Diet soda?

24

Replies

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    To be clear, the only thing that is actually 0 calories is water. Diet soda does contain calories, although negligible.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    I stay away from soda period... There's a ton of sodium in diet soda.

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  • karen_fitzgibbon
    karen_fitzgibbon Posts: 736 Member
    I find they make me thirsty. Not because of the "tons" of sodium (snigger)
    If you have no adverse effects and you like them, then I don't see a problem with it.
    Go forth and drink, my friend :smiley:
  • mom2ava07
    mom2ava07 Posts: 186 Member
    I'm sure the stuff is not good for your body, but it keeps me sane. I drink coffee in the morning, plain water all day, and allow myself one diet soda per day. I've lost 17 lbs in 7 weeks, so it hasn't negatively impacted my losing weight.
  • SteampunkSongbird
    SteampunkSongbird Posts: 826 Member
    I drink Coke Zero almost exclusively and it hasn't hindered my weight loss, nor affected me in any noticeable way.
  • Arsenal1919
    Arsenal1919 Posts: 212 Member
    The stats are not vastly different.
    With regular sodas (fizzy flavoured soft drinks), one cops a massive sugar hit and abundant calories.
    With diet versions of very similar flavoured products, aspartame, saccharine or stevia might get the calorie count down (maybe zero to 35 calories per glass) but the chemical load is poor.
    Both styles of drink are not that good for you.

    Try water.
    Try water with a slice of lemon and maybe some ice cubes.
    Try tap water or filtered water with slivers (very thin slivers) of fruit.
    Try soda water.
    Try soda water with slivers (very thin slivers) of fruit.

    I was reading in Men's Health in 2011 that post exercise, great recovery is achieved with 500 millilitres to a litre of skim milk. (Works for me!)

    I haven't been as comfortable as since I gave up all but one or two soft drinks per week. (Have diet ginger beer with an elderly relative while he drinks stout beer most Tuesday nights.)

    The best thing about the water over soft drinks is the massive saving to the wallet.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    It has no effect on weight loss. I have friends who have them daily and have lost in the hundreds of pound. Personally, I drink a seltzer water, due to the fact that I don't like the aftertaste of anything diet.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    This little snippet is in today's paper. I'm neither agreeing nor disagreeing, as I don't drink it.

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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Sorry about the side ways pic!!
  • imajorchubby
    imajorchubby Posts: 8
    edited April 2015
    I have to agree with the money angle, I have saved a ton of money not drinking soda or diet. Especially at work at the vending machines. Its great not looking at my credit statement and not seeing 15 entries in a row from the vending machine :)
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    Yummy mm Diet Coke! All day, every day
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
    I am sure I could save money by not buying 3/5$ Monsters every couple of days... but I can afford it, and it doesn't hinder me in any other way but monetarily. I also drink close to 100oz of water per day. Just drink the diet soda if you dig it.
  • knt217
    knt217 Posts: 115 Member
    edited April 2015
    This little snippet is in today's paper. I'm neither agreeing nor disagreeing, as I don't drink it.

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    @christinev297 that study has already been blasted by various diet/health/docs/chemists for the flawed methodology. I'm not able to paste a link from my phone on this app (glitch?), but look up "Weighty Matters "What I Learned Actually Reading that New Diet Soda Waist Gain Study,'" to read a bit about the major complaint that does weren't controlled or tracked among the participants.
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    All I can really see is the headline on the sideways pic. But I think if it were true I would weigh 300 lbs instead of be almost at my goal.

    I am submitting myself to everyone's shock and judgment here but I drink probably 6 cans of Diet Coke a day.... for pretty much as long as I can remember. This is not a new habit for me. I'm not scared of aspartame, so don't even bother with that with me. It tastes good, I like it. It's carbonated flavored water.

    The only and I mean the ONLY reason I wish I could cut back is monetary. I've been drinking more plain, cheap lipton tea lately but i still use sweetener.

    They can pry my Diet Coke out of my cold, dead hands.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    How badly does diet soda's affect ones weight while dieting? I usually drink sprite zero or cherry coke zero.

    Regular soda doesn't even taste right any more. Should i quit drinking diet soda's all together? What have you done?

    I lost almost 60lbs while drinking diet soda (switched from regular when I started losing weight). I still drink diet soda and I've been maintaining my loss successfully for two years now.
  • LeenaGee
    LeenaGee Posts: 749 Member
    edited April 2015
    Is this the article Christine? -
    Diet Soft Drinks = Bigger Guts
    It might not have the calories of a regular soft drink, but a diet drink with artificial sweeteners may still wreak havoc on our waistline.
    A US study looked at the 10 year health records of older adults (with an average age of 65 when the study began) and found that after 10 years,
    the seniors who had a diet soft drink daily had gained 8cm of belly fat, compared to 2cm in those who didn't.
    Researchers believe the artificial sweeteners aspartame, saccharin and sucralose interact with the gut's microbial cells, which can cause a bigger tummy
    as well as metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease.


    It was in our local paper this morning.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    LeenaGee wrote: »
    Is this the article Christine -
    Diet Soft Drinks = Bigger Guts
    It might not have the calories of a regular soft drink, but a diet drink with artificial sweeteners may still wreak havoc on our waistline. A US study looked at the 10 year health records of older adults (with an average age of 65 when the study began) and found that after 10 years, the seniors who had a diet soft drink daily had gained 8cm of belly fat, compared to 2cm in those who didn't. Researchers believe the artificial sweeteners aspartame, saccharin and sucralose interact with the gut's microbial cells, which can cause a bigger tummy as well as metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease.

    It was in our local paper this morning.

    My profile picture was taken yesterday. Yesterday I also drank 3 cans of diet coke and 1-20 ounce bottle of diet Mt. Dew. The previous day I drank 1 can of diet Pepsi, 1-20 ounce of diet Mt. Dew and one can of diet coke. So, yeah. But, maybe on my 65th birthday horrible things will happen. Or, maybe not.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    I try not to drink a huge amount of fizzy drinks altogether, but that's because they're bad for your teeth and give me mouth ulcers because of the acidity, but in weight loss terms I can't see any way that swapping from full sugar to diet drinks could be anything but a good thing. If the diet ones don't make you hungrier, like they can do for some people, I doubt you have anything to worry about from a weight loss perspective.
  • LeenaGee
    LeenaGee Posts: 749 Member
    Sara, you look amazing, congratulations on your achievement, but I will stick to water and herbal tea. :)

    How do you fit any food in with all that coke and Mt. Dew? I would have to go without my dinner.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    LeenaGee wrote: »
    Sara, you look amazing, congratulations on your achievement, but I will stick to water and herbal tea. :)

    How do you fit any food in with all that coke and Mt. Dew? I would have to go without my dinner.

    I also drink 6-8 glasses of water a day that I don't record :) No problems with eating and drinking-I do follow 16:8IF and only eat from 11am-7pm usually (not super strict about it, but that's what most of my days look like). I drink a lot of fluids in the morning and at night, after my eating window closes. This is probably part of the reason I've been so successful with maintenance. I'm not hungry at all in the morning but I'll have tea, diet soda and then several cups of water. Same at night.
  • Cynnamon
    Cynnamon Posts: 6 Member
    Im a diet rockstar or diet monster fanatic myself!! Haha
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,286 Member
    I drink about 3 or 4 cans of diet soda over week. I used to drink same amount of regular soda before trying to lose weight.

    It has not hindered my weight loss/ maitenance or had any other ill effects.

  • Looncove_Farm
    Looncove_Farm Posts: 115 Member
    It could lead to weight gain, not weight loss
    Diet soda is calorie-free, but it won't necessarily help you lose weight. Researchers from the University of Texas found that over the course of about a decade, diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference compared with non-drinkers. And get this: participants who slurped down two or more sodas a day experienced a 500% greater increase. The way artificial sweeteners confuse the body may play a part, but another reason might be psychological, says Minnesota-based dietitian Cassie Bjork. When you know you're not consuming any liquid calories, it might be easier to justify that double cheeseburger or extra slice of pizza.


    I was a big Diet Coke drinker for years, a couple 2 or 3 a day. When I stopped drinking it the changes AFTER the headaches went away, were impressive. I lost a few pounds and felt so much better. This is just my oppinion and personal experience and everyoens different but Diet sodas with Chemical sweetners are not good for any of us.

    Becca
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited April 2015
    Troutsy wrote: »
    I stay away from soda period... There's a ton of sodium in diet soda.

    Many seltzer waters have a higher sodium content. What's your definition of "tons"?

    Commercial seltzer water has no sodium in it. Homemade (like with a SodaStream) might if there is a little naturally occurring in your tap water. You get almost as much sodium from using a water softener as you do from drinking a diet soda.

    Depending on the brand, even club soda isn't high in sodium, it is just higher than other soft drinks (ranges from 80mg to 200 mg)

  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    It could lead to weight gain, not weight loss
    Diet soda is calorie-free, but it won't necessarily help you lose weight. Researchers from the University of Texas found that over the course of about a decade, diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference compared with non-drinkers. And get this: participants who slurped down two or more sodas a day experienced a 500% greater increase. The way artificial sweeteners confuse the body may play a part, but another reason might be psychological, says Minnesota-based dietitian Cassie Bjork. When you know you're not consuming any liquid calories, it might be easier to justify that double cheeseburger or extra slice of pizza.


    I was a big Diet Coke drinker for years, a couple 2 or 3 a day. When I stopped drinking it the changes AFTER the headaches went away, were impressive. I lost a few pounds and felt so much better. This is just my oppinion and personal experience and everyoens different but Diet sodas with Chemical sweetners are not good for any of us.

    Becca

    You keep doing what you think you need to do and I'll keep doing what I've been doing, since its been working pretty well for me ;)
  • sandryc79
    sandryc79 Posts: 250 Member
    What I never understood is this:

    These studies that say fat people drink diet pop by pointing to their weight verses the weight of people who don't drink pop....what about the difference in food consumption between those groups? Like most people I switched to diet pop in college when I started wanting to lose weight. I hated the taste at first but quickly grew to enjoy it. When I fell off the diet wagon I kept the diet pop because I liked it. I am fat because I regularly ate too many calories over years and years. NOT BECAUSE OF ZERO/LOW CALORIE DRINKS! If I had spent the last 15 years active and consuming reasonable calories I wouldn't be fat. If you either always controlled your calories intake or were just naturally thin you are much less likely to be motivated to start drinking diet pop in the first place. That doesn't mean being thin is caused by avoiding it.

    Correlation is not causation!
  • I have one a few times a week and it never affected my ability to lose weight.
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    Ah i see, well i tend to drink alot of Sprite Zero, it's my fave. I haven't noticed any adverse effects on me, i do get a good mix of water in there as well. I just wondered because its been said before they are not good for you.

    I like my diet tonic on ice and diet pepsi! I could not imagine my world without my diet soda :)

  • LeenaGee
    LeenaGee Posts: 749 Member
    It is difficult to base any opinion on the little snippet in the paper. However, I think basically at this stage you have people who like it and don't see any problem with it, those who don't like it and see future problems because of the artificial flavours and chemicals, those who drink a little and are not fussed and those who don't give a toss about it at all.

    And I think researchers are evenly divided into one of those groups. Me, I think the stuff is rubbish. :p
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited April 2015
    Leena yeah the article you posted is the one in my paper
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