Artificial sweeteners

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levitateme
levitateme Posts: 999 Member
I've been a big diet soda drinker since I was young. Regular soda has always tasted too sweet and syrupy and left me more thirsty so I opt for the "zeros" or pepsi max. About a month ago I decided to cut them out. I've only been in on this weight loss quest for about a week but I've struggled with weight all my life. At my heaviest I was 210 and over 2 years in my early 20's I went down to about 135. I've bounced up and down, mostly because I tend to eat a bunch of junk when I'm bored or I just get intense cravings for candy.

My mother suffers from MS. She's also been a diet soda drinker for many years. I did some research on aspertame and sucralose and found that they've been linked to MS, Lupus, "fibromyalgia" and alzhiemer's. They can also cause people to over-eat. Since I've quit the cravings to binge on junk have pretty much disappeared. I don't know if it's psychosomatic or what but I have to say I feel a lot better. Currently I only drink water, unsweetened tea and coffee with agave. I find that stevia has an awful aftertaste so I don't bother with it.

If any of you drink diet sodas or use things with aspertame or splenda(light yogurt, sugar free cookies, sugar free jello, etc) I'd recommend you abstain for 2 weeks and see if staying on track becomes easier. It did for me.

Replies

  • TKIY
    TKIY Posts: 2 Member
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    I've quit my soda habit as well (also, largely diet) as an attempt to curb my caffeine intake.

    Those first two weeks SUCKED, but I'm not missing it anymore. I drink way more water now, and a protein shake after workouts.
  • Opticalfish
    Opticalfish Posts: 3 Member
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    I tend to sweeten things with Stevia, since I find that it satisfies that need for 'sweet' but it doesn't seem to make me crave more sweets (if that makes sense). I don't know how good it is for you, but I've found it to be pretty nice tasting and from what I've read not nearly as bad for you either.

    I also saw a commercial for that Nectresse and am super curious to try that.
  • GreyGal
    GreyGal Posts: 11 Member
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    I thought the Stevia had a strange aftertaste as well. I thought it was just me since I know a lot of people that love it.