Diet Sodas- Is It Affecting My Weight Loss?

SideSteel

Google this "aspartame converts to formaldehyde"

Methanol is a digestive byproduct of aspartame and methanol converts to formaldehyde due to a liver enzyme. Formaldehyde converts to formic acid which the body disposes of just fine.

Formaldehyde is produced by the body without aspartame already, in quantities much larger than you'd get from drinking a diet soda, and it's not anything to be concerned about despite it sounding scary.

KeepGoingRhonda

If you can watch he documentary called Hungry for change.....you will learn a lot.

LiftAllThePizzas

Although these observational data cannot establish causality, consumption of diet soda at least daily was associated with significantly greater risks of select incident metabolic syndrome components and type 2 diabetes.

Not only that, there is good reason to think that diet soda would be associated with diabetes and metabolic syndrome. What happens when people get fat, are diagnosed with diabetes, or metabolic syndrome? They switch from regular soda to diet soda.

If there is any argument to be made for a cause/effect relationship, it would make 100 times more sense to assume that diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity cause consumption of diet soda.

Brianna72994

Diet soda is great. I love it, but... that seems like ALOT of soda for one day. Do you ever drink any water?

Lyssa62

I have been hooked on Sparkling Ice Water. . . It is flavored and carbonated so you get your fizz fix!! Plus you can get it in multiple flavors!! As a bonus it has no sugars or calories

^^^ this -- me too I love them and I can mix mine with water and make it last even longer and it's still enough fizz to make me happy. I am down to maybe half a diet coke 2 times a month. Don'r really even like it anymore

Sharkington

I think you should go an entire week without drinking diet soda and see how you feel. I stopped cold turkey, and although I know it will be different for everyone, after a week of no diet soda, I did not crave it any longer - and I was just like you. Diet soda was all I ever drank. Now when I am thirsty, I go to the kitchen sink and fill my cup with water and I'm satisfied. (And yes, I realize I just sounded like an infomercial)

Whether artificial sweetener is dangerous to the body, or whether it slows your metabolism, bloats you, or whatever else has been said, the fact that there is all this confusion over what is fact, and what is not, is enough to make me not want to drink it like I did. But yeah, if you are only concerned about the weight gain/weight loss issue, try to not drink it for awhile and see how your body reacts to the change. At the very least it will be better on your teeth, as well as your pocket?

cmfiddler

Your Coke Zero still has 40mg of sodium plus the various chemicals and the sodium itself can get in the way of weight loss as well as have other adverse effects. Try to find something that is low or no calorie to flavor your water because you do need fluids. 2-4L is a whole lot of fluid. 2L is about what is suggested for a person for the day to stay hydrated. Are you loading fluids to keep from feeling hungry? That can backfire on you because the excess fluids can wash out electrolytes and keeping that 'full feeling' with so much fluid can keep your stomach expecting large volumes of material rather than normally and naturally shrinking to where a 'normal portion' of fluid and food is satisfying.

I don't like water with lemon either, but I do like to dilute down orange juice, make a pot of tea (no sugar or cream) with a little lemon or dilute and ice the leftover coffee from breakfast (no cream or sugar). Diet soda is too easy, too available and really will get in the way of your goals because of the sodium.

lvtruu1

Zero calories is zero calories. You don't gain weight from drinking zero calories. Some of it is high in sodium but that is a different issue. Aside from those RARE people that are actually effected by sodium, it may make you retain some water. There is no proof that the chemicals in the drinks are bad for you but if it concerns you don't drink the stuff.

I drink the stuff all the time and managed to lose about 125 pounds (up a few pounds from a week in Vegas) while doing so.

mimiwin

Diet sodas aren't goo I am afraid and as soon as you stop them you should see and feel a difference. It's gonna be hard at first but you ll get use to water I did !!

geebusuk

Diet sodas aren't goo I am afraid and as soon as you stop them you should see and feel a difference. It's gonna be hard at first but you ll get use to water I did !!

But do you have any evidence behind that.
I did see a difference when I stopped drinking them - I found I was hungrier more of the time.

So I went back to drinking a drink that was 99% water - namely a diet soda .

As for the 'high sodium'. If we're talking 40 mg - that's MILI grams. That means forty THOUSANDTHS of a gram.
Really not a lot.

laurie62ann

Everybody is different. I gave up diet pepis and lost 6 pounds that week. I'm pretty sure it was water, I believe for ME the soda was making me retain water.. Give it a try, what have you got to lose, but weight!

HeidibooJB

I used to drink diet soda all the time, and found I was getting stomach problems. I have recently discovered Zevia soda, which is sweetened with stevia, and it's a great alternative that is calorie free and doesn't upset my stomach.

njsousa

I'm a big water drinker but I do like to occasionally have a Diet 7UP or Diet A&W Rootbeer - and it hasn't affected my weight loss - I think everything in moderation is key here to.

arraby01

I seriously am allergic to aspartame ! I was drinking diet sodas and noticed major stomach problems. Once I stopped the diet drinks I was fine. I believe everyone's body chemistry is different . What's good for one is not for another .

DanielleHinkle24

I too was a diet soda lover!! What I realized, though, is that even though it is diet it still greatly affected my cravings for sweet and sugary things. I only learned this by completely eliminating sugar (real and artifical) from my diet for 30 days. Diet soda plays with my mood, my cravings, and my body's natural metabolism. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE SODA - but to me, I feel so much better without it, I gave it up. Now that I don't drink it - I don't crave it - at all. I do continue to drink coffee - a little more than I should.

ninerbuff

If you can watch he documentary called Hungry for change.....you will learn a lot.

You will learn what they want you to learn. Biased documentaries (supporting either side) will edit and cut want they want you to see.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

geebusuk

Indeed; and having watched a good few, I find it incredibly rare that unbiased information is presented in such a way.
Which makes it irksome to watch as I KNOW they are trying to manipulate me through an easy medium.

links_slayer

I seriously am allergic to aspartame ! I was drinking diet sodas and noticed major stomach problems. Once I stopped the diet drinks I was fine. I believe everyone's body chemistry is different . What's good for one is not for another .

There's a big difference between being allergic to something and having an intolerance to something.

Mrowww

Watch the documentary on Netflix "Hungry for Change"

geebusuk

Watch the documentary on Netflix "Hungry for Change"

Indeed; and having watched a good few, I find it incredibly rare that unbiased information is presented in such a way.
Which makes it irksome to watch as I KNOW they are trying to manipulate me through an easy medium.

Read some real research, look for more research. Make up your own mind. Much better use of an hour or whatever, to my mind.

magerum

Google this "aspartame converts to formaldehyde"

Methanol is a digestive byproduct of aspartame and methanol converts to formaldehyde due to a liver enzyme. Formaldehyde converts to formic acid which the body disposes of just fine.

Formaldehyde is produced by the body without aspartame already, in quantities much larger than you'd get from drinking a diet soda, and it's not anything to be concerned about despite it sounding scary.

^^^ This. Go with science, not bro or ho science.

MUMommy

Diet soda is evil! I quit cold turkey September 12th. I am down 40 pounds since then. And I feel that not drinking Diet coke is a huge part of my success! I drank as much if not more than you daily. The sodium alone is craziness! Good luck to you!

RobinV_Seattle

Diet sodas aren't goo I am afraid and as soon as you stop them you should see and feel a difference. It's gonna be hard at first but you ll get use to water I did !!

But do you have any evidence behind that.
I did see a difference when I stopped drinking them - I found I was hungrier more of the time.

So I went back to drinking a drink that was 99% water - namely a diet soda .

As for the 'high sodium'. If we're talking 40 mg - that's MILI grams. That means forty THOUSANDTHS of a gram.
Really not a lot.

That's 40 miligrams per 8 ounces, not per bottle. So in a 20 oz bottle, that's actually 100 miligrams. The MAXIMUM recommended sodium for an adult is only 2,300 miligrams. Almost everything we eat naturally has sodium in it - let's not even get into processed food! - so, personally, I tend to avoid getting it through foods or beverages that have zero nutritional value. Who want's to retain water, lol?

ilovelucy711

Diet Soda is not good for you! It is full of chemicals! Also it can make you gain weight.

gretah

I lost 19lbs when I made no change except stopped drinking Diet sodas. I was actually less active because of some arthritis issues and eating may have been the worst I had been in years. The loss just from cutting out the sodas gave me the jump start I needed to make some changes in my diet. Everyone is right that people are different but I have seen many people make a lot of progress by cutting out the carbonated beverages. Give it a try. What have you got to lose except weight!:happy:

ninerbuff

Diet soda is evil! I quit cold turkey September 12th. I am down 40 pounds since then. And I feel that not drinking Diet coke is a huge part of my success! I drank as much if not more than you daily. The sodium alone is craziness! Good luck to you!

So just quitting diet soda caused a 40lbs loss? Weird. Hard to understand how 40lbs gets lost from a drink that has zero calories and you need a calorie deficit to literally lose any body mass weight. And the sodium is less per can than many foods.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

I lost 19lbs when I made no change except stopped drinking Diet sodas. I was actually less active because of some arthritis issues and eating may have been the worst I had been in years. The loss just from cutting out the sodas gave me the jump start I needed to make some changes in my diet. Everyone is right that people are different but I have seen many people make a lot of progress by cutting out the carbonated beverages. Give it a try. What have you got to lose except weight!:happy:

Really no change in diet? Just cut out diet soda and 19lbs went away? :laugh:

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

RECowgill

I just wouldn't drink any of that stuff. What good does it do you? It only hurts you.

ninerbuff

That's 40 miligrams per 8 ounces, not per bottle. So in a 20 oz bottle, that's actually 100 miligrams. The MAXIMUM recommended sodium for an adult is only 2,300 miligrams. Almost everything we eat naturally has sodium in it - let's not even get into processed food! - so, personally, I tend to avoid getting it through foods or beverages that have zero nutritional value. Who want's to retain water, lol?

Water retention is needed for muscle repair. I want to retain water.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kdeaux1959

I am not sure that it will affect your weight loss on the long term if you can overcome the related appetite enhancement effect. In the past year or so, I have drank them consistently and lost 120 lbs. However, I do recognize that they are not the best for our health. One only retains water for so long. Eventually, the body WILL get rid of it... However, other side effects warrant us to seriously consider dropping them from our diet-- at least in large quantities.