Splenda....

Artificial sweeteners are perceived by the brain to be a real form of sugar and the hormone insulin is released. Insulin is the "fat storing" hormone. It tells the liver and kidneys to stop burning fat for energy and to instead take sugar from your blood. If there is not enough sugar in your blood you get hypoglycemic and need to eat or drink more to replenish your normal level of blood sugar. Plus, as I already said, it stops your body from burning fat. It is extremely counterproductive for those hoping to burn body fat.

I like Splenda, but I've changed to Truvia (made from Stevia plant) and I definitely prefer its taste. I don't know what the effect is, but I do try and use it very sparingly. I haven't been working my plan for long, so I haven't noticed any type of a change. I'm not sure if I will or won't, but I do keep in mind that no artificial sweetener at all (along with no sugar) is better for me... but, Truvia is probably better for me than a teaspoon of sugar.

Artificial sweeteners are perceived by the brain to be a real form of sugar and the hormone insulin is released. Insulin is the "fat storing" hormone. It tells the liver and kidneys to stop burning fat for energy and to instead take sugar from your blood. If there is not enough sugar in your blood you get hypoglycemic and need to eat or drink more to replenish your normal level of blood sugar. Plus, as I already said, it stops your body from burning fat. It is extremely counterproductive for those hoping to burn body fat.

I disagree with the above information from a scientific perspective. The brain has nothing directly to do with the way in which sugar and sweeteners are metabolized; that is a matter for receptors in the pancreas. Extensive study has found no change in blood sugar levels after ingestion of Splenda (sucralose) or Stevia, nor any support for the slowing of fat-burning with the use of either. There ARE studies that found people who used artificial sweeteners actually eat more calories, but the correlation is likely to be that people who use sweeteners are overweight because they eat too much, and they use sweeteners in the hope that it will help them lose weight painlessly, not that the sweeteners lead them to eat more.
I dislike saccharin and Equal because they are completely artificial. Splenda is real sugar with an added inert chain that causes the body to be unable to recognize or metabolize it. Stevia is a plant extract that is not metabolized by the human body, much the way we cannot metabolize cellulose, so it passes unchanged through our bodies. It has been used for centuries and is perfectly safe. The only drawback is that it tastes different than sugar, so it takes a little getting used to.
If you like Splenda, use it and enjoy! Don't be worried by the alarmists on these 2 sweeteners. (Go ahead and believe them about Equal though. It is a pretty scary chemical with neurotoxic properties.)