Soda???

allaboutaleah
allaboutaleah Posts: 79
edited October 5 in Food and Nutrition
So we all know drinking soda is bad for you, and definetly contributes to weigh gain etc..., but what about diet soda, it says zero everything (except sodium usually), but can it hinder weigh lose?

Replies

  • SummerFun2011
    SummerFun2011 Posts: 105
    I drink it everyday :smile: Many people will bash it because it is not healthy. but there is no proof of many of the claims :drinker:
  • lowliar
    lowliar Posts: 26
    Switching to diet soda to curb my cravings did help aid in my weight loss, but there are a lot of chemicals, including aspartame which is horrible for you. Any chemicals, as a rule, are generally bad, but if you are switching from regular, I'd just try to keep it in moderation. A side effect you may see from diet soda is retaining a bit of water, just from my experience.
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
    Absolutely. They are full of artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Sweeteners are thought to trigger the same sugar response as plain old sugar, even though it is no calorie and often no carb. Then you experience that glucose crash, and crave more sweet. It can also cause your body to hold onto weight.

    In addition to all that fun stuff, they just aren't good for you. Period. With the exception (MAYBE) of Stevia. I'm not convinced.

    When I want sweet, I either have a piece of fruit, super dark chocoloate, or indulge in some real sugar in the form of honey or raw sugar. Once in a blue moon :)

    Good luck.
  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,343 Member
    Absolutely. They are full of artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Sweeteners are thought to trigger the same sugar response as plain old sugar, even though it is no calorie and often no carb. Then you experience that glucose crash, and crave more sweet. It can also cause your body to hold onto weight.

    In addition to all that fun stuff, they just aren't good for you. Period. With the exception (MAYBE) of Stevia. I'm not convinced.

    When I want sweet, I either have a piece of fruit, super dark chocoloate, or indulge in some real sugar in the form of honey or raw sugar. Once in a blue moon :)

    Good luck.


    completely agree. I try to only have maybe one soda every 4 weeks or so. and if I do, I go with the natural stuff (Blue Sky I think it's called).

    natural ingredients I mean. just sugar etc.
  • rochey1098
    rochey1098 Posts: 285
    The best thing I ever did with my life was learn to love plain water. A nice glass full after a workout is just heaven but if you still struggle then watch the film 127 hours lol
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Research suggests that even diet sodas can affect insulin and blood sugar levels, although the exact mechanism is not known. So yes, it can make it harder to loose weight, especially if you trend towards insulin resistance.
  • SimpleStepsHealthCoach
    SimpleStepsHealthCoach Posts: 121 Member
    So we all know drinking soda is bad for you, and definetly contributes to weigh gain etc..., but what about diet soda, it says zero everything (except sodium usually), but can it hinder weigh lose?

    Hi ya,

    Here is an article from Time Health that addresses your exact question: http://tinyurl.com/6hwter4

    Hope this helps,
    y.
  • malachy007
    malachy007 Posts: 3
    Hey,

    I can't remember the name of the study or any specifics (sorry!), but I know there has been recent research to suggest that even diet drinks can hinder weight loss. They monitored a group of people on diets who drank diet drinks and another group on diets who didn't and the people who drank seemed to gain weight.
  • maikuljay
    maikuljay Posts: 5
    The best thing I ever did with my life was learn to love plain water. A nice glass full after a workout is just heaven but if you still struggle then watch the film 127 hours lol

    + a protein shake son,



    OP, it's really a personal choice .. soda for me is something i really really enjoy.. I love a coke in the morning/at night/ weekends whenever.. BUT sugar is sugar.. So I cope with switching to diet... the chemicals probably are bad for you but everything's bad for you.

    Your killing yourself right now breathing oxygen.

    Everything in moderation - the trickiest part i've found with weight loss is sustaining the positive attitude and not giving up. Some people can do that being strict as a nun. I however MUST indulge.. In between times to curb the cravings I drink diet coke..

    Not this coke zero Shiit, that is terrible.
  • bayertablets
    bayertablets Posts: 213 Member
    I drink Sprite Zero:

    Zero caffeine, which I've been off for almost 4 years now
    Zero Calories
    Zero sugar, though it does still contain aspartame

    and only 35 mgs of sodium in a 12oz serving!

    I love it. <3
  • mistresseeyore
    mistresseeyore Posts: 717 Member
    I never got addicted to sodas growing up. My parents wouldn't let me have them, so I just don't like the taste of any kind of soda now that I'm an adult.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,412 Member
    I pretty much gave up soda years ago, will split one occasionally but usually have something else. After a while I did not miss it, don't like the aftertaste of any diet soda, so when I indulge it is the real thing with sugar.
  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,343 Member
    I drink Sprite Zero:

    Zero caffeine, which I've been off for almost 4 years now
    Zero Calories
    Zero sugar, though it does still contain aspartame

    and only 35 mgs of sodium in a 12oz serving!

    I love it. <3

    zero sugar and cals = chemicals. i don't see much in nature that is zero cals besides water...and maybe an odd celery stick or cucumber slice.

    the one MFP'er told me once...they had a friend who worked in a convenience store. the plastic "grill" under the fountain soda area had eroded the plastic around it from the over-flow of soda. made me think more about that.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    Hey,

    I can't remember the name of the study or any specifics (sorry!), but I know there has been recent research to suggest that even diet drinks can hinder weight loss. They monitored a group of people on diets who drank diet drinks and another group on diets who didn't and the people who drank seemed to gain weight.

    in that highly debatable study, they tracked self-proclaimed soda vs. diet drinkers and learned of a correlation between choosing diet soda and being overweight. (Please remember that correlation is NOT causation) They did NOT control for diet, meaning the participants could (and did) eat whatever they chose. So that study is badly flawed, to say the least. If they wish to do a real study, they need to isolate diet soda as the variable being tested. By not contolling for diet, they invalidated their results.

    Besides, Coke Zero is friggin delicious.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    I drink regular Coke when I want soda. I drink one maybe ...once a month at best.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    I like diet soda.....especially if it keeps from binging.....which really would hinder my weight loss.
  • harleigh67
    harleigh67 Posts: 131
    I grew up the queen of soda pop! As a kid we drank coke, then I switched to RC and then to pepsi, I drank a 24 pack of cans a day and thats no joke...I bought 7 - 24 packs every week. always hated water and I hate the taste of diet...don't like the low calorie ones either it is never the same....and they are a joke any way, high sodium isn't good chemical sweetners to give them taste are horrible.....can pop be given up yes but its very hard cold turkey.... so whats best is to fully cut the pop..when I quit last time I found that cutting back gradually works best and allows you to add more water to diet, I like ocean spray white peach singles added to my water to give it a taste and they are only 5 calories....also like propel . so i cut back to every other drink was pop for a few days, then every fifth was a pop for a few more days... then only 1 in am for a week then I quit and took an aleve and tylenol every morning for a week to prevent caffine headache, That helped me get off of it, once off I lost an additional 25 pounds in the next month and a half....I went back to pepsi after awhile and it sucked me right back in now I have to quit again...Stomach Problems! Good Luck with whatever you choose, but honestly quitting pop altogether is best!
  • BrendaPetersen
    BrendaPetersen Posts: 69 Member
    Sorry, firm believer in water, water, water only :)
  • lovelee79
    lovelee79 Posts: 362
    Sorry, firm believer in water, water, water only :)

    I too believe in water only. :drinker:

    OP: Check out this movie about aspartame: 'Sweet Misery'

    Here is a small clip:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-gA0wvi84
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Sorry, firm believer in water, water, water only :)

    Wow, your drinks must be really interesting!

    Bottom line is no, Soda does not hinder weight loss as long as you account for the calories.

    No, diet soda does not hinder weight loss in the vast majority of people. In fact it helps them as they are consuming fewer calories. The trouble starts when they think just because they are drinking diet soda they can then overindulge on food. Again, it's not the diet soda that is causing it, it's the persons choices.

    If diet soda causes you cravings for sweet things, again, its the person's choice to eat more. Diet soda itself will not hinder weight loss.

    As for aspartame, there have been no studies to show that, when taken in reasonable doses, it is harmful. There is a lot of scaremongering going on, especially on these boards. The fact remains that as long as you aren't having like 20 cans a day, and you have no reaction to it, aspartame is safe.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Sorry, firm believer in water, water, water only :)

    I too believe in water only. :drinker:

    OP: Check out this movie about aspartame: 'Sweet Misery'

    Here is a small clip:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-gA0wvi84
    Is aspartame safe?

    Yes. Aspartame has been tested for more than three decades, in more than 200 studies, with the same result: Aspartame is safe. In fact, the FDA Commissioner, upon approving aspartame, noted, “Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety.”


    Have other regulatory bodies reviewed aspartame's safety?

    Yes. In addition to FDA, aspartame has been reviewed and determined to be safe by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission, and the regulatory bodies of over 100 countries.


    Have independent health organizations reviewed the safety of aspartame?

    Yes. The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association (ADA) have reviewed research on aspartame and found it to be safe. In fact, the ADA’s 2004 updated position paper states, “A comprehensive review of the safety of aspartame has recently been published. The review covers previous publications as well as new information that support the safety of aspartame as a food additive and negates claims of its association with a range of health problems...” Links to numerous other health organizations, which have confirmed the safety of aspartame, can be found at www.aspartame.org.
  • petes58
    petes58 Posts: 13 Member
    Just setting all arguments about appetite stimulation effects to the side, the largest study looking at diet sodas, the Framingham study showed that consumption of all types of soda, be they sugar-containing soda or diet soda, and even only one per day, was strongly associated with development of the metabolic syndrome: that includes weight gain, pre-diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The bottom line is, avoid them if you can. Splurge on them if you have to, but limit it.
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