Diet Coke Consumption

I hate diet coke and I only read this because I was interested in what people might say and now I feel compelled to respond....

I seriously disagree with a lot of what people are saying negatively about DC. Personally I think it tastes like crap which is why I don't drink it but it does not make you fatter! There are no calories and therefore scientifically can't make you fat or fatter. Now the sodium can make you retain water but the caffeine is a diuretic... kind of balances out though the levels of caffeine could outweigh the sodium. And it is physically impossible for DC to raise blood sugar since it has no calories, carbs or sugar.

I saw someone quote the Huffington Post and I'm sorry to point this out and I really am not pointing fingers but the Huffington Post is not a medical journal or scientific resource. In college had I used the Huffington Post as a source for any information I would have been the laughing stock of the college of Health and Human Performance. There are so many "research studies" that say one thing or another about anything in the world - unfortunately health related topics are big money. There are people who really want to know the truth and do what they feel are reliable studies but if you evaluate the actual study you can find inherent flaws in them. And then there are people who want to sell some product and create magical studies that prove how great product A is.

For example a study that say that diet coke drinkers are fatter then non diet coke drinker are they taking into account each groups daily diet? Where the differences caused by the DC or there because of some other reason such as dieters trying to cut out calories somewhere when they can't anywhere else? How many times have we seen the "joke" portrayed on tv and movies where the obese individual orders 5 big macs 5 large fries 2 apple pies and then a large diet coke? Its a joke because unfortunately its true to some degree.

We all need to use common sense when reading the results of research studies especially if the study was done to prove something right or wrong and not to find the truth. If a product has chemicals in it there can be side effects but it needs to be proven in more than one study and the results must be able to be duplicated multiple times for it to be considered scientifically accurate

In the end if DC doesn't effect you negatively mentally (creating cravings) and you aren't attached to it via an IV there really should be an issue with it... Is it better than plain ole' H2O - no - but is it horrible either --- no...

Good luck to you!

***Stepping off soap box... Hope i didn't offend anyone on a personal level***

Gave it up and don't miss it! Can't drink all that soda and the water too..... Water is way better for the weight loss and healthy lifestyle.

If too hard to give up, just cut back and make it more like a treat.

I usually have a diet soda once per day with lunch. It helps make me feel more full. I've heard a few different theories about how fake sugars can still cause weight gain (the fake sugars "trick" your brain into thinking it is real sugar, so your body processes it the same way as sugar) but I think this is a bunch of bunk. I've successfully lost weight in the past drinking a lot of diet soda. Is it healthy? Not really, but it's nice to have it as a treat.

I do plan on cutting it out eventually. The fake sugars just aren't good for us, for other reasons. I have to take my obstacles one at a time though, and need to focus on getting my eating under control before I give up soda.

The theory on why it makes you gain weight is that it's sweet, which makes you crave sweets, which makes you eat stuff like candy and chocolate, etc. I don't buy into that so much. When I decided I needed to lose weight, I switched from regular to diet soda and obviously I've lost. And if I'm craving something sweet because of my "evil" diet soda, I'll just grab another one :laugh: I still get plenty of water..as long as you don't live off of the soda and you do get water, I think you're fine.

I love a pepsi max or coke zero now and again (especially with a shot of vodka). I think a little of anything is not bad, it's when you do something in excess. Nevertheless if you can stop drinking it and won't miss it then go for it.

Green Tea (an antioxidant) brewed like good ol southern sweet tea (sweetened with liquid stevia) is my new drink of choice and this one actually helps my weight loss efforts.

I avoid a lot of sodas not because of the artificial sweeteners, but because of the sodium. Too much sodium is just not good for me and it can cause water retention. There are some really good natural sodas that don't have sodium as an alternative. But, I've also discovered how good my food tastes when I just drink water too.

I never stated that the Huffington post was a scientific journal.

And, I never said not to not use it for puppy training. Wait, what?

I love it when these conversations get REAL *eyes widen* passionate. Seriously though, it is so cool that so many people care so much about fitness and heath. I love you MFP (that includes all of you that posted above me and some who will post after this.)

Hello, my name is Eirhren, and I'm an addict. I'm in the process of giving up on diet pops ( the aspartame is no good). However, I don't know how it affects weight loss. I know what the research says, but when I'm feeling hungry and don't want to eat, I reach for a diet pop. It does the trick for the time being. For me, anyway.