Soda. Diet or regular??

carissaxoxo
carissaxoxo Posts: 25 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
I am trying to not drink as much sugar substitutes so I switched to regular soda but I am only having one a day 12 oz. (if that) but I will still stay under my calories. Do you think this is ok?

Replies

  • I would stay away from soda. If you can't give it up, have it as a treat once a week. Having it daily is not good, it is a mild de-hydrant and it will slow your fitness progress down.
  • i have 2-3 diet cokes a day along with 1-2 cups of coffee,4-6 glasses of water and 2-3 glasses of tea....wow i drink a lot!
  • jennsie
    jennsie Posts: 38
    I think you should have none at all. Have water or at least orange juice/squash (Ribena) watered down.

    Even diet drinks are bad for you. I have them on the odd ocassion - or at the pub instead of wine (empty calories).

    Diet drinks apparently make you crave carbohydrates (bread and pasta) which makes you gain weight.

    See if you can wean yourself off them.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
    If you want it, have it! You can't expect to be successful if you deprive yourself of what you like. That being said, if you notice that it is causing your weight loss to slow down or stall, you might want to rethink how many times a week you allow yourself to indulge.

    I was able to lose 88 lbs in 2008 and I drank a regular soda almost every day. It's not the best choice for you but it can be done.
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
    I think you should have none at all. Have water or at least orange juice/squash (Ribena) watered down.

    Even diet drinks are bad for you. I have them on the odd ocassion - or at the pub instead of wine (empty calories).

    Diet drinks apparently make you crave carbohydrates (bread and pasta) which makes you gain weight.

    See if you can wean yourself off them.

    I totally agree.
  • I used to drink about 6 sodas a day. I switched to diet soda and still drink about 4 a day, but that alone has helped me lose a ton of weight. my theory, as long as you workout and exercise daily.. Eat, Drink, and be Merry!
  • In my opinion they are both really bad for you. The fake sugar is going to trigger you to eat more and the regular is going to a lot of empty calories which will make you feel unsatisfied, not to mention what it will do to your teeth. They are both really bad for you. I drank a lot of pop, first it was regular then it was diet but now I don't drink it at all. I feel so much better. I suggest trying to get to a point where you don't drink pop. I cold turkeyed it but thats how I roll. You can try to limit yourself less and less. Good luck!
  • I had heard that diet drinks and artificial sweeteners are actually worse. There all chemically! Last week I stopped drinking soda all together. I have seltzer with fresh fruit slices now....I lost 6 lbs! I imagine it was water retention...you could also try to sek out all natural sodas and look for things with stevia or agave based sweeteners like stevia and truvia.
  • sam363
    sam363 Posts: 204 Member
    Try to cut it out completely. I know that it might sound really hard but it is doable. I use to drink 2-3 can a day and now I might drink on once a month. I started by drink water first with my meal and if I still felt that I needed a coke then I would drink half. As a result I my skin looks healthier and I'm not as bloated or gassy. I know that you don't want to consume artificial substitutes but the on the go packets are really nice to the time you need some flavor. Crystal light is zero calories vs the 120 soda and you are consuming water with it.

    Good luck!
  • If you want it, have it! You can't expect to be successful if you deprive yourself of what you like. That being said, if you notice that it is causing your weight loss to slow down or stall, you might want to rethink how many times a week you allow yourself to indulge.

    I was able to lose 88 lbs in 2008 and I drank a regular soda almost every day. It's not the best choice for you but it can be done.

    I have to disagree, Maybe a cheat day or something but I don't think people can make a lifestyle change if they do change. If nothing changes then nothing changes.
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    If you are going to have one, have a regular soda. Even better, find the kind made with real sugar instead of HFCS.

    If you need a replacement that is natural, I love Izze. It's fruit juice mixed with sparkling water. Amazing, no added sweeteners, the only down side is that there isn't any caffeine. But they are fizzy and hit that spot!
  • Anna19911
    Anna19911 Posts: 141
    I could never give up soda. Do what works for you. I drink about 3 cans of diet soda a day and I'm still going strong!
  • heyitsmekatie
    heyitsmekatie Posts: 544 Member
    i think it's okay as long as its in moderation - so one a day should be okay. i would rather *eat* my calories and not use them on drinks, but whatever keeps you going and on track. :)
  • mamahafner
    mamahafner Posts: 38 Member
    Sorry this is a long one. But when I was in school for Massage therapy I was told about the Aspartame that is in Diet soda and it isn't good for you. Here is a thing I found on it when I googled it.
    Good luck.

    Is Diet Coke bad for you? »
    Oct 26, 2002 - 14:08 UTC » Health and Medicine
    Gosuke sent me this interesting link. It is about the dangers of Aspartame. Nutrasweet in the US and "Pal Sweet Diet" in Japan are Aspartame. Aspartame is an active ingredient in Diet Coke which I drink A LOT of. I am going to definitely take dive into the links on this page. If what this page says is true, I probably should stop drinking Diet Coke today...

    I have attached some of the highlights from the page below, but I would go to their page which has a lot of links if you currently drink a lot of diet soda products.

    Continue reading Is Diet Coke bad for you?.
    Here are some highlights from the page:

    Aspartame is poison!
    Aspartame/Nutrasweet is not very sweet in itself, that may be why Equal puts Dextrose (sugar) and maltodextrin as the first ingredients, so that it tastes sweet.

    Aspartame/Nutrasweet is a brain drug that stimulates your brain so you think that the food you're eating tastes sweet. If you pay attention you'll notice that when using Aspartame/Nutrasweet, everything you eat at the same time also tastes sweet! This may be why Aspartame/Nutrasweet causes you to crave carbohydrates. Hence, you won't lose weight using it.
    BTW, cyclamates got pulled off the market in the 70's in the US (but not Canada or the rest of the world) because the sugar industry saw too much of their market disappear.

    Aspartame/Nutrasweet (aspartylphenylalanine-methyl-ester) breaks down to its poison constituents at 86 degrees (Aspartic Acid 40%, Phenylalanine 50%, and Methanol 10%). Remember your stomach is at 98.6 degrees! Therefore you should never use Aspartame/Nutrasweet in hot beverages or cooked foods such as Jello. How the FDA allows this remains a mystery. There is mounting evidence that the "Burning Mouth Syndrome" experienced by the Desert Storm troops was actually Methanol poisoning from the Diet Coke they drank lots of, after being exposed to desert temperatures.

    Aspartame/Nutrasweet's 10% Methanol appears in the body quickly and is the same alcohol (wood alcohol also in lacquer thinner), that your mother correctly warned you could make you blind. Many skid-row alcoholics had major problems with this cheap but deadly form of alcohol.

    Aspartame/Nutrasweet's 40% Aspartic Acid is an "excitotoxin" in the brain and excites neurons to death, i.e. it kills brain cells and causes other nerve damage.

    Aspartame/Nutrasweet triggers Migraine Headaches This even happened to me!. The Usenet is filled with posts by people who have pinned their migraines down to aspartame/Nutrasweet consumption.

    Aspartame/Nutrasweet's breakdown products attack the bodies tissues and create Formaldehyde which builds up in the tissues forever. Remember the smelly, eye watering fumes from the frogs you dissected in school? They were preserved with Formaldehyde! Formaldehyde is thought to cause cancer.
    The American Bottlers Association did not want the FDA to approve Aspartame/Nutrasweet because of what the test report showed. But the FDA approved it anyway!

    Airline pilots stay away from Aspartame/Nutrasweet because they are well aware of the documented dangers.
    Aspartame/Nutrasweet also breaks down to diketopiperazine [DKP] which is proven to cause Brain Tumors! Brain Tumors used to be rare. Several of the rats in the original study formed brain tumors during their Aspartame/Nutrasweet exposure. The researchers surgically removed the tumors and returned the rats to the study and discounted the tumors.
  • jennajoehro
    jennajoehro Posts: 37 Member
    I'm in the "try to cut it out of your diet completely if you can" camp. Except that I call it pop, not soda :o)

    I used to drink at least 24 oz. of diet pop a day. I have eliminated it completely from Feb. 1st-May 1st due to training for a 1/2 marathon. At first I was scared I would miss the slight caffeine buzz but I really don't.
    Eliminating pop has also really helped me in my drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. I pee a lot more, but my skin looks and feels healthy from all the water!
  • annpat28
    annpat28 Posts: 42
    I drink regular Dr. Pepper. I have found that if i completely cut it out i feel very deprived and usually make up the calories in food that is not good for me. I have decided to allow myself 1 12oz can a day if i want it. I am still struggling because all i used to drink was soda, my friends told me i need a dr. pepper iv. lol. I think it is just what ever works for you. good luck.
  • carissaxoxo
    carissaxoxo Posts: 25 Member
    Have you seen any healthier sodas? I think it's the carbonation that I really like.
  • carissaxoxo
    carissaxoxo Posts: 25 Member
    If you are going to have one, have a regular soda. Even better, find the kind made with real sugar instead of HFCS.

    If you need a replacement that is natural, I love Izze. It's fruit juice mixed with sparkling water. Amazing, no added sweeteners, the only down side is that there isn't any caffeine. But they are fizzy and hit that spot!

    Awesome. Do they sell that in grocery stores?
  • ericchastain
    ericchastain Posts: 24 Member
    I used to drink several diet cokes daily, I had to give them up because I realized I didn't really want them I was just drinking them out of habit. Since it was a habit I could never just drink one. I broke it by buying a nice klean kanteen water bottle that i really liked and I keep it my hand and full of water at all times to reprogram myself and it worked for me... I never crave the diet drinks anymore.
  • carissaxoxo
    carissaxoxo Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks for all the great info!!!
  • jojokacz
    jojokacz Posts: 13
    I believe you can wean yourself off of soda, I did! I used to have a 3 to 4 can a day habit of diet mountain dew. When I would do a driving trip, it would be 10 cans to get me to Memphis is 10 hours. I've be flying when I got out of the car. Google Nutri-sweet and Slenda, these additives are really bad for you. Nutrisweet poisoning can mask itself to look like symptoms of lupis, besides other issues it can do to your health. Regular soda has too much sugar in it, which is not healthy either. Drink water (I know, how boring), but it cleanses you and washes the impurities and fat out of you. If you need some flavor in your water, wash off a lemon, lime or orange, then slice it up and squeeze a little into the water and rub the rind on the edge of your glass...you will have flavor then.

    PS I stopped cold turkey, I did have withdrawal - it felt like I got beat up from the inside out. It has been over 8 years since I've been addidted to soda. In the long run you will feel better too!:happy:
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,064 Member
    I used to drink 2L a day (a big bottle) of regular pop. I gave it up for 40 days last year cold turkey and I immediately dropped 25 lbs with little effort. I don't drink it every day, usually only when we eat out although I'm moving more and more just asking for water with my meals. I feel less sluggish and actually don't crave it in any form anymore. When I do get pop, I do get Coke Zero only because I'm IR and sugar sends my insulin into overdrive and it doesn't turn off. I'm reading more and more though that intake of the sugar substitutes are registered by our bodies as toxins, which causes the metabolism to slow down. One of the functions of body fat is to store toxins away from the organs where they could cause damage. By continuing to consume them, we're actually encouraging the body to store the toxins into new fat cells......that sounds like the opposite of what I'm trying to do.....

    Some of the sites I've been reading:
    http://www.sbbiomechanics.com/nl_sugar substitutes.htm
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    If you are going to have one, have a regular soda. Even better, find the kind made with real sugar instead of HFCS.

    If you need a replacement that is natural, I love Izze. It's fruit juice mixed with sparkling water. Amazing, no added sweeteners, the only down side is that there isn't any caffeine. But they are fizzy and hit that spot!

    Awesome. Do they sell that in grocery stores?

    Yep. At least, they do around here. They are in the same aisle as soda. They are more expensive, of course, but when they are on sale you can get a 4 pack of 16oz bottles for like $3, or at Kroger they go on sale 10 for $10 (in the small cans).

    Edited to add: I forgot! I also found them at Sams and they were a great deal there, I think I paid $9 for a 16 pack of bottles.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,064 Member
    You could also buy or make the fruit juice and add sparkling water ;) Just make sure to check the sugars if that's the reason that you went off regular pop in the first place
  • sepogoro
    sepogoro Posts: 4 Member
    i am with you on the 'needing' a soda a day...this summer when fruit is cheaper i'm going to attempt making my own 'soda'. my friend did this with blueberries....here is the link to the recipe...you can use any fruit or flavor...
    http://www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_20.html

    good luck!
  • LindsayChick
    LindsayChick Posts: 129 Member
    I was totally addicted to diet soda (probably at least 3 cans a day).... and completely cut them out. Now I drink water with a wedge of lemon in it. I feel SO much better .... less bloated, fewer to NO cravings for sweets etc. I vote for cutting all sodas out. If I can do it, you can too!! ;)
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
    When my ex mom n law got cancer, her doctor said "no matter what drink regular pop and stay away from diet, its loaded with chemicals" he also said she shouldn't be drinking pop at all, but if she had to, to drink full calorie regular.

    I don't drink pop, I barely ever drink anything except water. The occasional cup of milk, oj, or vitamin juice.
    For every cup of pop u drink, u need to drink a cup of water to replace it. Same with coffee, or any caffinated drink. They dehydrate ur body and its key to weight loss to have enough water.

    That being said, take ur weight divide it by 15...whatever that equals is the number of cups of water ur body needs
  • emaybe
    emaybe Posts: 187 Member
    Buy a bottle of seltzer water and mix 2-3oz of (unsweetened, natural) juice into it. It'll kill your body's sugar cravings, provide way more nutrients, and be way lower on the calorie scale. A 12oz glass of seltzer water with half a lemon squeezed into it is a whopping 30-or-so calories and tastes WAY better than Sprite or 7up. :)
  • emaybe
    emaybe Posts: 187 Member
    An addendum: diet soda will kill you due to the aspertame. Regular soda will kill you slower due to the HFCS. Avoid bottled/brand-name soda unless it's got natural sugar. There are options out there for such.
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