Can stopping drinking diet soda help me lose weight? Why?

pussycat626
pussycat626 Posts: 129 Member
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
Ok so someone told me that if I quit drinking diet soda I'll lose more weight. Why is that? Is it true? Why is it "diet" then if that is the case? I'm kind of confused and feel kind of dumb for asking but I'm like the cat I have tons of curiosity lol
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Replies

  • jfluchere
    jfluchere Posts: 346 Member
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html
  • pussycat626
    pussycat626 Posts: 129 Member
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html

    Thank you :)
  • kysassyblonde1
    kysassyblonde1 Posts: 96
    If you want to quit them its best to slowly ween yourself off or you will have killer headaches, drink less and less of them daily till you down to 0!!!!! I tryed cold turkey and the afternoon headaches was killer!!!!
  • mammafrog
    mammafrog Posts: 176
    I'm not sure about if you will lose weight but the fake sugar is not good for you.
    I also agree wither ween your self or ask your doc for a small script of migraine med. They have caffeine in them like sodas. I had to take one a day for 3 or 4 days or the headaches will cause you to give in. I gave up regular coke on Dec 25
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Ok so someone told me that if I quit drinking diet soda I'll lose more weight. Why is that? Is it true? Why is it "diet" then if that is the case? I'm kind of confused and feel kind of dumb for asking but I'm like the cat I have tons of curiosity lol
    If someone told you could jump off a bridge and live, would you believe them? I mean.. 0 calories is welll, 0 calories last time I checked.
  • andrejjorje
    andrejjorje Posts: 497 Member
    Sorry, nothing personal but this is a super BS article. My personal opinion and here is why:

    1. This part of the text is completely breathtaking. :):) LOL!!!
    "And people who drank diet soda the most frequently -- at least two diet sodas a day -- had waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than people who didn't drink any diet soda, the study said."

    2. Here is a link from the abstract of this study (missing in the article by the way). The study is about elderly people (65-74 y) and after 9.5 y of monitoring and 2 diet colas/day the waist increase was less than 2 inch.

    http://professional.diabetes.org/Abstracts_Display.aspx?TYP=1&CID=86488

    Be aware this is a quantitative study and the results are not clinical significant.


    Come'n people. Please think a little bit before posting.




  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Ok so someone told me that if I quit drinking diet soda I'll lose more weight. Why is that? Is it true? Why is it "diet" then if that is the case? I'm kind of confused and feel kind of dumb for asking but I'm like the cat I have tons of curiosity lol
    It's zero calories. There are so many fallacies about diet soda out there by bloggers, opinionists, and so called "health gurus" that can't seem to back them up with actual peer reviewed clinical studies.
    For what it's worth, diet soda has no nutritional value, but I drink it for the "sweetness" and caffeine. I have at least 2 a day along with my separate 85oz of water.
    Unless you have bad reactions to the aspartame, it's not going to hold you back on weight loss.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
    It depends on the person. For me, it makes no difference. I been drinking diet pop as my candy, morning coffee. It does not cause me to crave sweets. Sometimes it helps me stop craving sweets. I have been successful by counting calories and eating more nutritious food than unhealthy junk food. But the diet pop is zero calories. So its my "fake" cheat junk food daily. :drinker:
  • xLyric
    xLyric Posts: 840 Member
    I don't drink it just because, personally, I like to get by without caffeine. That includes tea and coffee though, it's not just because it's soda, and I'm not doing it for weight reasons, it's just something I wanted to stop drinking. I have heard things about the carbonation, and of course all of the chemicals and such, but I get that in my lovely processed foods, so it doesn't really bother me either, haha.
  • Heidi64
    Heidi64 Posts: 211 Member
    I drink diet soda every now and again. I have noticed that I tend to snack more the more I drink, but that could be b/c I decrease my water intake at the same time. IDK, but I've pretty much been keeping to one soda, two cups of coffee, 9-12 cups of water and some sweets mixed in here and there, and it hasn't stopped me any. Maybe slowed me down, but I'm ok with that.
  • hjollyrn
    hjollyrn Posts: 208 Member
    Ok so someone told me that if I quit drinking diet soda I'll lose more weight. Why is that? Is it true? Why is it "diet" then if that is the case? I'm kind of confused and feel kind of dumb for asking but I'm like the cat I have tons of curiosity lol
    It's zero calories. There are so many fallacies about diet soda out there by bloggers, opinionists, and so called "health gurus" that can't seem to back them up with actual peer reviewed clinical studies.
    For what it's worth, diet soda has no nutritional value, but I drink it for the "sweetness" and caffeine. I have at least 2 a day along with my separate 85oz of water.
    Unless you have bad reactions to the aspartame, it's not going to hold you back on weight loss.

    ^^^this^^^
    I drink diet soda every day and have met my goal weight.
  • lorification
    lorification Posts: 29 Member
    I'm not sure about if you will lose weight but the fake sugar is not good for you.
    I also agree wither ween your self or ask your doc for a small script of migraine med. They have caffeine in them like sodas. I had to take one a day for 3 or 4 days or the headaches will cause you to give in. I gave up regular coke on Dec 25

    Excedrin and some other over the counter meds also have caffeine, so you don't necessarily need to get them from a doctor. You can also get plain old caffeine pills (like NoDoz) or drink tea or coffee.
  • xLyric
    xLyric Posts: 840 Member
    I'm not sure about if you will lose weight but the fake sugar is not good for you.
    I also agree wither ween your self or ask your doc for a small script of migraine med. They have caffeine in them like sodas. I had to take one a day for 3 or 4 days or the headaches will cause you to give in. I gave up regular coke on Dec 25

    Excedrin and some other over the counter meds also have caffeine, so you don't necessarily need to get them from a doctor. You can also get plain old caffeine pills (like NoDoz) or drink tea or coffee.

    I agree, when I stopped drinking it, I switched to tea. Then eventually I gave up the caffeine altogether. Yes you get a headache, but it goes away. It's not the big deal everyone makes it out to be unless you drink a ton a day and quit cold turkey. My headache lasted an evening and was gone the next day.
  • jennywren1971
    jennywren1971 Posts: 31 Member
    I was drinking up to 2 liters a day of coke zero or diet coke. I would wake up in the morning and have a coke. Stupid I know. I went cold turkey and I was a very sick girl for the first 24 hours or so. Massive headache, shakes, felt like throwing up - you know all your basic withdrawal symptoms.

    I was not drinking enough water because I was drinking diet soft drinks whenever I was thirsty, so I replaced the soft drink with 2 liters of water instead.

    I now still drink diet colas on occasion and as a mix for my bourbon or scotch. If I am out and about or socializing then I have the diet drinks rather than indulge in too much alcohol or other sweet treats,

    I find it curbs my need for something sweet and gives me a caffeine hit. it's sort of like an indulgence for me now and one I don't have to feel guilty about because it's no calorie.

    So I don't think diet drinks contribute to weight gain by themselves, I think it is what you eat with them or what it stops you from eating/ drinking eg water.
  • adoremeorelse
    adoremeorelse Posts: 7
    If someone told you could jump off a bridge and live, would you believe them? I mean.. 0 calories is welll, 0 calories last time I checked.

    Rather rude response. We're here for support and understanding, not FaceBook type juvenile snideness. Rolling on the floor and laughing to yourself over what you believe are stupid questions probably burns more calories than sitting down and typing unhelpful responses.
  • MsFat2Fit
    MsFat2Fit Posts: 59
    One friend of mine lost lots of weight by drinking lots of diet Coke (and hardly eating anything) – maybe not that healthy.

    I’m really addicted to bubbles; might have nowadays 1 can of diet Coke and then a few cans of soda water.
  • aylawill
    aylawill Posts: 65
    I stopped drinking soda (well, we call it pop, but same thing) almost 2 years ago, and have lots quite a bit of weight since then! I never really drank diet pop though, so I'm not sure if that makes a huge difference. Another reason I quit is the acidity of pop. It's really hard on your teeth, and also on the rest of your body. Coke and Pepsi are both pretty close to being as acidic as battery acid. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not put that in my body!
  • ComeAroundSundown
    ComeAroundSundown Posts: 69 Member
    Ok so someone told me that if I quit drinking diet soda I'll lose more weight. Why is that? Is it true? Why is it "diet" then if that is the case? I'm kind of confused and feel kind of dumb for asking but I'm like the cat I have tons of curiosity lol
    If someone told you could jump off a bridge and live, would you believe them? I mean.. 0 calories is welll, 0 calories last time I checked.

    This.
    I've been drinking it almost daily and lost 22 pounds. I've never in my life heard of anyone gaining weight (or not being able to lose weight) for consuming something that has zero calories. It's ridiculous and completely against thermodynamics.
  • KristinLeAnn252
    KristinLeAnn252 Posts: 136 Member
    I don't think cutting it will make you lose weight exactly but diet soda has a lot of sodium in it which will make you feel bloated and so it's possible if that's the only source of your bloating and you cut it, it will appear you are losing more weight. Also, studies have shown diet sodas cause you to eat more sugar (making you crave it) which obviously will make you gain weight, but I just don't eat that much sweets. I don't think I could ever completely give up soda. I've tried to cut down and/or drink the same amount of water as I do soda to hopefully try to combat some of that extra sodium.
  • jenna715
    jenna715 Posts: 201
    I think this debate will go on forever. Personally when I drink diet soda I just feel more bloated. I don't know why but I can definitely tell a difference for myself. About two weeks ago I started drinking a little again because my friend left a 12 pack of diet coke at my house. Once it was gone I banned it from my diet again.
  • YassSpartan
    YassSpartan Posts: 1,195 Member
    Diet Soda = Bad for you
    Regular Soda = Bad for you
  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
    I still drink diet soda, but this video really made sense to me, and just keeping it in mind has helped me cut back. It is a good argument for moderation in all things.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoAtwVyzZI
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    I don't think cutting it will make you lose weight exactly but diet soda has a lot of sodium in it which will make you feel bloated and so it's possible if that's the only source of your bloating and you cut it, it will appear you are losing more weight. Also, studies have shown diet sodas cause you to eat more sugar (making you crave it) which obviously will make you gain weight, but I just don't eat that much sweets. I don't think I could ever completely give up soda. I've tried to cut down and/or drink the same amount of water as I do soda to hopefully try to combat some of that extra sodium.

    Another myth! Diet soda does not have a lot of sodium in it. A 20 ounce bottle only has 70 mg.
  • strongwilled
    strongwilled Posts: 35
    i believe drinking the diet soda is not doing anything not even gaining or losing weigh or bad or good for you.... it is like neutral..... if it is bad for you then why would the doctor suggests my friend who have a diabetic to drink diet soda or crystal light if necessary in place of regular soda.... diet sodas are like neutral as long as you drink lot of water then it is ok
  • EDGEO11
    EDGEO11 Posts: 7
    Soda it's bad doesn't matter if it's diet or ) calories. It has the number 1 enemy "sugar". Our body needs sugar but the good sugar found in natural sources such as fruits and vegetables.
  • brandimacleod
    brandimacleod Posts: 368 Member
    bump. Want to come back when I have time to really absorb this. I need to quit diet coke.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Soda it's bad doesn't matter if it's diet or ) calories. It has the number 1 enemy "sugar". Our body needs sugar but the good sugar found in natural sources such as fruits and vegetables.

    There's no sugar in diet soda.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Yes. Fake sugars have a better chance of being deposited to your middle and changed into fat than say table sugar or pure cane sugar.
  • EDGEO11
    EDGEO11 Posts: 7
    they use substitute sugars! they use different names some weird ones High fructose corn syrup is the worse and most common use now on almost everything!
  • KristinLeAnn252
    KristinLeAnn252 Posts: 136 Member
    I'm drinking Diet Cherry Cola by Big K right now and it only has 20 mg of sodium, no carbs, sugars, or protein(obviously) and this is all of the ingredients: carbonated water, caramel color, phosphoric acid, aspartame, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavor, and caffeine.

    Not bad, I think.
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