Diet Pop

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stewythere
stewythere Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I have been reading that although there is no sugar in Diet Pop, it is in the end bad for you ie your liver sends too much time dealing witht the artificial sugar and in the end slows weight loss......anyone else heard this? and if so, how are you handling - I miss my diet pop.
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  • stormtruck2
    stormtruck2 Posts: 118 Member
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    I used to drink literally 1-2 gallons of diet coke a day. Two to four 64 oz cups of DC. and I weighted 375 lbs. So I have now switched to lots of ice tea, ice water, and on deserving nights, 21 year old scotch. :wink: I avoid juices becasue of the concentrated sugars. Tea and water are my go to's. I have heard alot about artificial sweetners actually increasing our appetites. I can believe it.
  • c_faulkenburg
    c_faulkenburg Posts: 158 Member
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    I went cold turkey with sodas. I did not do the artificial sweeteners and went straight from sugary sodas to nothing. My advice, have plenty of ice cold water for whenever the urge strikes, and keep a tally of how long you can go without. Kind of like those workplace signs that say, "5 days without an accident, etc.". You could keep the money you would have spent on the soda and use it towards a goal for something nice for yourself.
  • lmdarr97
    lmdarr97 Posts: 15 Member
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    I have also read that it actually increases your appetite. I love my diet pop too, but have chosen to limit it to very occasionally. Once I got past the first few days I didn't crave it near as much. Overall, heard it is best to avoid pop all together especially when dieting.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    Yup. I've heard this, and after tons of anecdotal info, though no scientific data, and my own personal experience, I've disregarded it completely.

    I suspect that there are some people that it might impact this way, but I don't feel that I've one of them. Though, due to the amount of water I now drink, I don't drink as much Diet Coke as I used to.
  • Xarina
    Xarina Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm trying to quit myself. My new years resolution, no diet coke except for when out eating dinner/lunch occasionally. I really don't believe it inflicts on my weight loss though. I've lost weight before and was drinking 1-3 liters of diet coke a day (lost 130lbs in 2 years). I gained it back because I stopped exercising due to grandparent calling me anorectic (no longer speak to her and am moving on, trying to lose it all again and keep it off).

    It may affect some people though, we're all genetically different. Who knows maybe I'll loose weight faster this time without it? Worth a shot at least.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    I've never heard about what you mentioned but artificial sweeteners are absolutely horrible for us and I stay away from those no matter what they are in. I still have have my regular soda but it is very infrequently now and if I have the calories available. It's an occasional treat in a small amount.
  • mjrkearney
    mjrkearney Posts: 408 Member
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    There have been studies done that show how artificial sweeteners affect insulin levels as the body anticipates a boost in dietary sugar without actually receiving it. This messes with the blood sugar levels which messes with, among other things, the appetite and further cravings for something sweet.

    Also, of course, the acids are crap for your bones and the caffeine reduces your ability to absorb iron. Why do we drink this stuff again?
  • lwright311
    lwright311 Posts: 69 Member
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    I like diet soda and still drink about a glass a day. I dont worry to much about how artificial sweeteners are harmful either. I figure being significantly overweight is the most hazardous thing to my health right now . Also artificial sweeteners have been around for a long time which proves they are not dangerous.
  • stewythere
    stewythere Posts: 5
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    wow you guys are great - thanks for the quick responses and helpful comments. Here's another issue I am having,,,,new to this site...Drinking 8 glasses of water is harder to do than I thought.....sorry to be blunt, but in the past few days I have tried hard to have the 8+ glasses and I find I am always in the bathroom......does this get better?

    thanks
  • BuhbyeBooty
    BuhbyeBooty Posts: 21
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    I gave up my Diet Coke back in April. I missed it a lot at first, but have since given up all carbonated drinks and anything with caffeine. Overall, I feel a lot better, and I know I've lost weight because of it.
  • silentmeowth
    silentmeowth Posts: 26 Member
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    Yes, I've heard that. They have a lot of aspertane (sp?) in them, which is hell on your liver. The "diet" part of it is more accurate for diabetics, which is what diet sodas are originally meant for. You'd be much, much better off with regular soda. It isn't even that many more calories than diet. An 8.oz glass of soda is usually under 200, so go ahead and treat yourself.
  • shlevon
    shlevon Posts: 30 Member
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    I have been reading that although there is no sugar in Diet Pop, it is in the end bad for you ie your liver sends too much time dealing witht the artificial sugar and in the end slows weight loss......anyone else heard this? and if so, how are you handling - I miss my diet pop.

    Insofar as it has no calories, diet pop will have no negative effect on fat/weight loss if you wind up eating the same otherwise. The "problem" with artificially sweetened stuff like pop and the like is that they can affect your hunger, such that you DON'T end up eating the same otherwise.

    Stated differently, if you compared a ~1500 kcal diet with set amounts of carbs/fats/protein, and then compared the effects of drinking only water vs. drinking diet pop, there would literally be no difference. The problem is that drinking a ****load of sweet-tasting diet pop might negatively affect your hunger in a way so as to, for example, increase cravings for sweets. So you actually end up eating an extra couple hundred calories or whatever.

    This seems to be variable to some degree (i.e. some people are more affected than others), but the above is the gist of why diet pop can be a problem for some in terms of body composition.
  • MouseTmom
    MouseTmom Posts: 201 Member
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    I used to drink at least 3 or 4 cans a day. Now I flavored waters. I still have a 12 pack at work but it has been sitting there for a couple months and is still almost full! I do still have a can of diet pepsi 3 or 4 times a week but do not always drink the whole can.
  • AEFidgets
    AEFidgets Posts: 243
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    Besides being bad for your teeth and bones I don't know if it's bad for you. I know that based upon the fact that it has artificial sweetners I avoid it like the plague.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    As for the frequent bathroom trips as you increase your water intake, my experience suggests that no it doesn't get any more infrequent.

    Personally, I'm still on the fence about the necessity of a set quantity of water you need to drink. I think it's more about staying properly hydrated, and that can easily be judged by the colour of your urine.
  • kbeech06
    kbeech06 Posts: 328 Member
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    I stopped drinking pop completely. I used to drink a lot of diet pop. Then I went to flavoured seltzer water in the US that was made by Polar Beverages. Its not for everyone though. Now that I live in the UK, I can't find flavoured seltzer here but they do have plain sparkling water that I drink a lot of. Everyone keeps telling me that there is flavoured seltzer here but what they are talking about is sweetened sparkling water. and I don't want sweetened....AT ALL. I try to stay away from artificial sweeteners. If I'm going to drink calories....its going to be in my wine :)
  • DarrelBirkett
    DarrelBirkett Posts: 221 Member
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    I dont drink any "pop". Thankfully Ive never been a big fan and sweeteners are meant to be worse than natural sugars.

    As for how much water you should drink, a good guideline for someone who is active is to take your calorific expenditure per day and drink that in ml. For example, lets say you know you expend around 2300 kcal per day, you would try and drink 2.3L. Its said you should add around 10% to this though so maybe around 2.5L. It doesnt have to be exact and also remember that you water comes from everything. Water itself plus other liquids and even veggies for example. Rather than over complicate it though I think the cals = ml formula is a good place to start.

    Worth noting when I say cals its cals expended, not ate. If you are unsure how to calc this look at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris-Benedict_equation
  • cclouj
    cclouj Posts: 4
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    I quit soda for the most part, I will have one once a week, Friday's when me and the BF go out. When I do I stick to Sprite or 7up. I had a hard time drinking water at first, and I know you are suppose to have 8 glasses a day, but I don't. I have a big cup (24 oz) that I fill up at least 2 times a day at work, but once I am home I only have water with dinner. I know what you are saying about the trips to the bathroom, and yes I think it gets better. I try not to drink to much at night so I don't have to get up to go. Just remember to take little sips every few minutes and that will help you get what you need. Good Luck and keep up the good work.
  • swillybay
    swillybay Posts: 61 Member
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    I'm in my first week with MFP, and I have been cutting back on my Diet Pepsi gradually over the past few weeks. Now I'm trying to only have one for a treat (I can't drink sweetened sodas - taste like syrup to me), and the other day I had one and was so looking forward to it and found I didn't care for it. Too funny. I will still have it for treats, but I wonder if soon I'll just prefer water. Wouldn't that be nice. I was drinking 3-4 diet soda cans a day before and am now down to one or two a week. I swear I feel better for it.
  • amarna13
    amarna13 Posts: 23 Member
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    I've pretty much completely cut out soda of all kinds, except for maybe a small glass of ginger ale once/twice a week. I will allow myself a coke if I'm at a party or something and don't want liquor but that's very rare. I love coke and actually easily become addicted to the caffeine so I try to stay away from caffeinated sodas. I never drank much diet soda because to me it seems like all the artificial sweeteners can't be very good for you and I prefer the taste of regular, diet always left me with a weird aftertaste.

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