Diet Coke dilemma

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245

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  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Hardcastle99 wrote: »
    I've just been brought up with the mindset any fizzy pop is bad for you and I just can't see drinking Diet Coke regularly being alright? And no I didn't steal it haha

    Well then, thats the deal.

    No need to feel guilty, but if it is causing you that much guilt is it worth it?
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I have heard, and I DON'T know this to be true, that for rats at least having fake sweetener in a soda can make your body crave the sweets it was expecting to get. Or at least it did in rats. Is this true?

    Certainly if you hit your calories, the diet soda won't matter at all. It maybe, might, possibly make it harder to avoid eating a donut? So you might want to consciously think about your cravings and see if it affects you. If it doesn't, or you don't give in to them either way, then drink all the soda.

    On a related note. NO GUILT ABOUT FOOD, ANY FOOD, EVER! It's just food.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Preacherwifey wrote: »
    It all depends on the person. The sodium may cause bloating, the artificial sweetener may stall weight loss or/and cause blood sugars to rise. If it doesn't do any of that, well don't feel guilty.

    Have you looked at a can of diet soda and noticed how much sodium is actually in there?

    Hint: not much more sodium than water...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    lilawolf wrote: »
    I have heard, and I DON'T know this to be true, that for rats at least having fake sweetener in a soda can make your body crave the sweets it was expecting to get. Or at least it did in rats. Is this true?

    Certainly if you hit your calories, the diet soda won't matter at all. It maybe, might, possibly make it harder to avoid eating a donut? So you might want to consciously think about your cravings and see if it affects you. If it doesn't, or you don't give in to them either way, then drink all the soda.

    On a related note. NO GUILT ABOUT FOOD, ANY FOOD, EVER! It's just food.

    Even if it did cause rats to crave sweet foods in some studies, we have many human reports from people who don't find that it causes cravings for sweets. If it does cause an individual to crave sweet foods, that would be simple enough to address -- stop drinking it.

    But for me personally, I find that drinking a diet soda will actually fulfill my taste for something sweet and serve as a substitute for something with more calories (this is also true of drinking a cup of tea or coffee with Splenda or another artificial sweetener).
  • Sheisinlove109
    Sheisinlove109 Posts: 516 Member
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    Moderation...everything in moderation.

    I'm not a doctor and can't confirm this...I'm sure others can but I have heard that it can trigger cravings, messes with your brain somehow. But again, I have no idea.

    I drink one can a day but trying to replace with tea.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    I don't drink coffee, have tea occasionally, and chocolate is a treat for me. Diet cola is where I get my caffeine. I drink at least a litre a day, have for years. Let's put it this way: IF (and this is a huge 'if') there is ANYTHING about diet cola that impedes weight-loss, I'm still losing 1-2 lbs a week DESPITE consuming quantities of it daily, and since it's not healthy to lose more than that, maybe I shouldn't quit consumption!
  • songbird13291
    songbird13291 Posts: 120 Member
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    Just looked at my can of Diet Coke. Calories, 0. Sodium, 40 mg. Under the nutritional information it has the words "low sodium". My concerns would be the caffeine and the aspartame, both have caused reactions in some people.

    Current sciencesays that ingesting something sweet, with no calories, can make you feel hungrier. I've never felt that way.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Preacherwifey wrote: »
    It all depends on the person. The sodium may cause bloating, the artificial sweetener may stall weight loss or/and cause blood sugars to rise. If it doesn't do any of that, well don't feel guilty.

    Even my Diet Cherry Dr Pepper I just opened is higher in sodium than others...at 60 mg. That's still less than 2% of MFP's recommended limit (which I don't even pay attention to).
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    I don't feel guilty. I have to have one diet coke or pepsi per day and I'm good. I just want to cut them out so I don't have the bloating from them.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    choklityum wrote: »
    Anyone who thinks I'm giving up my Diet Dew is bat-doody crazy. Ranks right up there with my coffee.

    :D @ bat-doody
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    perkymommy wrote: »
    I don't feel guilty. I have to have one diet coke or pepsi per day and I'm good. I just want to cut them out so I don't have the bloating from them.

    The best way to prevent bloating from a diet fizzy drink is to have a good burp. The only thing bloating you is the gas.
  • kksmom1789
    kksmom1789 Posts: 281 Member
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    For me I thought I was addicted to cherry coke but then I realized all I wanted was the carbonation from the soda I found this at Walmart and a 12 pack lasts me for like a month because I don't drink one everyday only when I want the carbonation (like today)
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    Preacherwifey wrote: »
    It all depends on the person. The sodium may cause bloating, the artificial sweetener may stall weight loss or/and cause blood sugars to rise. If it doesn't do any of that, well don't feel guilty.

    Even my Diet Cherry Dr Pepper I just opened is higher in sodium than others...at 60 mg. That's still less than 2% of MFP's recommended limit (which I don't even pay attention to).

    Thank you for reminding me that I needed to get more Diet Cherry DP - that stuff is awesome!
  • FitbitConnor
    FitbitConnor Posts: 143 Member
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    I am a pepsi max addict, im gradually reducing how much i drink from 1.5-2 litres per day to around 500ml at the moment and within a week or so i will reduce that to none. There are lots of studies that suggest diet drinks are directly linked to weight gain Caffeine on its own is a nasty thing to consume regularly, Aspertame is a horrible chemical and is broken down into even worse chemicals when its digested, it also triggers the insulin response which is why i cant drink it when i'm fasting and insulin is the arch enemy of weightloss lol While in moderation you can get away with the odd drink, it is by no means a benign beverage and if possibly should be avoided completely imo.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited March 2017
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    kksmom1789 wrote: »
    For me I thought I was addicted to cherry coke but then I realized all I wanted was the carbonation from the soda I found this at Walmart and a 12 pack lasts me for like a month because I don't drink one everyday only when I want the carbonation (like today)

    You do realize that this is diet soda, right? It is sweetened and flavored. If you want something with just carbonation you need to look for "seltzer" or "sparkling water", not "sparkling water beverage" like this is.
  • kksmom1789
    kksmom1789 Posts: 281 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    kksmom1789 wrote: »
    For me I thought I was addicted to cherry coke but then I realized all I wanted was the carbonation from the soda I found this at Walmart and a 12 pack lasts me for like a month because I don't drink one everyday only when I want the carbonation (like today)

    You do realize that this is diet soda, right? It is sweetened and flavored. If you want something with just carbonation you need to look for "seltzer" or "sparkling water", not "sparkling water beverage" like this is.

    yes I do know that I have tried those other things and they are gross lol I need the awful fake sweetner that is bad for you lol
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    I used to start drinking Diet Coke each year when the weather got warm, get totally addicted, and then stop again sometime in the fall when the weather got cold (going back to hot tea). There's something about a soda fountain that still gets me excited, especially the ones where you can add flavorings. 7-Eleven with the gigantic cups. Even Costco. It is appealing.

    What has tempered it is age. If I drink a gigantic DC, it'll attack me in the form of acid indigestion and other unmentionable "digestive issues." Coffee and wine have similar effects on me. Now, I occasionally have a small amount of DC with a lot of ice.

    My go-to now is hot and iced tea of many types. I make a fantastic iced Assam tea latte in the summer which is da bomb. (Skim milk and Equal keep it within budget. If I have extra calories, I add honey).

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