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Diet soft drinks / soda

penguinbop
penguinbop Posts: 11
in Food and Nutrition
So I keep reading they are bad for weight loss. Why?

Replies

  • Kirstie_C26
    Kirstie_C26 Posts: 490 Member
    i have no idea hon :) i drink them most days and have lost weight damn near consistently since 4th Jan this year :D

    best wishes
    Kirstie x
  • lmw1963
    lmw1963 Posts: 4
    There was scary news report the other day stating that we run a higher chance of stroke if we have even one diet soda daily!!! They suggested that we have soda as a treat 1-2 times a week. Oh well, I love my water, I love my water, I love.....
  • kettlewitch
    kettlewitch Posts: 277 Member
    Probably the chemicals. I don't care though, I'm not giving up my diet coke. ( get me, I'm a hardcore rebel :glasses: )
  • penguinbop
    penguinbop Posts: 11
    Good! For me they can really help with my sweet craving and I know I'm not having any more calories by drinking them...
  • cynusps
    cynusps Posts: 72 Member
    I love my Diet Mtn Dew. I have cut back just so I could convince myself to drink water.
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    So I keep reading they are bad for weight loss. Why?

    Something to do with the fake sugars and carbonation being bad for you. I honestly believe that EVERYTHING is bad for you if you have too much.I have a diet soda about once a week as a "sweet treat". It hasn't hurt my weight loss at all.

    However, caffeine can and will dehydrate you. It also has a lot of salt. Both of these can cause you to retain water. Don't use soda as your only means of hydration. Make sure you drink lots of water.
  • Akeddie
    Akeddie Posts: 18
    It's debatable whether they are bad or not. From my understanding there are two theories. But right now I only remember one :)

    When you drink a diet pop it sends a signal to your brain that you are injesting something sweet. The brain then tells the stomach to create enzymes that are designed to break down sugar. If you have food in your stomach when this happens it breaks down sugars in your stomach that normally would've been passed making you injest "extra" calories. If there is no food in your belly it can make you hungry because those enzymes need something to break down.
    My fil had another theory about it but that's the one I forget.

    Doesn't stop me, I drink diet pepsi pretty much every day.
  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
    I have had two coke zeros today.......the air we breathe has chemicals in it, and I can't hold my breath for that long....so not giving up the diet soda either!
  • LizzetteRamirez
    LizzetteRamirez Posts: 26 Member
    Its because diet sodas has an effect on your body like when drinking alcohol. Because of the acid in them has a dehydration effect. Thats why is not recommended to drink more than 2 diet soft drinks per day. So if you do drink more than 2 a day you may get the chance of water retention.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    I drink the heck out of them. Be sure to get enough calcium. To many diet mountain dews will aggravate your bladder because of the acidity. My HEB store brand at $1.99 for 12 are better than Coke Zero. I'm rarely without one nearby.
  • MJ5898
    MJ5898 Posts: 1,549 Member
    I love my Diet Mtn Dew and have a least 1, sometimes 2, 12 oz cans most every day. The rest of my drinking is water. I agree with others - everything has some risk and this is a risk I am willing to take. :-0
  • lindsaylove07
    lindsaylove07 Posts: 444 Member
    Here's my two cents. I drank only diet sodas from age....12 to about 22, and occasionally drank regular sodas as a treat. I started having bladder problems, I always said I had a pregnant bladder, when I had to go, I had to GO, no if ands or buts about it. And I had to pee, A LOT. Constantly almost. I went and talked to a doctor about it, and he said that the sugar subsitute freaks out bladders because they don't know how to process or something (my heart stopped when he told me to stop drinking sodas, so I sorta stopped listening). I stopped drinking sodas 6 months ago, and my bladder issues are getting better (and I lost 4 pounds right away!) Also, I get migraines, instense, blinding, vomit inducing migraines, so bad I've been hospitalized before. So, I drank diet sodas to get rid of them. Since i've stopped drinking diet sodas, and sodas in general, except for the rare night out, I have gotten fewer migraines!

    It takes awhile, because your body gets addicted to the caffeine like it gets addicted to any drug, and you have to wean your body off of it. But if you're living a healthier lifestyle, I think the best bet is to cut out the diet sodas altogether! (Please keep in mmind, I am just a college student, and NOT a doctor!) Hope this helps!
  • penguinbop
    penguinbop Posts: 11
    Thanks everyone :)

    I'm not a huge addict - only a couple of times a week so I don't think I'll be changing my habits. Also I need to cut back on alcohol at weekends and the thought of only drinking water in a pub is beyond depressing. I have to at least have a diet coke!
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    As others have pointed out, lots of things are bad for us. Diet sodas/artificial sweeteners are in that category. On the other hand, being overweight is bad for us too.

    Each of us needs to ask ourselves "What would I be eating/drinking if I wasn't drinking this diet soda?" If the answer is a chocolate milk shake and french fries, then the diet soda could be considered a good choice. If the answer is water, then the diet soda might not be as good a choice. (OK, OK, so this comparison is a little extreme, but you get the idea.)

    Life isn't black and white. If you are comfortable consuming diet sodas, and continuing to make progress towards your health goals, then carry on. If you are up for a change, try cutting them out for a week or two and see if you feel any different. Some people feel better without them, some people don't notice a difference.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I drink some kind of diet soda every day. If that's my worst vice, it's a pretty mild one!

    I have cut back a lot, from soda all day long to one in the morning.

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