Diet Soda??? Your thoughts?

~ Whatever your " vice " might be ... make it work for you ! One a day won't kill you nor prevent you from losing weight. If we give up everything we love ... then what's the point ??? Happy and fit is my motto .... just make the numbers work for ya !

I drink diet soda most days. I try to make sure I have had my daily water intake first, but after that I dont have an issue with having any : )

enjoy!

Same for me. I was a diet drinker all day long. But now I try to get my water in first and then allow myself one or two diet drinks a day.

I do not drink any kind of soda. These drinks are loaded with chemicals and just unhealthy.

Eighty two coke zero saturated pounds says diet soda is delicious and doesn't stop weight loss.

My health is incredible, my teeth are strong, life is good and the coca cola corporation gets at least $2 a day out of me to support my habit. My delicious, HEALTHY habit.

Be aware that the sodium listed on the label is per SERVING, not per bottle or can. A 12 oz can is usually 2 servings, so if you drink the whole can, the sodium is double what is listed on the can.

Wrong.

A 12 oz can of soda is always 1 server, it is the industry standard.

Energy drinks, not so much.

45 lb lost, much of it floated away on a veritable sea of Coke Zero.
I choose not to worry about it.

I'm not 100% certain, but a fountain drink soda probably contains even LESS sodium than a can or bottle, since it's sold as a syrup and the carbonation and water (and lots of ice) is added in the fountain at the store or restaurant. Cans and bottles need a longer shelf life.

I drink no less than 3- 24 oz. bottles of Diet Pepsi a day everyday and have managed to lose 288 lbs. so in my opinion I think it is just fine....... Just my 2 cents......

From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.

The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?

And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.

Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.

If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.

Peace, Love & Veggies!

~Jacki

From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.

The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?

And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.

Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.

If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.

Peace, Love & Veggies!

~Jacki

Formaldehyde is a natural ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, meats, and mushrooms. It is processed by your body just like it would be from natural sources. As mentioned earlier, methanol is produced by the body naturally, it's not harmful.

As for the chlorine argument, you know what else has chlorine? Salt. Splenda is sucralose which is just like sucrose except for three of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chloride. Yes, I do want chloride in my body because it is necessary for most biochemical reactions.

Referring to chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine out of context is fear-mongering ignorance. Chemicals have many uses beyond the ones typically associated with them such as corpse preservation or pool cleanliness.

Personally I prefer to err on the side of safety. Anyway, as a previous poster said, I don't drink soda when I'm eating clean (not because of trying to lose weight), but I'll have a regular one every now and then on my cheat day.

From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.

The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?

And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.

Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.

If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.

Peace, Love & Veggies!

~Jacki

Formaldehyde is a natural ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, meats, and mushrooms. It is processed by your body just like it would be from natural sources. As mentioned earlier, methanol is produced by the body naturally, it's not harmful.

As for the chlorine argument, you know what else has chlorine? Salt. Splenda is sucralose which is just like sucrose except for three of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chloride. Yes, I do want chloride in my body because it is necessary for most biochemical reactions.

Referring to chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine out of context is fear-mongering ignorance. Chemicals have many uses beyond the ones typically associated with them such as corpse preservation or pool cleanliness.

Personally I prefer to err on the side of safety. Anyway, as a previous poster said, I don't drink soda when I'm eating clean (not because of trying to lose weight), but I'll have a regular one every now and then on my cheat day.

Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).

Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?

Be aware that the sodium listed on the label is per SERVING, not per bottle or can. A 12 oz can is usually 2 servings, so if you drink the whole can, the sodium is double what is listed on the can.

I disagree. 12 oz of soda is usually 1 serving. (Bottles are usually 2 or 2.5 servings)

12oz can of diet coke
Serv. Size 1 Can
Cals = 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carb 0g 0%
Protein 0g

12 oz Mountain Dew (Regular, not diet)
Serv. Size 1 Can
Calories 170
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 65mg 3%
Total Carb 46g 15%
Sugars 46g
Protein 0g


There are many worse / high calorie drinks to have. Example I had a Starbucks mocha for lunch. LUNCH! its was around 450 cals. Hot chocolate add to water packets are around 180. Add to milk is even higher. Teas can be better, but do you add sugar and honey? Even regular coffee, add some international delight creamer and you're creeping towards 60 cals. (per drink).

DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT DIET SODA I am okay with using diet soda as a crutch to losing weight and getting healthy. I'd rather focus on the 20% of changes that will make 80% of impact. Keeping diet coke and not feeling bad about it gives me more mental energy to focus on the big changes I'm currently trying to tackle - exercising and figuring out how to make my favorite restaurant meal at home in a healthier way.

Once I'm eating veggies and fruit daily, have exercise as a normal part of my life (not having to force myself to do it, like I do now), and have a personal repository of meal plans that work for me. After all that is in place I might find it beneficial to consider trying to take out the 40mg (sometimes 80mg) of sodium I drink everyday.


I'll guess that 80% of us have bigger things to focus on then Diet Soda and its health implications in regards to actualizing our weightloss goals.

Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).

Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?

This just seems like a reason to not try to eat better. Okay say everything is chemicals, there are better places to get your "chemicals" than others.

If you want to drink soda, diet or other wise fine, do it, but that does not mean its good for you.

Where did I say anything about not eating better? My point was that people get into a panic because something has "chemicals" in it. If people really want to avoid everything that they think is harmful then they would have to stop eating and drinking completely.

People saying that something is bad for you because it contains "x, y, or z chemical" without educating themselves about things is just scaremongering.

I have had my boss spew about artificial sweeteners increasing food cravings. Mind you I dont drink soda, but I do drink Crystal light, or other flavored water additives. I have not noticed any spiking in food cravings, I have not gained any weight. There is so much conflicting information - if you have not noticed anything with your weight loss and drinking soda, do what you desire.
You will hear people preach at you right and left - and all of it would be different.

And my point was that there are better places to get those chemicals. I do think that people are too quick to freak out when they hear that a scary sounding ingredient is used, but those ingredients being found in other sources does not change the fact that soda really does not have any positive nutritional value.