Diet soda and weight gain. Myth or Truth?

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!

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:

i have never given up my diet dr pepper thru this weightloss journey. i drink 1 diet dr pepper everyday and still lose weight.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.