some other ways but i'll worry about that another time lol.
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    Some people have odd reactions, now me, I've been drinking diet soda for 30 years and trust diet soda had nothing to do with my fat. I also lost 57 lbs while drinking the occassional diet soda, I don't drink it every day and I limit myself to one when I do (but this is due to a very restrictive sodium program from my doctor) many sodas period have quite a bit of sodium so that keeps it off the table. I also use mio in my water, lol. So the purist will have a cow, but my doctor says whatever I want to add to water as long as it doesn't contain caffeine or sugar she's ok with.
  • poseyj88
    poseyj88 Posts: 140 Member
    I think the idea is that artificial sweeteners are actually between 10 and 300 times sweeter than regular sugar (I don't know the comparison to HFCS or the like). So if you are not careful, you will crave things that are 'more sweet'. I think if you are tracking well, a diet root beer would be a great treat.
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
    I have either diet a&w or diet pepsi once in a while. I don't find that it causes any issues with weight loss, if anything its a nice way to treat yourself once in a while. Anything, when not in moderation, can be bad for you.
  • sirgypsy
    sirgypsy Posts: 3 Member
    I think as with anything, moderation is key. Once in a while should not be a problem, but if it was something you did everyday, it may be.

    I've heard conflicting things though. Forgetting the conflicting studies- I know people who've changed nothing in their diet other than quitting soda (diet and otherwise) and shed the pounds. But I know a man who has lot a tremendous amount of weight and is *very* careful with his diet. The one thing he keeps is the soda. I think he changed to Coke One (or Zero? I don't know, not a soda person haha..), but is quite thin despite the 3+ cans a day.

    My goal is to stick to things that were created by natural ingredients- not things created in a lab. Not there yet, because there are a lot of yummy things out there that don't fit in that category :)

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