Diet Soda - a bad thing?

I say NO to ALL soda.

I refer to Diet Coke as my former lover. Every now and again, we have another romp... it's so scandalous!!

In response to your question, from a caloric standpoint, no, it's not bad. But it does contain a lot of sodium and it prevents what could be more water due to it's caffeine content and just the pure fact that you're choosing that and not water. Then, there is the debate about any kind of artificial sweetener but that's your own call.

I don't drink any soda, I'm a water girl luckily I really enjoy it though, some don't

I just think about all the chemicals and unhealthy ingredients, can't be good! I have one about once a month or so now. I used to drink a diet soda everyday, now I am really working on a cleaner diet so have cut it out!

Yeah, you should probably try to give it up. Soda isn't good for you, diet or otherwise. If you are going to drink something, shouldn't it be something that benefits you?

It's your call, though. If it makes you so happy, why not just cut down to a glass a day? As a treat, like.

Absolutely do your best to omit it completely from your diet. Sodas (and especially diet sodas) are packed with harmful preservatives and ingredients that don't come near being food. It is so harmful to your system because it is jumbling up your hypothalmus' release of hormones and tears apart your esophagus. I know a man who drank diet soda every day and his esophagus literally split down the middle. Good luck in your weightloss, and hopefully you can cut out soda(:

Kill the Diet soda all together. Get some of those little 8oz regualr soda's and drink 1 of those a day or every few days. Diet soda will cause you to keep the weight on if not gain it.

Well there was this uproar about diet soda in the last couple of weeks that it can make you at risk for strokes. However, according GMA's doctor (which I always believe full-heartedly <---sarcasm), the study that is making this claim was very lacking in methods.

Controversial studies aside, diet soda will make you crave more sweetness. Just like sugar itself will make you crave other sweet foods. The article below makes the point that diet sodas will dull your sense of sweet.

I personally love carbonated water. I chill it and squeeze some lime in it. I used to hate carbonated water, but that was back when I drank sugary drinks all the time. The soda water provides that carbonated kick and has the same filling effects of diet soda. Give it a try.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartHealth/diet-soda-linked-heart-attack-stroke-risk/story?id=12868269

I say give it up too!! Not only are the artificial sweetners bad for you, but they are now discovering that the chemicals in the caramel coloring that is added is also harmful! WATER!!

Everything in moderation - I agree with the comment above, one every few days or week won't really affect you much. The phosphorus in the soda (diet or not) will pull calcium out of your bones, putting you at a higher risk for osteoporosis. Definitely cut back from the several a day even if only for this reason, you'll help yourself in the long run :-)

I am an RN, worked the night shift for years and years, and simply couldn't get through a 12 or 16 or 18 hour night shift without several Diet Cokes! However I've been off nights for the last 2 years, and recently started a M-F office-type job.

I decided last year to get off the Diet Coke. Before, when I was drinking 8-32 oz/day, I used to HAVE TO HAVE a few Tums in my pocket AT ALL TIMES for my occasional "heartburn". I was probably chewing a Tums 3-4 times EVERY DAY. Well, guess what? No Diet Coke = NO HEARTBURN! Can't remember the last time I even chewed a Tums for relief - it completely went away when I got off Diet Coke!

I will admit I occasionally drink one for a treat, maybe twice a month. But even then I have to watch the volume, it simply upsets my stomach now if I drink too much! I drink water and tea - mostly black Chai--type tea bags but have found some terrific Chai Green tea that I really love. (Again, tea BAGS, not the "mix", don't like those!) I also love the carbonated water and fresh lime - yummy!

If you decide to stop altogether, you can expect to expience headaches caused by caffeine-withdrawl. Take some Motrin to treat the headaches as needed, they'll go away after 2-3 days.

Good luck! :drinker:

Ok here is my take on soda in general. I quit sodas cold turkey when I was pregnant with my daughter, and had no problems. Once she was born, I decided that I could have clear sodas (Sprite for example) when I was eating out but I wasn't going to buy them for at home. All that faded the day I went to McDonald's and they were out of Sprite... I agreed to switch to a Coke. I honestly felt the carbonation and whatever else was in the dark soda expand my stomach that day. I had managed to get my McDonald's stops to things like a kids meal or sharing a large meal with someone else. Immediately after adding a Coke, I wanted more food.
So for the past 10 years I have been trying to wean myself BACK off of sodas... Getting presented with the opportunity of a weight loss contest was the perfect reason to go cold turkey again, and this time I know not to even allow the clear sodas because it will go right back into the problem of what, for me, is a stomach-expanding drink that leads straight to weight gain.

With that said, I am not giving up eating desserts in my weight loss journey. I am just learning to eat smaller portions and enjoy them more. That is what I want to keep. If you want to keep diet soda in your own diet, then as previous posters said, it is up to you. You will just have to learn your own portion control as I am with desserts.

I have done a lot of research on diet drinks because that was all I used to drink. Some of the things I found in my research is it is bad for your memory. Your brain thinks it is sugar and tell the liver to stop burning fat for fuel because here comes the sugar for fuel. It has a lot of sodium and makes you retain water. In most of the studies it showed the people that drank regular soft drinks didn't gain weight as much as people that drank diet sodas. Kind of odd!

Read this article and also just type in your google bar is diet soda bad.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-diet-soda

I think diet soda is a serious problem. It seems t help keep those cravings going. I had less problem getting off regular soda than anyone I know who drinks diet soda. And my big lesson was this. I had been doing great on my diet... nearly 70 pounds and then my daughter-in-law came with her diet soda. it looked so good I had a couple glasses and that was the very beginning of my downfall and now I am working my way down again from 32 pounds.