Diet Soda

DangerouslyEli
DangerouslyEli Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Heyo!
So I've heard so many bad things about drinking diet sodas and how much worse they are for your health than regular soda, but I can't get enough of the stuff.
I can cut down if I really need to, but DO I need to?
How will affect weight loss and maintaining?
I typically drink four-five 330ml cans a week (this habit hasn't been going on for very long, I used to have it very occasionally)
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Replies

  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    The things you have heard are wrong.

    Carry on.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    You're fine. There is nothing inherently bad about diet soda, and it is zero calories, so it has zero chance of affecting your weight loss.

    Enjoy your diet soda.
  • DangerouslyEli
    DangerouslyEli Posts: 33 Member
    cityruss wrote: »
    The things you have heard are wrong.

    Carry on.

    Oh thank god XD
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    I have been a Diet Coke drinker for about 25 years. I drank it when I was barely 100 lbs in high school, drank it while I was gaining weight during and after college, drank it while I was losing 30 lbs after joining MFP and am currently drinking it while maintaining.

    Bottom line, diet sodas have less than 10 calories/serving. If you were drinking other beverages with calories and make no other changes other than switching to diet soda, you should lose weight. If you were already drinking diet soda, then it should not have an impact on your weight loss or maintenance.
  • DangerouslyEli
    DangerouslyEli Posts: 33 Member
    Thanks! :D
  • faithsstaircase
    faithsstaircase Posts: 97 Member
    edited March 2016
    Can't say I really agree. I have been addicted (like seriously) to diet soda for most of my life. I was drinking 64 ounces a day. I was having difficulty losing weight and switched to mostly water and green tea with one 12-16oz diet soda every few days when I feel the need for some caffeine and I dropped 6 pounds in a week.

    Diet soda *can* (not will) also make you crave sweets, so a heads up on that.

    The chemicals and sodium in diet soda aren't the best for you. Lots better than drinking regular soda, but water is still the best, if you can tolerate it. I know some people can't. I used to be one of them. Now I put water in a 32 ounce cup with a straw and suck it down every few minutes and I don't miss diet soda most of the time.

    The 80/20 rule gets me through pretty much every day. If I'm doing what's best for my body 80% of the time, the 20% I don't doesn't wreck me, and I don't feel deprived.

    Just my two cents.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    faithsstaircase wrote: »

    The chemicals and sodium in diet soda aren't the best for you. Lots better than drinking regular soda, but water is still the best, if you can tolerate it. I know some people can't. I used to be one of them. Now I put water in a 32 ounce cup with a straw and suck it down every few minutes and I don't miss diet soda most of the time.

    Firstly, I'm not sure what "chemicals" you're referencing. If it's aspartame, read this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

    Secondly, the sodium in the diet ginger ale that I'm drinking literally right now contains 120 mg of sodium. That's 5% of the recommended amount. It's miniscule, and is comparable to the amount of sodium in tap water. I've never understood why people are always referencing the "high" amounts of sodium in sodas - it's not high at all.

    Diet soda is mostly water. If you find that it causes you to crave sweets, then feel free to avoid it. If it doesn't have that affect on you, then feel free to drink it. And it will hydrate you just as well as water will.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I drink plenty of diet soda. The problem, honestly, is its hard on the kidneys if this is all you drink. Also be sure to drink regular water. Kidney infections are not fun!
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    edited March 2016
    I have lost large amounts of weight drinking it in the past. I never got a sense that it impacted my food cravings in any way. I don't drink it now; I just don't like it that much.

    The published clinical research on it's impact on health is a mixed bag, with a number of conflicting studies out there. I am always skeptical of the testimony of the so-called experts without reading the research myself.
  • faithsstaircase
    faithsstaircase Posts: 97 Member
    http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-diet-soda
    http://time.com/3746047/diet-soda-bad-belly-fat/
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast

    I love how upset people get when you express your opinion. Here are some articles on both sides of the fence so you can decide for yourself.

    Regarding the chemicals: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/science-vs-soda-whats-really-in-your-diet-coke

    Bottom line, listen to your body and do what's right for you. There's no magic formula for this. If it was easy, we'd all be healthy, skinny, and not having this conversation.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    faithsstaircase wrote: »
    http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-diet-soda
    http://time.com/3746047/diet-soda-bad-belly-fat/
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast

    I love how upset people get when you express your opinion. Here are some articles on both sides of the fence so you can decide for yourself.

    Regarding the chemicals: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/science-vs-soda-whats-really-in-your-diet-coke

    Bottom line, listen to your body and do what's right for you. There's no magic formula for this. If it was easy, we'd all be healthy, skinny, and not having this conversation.

    Who was upset?

    Again - if you find it causes you to crave sweets, then definitely don't drink it if you don't want to. Does not mean that it will have that effect on everyone. Diet soda will not hurt anyone in moderation.
  • faithsstaircase
    faithsstaircase Posts: 97 Member
    All things I said in my original post.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,767 Member
    Diet Coke is great. I drink it like crazy.

    I also find that if I drink a glass with a meal, I feel fuller.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    I drink a can with dinner every night and order it whenever I go out to eat (which is maybe once or twice a month). It hasn't affected my health at all.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    faithsstaircase wrote: »
    All things I said in my original post.

    Then why "disagree" with the information that was presented already and go on to talk about chemicals and sodium?

    That is the part of what you wrote that I was correcting.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Your tooth enamel might not like it, other than that your fine.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    edited March 2016
    n
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    I love when people use webmd--the site that says "could be cancer!!!!!" for virtually every symptom you feed it--as a source.

    A 12 oz can of Diet Coke has 40mg of sodium...2% of the daily value. I didn't realize that was considered a sodium bomb!
  • faithsstaircase
    faithsstaircase Posts: 97 Member
    Why? Because I feel a person who asks a question is requesting to be well informed, so I laid out all of the information. Education is important when deciding what is right for your body.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited March 2016
    Dave198lbs wrote: »
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »

    And it will hydrate you just as well as water will.

    no

    Yes.

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/health-tip/art-20048906

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