Diet Soda

hopeitworks · January 2009

I was wondering if anyone could answer a question for me - is it ok to drink diet soda? (That would be in addition to the water requirements, not as a substitute). I've read both pros and cons for drinking diet soda. I try to limit it to one 20 ounce bottle a day on some days. Sometimes I can really use the caffeine to get me through the work day.

hopeitworks · January 2009

I was wondering if anyone could answer a question for me - is it ok to drink diet soda? (That would be in addition to the water requirements, not as a substitute). I've read both pros and cons for drinking diet soda. I try to limit it to one 20 ounce bottle a day on some days. Sometimes I can really use the caffeine to get me through the work day.

jennlos · January 2009

There is nothing wrong with one a day. The thing that they say about diet soda is that if you drink too much on a regular basis it gives that sweet taste in your mouth and you will crave more sweets. But one a day is cool, I am with you on that I drink one for the caffeine I don't drink coffee so thats my subsitution.

Dave198lbs · January 2009

Hate to say it but diet soda and all sodas really are just crap for us. The fake sugars in the diet are not good and the other junk doesnt help. I was a 3-4 diet cokes a day guy for years and when I quit the soda...wow...my skin got clearer,,,I had more energy..and I did probably sub in some caffiene with the green tea but overall I am convinced soda, including diet is not a first or second choice. After awhile off of it when you taste it you will wonder what you were ever thinking.

try it for aweek without it and cee...you have nothing to lose

Dave

Anna_Banana · January 2009

Diet soda is high in sodium, which can cause you to retain water, and the sweetener in it can stimulate your appetite and cause you to over eat. both can hurt your weight loss

Shannon023 · January 2009

I agree with Dave.

There is absolutely no benefit to drinking sodas, so if you can eliminate then from your diet you'll be doing your body a favor.

:flowerforyou:

robsgal · January 2009

I would be in trouble without by diet coke. I don't drink coffee either and I'm avoiding alcohol, so other than water it's my thing. I'm still on two a day but some days only one, i'm trying to drink water first thing in the morning rather than a diet coke. I don't have a sweet tooth so I guess it's considered my sweet, if I have a craving it's for things more like crackers or chips, not sweets. I know a lot of people say no diet soda's, but I can only cut so many things out of my day before I start feeling really restricted, my soda is my rebellian.

strawberryblonde1 · January 2009

i agree that there are many bad things about drinking diet soda... but for me it is a treat (that keeps me away from other sweets) i have one every other day (i use to have 3-4 per day) so cutting down was a must but i think 3-4 per week is okay (for me) ... especially because i use it as an incentive to stay away from the vending machine :happy: :bigsmile: :flowerforyou:

strawberryblonde1 · January 2009

make sure you log it so you keep track of the sodium

while there are no calories the sodium can add up...

12by311 · January 2009

Although I don't agree with everything in this book, "Skinny *****" has a good excerpt talking about Sodas...regular and diet. It will actually make you really question whether you need that Diet Coke or not.

I'm not "addicted" to diet drinks...but I am on the brink of eliminating them completely.

katattack · January 2009

I've also been told that diet soda causes fat retention in the mid-section, so if that's where you're holding a lot of weight you might consider giving it up and seeing what happens. It has to do with stress horomones, and the cravings that drinking diet soda causes. I was raised on diet pepsi but haven't had any in about a year. I just decided to stop after hearing enough horror stories about it - cancer, weight retention, appetite weirdness. I'm now cruising 12 lbs under my old 'normal' weight. I don't know if the two are linked, but i'm going to go with *yes*.

At the same time though, I guess it's all about whatever gets you through the day! Maybe make it a long term goal and don't worry about it so much in the meantime?

mandersen16 · January 2009

While I agree that it's probably not the best for you and should be avoided, I still usually drink one diet soda a day (flavor depends on my mood that day). Soda is said to make your cravings increase but it tends to make me full so I don't eat as much.

My rule of thumb is if it's not going to make me feel bad later for drinking it, then I'm going to drink it. Plus many diet experts say coffee is actually ok and to me that seems worse than drinking soda

jennlos · January 2009

Someone mentioned that you should watch the sodium in diet soda. I went and checked the diet soda I keep in the frig its waist watchers and it doesn't have sodium in it. Its made with splenda and the place that I find it is Weis markets. I know we should drink nothing but water but you need a little flavor sometimes. Plus I like this flavored water that I found at martins called skinny water taste really good. Still have to have my dt dew on occasion.

Anna_Banana · January 2009

Someone mentioned that you should watch the sodium in diet soda. I went and checked the diet soda I keep in the frig its waist watchers and it doesn't have sodium in it. Its made with splenda and the place that I find it is Weis markets. I know we should drink nothing but water but you need a little flavor sometimes. Plus I like this flavored water that I found at martins called skinny water taste really good. Still have to have my dt dew on occasion.

The diet Mt. Dew has 50mg of sodium in it per can. Diet Pepsi has 35mg. That's not a lot; however, any extra sodium in your diet can cause you to retain extra water. Plus alot of pop drinkers will drink more than just 12 oz.

LifeChanges42 · January 2009

The nutri-sweet, aspartame or saccharin or what ever actually stimulates your appetite. You should try to avoid it, but it is still okay in moderation and as long as you are mindful that you may want to eat but don't actually need to eat.

neeterskeeter · January 2009

I totally agree with Dave198lbs... there is nothing good in soda. It is just crap for your body. So why drink it?

I used to drink diet soda... I went down from at least 1 or 2 a day to only 1 a couple times a week, down to absolutely none at all... and suddenly it was a lot easier to lose weight. I think that, at least for me, diet soda soaked up the water and good stuff I put in my body, and made me retain the bad stuff. It was also hard to eat water and good stuff like fruit when I had that soda taste in my mouth. For me soda naturally went with stuff like burgers and snacks. Water naturally went with good stuff. So I just drink water (and some hot tea) now and I feel a lot healthier.

That's what worked for me but I know everyone is different. I would say at least don't drink more than one a day or else it will be hard to see your results from working out.... I feel that soda bloated me.

Good luck.

neeterskeeter · January 2009

Manderson --

"Plus many diet experts say coffee is actually ok and to me that seems worse than drinking soda."

Coffee has antioxidants which are good for you in moderation, like dark chocolate, red wine, etc. Studies have shown that they can reduce risk of cancer, diabetes and are healthy for you.

Soda does not have antioxidants, thus, it does not have this benefit that coffee has. Also, coffee is natural and comes from the earth, whereas soda is made from junk.

(BTW, I stopped drinking coffee too, and I enjoy the benefits of smooth skin, drinking more water, feeling more naturally alert and naturally tired, and I just feel overall more healthy due to no longer drinking diet *or* soda (or anything with caffeine, really). But there are definitely health benefits to coffee which there are not to soda, so I thought I would defend it... I thought it was unhealthy too until I started reading about it to give me inspiration to quit, and really, everything I found by doctors and scientists etc. said that coffee in moderate/ average amounts is *good* for you. Ooops! Oh well, I gave it up anyway because I didn't like the headaches that came when I stopped drinking it... I no longer want to be that dependent on any one thing, and I can get the healthy antioxidents from my diet.

yellow_pepper · January 2009

Diet soda is better for your diet than regular. Water is better for your diet than diet soda.

Diet soda is certainly no worse for you than alcohol! (Mix 'em together though, and all bets are off.)

As far as the sodium is concerned, it depends on the person. Until recently, my blood pressure was so low that if I didn't eat enough salt, I would feel dizzy in the shower and upon entering a warm room.

But yes, salt will make you retain water. That just goes to show you that anyone who lost weight just by giving up diet soda is just down a few pounds of water. I guess the extra walking back and forth to the bathroom could help you to burn some fat.

wildkat318 · January 2009

Everything in moderation. Is Diet Soda good for you? Well certainly not but it's finding a balance. It depends on your goals. I personally am trying to find a happy medium between being healthy and not having do give up those things that make me happy. This isn't about taking away all the things that bring us pleasure. I like wine too and despite that fact that there are good things in wine, too much of anything is not good. So I just work to eat/do more of the good things and less of the "bad". If you're doing what is good and healthy for your body 90% of the time, the 10% is not going to deter you on your journey to healthfulness.

That's just my two cents!

yellow_pepper · January 2009

Everything in moderation. Is Diet Soda good for you? Well certainly not but it's finding a balance. It depends on your goals. I personally am trying to find a happy medium between being healthy and not having do give up those things that make me happy. This isn't about taking away all the things that bring us pleasure. I like wine too and despite that fact that there are good things in wine, too much of anything is not good. So I just work to eat/do more of the good things and less of the "bad". If you're doing what is good and healthy for your body 90% of the time, the 10% is not going to deter you on your journey to healthfulness.

Good point. In the end, we can only stick to a lifestyle that we enjoy! Take away too much pleasure and what's the point?

Economists have an interesting explanation for why people weigh what they weigh. It falls into a broader subject called "consumer choice theory."

According to economists, we eat until the next piece of food does not give us any added pleasure (psychological gains), subject to constraints that are either imposed on us (e.g. a $ budget) or that we impose on ourselves (e.g. a calorie budget). Our weight is a reflection of how much pleasure we derive from food vs. all of the other possible goods we could buy and ways that we could spend time.

Of course the theory assumes that consumers have all the available information they need to make a rational decision, which all too often is not true. But sites like MFP are making reality closer to theory. For example, has anyone observed herself being much less likely to buy pastries at Starbucks now that the # calories is displayed in the counter? I haven't bought one in months! Not even at the airport!

Coach2010 · January 2009

Oh...I noticed no notes on teeth.

Diet Soda or regular soda, both are no good for teeth:

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/helpful-hints-for-healthy-teeth
http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Columns/Health_Talk_and_You/Pop_and_Tooth_Decay.html

My dentist warned me about Diet Sodas a couple years ago, something about acid in the drink can create enamel problems.

Ever since that discussion with my dentist, I steer clear of them as often as possible just for that reason.

LifeChanges42 · January 2009

Oh...I noticed no notes on teeth.

Diet Soda or regular soda, both are no good for teeth:

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/helpful-hints-for-healthy-teeth
http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Columns/Health_Talk_and_You/Pop_and_Tooth_Decay.html

My dentist warned me about Diet Sodas a couple years ago, something about acid in the drink can create enamel problems.

Ever since that discussion with my dentist, I steer clear of them as often as possible just for that reason.

I never thought about that.... I know my dentist told me when I do drink pop, to drink from a straw (that way very little of the pop actually comes in contact with your teeth). It looks funny, but if I have a can I always put a straw in it... I couldn't remember why I did it, I have just done it forever. Your post reminded me of the conversation with the dentist.

yellow_pepper · January 2009

I never thought about that.... I know my dentist told me when I do drink pop, to drink from a straw (that way very little of the pop actually comes in contact with your teeth). It looks funny, but if I have a can I always put a straw in it... I couldn't remember why I did it, I have just done it forever. Your post reminded me of the conversation with the dentist.

My dentist told me to rinse my mouth with water after ANY acidic foods. He was appalled when I told him about this snack I'd been favoring a month ago: A lemon soaked in diet coke for an hour and then eaten. Can you imagine the amount of acid in that?

KatWood · January 2009

Someone mentioned that you should watch the sodium in diet soda. I went and checked the diet soda I keep in the frig its waist watchers and it doesn't have sodium in it. Its made with splenda and the place that I find it is Weis markets. I know we should drink nothing but water but you need a little flavor sometimes. Plus I like this flavored water that I found at martins called skinny water taste really good. Still have to have my dt dew on occasion.

I've never heard of waist watchers diet pop. I wonder if I can find it here. Practically all the diet pop at our grocery stores are made with aspartame.

lessertess · January 2009

There's a lot of passion around this one. You should probably do some research on your own because you'll be bombarded with opinions.

I used to drink a lot of diet sodas. (Like 4 or more 20 oz a day). I've cut back drastically so now may only have 2 or 3 a week. I don't have a problem with the artificial sweeteners like many do, and I love the taste. For me, they are dessert. But there are some some other potential health impacts.

It's like most things, I think they are ok in moderatioon just don't drink them to excess.

Diet Soda

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