Diet Sodas- Is It Affecting My Weight Loss?

thiagofish

lol

cubbies77

It does not create an insulin spike. Fitness instructors are not doctors.

fbmandy55

Diet drinks, regardless of how many calories are in them will wreak havoc on your fat loss efforts and will ultimately cause you to gain weight.

Yes that's right; diet drinks will make you put on weight & will make you fatter!


This fat burning hormone is responsible for releasing fat into the bloodstream to be utilized as fuel. If inhibited, your body is unable to burn fat and will then begin utilizing amino acids (from muscle) and carbohydrates as fuel for energy

This will leave you feeling tired & grumpy toward the end of the day. Not to mention, you will become abnormally hungry.

Nope

Nope

Nope

Nope

Will210

If your diet soda is your primary liquid - that is a problem. If you have a glass or two of diet soda a day and say 8 to 10 glasses of water - shouldn't be an issue.

I know this - I use to drink diet soda as pretty much my primary liquid. I hardly had to pee and diet soda seems to trigger cravings for sweet or salty food. But that is just what happened to me.

JenniBaby85

I actually can't drink ANY soda without it causing literal pain to my stomach. Artificial sweeteners can cause some major health issues, as well as tons of sugar. I don't know if it causes water retention, but I'd advise cutting back on the sodas! One step at a time.

Melwillbehealthy

There is such a thing as 'aspartame poisoning'. I have a terrible addiction to diet coke and have gone cold turkey recently. I've drunk diet coke for years and am very overweight. It hasn't helped me lose weight, in fact the caffeine in it increases my appetite.

Brianna716

I stopped drinking diet anything after I worked fast food. The diet soda syrup corroded the lines that ran it to the fountain machine years faster than the regular soda does. You can't pay me to put that poison in my body now.

Natelywills

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read and reply. You have come up with some really great points and some great ideas on ways I can wean myself off the fizzy. I know, boring as water may be, I need to drink more of it.

Someone mentioned they drank a ton of soda like me and rarely needed to use the bathroom. I had never thought about it before but I am just the same. I take in an incredible amount of liquid but rarely have to pee. Therefore, I HAVE to be retaining water. I know it's not the fats because I'm sticking to the plan, eating cleanly and exercising. The only other suspect is the soda and tea and it is an excessive amount. I know that. I get thirsty all day so I reach for a can or the tea maker. I need to switch some of those drinks with water...

I have very dry skin, hair and nails and often feel bloated. After doing some research, I've found this may be caused by the sodas and teas. The caffeine actually can have a dehydrating effect on the body, which when you consider the amount I take in each day (not your normal, "I have one or two a day and I'm fine"), it HAS to have an effect.

So I am going to try some experiments. I AM thirsty all the time (and I know it's not due to other health issues because I've been given a clean bill of health) but that may be due to the sodas. I plan to drink water as soon as I wake up by placing a bottle on my nightstand since I wake up super thirsty. Then I will have my morning cup of tea (and I'm sorry, folks that have recommended cutting out the creamer but I'm British, I can't do black tea, that makes it a completely different drink) and fill a water bottle. Whenever I take a break or get thirsty, I'll take a big old sip. It might sound simple but I've really never done that before. I chain-drink Diet Cokes without really thinking about it. When one is done, I pop another and sit it next to me.

I have a treat every night when I get home- a cup of tea and a Ghiardelli caramel square. That's my little decadence for meeting my numbers and a sacred few minutes to myself. Now I'll choose either the square or a can of Diet Coke (no tea, of course). I need to learn it's a treat, it's not sustenance.

I'm not going cold turkey, the amount of caffeine I drink cut short would make me feel like death but I will cut it back, maybe set times in the day that I have ETHER a cup of tea or a diet coke, like lunch or dinner. Give it a month and see what shakes out. I do know it's counterproductive to work so hard to eat clean foods and then pump myself full of canned crud all day.

Thanks so much, everyone. THIS is why I love MFP, because people are always there with their own experiences and advice.

iliveintheshire

I dk, I've lost a good amount of weight and have been confused as to how... I'm on a medication that I can't drink soda on (it makes it taste like gasoline, it's a seizure medication) and I think it may have contributed? I dk. Just my 2 cents.

geebusuk

I stopped drinking diet anything after I worked fast food. The diet soda syrup corroded the lines that ran it to the fountain machine years faster than the regular soda does. You can't pay me to put that poison in my body now.

Coke and diet coke around ph3 - ph3.5 apparently - however when in your mouth that changes to around ph5 - 5.5 it seems.
Your gut, comparatively is around ph2 when you start eating I think - so if you don't want something that rots pipes inside your body, I'm afraid you'll have to remove your digestive system!

Sarauk2sf

There is such a thing as 'aspartame poisoning'. I have a terrible addiction to diet coke and have gone cold turkey recently. I've drunk diet coke for years and am very overweight. It hasn't helped me lose weight, in fact the caffeine in it increases my appetite.

Please could you explain more about this 'aspartame poisoning'.

fstender

Aspertane can cause sweet cravings...also I noticed when i stop drinking pop completely my stomach does not bloat as much!

Brianna716

I stopped drinking diet anything after I worked fast food. The diet soda syrup corroded the lines that ran it to the fountain machine years faster than the regular soda does. You can't pay me to put that poison in my body now.

Coke and diet coke around ph3 - ph3.5 apparently - however when in your mouth that changes to around ph5 - 5.5 it seems.
Your gut, comparatively is around ph2 when you start eating I think - so if you don't want something that rots pipes inside your body, I'm afraid you'll have to remove your digestive system!

The regular coke was fine though- and that's my point. It's the artificial junk in the diet that is corrosive. And yes, I'm well aware that my own stomach acids are corrosive. But it's not artificial.

I have no issue with the occasional soda- maybe once a month or so- but I refuse to drink diet anything.

prettymorbidity

all sodas and most juices in the store are terrible for you!............ u really need to start drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day and just quit all soda. i bet you will see a bigger difference in your weightloss...... i can't imagine what that much soda is doing to your liver! diet soda is to soda what light cigarettes are to full flavors.......... its still killing you. try to stop! my body would explode from all the sugar if i drank that much soda in one day! it makes my stomach turn just thinking of soft drinks!....... so to answer your question, yes, its probably why you quit losing weight......

try it for a week..... dont drink soda and replace it with water. then in one week, drink a soda. i bet your stomach HURTS! and thats what you are getting your body used to! maybe that will help you see what it is doing to you.

mznicoleg

you know, i was thinking the same thing cause i drink a lot of coke zero, not much of a water drinker, but this week i have nt really drank any soda, and i feel less bloated, not sure if i lost anything..i am not drinking water with mio...orange tangerine is pretty good, but i make it pretty sweet and later gonna slowly use less and less...

prettymorbidity

as for the withdrawls, you are going to have terrible headaches for a few days.....you are addicted! but if you can stick through it and get over that hump, you will be fine. i am a recovering alcoholic, so if i can quit beer, you can quit soda. to me , the addictions are the same.

sunnygirl87

I was drinking, LITERALLY, gallons of Diet Coke. First of the year, got off and switched to Coke to get me away from the headaches I have with any reduction in drink. Soooooo weaned off the Coke and am now on plain black tea. No artificial sweetners in my tea or lemon water. So, A week ago, I had to have Coke to stop the headaches.. . had a few diet drinks, sugar free candy then the cravings were back!

I think sugar free causes me to have cravings. It doesn't quench my thirst like plain water does. Yes, there is a place for it, every now and then. Being away from it, i felt the difference. And the scale didn't budge. For me, I think it affects my weight loss.

It will be interesting to take the time and read through these responses. I bet we all have stories to tell?

By the way, I figure I was spending about $40 a month or more on soft drinks. I am going to reward myself with that money on something like SHOES!

dlg1467

Try SodaStream. Fixes my fizzy cravings, add a bit of mio or juice if you don't like plain water.
I retain water like crazy if I drink diet pop.

Sarauk2sf

I stopped drinking diet anything after I worked fast food. The diet soda syrup corroded the lines that ran it to the fountain machine years faster than the regular soda does. You can't pay me to put that poison in my body now.

Coke and diet coke around ph3 - ph3.5 apparently - however when in your mouth that changes to around ph5 - 5.5 it seems.
Your gut, comparatively is around ph2 when you start eating I think - so if you don't want something that rots pipes inside your body, I'm afraid you'll have to remove your digestive system!

The regular coke was fine though- and that's my point. It's the artificial junk in the diet that is corrosive. And yes, I'm well aware that my own stomach acids are corrosive. But it's not artificial.

I have no issue with the occasional soda- maybe once a month or so- but I refuse to drink diet anything.

What is corrosive about the *artificial junk* in diet soda? This is assuming that there is no * artificial junk* in non-diet soda of course.

kittenbobitten

I was drinking anywhere from 15-25 12-oz cans of diet coke a day. I drank little to no water. I quit soda cold turkey and replaced it with 120-150 oz of water per day. I quit drinking regular soda (for the most part) a couple years ago when I was diagnosed as diabetic. I stopped drinking diet coke/soda 2 months ago because of the artificial sweeteners and coloring and because I was seriously addicted to it. The two weeks following quitting soda (and still eating 1400-1600 calories a day) I lost 7 pounds and 6.6 pounds. After that my weight loss evened out to what I was losing before, about 1-2 pounds a week.

This is just my experience, but I feel much better for it. I feel more in control. I don't have crazy carb and sugar craving like I used to and I don't have the "morning grouchy" attitude until I have had my diet coke. I still have one every now and again, but I will literally have ONE when we go out to dinner sometimes.