Diet soda and weight gain. Myth or Truth?

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Lady_Bane
Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I drink nothing but water and eat very very clean. If I want to amp up my water I add Nuun electrolyte tablets during my lifting sessions.

So today I was grocery shopping for the usual veggies, chicken breast, tuna, kashi snack bars blah blah blah....

And I come across some Diet Mug root beer. I love root beer, its caffeine free, and it would be nice to have a bit of a "treat" without drinking liquid calories and feeling bad. I drank one just now, and it was nice to enjoy. Still have like 23 cans left lol.

So heres the issue....I have read so many articles about diet sodas and weight gain. i feel this may only be true because people feel that since they are drinking diet soda, they stop taking into account other calorie choices. i know the types of sugars in diet soda isnt good for you, but that life sometimes....I just want a treat once in a while...and Ive drank nothing but water for like 6 months. lol.

So what are your thoughts?
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Replies

  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
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    I think it's more a matter of how they may cause you to crave sugars. But, I can't imagine having an occasional one being that bad for you. I barely have soda anymore but that's because I don't like all the extra chemicals. I do on occasion have a soda can of 90 calories of a coke but it's rare. It's like my mind desperately wants one but not often. I figure it's ok to give in every once in a while.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    It's all correlation.


    You can't really build fat cells out of anything in a diet coke.


    (They do have calories, actually, because aspartame is protein, but it's usually 1-3 calories so it comes up as 0)
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    It will only cause weight gain if it somehow causes you to overconsume calories. Since you are presumably tracking calories, it would be pretty easy to monitor.
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    National public radio did a piece yesterday morning or the morning before on the bogus nature of the science linking diet pop to health problems. Perhaps do a search on their site.
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
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    Yeah, I am very strict with logging everything. So I don't see how it would get me to go off course. i did have a tiny piece of chocolate and 2 tablespoons of frozen sugar free cool whip. Today is a sweet day. Normally its water, tons of protein, veggies, and healthy carbs. :P
  • lizblizz2012
    lizblizz2012 Posts: 196 Member
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    Myth. Simple as that.
  • DeinaM
    DeinaM Posts: 5
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    I've read that the chemcial sweeteners in diet sodas causes your brain to crave sweets. I've drank diet sodas for 30 yrs when as a pre-teen, I was diagnosed as hyperglycemic. I've been both thin (maybe not healthy but 5'7"and 125lbs) and fat (my weight is now near 220).

    I honestly feel better when I ditch diet sodas, drinking water or lightly sugar sweetened tea but I think the chemicals are addictive. I can't cut back or wean myself off the diet sodas.. I have to go cold turkey. Then it's 3-4 days of migraines. :(

    If you're able to use it as a very once in a while treat, then I don't think it would make you gain weight. Especially since you're watching what you eat.
  • TheFinalThird
    TheFinalThird Posts: 315 Member
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    Lost 62 pounds in 3 months drinking an average of 2-3 artificially sweetened beverages per day. Sounds like myth to me. Plus, as an added benefit, my remains will stay essentially intact for many decades due to all the preservatives. Win-Win! ;-)
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I don't like to discuss this because it tends to bring out the conspiracy theorists (the government is in cahoots with the food industry) but so far, everyone seems reasonable. (This will change later.) I have searched among all the websites that I consider authoritative. To me, those are sites like The Mayo Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, The Federal Food and Drug Administration and Webmd. The worst case I can make is that it is inconclusive. There is some thought that sweeteners mimic sugar and cause the body to act as though it has consumed sugar. I see no evidence that it might be true, let alone that it is true.

    Until a couple of months ago, I consumed vast amounts of artificially sweetened soft drinks and lost 35-40 pounds while doing so. Since then, I gave up soft drinks almost entirely because there is no nutritional value and they cost money. I really don't believe they will harm you however.
  • pandoraw
    pandoraw Posts: 143 Member
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    I have been drinking diet coke for years. I weighed as much as 307 lbs. In the last 9 months I have lost 47 lbs. I now weigh 236 lbs. I still drink 2 to 3 cups of diet coke a day. I used to drink a lot more. I am working on replacing it with water but it has been a slow process.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    It will only cause weight gain if it somehow causes you to overconsume calories. Since you are presumably tracking calories, it would be pretty easy to monitor.

    I agree with this guy. I used to drink diet soda (until I realized the carbonation was causing me stomach problems) and I never had any problem losing or maintaining on it. I guess if drinking a diet soda causes you to need to snack with it (never did that to me) it could be a problem, but if you are watching calories anyway, it shouldn't be a problem. In my opinion, I don't think diet soda is great for you, but it's a great way to transition away from sugar drinks. It helped me...:drinker:
  • simnuts
    simnuts Posts: 32 Member
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    I guess I am the odd ball out here :(

    I know for me personally that I do in fact gain weight while drinking diet soda. I am a diet soda junkie seriously. Before getting serious about weight loss, a while back I decided to quit drinking diet soda and not change my eating habits at all. about a 20 pound weight loss. wanted to see if it was the diet soda so again not chaning my eating habits I went back to drinking the diet soda and bamm the weight started piling back on.

    It was enough confirmation for me personally to know that diet drinks were not for me.

    Now lets talk about what a cup of hot cocoa can do to my butt! :)
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    All things in moderation. Moderation of course is key. Here is a confession... I drink several Diet Cokes most days. Not something I recommend or am proud of but I do drink them... Since January, I have lost 111 pounds so ...yes, you can lose weight and drink diet sodas, as long as the rest of what you are doing is responsible. I will admit that moderation is a better pathway for the sake of one's general health ... particularly the kidneys, bladder, etc.
  • fattypattybinger
    fattypattybinger Posts: 337
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    I think you chose what you like. I have never been a coffee person. So diet coke has been my coffee. I don't drink as much I did when I was younger. But I still drink a few glasses every day. I have learned not to drink it when I go to nice restaurants. A nice thing is I save money too.
  • piratesaregrand
    piratesaregrand Posts: 356 Member
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    I'm a type1 diabetic so have probably ingested more articial sweetener than most, and I can say that diet coke is my one weakness and I drink a truckload of it. Still managed to lose 26kg while doing so :)
  • paleirishmother
    paleirishmother Posts: 242
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    Truth -- You can find 'facts' and 'studies' to back up anything you WANT to believe on the internet.

    Enjoy your sweetener.
  • TabbathaAnne
    TabbathaAnne Posts: 162 Member
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    Aspartame is the devilllll!!!

    Annnndd commentttt.......... NOW! Hahaha... Sorry, I had to.
  • GypsysBloodRose26
    GypsysBloodRose26 Posts: 341 Member
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    I have no issues with diet soda. I drink anywhere from 1 (rarely) to 3 (normal) a day and I am still losing weight. I still drink my water, but I love my soda and refuse to give it up. I am steadily losing weight, and it does not increase sugar cravings for me.
  • NaturallyOlivia
    NaturallyOlivia Posts: 496 Member
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    People always hatin' on my diet soda. :(
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Enjoy your treat. Good job on all the water, but enjoy your root beer worry-free. :flowerforyou: (I drink tons of it, and it doesn't negatively impact my weight loss at all.)

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