Weight loss: Diet Coke / Coke Zero

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distortedvision78
distortedvision78 Posts: 43 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How bad is it from a dietary viewpoint? I know it is high in sodium but is this an issue for weight loss. I generally only drink it at the weekends.

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  • hawksgirl229
    hawksgirl229 Posts: 467 Member
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    I've drank diet coke forever and before that tab. The only thing that has ever been an issue with my weight is what kriss said above..Calories..too many scale up deficit scale down..As far as is it a healthy choice I'm sure water would be the best..but not a water lover and need to make a conscious effort to drink it. For me grabbing a diet soda kept me from turning to something higher calorie many times..finding what works for you and your goals is the best because those are the choices that you can sustain long term..
  • mlrtri
    mlrtri Posts: 425 Member
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    I drank 1-2 Diet Cokes per day for a few years. I quit in January mostly because my kids were starting to ask for soda and I didn’t like that so I decided I needed to quit. It may all be in my head, but by not sipping on a sweet drink all day it seemed to reduce my need for snacking. I treated myself to a Diet Coke a few weeks ago and found it made me want to snack when I had really quit doing that. It may be psychological or it may have something to do with insulin or something like it, I don’t know. I am definitely not saying you can’t lose weight drinking it. I am just saying for me quitting helped. And now that I have I wander why I put something in my body that there was so much controversy over. It definitely is not hurting me that I quit. Was it hurting me when I drank it? I can’t say for sure but I no longer care to take the chance.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    It will only hurt if it increases your appetite. Some people say that happens to them, but it doesn't for me. In fact a diet soda often helps me to avoid calories when I'm snacky but not really hungry. They have less than 5 calories per can, so you'd have to drink tons of diet soda to contribute enough calories to impact your deficit.

    Also, they're not high in sodium, I have no idea how that myth got started. A can of Coke Zero lists 40 mg of sodium, which is @ 2% of the rda.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,401 Member
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    The effect on me is a bit strange: if I drink diet coke then there's an odd switch in my head that tells me that I can have coke, hence I can have lots of crisps, or liquorice, or other lovely food I should not eat too much of. Thus I rather avoid it and reserve a proper coke for hot summer vacation days after a long hot hike.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,998 Member
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    yes the high in sodium myth is a bit unfathomable - simple check of the label on the can tells you otherwise.

    OP it is not bad from a dietary viewpoint - as others have said unless you individually find it increases your appetite or suchlike.

    I lost weight perfectly well drinking them - in fact I never drank them at all before I tried to lose weight. One of the first things I did was swap full soda for diet version.

    I drink equivalent of several cans a week.
  • hexxennacht
    hexxennacht Posts: 22 Member
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    Like others say, the only thing that matters is calories.

    If having Coke Zero helps you stay on track and eat less calories, then sip away. If you find yourself snacking more when you drink it and consuming more calories, skip it.

    The Coke Zero itself is totally safe and fine for a diet. It’s what you eat around it that could be a problem. Just monitor your eating and if it doesn’t make you snack more then go for it! It’s zero calories so it won’t make you gain on its own.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    How bad is it from a dietary viewpoint?
    It isn't - it's flavoured water with a virtually zero calorie sweetener.

    I know it is high in sodium but is this an issue for weight loss.
    It isn't at all high in sodium. Read the label, divide a reasonable daily sodium limit by the mg shown on the can.....

    I generally only drink it at the weekends.
    With or without Bacardi?
    :drinker:

  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »

    I generally only drink it at the weekends.
    With or without Bacardi?
    :drinker:

    Asking the real questions.
  • Piqueaboo
    Piqueaboo Posts: 1,193 Member
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    I love diet coke/coke zero. Have it several times a week. Hasn't stopped my weight loss, although I am embarrassed if I reach for it every day - I don't like myself when I do that, but not for weight loss reasons
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    edited April 2020
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    Nothing wrong with it.
    Not particularly high in sodium.
    Water has some sodium in it also🤷🏻‍♀️
    The only thing that affects weight loss is:

    Eating same amount of calories you burn, you will maintain, or
    Eating more calories than your body burns, you will gain weight.

    Losing weight is always about eating less calories than your body burns. ALWAYS.

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