Crystal light or diet soda?

tcklove
tcklove Posts: 2 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
Which one is better or healthier? I have a hard time getting in water but I use both crystal light and diet soda to curb cravings and increase my hydration
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Replies

  • MrStabbems
    MrStabbems Posts: 3,110 Member
    persevere with water, you'll eventually learn to love it.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Neither- yuck!

    Try just plain water- maybe you need to try filtered or bottled water, maybe your tap water just doesn't taste good... Or if that's still no good then maybe try:
    Sparkling water
    Sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice
    Regular water with a squeeze of lemon juice
    Fruit or cucumber infused water
    Coconut water
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    Jhenryesq88310 wrote: »
    Neither. Both trick your body's insulin response and you end up storing weight. Yes diet drinks make you gain weight. Drink water. Add lemon or cucumber if you don't like the taste.

    Yup - agreed - lots of evidence (i.e. real scientific papers) on this. Sweeteners (depending on which ones) do affect insulin levels. The others just keep you used to wanting sweet things (psychological) and make it that much harder...

    As suggested above - water is best and if you need something in it - a few slices of fruit :)

    And now let the flame wars begin.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    I have lost plenty and drank diet soda, I do not drink it anymore just because I drink wayyy too much. As long as your not drinking a 12 pack a day. Calorie surplus makes you gain weight, and a deficit causes you to loose. Granted the sweetness of the diet drink can cause cravings in certain people. Use at your own discretion and ignore the bro science, do what works for you.
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    edited February 2017
    I knew this one was going to cause some flamage...

    Some information to another forum member that I wrote on account they took me to task about this previously because just "knew" that artificial sweeteners were not a problem.

    This is an interesting paper as it mentions specific sweeteners as increasing insulin levels in trails (surprisingly names aspertame as not doing this - and gives a reason why not):

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9884024

    This contrasts with this advice from the Mayo Clinic:

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/artificial-sweeteners/faq-20058038

    But the above is interesting in that it names sugar alcohols (you may recognize some of the names) as being suspect. This is from the paper:

    "Also, be cautious with sugar alcohols — including mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol. Sugar alcohols can increase your blood sugar level. And for some people, sugar alcohols may cause diarrhea."

    WebMD has this one:

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar#1

    Which I find even more fascinating as it brings into play something that we are only just starting to understand, is that your gut flora and fauna have great influence on your body (and by extension, mind) and the way it works.


    Feel free to go through the above and then no doubt come back with 1000s of similar articles that say they aren't a problem...

    Until I know otherwise and it's proven scientifically - I know which way I will go.
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    Did you read those posts in the 4 minutes it took to post this reply?

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    chrismellor01 wrote: »
    Did you read those posts in the 4 minutes it took to post this reply?

    Well first one isn't about aspartame so didn't read it since it's aspartame in diet soda, and the last 2 are quick reads
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    And as regards insulin causing weight gain - there is a mechanism and described in the many sources.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17924864

    Provides a mechanism for this.

    This next one if from Mayo clinic and further describes the process:

    http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/567888

    I have deliberately avoided many of the .org posts and pseudo-science posts.

    As I say - until it's proven it's not an issue - personally I will avoid them where is possible.
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    chrismellor01 wrote: »
    Did you read those posts in the 4 minutes it took to post this reply?

    Well first one isn't about aspartame so didn't read it since it's aspartame in diet soda, and the last 2 are quick reads

    Aspartame is a common sweetener and whilst may not be in the diet soda you drink - it could well be in others and also used in any number of "diet" products. But I guess as it's not in your diet soda that doesn't make it relevant?

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Jhenryesq88310 wrote: »
    Neither. Both trick your body's insulin response and you end up storing weight. Yes diet drinks make you gain weight. Drink water. Add lemon or cucumber if you don't like the taste.

    Funny, I lost 60 pounds while drinking diet soda

    I lived on diet coke when I was anorexic. I guess I'm odd since I lost a lot of weight and became dangerously underweight.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    chrismellor01 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    chrismellor01 wrote: »
    Did you read those posts in the 4 minutes it took to post this reply?

    Well first one isn't about aspartame so didn't read it since it's aspartame in diet soda, and the last 2 are quick reads

    Aspartame is a common sweetener and whilst may not be in the diet soda you drink - it could well be in others and also used in any number of "diet" products. But I guess as it's not in your diet soda that doesn't make it relevant?

    No I said I didn't read it because you mentioned that it says it doesn't increase insulin levels.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited February 2017
    chrismellor01 wrote: »
    And as regards insulin causing weight gain - there is a mechanism and described in the many sources.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17924864

    Provides a mechanism for this.

    This next one if from Mayo clinic and further describes the process:

    http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/567888

    I have deliberately avoided many of the .org posts and pseudo-science posts.

    As I say - until it's proven it's not an issue - personally I will avoid them where is possible.

    Can't read the second one as I don't have a login but the first one is talking about diabetics.
  • MrStabbems
    MrStabbems Posts: 3,110 Member
    debate-a-thon
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Jhenryesq88310 wrote: »
    Neither. Both trick your body's insulin response and you end up storing weight. Yes diet drinks make you gain weight. Drink water. Add lemon or cucumber if you don't like the taste.

    Funny, I lost 60 pounds while drinking diet soda

    60 pounds is good going, well done. Really.

    Looking through the papers etc there is confusion as I'm starting to see.

    There is a mechanism that sweeteners influence insulin levels. There is a mechanism whereby insulin can influence weight gain. The human body is amazing thing and very complicated. What works for some, may cause others issues. Also, quantities are important.

    As one poster above says, 12 tins a day might not be a good idea.

    This is a contentious issue. There are two camps. There have been other threads on here that have led to flame wars.

    I know what I read and what I think. Others know what they think from what they read.

    Personally - I avoid the stuff.
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    I lived on diet coke when I was anorexic. I guess I'm odd since I lost a lot of weight and became dangerously underweight.

    I do not know the mechanism of your anorexia and I'm very sorry that you had to suffer that horrible disease. I have seen close up what it can do. How are you now?

    There are no calories in diet drinks (or very little) and so they will no on their own make you gain weight. But the sweeteners in them (according to evidence) affect insulin levels. It's the insulin level that has an affect in weight gain.

    Yes - many of those papers are about diabetics (both Type 1 & 2). That is where most of the research has been done.

  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
    How about flavored seltzer water? Just an alternate suggestion.
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    chrismellor01 wrote: »
    Jhenryesq88310 wrote: »
    Neither. Both trick your body's insulin response and you end up storing weight. Yes diet drinks make you gain weight. Drink water. Add lemon or cucumber if you don't like the taste.

    Yup - agreed - lots of evidence (i.e. real scientific papers) on this. Sweeteners (depending on which ones) do affect insulin levels. The others just keep you used to wanting sweet things (psychological) and make it that much harder...

    As suggested above - water is best and if you need something in it - a few slices of fruit :)

    And now let the flame wars begin.

    There is no research showing this!

    You cannot gain fat without a calorie surplus.

    You are correct - you cannot gain fat without calorie surplus (in general). No discussion there...

    Where there is confusion is that artificial sweeteners affect insulin levels. There is a mechanism that insulin resistance (type 2) is negatively affected by sweeteners and that puts weight on.

    There is also evidence that the flora and fauna of your gut has a large roll to play in metabolism. There is evidence that sweeteners affect the flora/fauna in your gut. This could have a direct reflection on weight gain etc.

    The problem is, we just don't know enough about it all and there is contradictory evidence at times.

    It's up to the reader to make their own mind up.
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