Diet Soda: Thoughts?

misfit34

I do drink diet soda, it is not a daily habit. Coffee is my daily habit. But I see nothing wrong with soda from time to time, or daily if that is your preference. I do make sure that I get in my water and that the soda is not a substitute for that.

NRSPAM

My opinion is this. I have continued to drink diet soda the whole time, and have still managed to lose 60lb's. Technically, it could increase water retention, due to the sodium. And I have heard that it can cause you to crave sweets. There are a lot of articles out there about this subject, but I can't give it up. As long as you're still getting your water in, or close to it, and you don't drink a ton of it. I say go for it. It's basically a personal choice. I try to keep it to 1-2/day. Sometimes 3, for me. If you're able to give it up, then go for it, but I personally don't want to, and I haven't had to. I've also heard that the carbonation can cause bloating, and make your tummy look bigger. I have had a hard time getting rid of all my post baby belly, but I'm pretty sure it's just fat, and not from the soda. Good luck to you!!!! :happy:

kluvit

YUM!!! Haven't had one of those in a long time, and now I'm craving one. I'll burn some extra calories heading to the convenience store downstairs in search of one during my afternoon break. So, in this case, diet soda will actually help me!

morf13

Everybody has their own take on artificial sweeteners. Personally,I like aspartame (the blue packs)as opposed to the others like Splenda (or the yellow packs,pink packs,etc). I remember when I switched from sugar sweetened drinks to diet drinks. The change was hard,but worth it. Now,if i drink soda or tea with sugar in it, i cant drink it,it tastes so bad. I love my morning coffee,and I have always liked it with lots if cream,lots of sugar,(now its not sugar,its the blue packs). In a 24 oz coffee,I might out 10 packs of the blue stuff in there.( I know,sounds crazy). I am trying to slowly work my way down from there.

I hear all kinds of rumors and theories about how bad artificial sweeteners are,most,are not proven, But I KNOW FOR A FACT,that SUGAR IS THE ENEMY,and we know what it can do. So,I have cut that out,and if artifical sweetener is my vice,so be it,but I still want to cut it down. My wife slowly lowered her way down to zero packs in her coffee,but I will never be able to do that.

catrunsintowindow

Substituting diet soda for regular soda has been shown to help with short term weight loss. In that sense, you're in the clear!

However, long term studies tend to show that drinking diet sodas are correlated with increased BMI over non-drinkers - even given that diet soda drinkers had a LOWER caloric intake than non-drinkers. The mechanisms for this are unclear- it could be explained by people who drink diet sodas tending to be overweight in the first place. There's some evidence that people who drink diet sodas tend to get more calories from fats than from proteins or carbs, which negatively affects weight maintenance. Because of how our bodies perceive artificial sweeteners, it could **** with RMR and make it harder for you to lose weight. It's also been shown in some (admittedly, not all) studies to increase appetite, hunger, and food intake. So if you're struggling to maintain a diet already, it may be something to avoid.


Take a look at this study for more information:
Fueling the Obesity Epidemic? Artificially Sweetened Beverage Use and Long-term Weight Gain (pages 1894–1900)
Sharon P. Fowler, Ken Williams, Roy G. Resendez, Kelly J. Hunt, Helen P. Hazuda and Michael P. SternArticle first published online: 6 SEP 2012 | DOI: 10.1038/oby.2008.284

SlinkySpencer

I don't think the occasional diet soda would hinder your weight loss, but I'm one of those people who craves more food after eating something sweet. I also crave more food if I eat potatoes or white bread. I guess we all have our triggers, and if diet soda isn't one of yours, more power to ya.

Someone asked about the caffeine. I was reading up on that last week (I don't have my sources, sorry), but every article seemed rather contradictory (some tout it as helping with your energy and speeding up your metabolism, while others bring up the cortisol=belly fat issue). I think caffeine is one of those things that is good for some people (like people with migraines), bad for others (like people who gain all their weight in their tummies). I've been off of coffee and sodas for the last three weeks, so I've have only a small caffeine intake, and I've been sleeping much better at night. (And losing weight steadily, but I don't know if that's related at all.)

magerum

Drink it, love it, enjoy it.

Sarauk2sf

Okay, let me first start out by saying that I KNOW DIET SODA IS NOT HEALTHY. I know it is a load of chemicals and artificial sweeteners that my body does not need. I know this. But I also know that once or twice a week, around lunch, it is exactly what I want: It satisfies sweet cravings, it gives a pep of caffeine that's not as twitchy as a third cup of coffee, and I really like carbonation.

My question is NOT is diet soda healthy, it is ONLY- how does it affect weight loss? Now, regular soda is obviously a sugar-loaded weight loss-killer, but what do you all think about diet soda and its effect (if any) on weight loss? On the one hand, it is zero calorie (and we've all heard calories in, calories out!), but on the other I have read a few semi-reputable sources (women's magazine articles, etc) that say even diet soda can contribute to difficulty losing weight.

I'm curious what you all think. Other addicts out there? My drink of choice is Coke Zero.

Given equal intake of calories, diet soda will not effect weight loss.

Also, the dose limits at which bad things may start to happen are ridiculously high. I wouldn't even go so far as to label it unhealthy without applying that context.

^^this

Kellyeee2013

Advice from a personal trainer: NO DIET SODA. Not sure the science behind it, but was informed it is bad for weight loss.

n0ob

cherry coke zero FTMFW....


that's what I think.

AmberB519

I love my diet coke. I try to limit it, though. I just make sure on days that I have one, I make up for it with extra water.

jesz124

Advice from a personal trainer: NO DIET SODA. Not sure the science behind it, but was informed it is bad for weight loss.

Informed by whom and for what reasons? We NEED to know!!! Will my head fall off I have another glass of Pepsi max? It's a matter of emergency!!

seena511

what i've heard is that the artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking that you're eating real sugar, so it reacts as if you had ingested calories when you really didn't, which throws off your metabolism. i don't know if that's actually true or not. i've heard people say that such and such lost 10 lbs just by quitting drinking soda, but i don't really see how that can be either. i know that i started cutting back on soda and lost a lot of weight, but that is probably due more to a better overall lifestyle and relationship with more healthyfoods overall than to getting rid of soda altogether. most people on here will tell you to drink it in moderation and you'll be fine. you can also search for it in the message board history...there are quite a few discussions on this.

I've heard the opposite. I've heard that you may be fooled but your body is NOT fooled by the sweet taste in your mouth and after you drink it goes, Hey, where is that sweet stuff we just had? I'm still hungry! and primes you to address the hunger by eating something, possibly something SWEET!

haha that's kind of what i was trying to say but it didn't come across...point is there is a lot of misinformation on the internet and the best you can do is take the advice you're given, coupled with actual research and how it makes you feel. i don't really crave much soda anymore because it makes me feel ill. i drink mostly water (sometimes with a flavor packet), tea, and sparkling flavored water (which has a lot of the stuff that diet soda has anyway). right now i really only drink soda on the weekends as a mixer for alcohol :-P

CyberEd312

Drink it, love it, enjoy it.

I see your 158 lbs. lost (drinking diet soda) and will raise you my 311 lbs. Now excuse me while I go to the kitchen and get another bottle of Diet Pepsi :drinker:

AnvilHead

However, long term studies tend to show that drinking diet sodas are correlated with increased BMI over non-drinkers - even given that diet soda drinkers had a LOWER caloric intake than non-drinkers. The mechanisms for this are unclear- it could be explained by people who drink diet sodas tending to be overweight in the first place...

I'm glad the second sentence is in there to clarify that correlation =!= causation. There's a very strong possibility that people who drink diet sodas do so because they're trying to lose weight/cut back on calories. One could draw a similar hypothesis that doing cardio is correlated with a higher BMI because a lot of overweight people use cardio machines.

...There's some evidence that people who drink diet sodas tend to get more calories from fats than from proteins or carbs, which negatively affects weight maintenance...

Within the context of isocaloric diets, macro composition should have no negative effect upon weight maintenance.

andyisandy

drink it, enjoy it. for all of those who say it unhealthy show a reliable source...and no tubes or tuebs or how ever you spell that man name doesnt counts