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If you drink Diet Coke obsessively....You might be a runner. What's that all about?

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Replies

  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,817 Member
    MichSmish wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Diet Coke is 99% water and actually hydrates you better than water. cbq1lnhrxndm.jpeg


    So you’re saying I’m better off starting my mornings with beer vs coffee? 😁 :drinker:

    nope - they hydrate worse than water - you want something on the BHI that is greater than 1.0 on the scale

    Yes, thank you for that 🙄
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    upformore wrote: »
    Has anyone else ever noticed that runner's drink Diet Coke like it's water? I'm not a nutritionist, nor do I claim any expertise in this matter, but practically substituting your water consumption during the day with Diet Coke has to take a toll eventually...am I right? :-) (Not attacking runners here...just having some fun, but come on already with the Diet Coke!)

    @upformore that is a good question. Not sure that it matters much since we humans are pretty much do what we want to do without regards to our long term health. :)

    Yes people who are runners clearly have no regard for long term health....

    Oh gods don't. Someone will come out with that one study that suggests greater incidence of heart disease in that extremely small segment of the population that runs frequent marathons and extrapolate from there...

    LOL, I think that was eluded to just a day or two ago....I think in a thread about starting jogging.
  • upformore
    upformore Posts: 17 Member
    I would definitely say that the "Diet Coke" is most likely linked to my area....definitely not a global phenomenon. However, watching all of the back and forth, assumptions, interesting and questionable facts and studies...good times.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Im not a runner but I can drink diet sodas with no ill effects but you give me an sports drink(diet or not) and I bloat like there is NO tomorrow. to the point I hurt. diet soda doesnt do that to me so If I were a runner it would have to be the diet soda
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    Does Running in FNAF count?

    kf40773w2d3l.jpg
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Diet Coke is 99% water and actually hydrates you better than water. cbq1lnhrxndm.jpeg


    Despite its vital importance, water is often the most undervalued dietary component. Water makes up a large portion of your body composition. Each day, you lose up to 3 quarts of water, making daily replenishment crucial. Water is involved in more bodily processes than any other nutrient. It is recommended that you drink between 8 to 10 glasses of water daily. It can be confusing when you're trying to figure out what counts toward your water consumption each day.

    Diet Soda and Daily Water Requirement

    You may be surprised to know that because beverages such as diet soda are composed primarily of water, they do count towards your daily water requirement. However, you must take into consideration diet soda additives such as sodium and caffeine that may actually remove water from your body. Because of this, it's crucial that you avoid relying solely on diet soda to meet your daily recommended water intake

    https://www.livestrong.com/article/413306-does-diet-soda-count-as-water-intake/

    This is an example of why livestrong isn’t always a great source of info.
    The claim that sodium (which is no more abundant in soda than in tap water) or caffeine in soda causes one to lose more of the water contained in the drink than if they’d simply drank water is false as demonstrated in the study I linked above.

    In fact, you posted this in response to an illustration of the study results.
    A theory posited by a blogger on livestrong doesn’t negate the results of a scientific study.

    From the article you referenced:

    The known diuretic effects of caffeine and alcohol, because of their action in inhibiting the release of arginine vasopressin (20, 21), would influence the response to ingested drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol. An acute dose of <250–300 mg caffeine is unlikely to have a measurable effect on urine output, although such an effect is likely to be seen when the dose exceeds ∼300 mg

    The writer of the Livestrong article is a RD. She said it's important that one doesn't rely solely on diet soda for their hydration. I know several people that drink a couple 2L bottles of Diet Coke a day, that level brings the caffeine consumption over 300mg.

    Ok, so for people that have a few diet cokes per day, less than 1 litres, it's a non issue.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    MichSmish wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Diet Coke is 99% water and actually hydrates you better than water. cbq1lnhrxndm.jpeg


    So you’re saying I’m better off starting my mornings with beer vs coffee? 😁 :drinker:

    nope - they hydrate worse than water - you want something on the BHI that is greater than 1.0 on the scale

    They still hydrate you...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    So I’ve been thinking about this post for a few days. I’m a runner, a HEAVY salt-encrusted sweater, and a Diet Coke drinker. Went out for pizza with my running friend after a 10-miler in the cold weather, she commented on how many times I refilled my Diet Root Beer. She had a regular Coke and switched to water. I probably consumed about 50-60oz of Diet Root Beer. My argument was I was thirsty and it was calorie free. Her argument was I should drink water after one soda, diet or not. My argument was I could have 3 slices of pizza at 300 calories a pop to replace my calories or I could have two slices and 20 oz of regular soda which would have left me starving and still thirsty because water after a run (except for immediately after a run in the heat) is excruciatingly nauseating to me.

    So I wonder if other runners MAY drink diet beverages to save calories for food. Because while I burn a lot of calories, my appetite is usually bigger than my expenditure and I will gain weight if not careful, especially during peak training weeks with high volume.

    Just my two cents.

    This is the case for me. I'd much rather get my calories in food than soda. So if I want to drink something sweet, I'll always choose diet soda.
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Diet Coke is 99% water and actually hydrates you better than water. cbq1lnhrxndm.jpeg

    Looks like a lager is close enough, especially if I have two post ride.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    So I’ve been thinking about this post for a few days. I’m a runner, a HEAVY salt-encrusted sweater, and a Diet Coke drinker. Went out for pizza with my running friend after a 10-miler in the cold weather, she commented on how many times I refilled my Diet Root Beer. She had a regular Coke and switched to water. I probably consumed about 50-60oz of Diet Root Beer. My argument was I was thirsty and it was calorie free. Her argument was I should drink water after one soda, diet or not. My argument was I could have 3 slices of pizza at 300 calories a pop to replace my calories or I could have two slices and 20 oz of regular soda which would have left me starving and still thirsty because water after a run (except for immediately after a run in the heat) is excruciatingly nauseating to me.

    So I wonder if other runners MAY drink diet beverages to save calories for food. Because while I burn a lot of calories, my appetite is usually bigger than my expenditure and I will gain weight if not careful, especially during peak training weeks with high volume.

    Just my two cents.

    You hit the nail on the head, and diet root beer tastes exactly the same as regular to me. I’ll take the extra slice of pizza thanks 😊!
  • dmz1983
    dmz1983 Posts: 32 Member
    This cracked me up because when I used to be a runner, I drank diet coke all day long!
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    Most I've seen or know drink from water bottles. Never seen any drinking a soda of any kind.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    Not saying coke or diet coke is bad and it may not be however I challenge someone to show that it is good for you. Me I am a water drinker and a runner. I am also a keto person now so I guess I will skip the bagels with cheese and just hit the fruit. I know it is still carbs but the fruit carbs seem better for me....we'll see.

    Why does Diet Coke have to be “good for you”? Why can’t it be neutral? Since it’s ~98% water anyway, and the ingredients are not shown to be harmful, if a person enjoys the taste of it why do they have to prove some health benefits in order to get your seal of approval?

    Neutral is not good or bad. I only stated that I prefer not to have diet soda and never implied that soda drinkers need my approval. I guess I should not use good or bad as what I was getting at is benefit. I don't see me spending money on something that has zero calories and zero nutrition but thats just me.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    Not saying coke or diet coke is bad and it may not be however I challenge someone to show that it is good for you. Me I am a water drinker and a runner. I am also a keto person now so I guess I will skip the bagels with cheese and just hit the fruit. I know it is still carbs but the fruit carbs seem better for me....we'll see.

    Why does Diet Coke have to be “good for you”? Why can’t it be neutral? Since it’s ~98% water anyway, and the ingredients are not shown to be harmful, if a person enjoys the taste of it why do they have to prove some health benefits in order to get your seal of approval?

    Neutral is not good or bad. I only stated that I prefer not to have diet soda and never implied that soda drinkers need my approval. I guess I should not use good or bad as what I was getting at is benefit. I don't see me spending money on something that has zero calories and zero nutrition but thats just me.

    Enjoyment?

    Water has zero calories and zero nutrition but people spend all kinds of money on bottled waters, filters, etc.

    Not me. I use a Hydro-flask and fill it several times a day, I highly recommend it. It can sit in a hot car and still keep water cold. I am cheap so this works better than bottled water for me. I am also fortunate that I have great water in my region that is fine without filtering. When I used bottled water in the past I would end up with many half empty bottles to dispose of. I think we can all agree the are bodies need water but there are other ways to get it like diet coke if you enjoy that more. Once again we are dealing with personal preference here so nobody is wrong here.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    rsclause wrote: »
    Saying that diet soda hydrates as well as water may be true but it also includes CARBONATED WATER, CARAMEL COLOR, ASPARTAME, PHOSPHORIC ACID, POTASSIUM BENZOATE (TO PROTECT TASTE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, CAFFEINE.

    Only 1 of those causes me concern. And that's caffeine if I drink too much too late at night.

    But that's not really a negative in the morning.
  • kdbulger
    kdbulger Posts: 396 Member
    It seems we moved past the original observation that all runners drink diet Coke, but just wanted to say that must be a regional thing? I'm a runner, and I just see water and/or sports drinks around here. And coffee seems to be the pre-workout of choice, and the post-workout social drinks of choice are coffee or beer.