No Calorie Sodas and Weight
Replies
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I chose to give up my daily Diet Coke habit because of all the questionable chemicals. I still have one occasionally. I say do what works for you (you save a bunch of money if you switch to tea or water)
Lol what questionable chemicals?
And I buy my water so no money saved there.7 -
The "omg chemicals" posts in this thread are headdesk-worthy.
Reading is important.....13 -
The way I understand the issue is that no-calorie drinks/artificial sweeteners affect gut bacteria which can in turn affect weight. I heard an excellent podcast on the topic on "Science vs" which explored the various myths and scientific studies conducted on the issue of artificial sweeteners which was fascinating
https://gimletmedia.com/episode/3718/
Your undeestanding is wrong9 -
HeidiGrrrl wrote: »This is how it works: Artificial sweeteners (not the natural no-calorie sweeteners) stimulate appetite and trigger the insulin response just as if you had eaten real sugar because they can still spike blood glucose. This is fact, not a biased study. When I switched to diet sodas I gained 30 pounds the first year without changing anything else in my diet. I only use natural non-calorie sweeteners, such as stevia and erythritol. That's why I only drink Zevia Soda, which is sweetened with stevia, as stevia does NOT spike blood glucose, thereby not triggering the insulin response. That being said, stevia CAN do it in some people who are sensitive to it.
Calories are NOT just calories, and eating a calorie deficit is NOT enough to help with weight loss. Initially it works, but this is why diets DON'T work. Constant calorie deficit cannot be maintained long-term, which is why most people regain the weight. What you eat is even more important than how much you eat because there are hormones at play. Hormones regulate weight loss/gain and appetite. This is why you can't just count calories. You have to control your hormones leptin and ghrelin via what you eat.
You can look that up, but go ahead and just listen to these armchair scientists who simply don't want to believe the studies done by actual scientists because they don't want to change their lifestyle permanently and give up not only the occasional Snickers bar, but every Snickers bar from here until the end of their lives.
You aren't supposed to eat at a constant calorie deficit. You're supposed to eat at a deficit (continuously or in stages/cycles, depending on the situation) until you reach whatever goal you're aiming for and then eat at maintenance. You do, however, HAVE to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight.8 -
If anyone wants a great listen and review of the research studies that have been done on artificial sweeteners...
https://sigmanutrition.com/episode184/
After reviewing, I still agree with Danny Lennon. Drink them, but be open to change and the results of further research.8 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »jessiferrrb wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »jessiferrrb wrote: »the articles are usually based on studies which found a correlation between diet soda consumption and obesity - not causation. a lot of them are intentionally mis-characterizing actual results for more sensational stories.
Yep. Fat people are more likely to drink diet soda than people who don't have weight issues. Obviously not the same thing as "diet soda makes you fat," and certainly not the same thing as "diet soda causes weight gain without a calorie surplus," but the reporting/understanding of these things is so terrible.
There are other studies (but others that disagree, so I'm undecided) that for a portion of the population (not everyone) consuming diet soda may make you more prone to overeating absent other checks on calories, like counting. I sometimes drank diet soda when losing, sometimes did not, and I did not notice it being harder to stay within my calories when consuming it, so I am confident it's not a problem for me. (I don't drink it that much anyway, my vice is coffee and I love water, but if I want one, I have it.)
agreed. the only thing i have trouble moderating when i'm drinking diet soda is the diet soda itself. especially diet gingerale, of which i can easily drink 3 cans a day. i prefer to drink water, so i tend not to keep diet soda in the house, but i'll order it in a restaurant and it's not hindered me from keeping to my goals or started me craving more food or sweets.
I have discovered Goslings Diet Ginger Beer, which is expensive (comparatively) and a pain to buy as it's not in the supermarket nearest me, which is the only reason I moderate it well. ;-)
This is an awesome diet drink! So much taste.0 -
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but yes, diet soda does make some people gain weight. And there's science to back it up. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/09/08/the-awful-truth-about-diet-soda-and-weight-gain-according-to-science/#28b10646462f
I was not happy to discover this but I read the studies and there's no going back to soda (except seltzer) for me.
Please explain this magical process where zero calories drinks cause weight gain??9 -
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but yes, diet soda does make some people gain weight. And there's science to back it up. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/09/08/the-awful-truth-about-diet-soda-and-weight-gain-according-to-science/#28b10646462f
I was not happy to discover this but I read the studies and there's no going back to soda (except seltzer) for me.
Please explain this magical process where zero calories drinks cause weight gain??
The magic is that some people think they can eat more because they drink diet drinks and then blame the diet drink instead of taking responsibility for what they ate. The real magic is that other people will agree because it sounds good.10 -
chelseahatch24 wrote: »TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »The statistics are clear. People that drink diet drinks over water tend to weigh more. I hope that someday the reason why is found.
Study after study cannot be biased/ pushing an agenda. What agenda? To stop drinking diet drinks? Coke would fight tooth and nail against this.
I can even go to a family gathering and notice those that are drinking a diet drink weigh more than those drinking a water bottle. The statistics are not lying.
I absolutely agree with this. When I drink soda, diet or not, I am way more inclined to eat something I shouldn't. I feel like I have better control over myself when I drink water.
But the soda's not making you eat, you're doing that to yourself. We control what we eat, regardless of the influence. The decision is still ours.7 -
Since I'm new to Soda drinking in general, I feel like I can weigh in here and say the comments suggesting that the "sweetness" of a Diet soda makes you crave more sweets/eat more has been totally opposite for me. I drink my 1 can of Diet Cherry Pepsi right after the gym each day as the only thing I have between breakfast and dinner and find the combo of sweet + caffeine totally curbs my appetite.
I didn't realize how much until I failed to drink one the other day and started grazing on beef jerky and fruit and realized why.11 -
WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »Since I'm new to Soda drinking in general, I feel like I can weigh in here and say the comments suggesting that the "sweetness" of a Diet soda makes you crave more sweets/eat more has been totally opposite for me. I drink my 1 can of Diet Cherry Pepsi right after the gym each day as the only thing I have between breakfast and dinner and find the combo of sweet + caffeine totally curbs my appetite.
I didn't realize how much until I failed to drink one the other day and started grazing on beef jerky and fruit and realized why.
I have to agree with this for me too. I actually didn't start drinking soda in general until I started counting calories. So 0 calorie diet soda replaced the higher calorie juice (that I thought was "healthy") I was drinking before.6 -
HeidiGrrrl wrote: »This is how it works: Artificial sweeteners (not the natural no-calorie sweeteners) stimulate appetite and trigger the insulin response just as if you had eaten real sugar because they can still spike blood glucose. This is fact, not a biased study. When I switched to diet sodas I gained 30 pounds the first year without changing anything else in my diet. I only use natural non-calorie sweeteners, such as stevia and erythritol. That's why I only drink Zevia Soda, which is sweetened with stevia, as stevia does NOT spike blood glucose, thereby not triggering the insulin response. That being said, stevia CAN do it in some people who are sensitive to it.
Calories are NOT just calories, and eating a calorie deficit is NOT enough to help with weight loss. Initially it works, but this is why diets DON'T work. Constant calorie deficit cannot be maintained long-term, which is why most people regain the weight. What you eat is even more important than how much you eat because there are hormones at play. Hormones regulate weight loss/gain and appetite. This is why you can't just count calories. You have to control your hormones leptin and ghrelin via what you eat.
You can look that up, but go ahead and just listen to these armchair scientists who simply don't want to believe the studies done by actual scientists because they don't want to change their lifestyle permanently and give up not only the occasional Snickers bar, but every Snickers bar from here until the end of their lives.
You should maybe take some time to read this thread, any one of the dozens of other diet soda threads posted in the last couple of weeks, or the thousands of success stories posted on this site from people who have lost weight and successfully kept it off because they understand that a calorie is just a calorie and a reasonable calorie deficit during weight loss followed by a transition to maintenance calories with long term mindfulness of the energy balance is what is needed to be successful.
Literally everything that you've posted has been refuted by science and by the experiences of the successful members on this site.12 -
HeidiGrrrl wrote: »This is how it works: Artificial sweeteners (not the natural no-calorie sweeteners) stimulate appetite and trigger the insulin response just as if you had eaten real sugar because they can still spike blood glucose. This is fact, not a biased study. When I switched to diet sodas I gained 30 pounds the first year without changing anything else in my diet. I only use natural non-calorie sweeteners, such as stevia and erythritol. That's why I only drink Zevia Soda, which is sweetened with stevia, as stevia does NOT spike blood glucose, thereby not triggering the insulin response. That being said, stevia CAN do it in some people who are sensitive to it.
Calories are NOT just calories, and eating a calorie deficit is NOT enough to help with weight loss. Initially it works, but this is why diets DON'T work. Constant calorie deficit cannot be maintained long-term, which is why most people regain the weight. What you eat is even more important than how much you eat because there are hormones at play. Hormones regulate weight loss/gain and appetite. This is why you can't just count calories. You have to control your hormones leptin and ghrelin via what you eat.
You can look that up, but go ahead and just listen to these armchair scientists who simply don't want to believe the studies done by actual scientists because they don't want to change their lifestyle permanently and give up not only the occasional Snickers bar, but every Snickers bar from here until the end of their lives.
You think you gained 30lbs from drinking a beverage with zero calories?
Control your hormones by what you eat?
A calorie deficit does not help with weight loss?
You can't just count calories?
Nobody can eat Snickers?
So much woo here
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I love how people post without bothering to read the thread.
By "love" I mean "don't love," of course.17 -
WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »Since I'm new to Soda drinking in general, I feel like I can weigh in here and say the comments suggesting that the "sweetness" of a Diet soda makes you crave more sweets/eat more has been totally opposite for me. I drink my 1 can of Diet Cherry Pepsi right after the gym each day as the only thing I have between breakfast and dinner and find the combo of sweet + caffeine totally curbs my appetite.
I didn't realize how much until I failed to drink one the other day and started grazing on beef jerky and fruit and realized why.
I'm new to diet sodas too (well, it's been a year or two now but I wouldn't have touched it before). More than anything, it curbs my appetite. It has been a huge help in my weight loss. I like mine in the late afternoon before or after the gym as well (and many other times during the day lol).
I don't find it makes me crave sweet things.5 -
Diet Sodas IMO are like crack for your brain.
"Diet sodas are designed to trick the brain into thinking it’s getting an extra dose of glucose (the brain’s fuel), but eventually the trick is on us because the brain adapts to not receiving the added glucose by overcompensating in other ways (leading to a variety of effects still under investigation).
Diet sodas could imbalance the bacterial jungle in our guts—the microbiome—causing unpredictable results. Since there’s a bacterial superhighway from gut to brain, which we know interacts with key neurotransmitters, this theory may eventually tell us more of a much bigger brain story.
Different artificial sweeteners in diet drinks have different effects, and there’s debate about which causes what. This study didn’t narrow down the exact types of artificial sweeteners that were consumed, so it’s an open question how one may have affected the brain differently than another."
Ref: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2017/04/27/why-is-diet-soda-so-bad-for-your-brain/#1705e3305fad
What a bunch of fictitious poo that is...
Your body doesn't "prepare" to digest things certain ways based on their taste. Your body digests things based on their actual chemical structure. The idea that the taste of something can trick your brain into thinking it's about to get some glucose and then eventually causing it to "overcompensate" is just ridiculous.15 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Diet Sodas IMO are like crack for your brain.
"Diet sodas are designed to trick the brain into thinking it’s getting an extra dose of glucose (the brain’s fuel), but eventually the trick is on us because the brain adapts to not receiving the added glucose by overcompensating in other ways (leading to a variety of effects still under investigation).
Diet sodas could imbalance the bacterial jungle in our guts—the microbiome—causing unpredictable results. Since there’s a bacterial superhighway from gut to brain, which we know interacts with key neurotransmitters, this theory may eventually tell us more of a much bigger brain story.
Different artificial sweeteners in diet drinks have different effects, and there’s debate about which causes what. This study didn’t narrow down the exact types of artificial sweeteners that were consumed, so it’s an open question how one may have affected the brain differently than another."
Ref: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2017/04/27/why-is-diet-soda-so-bad-for-your-brain/#1705e3305fad
What a bunch of fictitious poo that is...
Your body doesn't "prepare" to digest things certain ways based on their taste. Your body digests things based on their actual chemical structure. The idea that the taste of something can trick your brain into thinking it's about to get some glucose and then eventually causing it to "overcompensate" is just ridiculous.
I have always thought the idea of confusing the body this way or that you can trick the body was illogical. It's nice to know I'm not the only one.4 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I love how people post without bothering to read the thread.
By "love" I mean "don't love," of course.
This. I can't even with this thread anymore.
Reading is fundamental
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »I just calculated that during the time I've been using mfp to lose weight, I've consumed at least 1000 pounds of zero calorie black coffee. As of today I've lost 102 lb. Make of that what you will, but you will err to say that zero calorie drinks cause me to gain weight..
Well, @JeromeBarry1, you've presented clear data here that each pound of black coffee consumed leads to a 0.1 pound loss in weight. The science is clear!
It's a good thing you didn't use any artificial sweeteners, though, because then you'd be dead, drowned in your own insulin.
</sarc>12 -
susanofarrell wrote: »I understand that the sweetness of a diet soda makes your brain 'think' that sugar is coming, so it creates an insulin response.
Additionally, it trains your taste buds to desire something very sweet. In return, that makes it hard to REALLY enjoy nature's sweetness (like apples, strawberries etc). I stopped drinking anything sweetened 2 years ago and fruit does now taste more luscious and sweet.
OMG...flavor doesn't create an insulin response...diet sodas were initially invented for diabetics...if they caused a spike in insulin, diabetics wouldn't be able to drink them. Stop reading magazines or whatever it is that you are reading...9 -
HeidiGrrrl wrote: »This is how it works: Artificial sweeteners (not the natural no-calorie sweeteners) stimulate appetite and trigger the insulin response just as if you had eaten real sugar because they can still spike blood glucose. This is fact, not a biased study. When I switched to diet sodas I gained 30 pounds the first year without changing anything else in my diet. I only use natural non-calorie sweeteners, such as stevia and erythritol. That's why I only drink Zevia Soda, which is sweetened with stevia, as stevia does NOT spike blood glucose, thereby not triggering the insulin response. That being said, stevia CAN do it in some people who are sensitive to it.
Calories are NOT just calories, and eating a calorie deficit is NOT enough to help with weight loss. Initially it works, but this is why diets DON'T work. Constant calorie deficit cannot be maintained long-term, which is why most people regain the weight. What you eat is even more important than how much you eat because there are hormones at play. Hormones regulate weight loss/gain and appetite. This is why you can't just count calories. You have to control your hormones leptin and ghrelin via what you eat.
You can look that up, but go ahead and just listen to these armchair scientists who simply don't want to believe the studies done by actual scientists because they don't want to change their lifestyle permanently and give up not only the occasional Snickers bar, but every Snickers bar from here until the end of their lives.
1). No, artificial sweeteners do not trigger an insulin response...diabetics can drink diet soda...if they triggered an insulin response then diabetics would not be able to drink them. You didn't gain weight from drinking diet soda.
2). The only way you lose weight is with an energy (calorie) deficiency...you don't maintain a constant calorie deficit...you cut weight and when you're done you eat at maintenance. I lost 40 Lbs and I've kept it off for 4+ years.
3). Getting proper nutrition is important...nobody has said it isn't. The context of your diet as a whole is what is important...in the context of a nutritious diet, there's nothing wrong with a snickers.8 -
I like how some people are stating information like it's fact even though it's been proven time and time again that it's simply untrue.
Artificial sweeteners have zero physical impact on your body in terms of weight loss. Zero. None. Whether or not your brain gets triggered to desire sweets is another story. But if you simply drink diet soda and do not give into such cravings, you will see zero negative impact from the diet drink.6 -
You can testify that you've drank a million diet cokes, every day and you became a fitness model, it doesn't mean much to the lay-person.
Fact is, if you are obese and you drink diet soda, you usually don't lose weight.
Diet soda are not directly involved in gaining weight.
But they are involved non the less.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-artificial-sweeteners-affect-weight-loss-and-gain-2017-7
I'm not saying anyone should stop eating what they love, but there are no real benefits from diet soda except a temporary good mouth feel.23 -
You can testify that you've drank a million diet cokes, every day and you became a fitness model, it doesn't mean much to the lay-person.
Fact is, if you are obese and you drink diet soda, you usually don't lose weight.
Diet soda are not directly involved in gaining weight.
But they are involved non the less.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-artificial-sweeteners-affect-weight-loss-and-gain-2017-7
I'm not saying anyone should stop eating what they love, but there are no real benefits from diet soda except a temporary good mouth feel.
That's exactly the point. They're neutral.
You could say the same for water.8 -
Actually, I'm less hungry on diet cola. I've gone from 45 BMI to 32.5 on diet cola. I have more energy (not a coffee drinker; not big on tea unless freezing or ill; don't eat chocolate regularly; diet cola is my caffeine source) and am able to stay up late and indulge my creative writing streak on diet cola.
Of course diet and exercise are the real reasons for weight loss, but diet cola helps me stick to the plan.3 -
Blah to all the research, for or against it.
Now if you're ordering diet soda to justify the extra large fries in the drive thru? Yep, it'll make you fat.6 -
You can testify that you've drank a million diet cokes, every day and you became a fitness model, it doesn't mean much to the lay-person.
Fact is, if you are obese and you drink diet soda, you usually don't lose weight.
Diet soda are not directly involved in gaining weight.
But they are involved non the less.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-artificial-sweeteners-affect-weight-loss-and-gain-2017-7
I'm not saying anyone should stop eating what they love, but there are no real benefits from diet soda except a temporary good mouth feel.
I'm an almost 40 year old stay at home mom of 3 kids, is that layman enough for you? My experience was that switching from regular soda to diet soda during my weight loss phase cut out calories and contributed to the calorie deficit that I needed, to go on and lose 50lbs. Simple as that.
Since then I've continued to drink diet soda because I enjoy it and it's calorie free, which means it has no impact on my maintenance calorie intake. I've learned how to be smart about how I use my calories and that's a big reason why I've been so successful at this whole thing long term.
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You're missing sarcasm Elle....
Picture ginormous person with a 2k value meal, and the diet Coke
1 -
You're missing sarcasm Elle....
Picture ginormous person with a 2k value meal, and the diet Coke
Yeah, If they're daily allowance is 3500 for weight loss, that's a decent dinner.0
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