Diet soft drink or not at all?

2

Replies

  • Anna83704
    Anna83704 Posts: 37 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Some of us find that diet soda increases our desire for food, especially sweet food. Others say they don't have that problem. It's an individual thing.

    I skip soda - the cravings, the sodium...there's nothing in there that does me any good and I feel better when I drink water.

    But if I have some, I get right back into the addiction and have to struggle to get off of it again. I try really hard to avoid it!!

    What you should do, though, is whatever floats your boat. :)

    +1
  • javba2
    javba2 Posts: 57 Member
    Hello everyone - Just Chiming in with a different opinion - What diet sodas do is "not calories" but "promote pro Caloric" behaviors and needs. When we have diet soda we have an Insulin surge in anticipation of something sweet - now of-course the sweet in diet soda is "non nutritional" so what that insulin does is lowers your blood glucose like it's supposed to do - and that "makes you hungry" and then you need real food.

    If you doubt that causation - just think now of your favorite food - it will make your mouth water - that is the "Cephalic Phase" of insulin secretion - getting you ready to eat that food. So we are very tuned to our taste-buds after centuries of adaptation - that's why Diet Sodas are bad for wt loss. Personally - I have a liking for Coke products - but when I am using those - I binge more.
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    I just quit them because I wanted to

    No demons in the closet. Way cheaper to buy 24 pack of water. I toss a Mio in the gym bag



    hell even that gets costly man Ill tell you

    I buy those 6-pack 24-oz Aquafina bottles that come strapped together in that duck-strangling plastic 6-pack wrapper deal

    and I refill each bottle for like a week and then replace it


    it's also related to the fact that I have a deep-seated hatred for those 16.9 oz bottles

    who the *kitten* decided 16.9 oz bottles were better than 20 oz anyway

    like *kitten* that guy

    Have you tried a bobble bottle ? Has a filter in it so that you can drink water from the Tap ?

    ohh yeah I have seen those but I installed an in-line filter to my cold water line under my kitchen sink

    you can get one for like $50 and that *kitten* will pump out filtered water FAST
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Diet soda doesn't make you fat. A calorie surplus does that.
    Ok so I am wondering when I go once in a while at McDonalds should I get a diet soft drink compared to water or do diet soft drinks actually make you fatter? This is not to be taken everyday but only when I go out once in a while.

    The only thing that makes you fatter is eating over your calories consistently & not accurately weighing your food.

    I have drank diet soda since the beginning of losing weight & I have lost over a 140+ pounds.


    Ah, alright. I know usually it's just calories but maybe ingredient like aspartame would do something.

    FIFY

    Aspartame is a protein so it technically has caloric content. However, it's so negligible in a can of diet soda that it's effectively 0.
  • TrailBlazinMN
    TrailBlazinMN Posts: 209 Member
    edited June 2015
    If your body metabolizes diet soft drinks...or soft drinks in general...so efficiently where you don't feel any negative side effects at all (irritability, needing to eat more, etc., etc., ) and you actually feel refreshed and energized then go for it. For me, I won't touch the stuff unless there is a blue moon out. Water or tea does the job just fine with the latter actually have antioxidants in it.
  • datsundriver87
    datsundriver87 Posts: 186 Member
    As pretty much everyone has said, it's on a case to case basis, me personally I haven't touched a soda diet or not in 6 months because I know I'm not able to control the craving it gives me, I stick to water, tea, or flavored waters, my wife on the other hand drinks diet soda continuously and has and continues to loose weight
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    javba2 wrote: »
    Hello everyone - Just Chiming in with a different opinion - What diet sodas do is "not calories" but "promote pro Caloric" behaviors and needs. When we have diet soda we have an Insulin surge in anticipation of something sweet - now of-course the sweet in diet soda is "non nutritional" so what that insulin does is lowers your blood glucose like it's supposed to do - and that "makes you hungry" and then you need real food.

    If you doubt that causation - just think now of your favorite food - it will make your mouth water - that is the "Cephalic Phase" of insulin secretion - getting you ready to eat that food. So we are very tuned to our taste-buds after centuries of adaptation - that's why Diet Sodas are bad for wt loss. Personally - I have a liking for Coke products - but when I am using those - I binge more.

    http://examine.com/faq/do-artificial-sweeteners-spike-insulin/
  • flaminica
    flaminica Posts: 304 Member
    Add me to the list of anti-alarmists, because I've lost 45 lbs with diet soda. I also drink Mio, I make it with fluoridated tap water and haven't grown a third ear yet. Correlation does not equal causation, and that's all most of the arguments against artificial sweeteners boil down to.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited June 2015
    Kalikel wrote: »

    I skip soda - the cravings, the sodium...there's nothing in there that does me any good and I feel better when I drink water.

    Diet soda is very low sodium. You get just as much sodium in your tap water if you use a water softener as you do in the average diet soda.

    I honestly don't get how this high sodium thing got started, but it isn't true.

  • Goooosfraba333
    Goooosfraba333 Posts: 51 Member
    On the rare occasion that I drink soda, I drink diet. Its a treat without the guilt.
  • zezelryck
    zezelryck Posts: 251 Member
    I've lost 191lb and drink diet soda daily and have ever since I started dieting :)
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    I have heard of research that suggests artificial sweeteners mimic the negative effects of sugar (such as the insulin response), but I don't know if this is widely accepted in the scientific community.

    I cut back on soft drinks/energy in the last year or so, limiting them to 2-4 times a week. I get most of my caffeine from coffee.
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    it's also related to the fact that I have a deep-seated hatred for those 16.9 oz bottles

    who the *kitten* decided 16.9 oz bottles were better than 20 oz anyway

    like *kitten* that guy

    Hahahaha this cracked me up.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    I get diet drinks all the time

    it's like soda but with 0 calories

    most of them taste like *kitten* tbh

    but Coke Zero is pretty worth

    Sprite Zero too...I mean what is Sprite really...it's like sugary lemon/lime Perrier. not hard to imitate without real sugar

    the diet Minute Maid Lemonade is aite too

    Have you tried Grape Fanta Zero? It's awesome. A few places around me have it in those touch screen coke machines with hundreds of choices.

    Grape soda was my favorite as a kid. And the only time I ever got it was when we went on vacation to the beach in the summer.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »

    I skip soda - the cravings, the sodium...there's nothing in there that does me any good and I feel better when I drink water.

    Diet soda is very low sodium. You get just as much sodium in your tap water if you use a water softener as you do in the average diet soda.

    I honestly don't get how this high sodium thing got started, but it isn't true.

    Yeah, I never understood this concept, either.

    It makes no sense.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Diet soda doesn't make you fat. A calorie surplus does that.
    Ok so I am wondering when I go once in a while at McDonalds should I get a diet soft drink compared to water or do diet soft drinks actually make you fatter? This is not to be taken everyday but only when I go out once in a while.

    The only thing that makes you fatter is eating over your calories consistently & not accurately weighing your food.

    I have drank diet soda since the beginning of losing weight & I have lost over a 140+ pounds.


    Ah, alright. I know usually it's just calories but maybe ingredient like aspartame would do something.

    Yes, artificial sugar can make you hungrier.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21424985

    Intake of high-intensity sweeteners alters the ability of sweet taste to signal caloric consequences: implications for the learned control of energy and body weight regulation.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18535548

    Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

    Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18298259

    A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats.

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666312004138

    Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in adult Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Diet soda doesn't make you fat. A calorie surplus does that.
    Ok so I am wondering when I go once in a while at McDonalds should I get a diet soft drink compared to water or do diet soft drinks actually make you fatter? This is not to be taken everyday but only when I go out once in a while.

    The only thing that makes you fatter is eating over your calories consistently & not accurately weighing your food.

    I have drank diet soda since the beginning of losing weight & I have lost over a 140+ pounds.


    Ah, alright. I know usually it's just calories but maybe ingredient like aspartame would do something.

    Yes, artificial sugar can make you hungrier.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21424985

    Intake of high-intensity sweeteners alters the ability of sweet taste to signal caloric consequences: implications for the learned control of energy and body weight regulation.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18535548

    Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

    Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18298259

    A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats.

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666312004138

    Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in adult Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels

    It does not have this effect on a lot of people. And what can you do to counter that effect? Simple: monitor your caloric intake. If you enjoy diet soda, this (irrational, imo) fear is not a reason to avoid it. Many of these concerns about aspartame are addressed in this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1
  • NarwhalofNight
    NarwhalofNight Posts: 75 Member
    So I see it has a indirect effect of causing weight gain. This is fine for me because I can control these effects and not go over my cal goal. Thanks everyone
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    So I see it has a indirect effect of causing weight gain. This is fine for me because I can control these effects and not go over my cal goal. Thanks everyone

    74-post account

    and you just made the most reasonable assessment I've ever seen on one of the most hot-button topics on this forum

    well done man
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    So I see it has a indirect effect of causing weight gain. This is fine for me because I can control these effects and not go over my cal goal. Thanks everyone

    74-post account

    and you just made the most reasonable assessment I've ever seen on one of the most hot-button topics on this forum

    well done man

    Maybe there is hope after all!
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
    I usually drink a diet soda in the afternoon with my snack. It's a nice treat for me.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited June 2015
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »

    I skip soda - the cravings, the sodium...there's nothing in there that does me any good and I feel better when I drink water.

    Diet soda is very low sodium. You get just as much sodium in your tap water if you use a water softener as you do in the average diet soda.

    I honestly don't get how this high sodium thing got started, but it isn't true.

    For me, it got started by reading the label. The pop was about half my daily sodium, so it had to go.

    My water doesn't have that problem. We had a water issue here some years back, so I actually keep up with what is going on with the city water, lol.

    I'm not waiting for anther letter from the city saying, "Don't worry or anything, but there's too much poop in our water right now. Since it's been going on for a while and we didn't fix it, we are being forced to send you all these letters, but it's cool, not a big deal...but you might want to go see your doctor if you're, like, sick or something. We are working very hard to keep the water healthy! Please see our website about how great we are! Thanks!"

    You get a letter like that, you start looking into your water, lol. Me, my neighbors, all my visitors and even our pets were drinking bottled water for about a year. Once bitten, twice shy.

    If you're wondering if the city gives you a refund when the water isn't healthy, the answer is: "No." If you're wondering if they tell you whether it's okay now or make you wait for the next official, published test results, the answer is: "You gotta wait...and the law says we don't have to tell you, so will everyone quit asking already."

    My water doesn't contain the kind of sodium my Diet Dr. Pepper did. That's something I know.

    I'm not suggesting anyone else stop drinking it, but I will not be drinking it. I miss the taste, but I feel much better with water.

    Dr. Pepper never sent me a letter telling me there was too much poop in their beverage, but don't worry. So, that's a nice bonus. Still, I'm sticking with water.
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    edited June 2015
    Kalikel wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »

    I skip soda - the cravings, the sodium...there's nothing in there that does me any good and I feel better when I drink water.

    Diet soda is very low sodium. You get just as much sodium in your tap water if you use a water softener as you do in the average diet soda.

    I honestly don't get how this high sodium thing got started, but it isn't true.

    For me, it got started by reading the label. The pop was about half my daily sodium, so it had to go.

    My water doesn't have that problem. We had a water issue here some years back, so I actually keep up with what is going on with the city water, lol.

    I'm not waiting for anther letter from the city saying, "Don't worry or anything, but there's too much poop in our water right now. Since it's been going on for a while and we didn't fix it, we are being forced to send you all these letters, but it's cool, not a big deal...but you might want to go see your doctor if you're, like, sick or something. We are working very hard to keep the water healthy! Please see our website about how great we are! Thanks!"

    You get a letter like that, you start looking into your water, lol. Me, my neighbors, all my visitors and even our pets were drinking bottled water for about a year. Once bitten, twice shy.

    If you're wondering if the city gives you a refund when the water isn't healthy, the answer is: "No." If you're wondering if they tell you whether it's okay now or make you wait for the next official, published test results, the answer is: "You gotta wait...and the law says we don't have to tell you, so will everyone quit asking already."

    My water doesn't contain the kind of sodium my Diet Dr. Pepper did. That's something I know.

    I'm not suggesting anyone else stop drinking it, but I will not be drinking it. I miss the taste, but I feel much better with water.

    Dr. Pepper never sent me a letter telling me there was too much poop in their beverage, but don't worry. So, that's a nice bonus. Still, I'm sticking with water.

    what is "daily sodium"
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    draznyth wrote: »
    I just quit them because I wanted to

    No demons in the closet. Way cheaper to buy 24 pack of water. I toss a Mio in the gym bag



    hell even that gets costly man Ill tell you

    I buy those 6-pack 24-oz Aquafina bottles that come strapped together in that duck-strangling plastic 6-pack wrapper deal

    and I refill each bottle for like a week and then replace it


    it's also related to the fact that I have a deep-seated hatred for those 16.9 oz bottles

    who the *kitten* decided 16.9 oz bottles were better than 20 oz anyway

    like *kitten* that guy

    Have you tried a bobble bottle ? Has a filter in it so that you can drink water from the Tap ?

    ohh yeah I have seen those but I installed an in-line filter to my cold water line under my kitchen sink

    you can get one for like $50 and that *kitten* will pump out filtered water FAST

    Almost any municipal water source in the US will give you really good water after a carbon filter.
  • kruuTahn
    kruuTahn Posts: 55 Member
    Since there aren't any calories, you're not actually going to gain weight from diet soda. There was a study that found a correlation between increased waist circumference among diet soda drinkers over the age of 65, but correlation does not equal causation. It might be possible that diet soda affects your appetite or increases your sweet tooth or something, but that would make it an indirect cause. If you're tracking your intake and meeting your calorie/macro/whatever goals, the diet soda shouldn't make a difference.

    Some people do have conditions that diet sodas can aggravate. (Phenylketonuria is the big one, but some migraine sufferers find artificial sweeteners to be triggers.) But your average person with no related medical concerns shouldn't worry about the occasional diet soda.

    OP, here's your five-star answer.
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    _John_ wrote: »
    draznyth wrote: »
    draznyth wrote: »
    I just quit them because I wanted to

    No demons in the closet. Way cheaper to buy 24 pack of water. I toss a Mio in the gym bag



    hell even that gets costly man Ill tell you

    I buy those 6-pack 24-oz Aquafina bottles that come strapped together in that duck-strangling plastic 6-pack wrapper deal

    and I refill each bottle for like a week and then replace it


    it's also related to the fact that I have a deep-seated hatred for those 16.9 oz bottles

    who the *kitten* decided 16.9 oz bottles were better than 20 oz anyway

    like *kitten* that guy

    Have you tried a bobble bottle ? Has a filter in it so that you can drink water from the Tap ?

    ohh yeah I have seen those but I installed an in-line filter to my cold water line under my kitchen sink

    you can get one for like $50 and that *kitten* will pump out filtered water FAST

    Almost any municipal water source in the US will give you really good water after a carbon filter.

    yeah I'm not using a reverse osmosis filter or anything, just one of those cheap Culligan replaceable ones
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Ok so I am wondering when I go once in a while at McDonalds should I get a diet soft drink compared to water or do diet soft drinks actually make you fatter? This is not to be taken everyday but only when I go out once in a while.

    Get which ever one best satisfies your taste buds, but not mountain dew!!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »

    I skip soda - the cravings, the sodium...there's nothing in there that does me any good and I feel better when I drink water.

    Diet soda is very low sodium. You get just as much sodium in your tap water if you use a water softener as you do in the average diet soda.

    I honestly don't get how this high sodium thing got started, but it isn't true.

    For me, it got started by reading the label. The pop was about half my daily sodium, so it had to go.

    My water doesn't have that problem. We had a water issue here some years back, so I actually keep up with what is going on with the city water, lol.

    I'm not waiting for anther letter from the city saying, "Don't worry or anything, but there's too much poop in our water right now. Since it's been going on for a while and we didn't fix it, we are being forced to send you all these letters, but it's cool, not a big deal...but you might want to go see your doctor if you're, like, sick or something. We are working very hard to keep the water healthy! Please see our website about how great we are! Thanks!"

    You get a letter like that, you start looking into your water, lol. Me, my neighbors, all my visitors and even our pets were drinking bottled water for about a year. Once bitten, twice shy.

    If you're wondering if the city gives you a refund when the water isn't healthy, the answer is: "No." If you're wondering if they tell you whether it's okay now or make you wait for the next official, published test results, the answer is: "You gotta wait...and the law says we don't have to tell you, so will everyone quit asking already."

    My water doesn't contain the kind of sodium my Diet Dr. Pepper did. That's something I know.

    I'm not suggesting anyone else stop drinking it, but I will not be drinking it. I miss the taste, but I feel much better with water.

    Dr. Pepper never sent me a letter telling me there was too much poop in their beverage, but don't worry. So, that's a nice bonus. Still, I'm sticking with water.

    what is "daily sodium"

    Have you asked this question because you truly don't know or is it there to else it a response you can insult?

    So many people ask questions so that they can insult people, so I have to check first. I apologize if you are really just asking a question. I am not saying you're trying to start some crazy online fight, but people do, so I gotta ask! :)
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Ok so I am wondering when I go once in a while at McDonalds should I get a diet soft drink compared to water or do diet soft drinks actually make you fatter? This is not to be taken everyday but only when I go out once in a while.

    I do Pepsi (regular) often and eat out each week. I keep my weekly deficit overall even if some days are over. I lose weight.

    Conversely, if I do Pepsi often and eat out too much each week and go over calories, I gain weight.

    No magic here. Just watch your weekly caloric goals and try to maintain daily.

  • NarwhalofNight
    NarwhalofNight Posts: 75 Member
    edited June 2015
    draznyth wrote: »
    So I see it has a indirect effect of causing weight gain. This is fine for me because I can control these effects and not go over my cal goal. Thanks everyone

    74-post account

    and you just made the most reasonable assessment I've ever seen on one of the most hot-button topics on this forum

    well done man

    Ha ha, thanks.