So... about that diet soda

Okay, firstly cutting calories anywhere will help with your weight loss goals. I have a friend who's hard core in her eating requirements (like avoids High Fructose Corn Syrup at almost any cost, tries to eat organic, looks for natural made stuff) that gets on me sometimes for having 'light and fit' yogurt because artificial sweeteners are bad for you. Is it better if you can cut it out completely, yes. It would be better for me if I could just cut peanut butter out of my diet, or never eat ice cream again too. If you can allot yourself the calories in your food diary for a regular soda, that wouldn't be that bad for you either.

Now, drinking a 12 pack of diet soda a day, even though there's no calories in it, is going to hinder you a bit because of all the other crap in it. You have to make the decision for you what things you can live with out and what things you can't. I've cut almost all sweetened drinks out of my diet. I drink water or unsweetened tea, and the occasional Nonfat Iced Carmel Latte from Starbucks. I don't go for the sugar free version because I don't like the after taste, and if I'm going to have a treat, I want it to be good. I don't really miss the whole or 2% milk either. I subbed in Fat Free Frozen Yogurt most of the time when I want ice cream. Is it better? Yes. Is it the best for me? No.

Long and short of it, you have to choose what you need to feel satisfied (because seriously, if you're always feeling deprived, is it going to be worth adding the years onto your life you get for being fit? I don't think so). If you need soda to feel satisfied and you can fit it into your calorie budget and are keeping it in moderation, go for it.

I have noticed that when I drink diet soda I don't get enough water in my day. So for every diet soda I drink a day I drink a cup of water...Don't replace water with any caffeine or soda drink of any kind. I have also noticed that it makes me retain fluids in my body when I drink it. I thought replacing it with those crystal lite drinks at the store would help but I have noticed that they also make me retain water I am not sure what is in the crystal lite that would make me do that but I try not to drink much of those either. I love both...so it is hard for me to stay away from them. I try to keep a large glass of ice water next to me at all time...Sometimes I have noticed lately that I have been forgetting to drink anything during the day though so I have been getting really thirsty at night...so then..I get up several times a night...bad me...lol....I try to keep the salt intake down (from sodas mostly for me) because I have been told that retaining water will damper your ability of losing weight...cindy

I drink a diet soda a day - it gives me a bit of caffeine in the middle of the day and something sweet. Everything in moderation is my thing. I couldn't imagine completely cutting it out. I don't count it towards my water intake as the caffeine and sodium is considered to counteract the water in it.

I'm the opposite of you though, I can't stand the taste of regular soda!

Me too!!