DIET DRINKS?

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  • mummum2
    mummum2 Posts: 415 Member
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    I am a diet coke drinker also. I hate water. My husband tells me that if I were to leave them alone, I would lose weight. I have been told that they have something in them that makes you crave the wrong foods. Not sure, but would love to know.

    I'm exactly the same as you! I hate water!

    There is hope for both of you, I used to hate water too, now I only drink water (well, after my one cup of coffee in the morning, it is all water, all day), and I enjoy it!

    Ditto for me..one cup of coffee in the morning, water all day and sometimes just before bed a cup or Green or ginger and lemon herbal tea.
  • NuclearGirl
    NuclearGirl Posts: 80
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    The biggest problem with drinking too many fizzy drinks is tooth decay. The acid in both standard & diet drinks strips the surface enamel. My dentist recommends always drinking fizzy pop (If you really have to) when you have a meal to reduce the impact.
    I used to drink gallons of lucozade orange - totally addicted to it I was - mostly because it has plenty of caffeine, but with the additional downside of hundreds of calories. Given it up now, and given up coffee pretty much too as I only allow myself one cup a day. My sensitive teeth got better almost overnight and I lost loads of weight - what a bonus!
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,460 Member
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    I've managed to limit myself (on most days) to one Coke Zero a day, usually at supper time; and I don't think that 12-20 oz of bubbly goodness has had any adverse effect on my weight loss. At the same time though, I usually drink over 80 oz a water a day, over half of that before lunch. So, in my experience, a little diet soda hasn't hurt, but you need to make sure you are covering all of your other bases! In other words...DRINK YOUR WATER!
  • sbechdel
    sbechdel Posts: 29 Member
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    I had the same problem and it was hard for me to get off that caffeine when you are used to it. I started by mixing 3/4 can of diet coke with 1/4 can of caffeine free, then every day increased the caffeine free stuff and reduced the regular diet coke. I never had any withdrawal symptoms this way. Additionally, I incorporated more sugar free Poweraid (tasty but no caffeine) into my day and eventually weaned myself off of those the same way by mixing with water. It's taken a while, but it's very motivating how good you start to feel when you just drink water. Good luck!
  • ♥Violette♥4Ever♥
    ♥Violette♥4Ever♥ Posts: 457 Member
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    I know exactly where you're coming from. I used to be soooooooo addicted to Diet Pepsi. The first few weeks are difficult but after that, it's smooooooth sailing. Just don't succumb to your temptations.
  • imaclatchie
    imaclatchie Posts: 16
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    It's one of those things.
    Water is better, always is.
    On a sliding scale, diet is better than sugar sodas... and water is better than diet soda.

    Have you ever kinda overdosed on diet pop?
    I used to drink 8 - 12 Coke Zero in a day (a bad day, but still...) - if i did that 2 days in a row, my stomach felt really weird, and acidic.
    I've never felt that way drinking water.

    There are people who say that having your body in an acidic state will deter weight loss. I have no science to back it up.
    But I am pretty sure that people will tell you that they feel better and lose weight easier when they stop the sodas - even the diet ones.

    I have a Sparkling Ice once every couple days now... I still like the bubbles.

    I.
  • GURLEY_GIRL3
    GURLEY_GIRL3 Posts: 359 Member
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    There are quite a few reasons drinking diet soda is bad for you. Now I'm not saying if you have it once in a while you are gonna get cancer and die, but those who drink it everyday are putting themselves in danger.

    1. Aspartame- It's poison. No way around it. Despite US FDA approval as a "safe" food additive, aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances added to foods. After you drink an aspartame-sweetened product, aspartame breaks down into its starting components: phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol (that further converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.). There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption....

    2.Obesity- Yes,Diet Soda Can Make You Fat!! Fowler and her team studied more than 1500 people between the ages of 25 and 64, looking at whether each consumed regular or diet soft drinks. It was no surprise to find a correlation between the daily consumption of multiple cans of all soft drinks and obesity — which they did. But, as Fowler noted, “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks; their risk of obesity was even higher” [than that of those drinking regular soft drinks]. In fact, Fowler found that for each can of diet soft drink consumed per day, the risk of obesity went up by 41%.No one can deny that a diet soda has fewer calories than a regular soda. If you get a disproportionate amount of your daily caloric intake from soda and then you switch to diet soda, you may lose weight. But I emphasize the word may, because it appears that artificial sweeteners can actually set us up to gain more weight.Diet sodas are billed as being good for type 2 diabetics and other blood-sugar- challenged types, but they aren’t. Because of something called the “cephalic phase response,” your body tastes the sweetness, and even though there are no calories to shuttle, the brain triggers a release of insulin from the pancreas and also a “Sugar is coming! Stop-burning fat” response from the liver. The result is the usual array of insulin-related problems (increased urge to eat, increased tendency toward fat storage, pro-inflammatory biochemical cascade), plus an arrest of healthy protein-and-starch production, and a confusion of the body’s built-in caloric monitoring systems, all of which compel you to plump up and eat even more unhealthy stuff later. (For more on this dynamic, read the article, “Poor Substitutes.”)

    3.Diet sodas and the chemically derived artificial sweeteners they contain (especially aspartame) may act as neurotoxins and have been linked to headaches, memory problems, anxiety, brain fog, depression, skin irritations, menstrual problems, fibromyalgia, joint pain and more.

    4.The acids in diet soda (and regular soda, for that matter) eat away at the enamel on your teeth. They also are acidifying to your entire system, and thus disruptive to your general health, including the good flora in your gut, where about 60 percent of your immune system resides.

    Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dangers-of-diet-soda.html#ixzz1BP2ZIbwQ

    Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dangers-of-diet-soda.html#ixzz1BP2GG4qI

    Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dangers-of-diet-soda.html#ixzz1BP1zVP7T
  • GURLEY_GIRL3
    GURLEY_GIRL3 Posts: 359 Member
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    THANKS EVERYONE..THIS HELPS LOT!! :)
  • cclala
    cclala Posts: 190 Member
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    I AM ADDICTED TO DIET MT DEW...I MUST HAVE ONE ALL THE TIME....ARE DIET DRINKS BAD FOR YOUR DIET? PPL HAVE TOLD ME IF I QUIT DRINKING DT DEW I WOULD LOSE ALOT MORE WEIGHT.

    THANKS
    NIKKI

    Check this out, my Dr referred me to it, I was addicted to Diet Coke, and after watching this I haven't had one since. Aspartame is toxic!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-usbGZez40
  • peperika
    peperika Posts: 1
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    Would the Crysal Lite drinks be the same as a diet pop? I have stopped the diet pop but now drink crystal lite.
  • peadarorodaigh
    peadarorodaigh Posts: 7
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    This mightve been suggested already - didnt have time to read all of above posts - but a good trick I used years ago when cutting down: whenever I got thirsty for a coke, I would make myself drink a big glass of water first. I still drank the coke, but the thirst wasnt quite the same, I felt satisfied quite quickly (say, after half to three quarters of a can, instead of a full can). Over time, my craving for coke died down completely.

    I still drink it now, but rarely! :-)
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
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    Would the Crysal Lite drinks be the same as a diet pop? I have stopped the diet pop but now drink crystal lite.

    Anything that contains Aspartame is dangerous.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member
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    Wow, What a difference a few months makes! A few months ago I was having to argue with people about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. It's good to see more people are educating themselves on dieting not just buying it because it says "diet".

    In regards to not liking water, I can not relate at all. I find ice cold water poured over crushed ice cubes in a chilled glass to be the necture of the gods. But if you feel you need something "fancier" than water, try adding lemon juice or fruit juice ice cubes (homemade). Just remember though, as much as your mind may not like water, your body does... ALOT. Proper hydration is necessary for pretty much every aspect of health, longevity, stamina and energy. It helps regulate sodium levels, which helps with bloating. It keeps your vascular system purified so that illnesses not last as long if at all. It softens your stool which makes bowel movements more pleasent. And on and on I could go.

    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
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    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.

    It isn't quite that straightforward. There are many who would claim that juice isn't good for you because it has too much sugar and none of the fiber of whole fruit. Others would argue that drinking milk from another species is unnatural and our bodies aren't built to handle that. The statement above is your opinion and your opinion only.
  • Kezzanna
    Kezzanna Posts: 45 Member
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    I was very addicted to Coke. First diet coke then coke zero, then a friend scared me enough about the contents of the diet coke to go to regular coke. OMG I had it bad. I struggled to wean myself off it. One of the steps I took was to buy sparkling mineral water and to put a fresh cut slice of lime in the bottom of the glass and pour the sparkling water over the top. This was quite good and had the 'bubble effect.' Later I struggled further with sugar and caffeine withdrawals - so I went to iced tea. Nerada have sachets that you mix with water and although it has 77 calories I incorporate it into my daily calories and have no problem and it helps me to drink more pure water. I don't have it everyday - just when I crave something a little more - and no headaches since.

    These days I'm trying to avoid 'diet' anything for the possible long term harmful effects and also low fat/skim because I find myself more satiated with full fat and the low fat tends to have higher salt/carb/sugar contents. As long as it's incorporated into the daily allowance - no probs! ...but other people will have different opinions and experiences....
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I think they just prolong bad habits - of needing something sweet, also very bad for your teeth.
    If you can just drink one now and again that's OK, but if you are having them all day you will see damage to your teeth and maybe your health.
    Try drinking plain soda water (just fizzy water, no flavouring or colouring) with a splash of lime juice- not cordial but the plain stuff you by in a bottle and keep in the fridge. I find this really refreshing and have this instead of a beer or wine in the evening.
    Ultimately I think plain water is probably best, but the limey soda water makes me feel like I'm having a treat and I usually just have one.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member
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    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.

    It isn't quite that straightforward. There are many who would claim that juice isn't good for you because it has too much sugar and none of the fiber of whole fruit. Others would argue that drinking milk from another species is unnatural and our bodies aren't built to handle that. The statement above is your opinion and your opinion only.

    Were as Vegans would argue that drink milk from "other animals" is unnatural; drinking breast milk into adulthood would be disguising. None the less your body needs Calcium, and no were else can you find such a high dose of calcium and it's absorbion partner Vitamin D than in Milk. So that is not opinion, that is fact. And as for juice, yes your right of you drink crappy highly processed and filtered juices like Topp's, Mott's, Welch's, Tropicana, Ocran Spray, etc. then yes, you won't get any of the fiber you do from eat whole fruit, but of you go to alternative grocery stores you can find all kinds of unprocessed natural even organic juices that are rich in pulp and thus, fiber. Either way, I never said anything about juice as a substitute to real fruit, actually, if you read any of my other posts I always recommend REAL FOOD over anything else.

    But this is a forum about drinks, more specifically, diet drinks. And anything (regardless of YOUR opinions) is better than something a scientist cooked up in a lab and sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup or an Artificial sweetener. So if you still think that's my opinion, do a little research for yourself on the dangers and health risk associated with HFCS and the laundry list of artificial sweeteners because those too are facts. Seems to me your the one spouting off opinions here, not me. Have a great day and best of luck on your dieting plans, you're gonna need it with a giant chip like that on your shoulder.
  • MightyMom4
    MightyMom4 Posts: 180
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    Water is by far the best for you. If you are looking for something a little different, maybe try the SOBE Life Waters, they are Zero Calories (Zero Everything) and Sweetened with Stevia Extract. They are pretty tasty when you are looking for a something with a little flavor.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member
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    Water is by far the best for you. If you are looking for something a little different, maybe try the SOBE Life Waters, they are Zero Calories (Zero Everything) and Sweetened with Stevia Extract. They are pretty tasty when you are looking for a something with a little flavor.

    I agree water in the source of all life on this planet and Stevia is a better alternative to any of those other "diet" sweeteners. Good post.
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    Opinions on this subject vary and people will get pretty hot about their point of view. Are diet drinks healthy? No, probably not. Will they hurt your diet? For some people they do. Some people report that having the sweet taste makes them crave more sugar or high calorie foods. Other people tend to over compensate and eat more because they think they've earned it by drinking a diet drink.

    This isn't true for everyone. I actually find that maybe one a day helps me curb my cravings for sweets and to control my calories.

    As with most things, practice moderation. One a day won't hurt you. Six a day is probably a bad choice but it's entirely up to you.

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