Are diet fizzy drinks bad for you? help please :(

dehniziad
dehniziad Posts: 42
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
i stopped drinking standard coke, pepsi, sprite etc...and i switched to all diets and lights. even though they are very low on calories, is there any negative impacts?
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Replies

  • jubeee
    jubeee Posts: 1
    drink water
  • MasterXelcas
    MasterXelcas Posts: 130 Member
    I feel your pain dude, i love me some soda lol. But all diet sodas usually have a lot of sodium and aspartame which are both bad for you.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    This is one of those topics that half the MFP community will say it is bad for you, Half will say it isn't bad for you.

    There have been studies that have suggested that Artificial sugars are treated no differently by your body than regular sugars.

    Just to be safe, I don't drink diet anything, If I am going to have a soda I have it every now and then and I have the full sugar kind.

    Lemonade is my weakness however.. If someone came out and said that lemonade was bad for you, I would have a hard time giving it up,,, so I understand the hardship that comes with giving up diet drinks.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    If I'm drinking soda, I'd drink regular before diet...full of chemicals!
  • SavCal71
    SavCal71 Posts: 350 Member
    I"m sure they're not good for you. But I don't care. I refuse to give up my Diet Pepsi habit. I drink a lot of it. And yet I managed to lose 90 pounds and be very healthy and fit.

    However, I also drink 80-120 ounces of pure water everyday. I figure that partially balances out the bad parts fo the DP.
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
    soda has too much sodium and does not quench your thirst. you need to drink water to stay hydrated. It also bloats you -- diet or not :0

    water is your friend!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    I'm strongly against all fake sugars so I'm really not the best person to ask. :/

    I will say that I recently read an article on the habits of thin people. Thin people do not eat diet foods and 100 calorie packs! :)

    There's a lot of controversy on MFP about diet drinks so this is where I politely duck out of this forum before getting myself in trouble. :)
  • rileymama
    rileymama Posts: 196 Member
    Diet sodas, while not hurting your daily calories, are still bad for you. The chemicals are horrible and they still make you crave sugar, same as regular soda. That being said, I did the same thing as you, and switched to diet sodas. I am just now trying to give those up..it is so hard, I know...but i think they have hindered my progress in some ways...I drink them and i want MORE!!! which makes it harder to drink your water and eat healthy.
  • Monica_has_a_goal
    Monica_has_a_goal Posts: 694 Member
    One is artificial sweetners arent good for you if theyre not natural. (truvia is ok when seldomly used) the other reason I dont like them is they bloat your tummy with the carbonation, and three.. well if I have even one, I usually will want another the same week and so I stick to water now. IF you crave the sweet try a lil lemon or lime with some Truvia. Seems to help me get past the diet colas.
  • cedarhurst2006
    cedarhurst2006 Posts: 378 Member
    I drank ALOT of diet soda. I switched to flavored seltzer and that helps. I hate plain water so I make unsweetened iced tea - I like blueberry or just about any fruit flavor.
  • Jenncoc86
    Jenncoc86 Posts: 203 Member
    carbonation is bad for your bones
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    I have always drank diet soda, and it never hindered my ability to lose weight. I do also drink a lot of water, so the key is moderation as with anything else
  • noexcuses1218
    noexcuses1218 Posts: 332 Member
    I have a really hard time with sugar cravings, and I read that artificial sweeteners can trigger sugar cravings, so I dropped my afternoon diet coke *sob*. But it seems to be working, and honestly, aside from a headache the first day, it's kinda nice not to be totally twitchy and jacked up in the afternoon. That's my only input.
  • mmccullough2
    mmccullough2 Posts: 17 Member
    Everyone else has this covered! I agree with them! Just say no to soda!:noway:
  • they are both bad for you, obviously water is the best option, but if you cant give up soda completely go for diet...
  • Taygwen
    Taygwen Posts: 13 Member
    Try Diet Cherry Rite, any diet Rite for that matter, that just happens to be my favorite. Sweetened with Splenda, has zero carbs, calories, sodium, and caffeine.
  • msblueyes5
    msblueyes5 Posts: 126 Member
    I'm strongly against all fake sugars so I'm really not the best person to ask. :/

    I will say that I recently read an article on the habits of thin people. Thin people do not eat diet foods and 100 calorie packs! :)

    There's a lot of controversy on MFP about diet drinks so this is where I politely duck out of this forum before getting myself in trouble. :)

    I hate "informative" articles like that! What the heck are they basising that info on?? I am thin and I eat diet stuff and 100 calorie packs..they should have asked me lol.
  • HollyLLillis
    HollyLLillis Posts: 113 Member
    Diet pop is bad for you, it stops you from losing weight... drink lots of water... I know, easier said than done! I'm in the same boat, I love pop!
  • Tabby0528
    Tabby0528 Posts: 1
    Hello!

    I am like you--I switched to diet sodas a while back. Unfortunately, while diet sodas are calorie-free, they contain sodium, which when consumed in heavy amounts, can make you retain water and not have pretty numbers on the scale (sodium=bloat). Also, these drinks contain artificial sweeteners, which studies have linked to increased hunger. Last, they trick your body into thinking most things "sweet" are okay. In other words, let's say you consume lots of artificial sweetener--then you eat something with real sugar. Your body will digest it the same way. Not good because those sugars won't get burned up properly. (something to that effect although I am not an expert--just what I have read in the literature)

    Something I have been drinking lately is called Le Croix. They are sparkling waters with no sodium, no caffeine, and no sweeteners. There are literally two ingredients. So now you aren't worrying about all those chemicals that are used as preservatives in regular diet drinks (sodium benzoate, etc.) And they are naturally sweetened and calorie free. They are an acquired taste, however, but my hope is that the carbonation will trick my body in to thinking I am having a soda.

    To see what Jillian Michaels has to say about sweeteners, check out her book, "Master Your Metabolism."

    I hope this information helps!
  • springtrio
    springtrio Posts: 429 Member
    My rule of thumb has been this - if you eat out as little as I do, drink it then (we usually eat out about 1-2x a month)...it's not going to hurt. I believe in moderation. I drink a gallon of water EVERY single day, sometimes more if I run more than 10 miles and do weight lifting in that day. I believe it's not going to hurt me having 20oz. of it every 30 days. I managed to lose 100lbs. having the "moderation" rule.
  • TDBrims
    TDBrims Posts: 138
    I do drink diet soda still but minimally and I ensure I drink my 2 litres of water a day at least. I know they are not that great for you but I like them and there are worse things I could have as treats in my mind....I can;t stand the taste of regular soda but I think that is due to my mum being diabetic so we only ever had diet soda in the house so it's what I'm used to
  • SNorris01
    SNorris01 Posts: 97 Member
    I quit diet pop cold turkey about 2 months ago. I was told and seems to be true, not only are the chemicals bad for you. But, they weaken your bones, by depleting your calcium absorption. I was also told and seems to be true that the carbonation settles in your joints and the snap, crackle and pop if you drink too much can be cause by that. I had that issue just thought it was old age about 2 weeks into not drinking pop I noticed it went away. Yea we all get the occasional crack here and there that is normal, but walking up the stairs my knee's would pop and snap all that is gone. I also don't feel as bloated. Pop is also a dietetic and dehydrates your body if you don't drink water to off set it.

    On a side note, I used to drink a 2 liter a day if not more of Coke Zero I was hooked on the stuff. I do miss it sometimes and I will drink diet pop if there is nothing else. I don't like plain water, I have to have some kind of flavor in it. I drink almost nothing but ice tea now.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    drink water
    Hey, how about nicely answering the original question and maybe offering an opinion, rather than giving orders. Ugh! Be nice to each other, people.
  • SavCal71
    SavCal71 Posts: 350 Member
    drink water
    Hey, how about nicely answering the original question and maybe offering an opinion, rather than giving orders. Ugh! Be nice to each other, people.

    personally, I'm annoyed by the frequent assumption that if one drinks diet soda one drinks no or inadequate amounts of water. While I'm sure that's true for some, it's not a safe/accurate/fair assumption.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    i stopped drinking standard coke, pepsi, sprite etc...and i switched to all diets and lights. even though they are very low on calories, is there any negative impacts?
    I don't know scientifically if there are any negative impacts, but I have heard that sometimes people who drink diet drinks tend to actually gain weight because they either drink more of it than they would have otherwise, or they allow the diet drinks to let them believe they can eat more food. Personally, I would rather ingest the full sugared versions of these things over the diet versions, because at least that way they are closer to (albeit certainly not) natural and whole chemical free foods. I drink mostly water, because it's calorie free and our bodies need it anyway, and I try to limit my caloric drink intake to restaurants or milk or the occasional juice (or alcoholic beverages lol). And when I do drink sodas, I try to stick to things like Pepsi Throwback, which used real sugar instead of HFCS.
  • Twasney
    Twasney Posts: 186 Member
    i stopped drinking standard coke, pepsi, sprite etc...and i switched to all diets and lights. even though they are very low on calories, is there any negative impacts?

    I talked to the nutritionist, the natropath and my physician and they all say you should drink water instead....however all three agreed there is no actual proof that aspartame is bad for you. The rat studies where the rats got sick and died...you would have to drink 32 - 2 litres a day to have the same amount of the chemical!

    That being said, diet pop has Caffeine and Sodiium in it and carbonation will make you bloated! It was suggested that I try to only have 1 diet soda a day (terribly addicted to Diet Pepsi!) and instead have water. They also suggestd that if I was really jonesing for carbonated drinks to have tonic water and put some fresh fruit in it with a tiny splash of juice! SO YUMMY!

    I started new meds and now I can't have anything carbonated but you should only really worry about the Diet Pop if you are ONLY drinking pop and not drinking any water or watered down juice/iced tea/lemonade etc (another great way to get lots of liquid without being BORED to death by water!

    You have to remember as well too much water is just as bad if not worse than drinking bad stuff. Drinking too much water will throw off your sodium and electrolyte levels and can make you very sick. The rule of thumb is to drink when you are thirsty and not to bang off large amounts of water just to get in your "daily" water intake. it depends on your body but a healthy person can not take in and process more than 1 ltr per hour and you should not exceed more than 12 - 8 oz glases per day unless you are running marathons.

    So what am I rambling on about??? relax....use your common sense....and enjoy your life!

    Hope that helps!
  • sgrinavi
    sgrinavi Posts: 80
    In moderation is fine. Start off by alternating 1 bottle of water for every diet soda, then maybe 2 waters. After a couple weeks you'll find yourself having a soda every day or two and being very satisfied with that.
  • James_1954
    James_1954 Posts: 187 Member
    i stopped drinking standard coke, pepsi, sprite etc...and i switched to all diets and lights. even though they are very low on calories, is there any negative impacts?

    Disclaimer: I used to drink seven or eight 20-ounce bottles of diet cola per day. I still have one on occasion, particularly if I'm eating out.

    Let me share with you what my urologist told me. It made some sense to me. He said that artificial sweeteners are physiologically many times "sweeter" than actual sugar, even. He said that when you drink one, your body thinks it's just had a lot of sugar, and consequently dumps a lot of insulin into the bloodstream. Then, when there isn't nearly enough actual blood sugar for the insulin to "eat," it eats whatever blood sugar it encounters, with the result being that your blood sugar bottoms out. When your blood sugar goes low, that makes you feel hungry, so you eat ... a lot, maybe. His bottom line: diet soda makes it harder to eat reasonably and thus lose weight; he also said that frequently dumping a lot of insulin into the system when it doesn't have a commensurate amount of sugar to dispose of promotes insulin resistance, which is the diabetes gateway.

    Anyway, I thought his theory was plausible, at least with respect to drinking massive amounts of diet soda, as I was doing. So I made friends with plain old water. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
  • Twasney
    Twasney Posts: 186 Member
    My rule of thumb has been this - if you eat out as little as I do, drink it then (we usually eat out about 1-2x a month)...it's not going to hurt. I believe in moderation. I drink a gallon of water EVERY single day, sometimes more if I run more than 10 miles and do weight lifting in that day. I believe it's not going to hurt me having 20oz. of it every 30 days. I managed to lose 100lbs. having the "moderation" rule.

    Thats a good rule about the pop! I like that. i have tried to instill that one in the DH about dessert....but the jerk keeps bringing snacks into the house LMAO!!

    I am not going to preach (cuz I just did it) but you might be drinking a tad bit too much water!
  • I doubt it's healthy to do so, but like you I love my diet drinks. My friends who are thin all drink diet drinks, so I personally have never believed it leads to weight gain, but I guess it all depends on how you treat it. I've learnt (probably very badly) to treat a Diet Pepsi as a pudding (aka dessert) and it satifys my sweet tooth with 0-1 calories.

    I, like a lot of others, tend to go for the full fat version when my calories allow it, as I feel like I'm pumping myself full of crap (even though I can't stop... arghhh!)
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