How do you feel about Diet Soda?

diet dr pepper cherry for me.. keeps me sane when i am cutting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

I can't give it up- its a vice for me....I have cut back though! Pre-weight loss, I would easily take down 6 cans a day. Now I stick to one at lunch....and an occasional evening soda or when I go out to eat.

I have rekindled my relationship with water. We broke up for a long while and I started seeing diet coke. But DC got too distracting because I was hittin that 4-5 times a day. Well water and I got back together (what can I say, water has a nice dental plan!) and i'm back on board. NBD. I still see diet coke maybe once a week.. What can ya do, I get around.

I really wish there was a clear cut definite answer regarding "the diet soda" dilemma as I've been asking myself, and my doctors, that for years as I live on diet soda (diet mount dew, an occasional diet coke or diet pepsi), and I use to flavor my water with those crystal light packs but stopped using them because I got scared off because of the aspartame they contained (although I didn't give up the diet soda since when I tried I got headaches, was tired and well to be honest just missed it too much). Diet soda is something I don't think I could live without. I don't drink coffee so it's my java, and sometimes it's my breakfast or my snack.

I have epilepsy so I worried about the effects of diet soda (aspartame) on me and not even my neurologist could give me an answer. He him-hawed and went back and forth with himself and never said I couldn't drink it or that it was bad for my condition or with the medications I'm on.

So I am not worried about it. I think I felt worse not drinking it, than drinking it. And I LOVE it. The only thing I don't like is the bloatedness I sometimes get, but it's not all the time, so I think other factors come into play like other foods I've eaten that day, water, exercise etc.

I personally won't be giving it up. But I don't drink a ton of it a day except on rare occassions, and now I'm trying to work in more water too. But everyone is different and while one person might be OK with it someone else might not feel OK with it. And it's personal opinion too. It's like any food or drink where one day it's OK, and then one day you find out on the news it's bad for you, but then 5-10 yrs later you find out it was OK all along and it was actually something else.

Edit: oh and another reason it's a vice for me is because unlike the majority, i cannot drink alchohol, so when everyone else is drinking a beer, wine, or something else, i get to enjoy a diet soda

i dont like it....it has a gross taste to me....like most diet things do LOL....but that being said i dont drink pop/soda at all....i stopped drinking it 2 months ago....and i could care less if i ever had it again....i'd rather drink water or tea

I try not to drink soda, the reason being simply that it's just crap for your body. Since my goal is to eat and drink healthier, then why should I put that chemical-absolutely-nothing-nutritious stuff in my body? I've started brewing my own iced tea and making my own lemonade as additions to drinking water. When I make them myself, not only is it cheaper, I can also pronounce all the ingredients in them and know what they actually are. :bigsmile: Oh, and I do drink wine. There are some diet sodas I really like as made obvious in my last reply to this topic, but I am really striving to not have them.

I love my Diet Coke. No other soda will do. Although I only average about one 12 oz can a day, I've given it up this week all together just to jump start my weight loss.

I really miss it...look forward to tomorrow when I can have one again.

I've heard so many different views on drinking Diet Soda. How do you feel about it and why do you feel that way?

-- gatorgirlyyy

get set for craziness---

I drink 4-8 diet cokes a day. 12 ounce cans. I have for more than 15 years. Before that I drank Coke. Had to switch to diet as I went from a job where I walked miles of stairs every day to sitting on my butt. I have had none of the problems that you see scaremongers talk about with diet sodas. And I've had no problem losing 30 pounds in 5 months. Some people have claimed that diet soda causes spikes in your blood chemistry, etc. I've checked my glucose levels many times while drinking, before drinking, after drinking diet soda and my blood sugar changes the same as if I drink water.

Some people have bad reactions to artificial sweetners. They shouldn't drink diet sodas. Most people have no problems. Go with what works for you.

I can beat that craziness!!! I drink a 2 liter a DAY!!!! My only crutch! I just had blood work and its normal!

i dont like it....it has a gross taste to me....like most diet things do LOL....but that being said i dont drink pop/soda at all....i stopped drinking it 2 months ago....and i could care less if i ever had it again....i'd rather drink water or tea

What diets have you tried? There has been some great new flavors recently... at least new to me.

Diet Sunkist
Diet Mt Dew Supernova
Fresca Citrus and Fresca Black Cherry
Mello Yello Zero

Some of the best diets out there, in my opinion.

As for OP's question. I love diet, I drink it and water daily.

I could and have drank between 4 & 14 liters of Diet Pepsi a week, I have noticed that when I drink it I retain a lot of water due to the sodium in it, but if I drink alot of water it helps off set. I have cut back to 2-3 liters per week.

What about the sodium in Diet Soda causing water retention compared to just drinking water instead....? I mean, it's only 40 but multiply that times 10-12 cans a day! Woah! Not sure if there is truth to this.

Just thought I'd ask.

Luckly (or unluckly), I am on a blood pressure med that is a diuretic and the extra water leaves me anyway! Hey, maybe if I didn't drink soda, I wouldn't need the BP meds!! LOL!:devil:

I have a Diet Coke every day with lunch. Sometimes 2, depending on what we have for dinner.

I still drink it. I have one coke zero almost everyday in the afternoon. I'm a teacher and I need that pick me up in the afternoon. I drink water the rest of the day otherwise.

I know its bad for me, but I can't stay away. I drink at least five cans a week.