thoughts about SPLENDA!

gettinslim123
gettinslim123 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I have been reading alot of articles and have no idea what to do when it comes to my love for artificial sweetners. I am a total sucker for sweets and splenda works well for me when baking or using it in my hot drinks.
I love splenda because it makes me feel as though I am indulging but it is zero calories and contains no sugar.
Now i know that many people are not a fan of artificial sweetners because of the ingrediants that it does contain and some believe it to be harmful. BUT I MUST KNOW.... is it going to slow me down or hurt my weight loss in any way?
Yes, i understand that people arent a fan of aspartame and such else but will it hurt my success?

Same question goes for diet pops, will they harm my results and rate of success. Let me know your thoughts!
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Replies

  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    If you don't overindulge artificial sweeteners are fine.

    The main supposed "issue" is that you may feel like eating after consuming them. If you don't have that problem they are fine.
  • PeaceCorpsKat
    PeaceCorpsKat Posts: 335 Member
    My thought - ICK!

    I used to eat a lot of artificial sweetners, but they made me feel awful. Now I am completely off them. Just thinking of them turns my stomach
  • ginncjb
    ginncjb Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks for asking this! I'm a newbie when it comes to artificial sweeteners, so hoping to get info here also.
  • k8wizzo
    k8wizzo Posts: 33
    This is an article I read last year about diet sodas and weight gain. You might want to check it out. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html
  • taratam83
    taratam83 Posts: 88 Member
    I notice if I eat too many artificial sweeteners (especially splenda) my knees start to ache some. That was mostly when I was doing the no sugar thing and making up for it in splenda sweetened drinks and jello :) I use Truvia now, which claims to be all natural. It tastes pretty good but I don't use it alone in a drink (coffee), I also add a tablespoon of natural coffee creamer or half and half. Overall, I think splenda is okay if your only drinking one or two packets a day, kind of goes along with the everything in moderation thing. I don't bake with anything artificial either so I can't say much about that. Good luck!!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Personally my favorite is Truvia but Splenda is easier to find and my 2nd favorite choice. Also depending on what you use it in Agave it is similar to honey.
  • xpedrosa
    xpedrosa Posts: 2
    If you need to use artificial sweeteners use Xylotol.
    I go to a Maximized Living chiropractor, they don't only treat you but teach you how to leave a healthy lifestyle to avoid future health problems. Stay away from Splenda, is proven to cause cancer.
    You can find it online and in health food stores.
  • cdcurrie
    cdcurrie Posts: 10 Member
    I drank a lot of diet pepsie to take the place of coke so I could forgo the calories but I too felt aweful... it took a long time to recognize the culprit. While I wish I could drink diet drinks to skip the calories, I could never go back to feeling like crap like before. I just have to make do with the occasional coke now and then. It does make me drink a lot more water.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    Stay away from Splenda, is proven to cause cancer.

    You have a link to these studies that prove this?
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    This is an article I read last year about diet sodas and weight gain. You might want to check it out. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html

    Correlation doesn't equal causation. People who have had weight issues/do have weight issues tend to consume diet products. It's not the only factor that can be assumed in their weight gain.

    The insulin in the mice was not statistically significant, which means it means nothing.

    Truvia/Purevia etc are processed derivatives of the stevia plant. It's about as natural as corn syrup.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    I consume relatively large quantities of splenda and, for that matter, aspartame. I have not been harmed by it, nor has it hindered my weight loss. In fact, I personally believe it helps. I have a horrid love of soda. Substituting diet soda (Coke Zero, in fact, which has both aspartame and splenda), has helped me reduce my calorie intake. I still have the occasional coke classic... but it's no longer an every day thing.

    Also... I'm pretty good at wading through scientific research. I'm satisfied that splenda and aspartame are both safe if consumed in reasonable quantities. If you decide to eat 20 cups a day... then I withdraw my endorsement.

    Good luck.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    I must be one of the lucky ones. I drink diet Pepsi, and put FIVE packets of sweet n low in my morning coffee every day.

    No headaches, no nausea, no cancer, no 3rd eye.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    If you need to use artificial sweeteners use Xylotol.
    I go to a Maximized Living chiropractor, they don't only treat you but teach you how to leave a healthy lifestyle to avoid future health problems. Stay away from Splenda, is proven to cause cancer.
    You can find it online and in health food stores.

    Xylitol is a pretty nasty loose stool inducer if consumed in more than sparing quantities. Chiropractors are noted for promoting nutty ideas with no basis in science.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Stay away from Splenda, is proven to cause cancer.

    This is false. It is not "proven". Dosage and context matter, as does the biological system used to test the hypothesis. There is no clinical evidence in humans that proves splenda causes cancer. Any correlative data can also be interpreted in other ways. Example: Obese people are more likely to consume splenda than thin, possibly because the obese are trying to become less obese or to manage illness or whatever. Obese people are also at greater risk for cancer and many other disorders. There's a correlation there... but the more likely explanation for the increased cancer risks in the population consuming the most splenda is... drumroll please... obesity. Not splenda.
  • Norinella
    Norinella Posts: 31
    Stay away from Splenda, is proven to cause cancer.

    You have a link to these studies that prove this?

    Thank you for being a skeptic. Also, WOW on your weight loss! Very impressive.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    ....
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member

    Thank you for being a skeptic. Also, WOW on your weight loss! Very impressive.

    I'm always skeptical about very broad statements like that. Always. It's like saying 'Busses kill people' without explaining how a bus could possibly kill a person. Is it by riding too much? Standing behind and inhaling fumes? No, it's by being run over by the bus. Specifics count.

    And thanks :smile:
    [/quote]
  • VanessaMFaulkner
    VanessaMFaulkner Posts: 82
    Personally I use Stevia
  • fuzz_pawz
    fuzz_pawz Posts: 106
    If you need to use artificial sweeteners use Xylotol.
    I go to a Maximized Living chiropractor, they don't only treat you but teach you how to leave a healthy lifestyle to avoid future health problems. Stay away from Splenda, is proven to cause cancer.
    You can find it online and in health food stores.

    EVERYTHING causes cancer these days...the air you breath can cause cancer- the makeup you wear.

    Everything is OK in moderation, even splenda...I use it everyday, more than once a day and have been for the past 5 years. I'm still living.

    BEWARE of xylotol- again in MODERATION.... if you don't believe me...then just wait for the effects on your GI tract...
    It causes diarrhea if you use too much of it.

    I know this because my boss is a diabetic and a lot of her "no sugar" products she gets have xylitol, and she has told me how bad it can be if you eat too much of it
  • Laura8603
    Laura8603 Posts: 590 Member
    i used to use Splenda a lot, but have switched to Stevia. I find my cravings are a lot less now that I'm not using Splenda. Not sure if anything has been studied about Splenda and cravings, maybe something along the line of the diet soda study, but for me I am sure it is related.
  • moeviegrl
    moeviegrl Posts: 52

    Thank you for being a skeptic. Also, WOW on your weight loss! Very impressive.

    I'm always skeptical about very broad statements like that. Always. It's like saying 'Busses kill people' without explaining how a bus could possibly kill a person. Is it by riding too much? Standing behind and inhaling fumes? No, it's by being run over by the bus. Specifics count.

    And thanks :smile:
    [/quote]
    I agree. Thanks for being a skeptic too. More people need to question statements and ask for proof in this world. Many don't and follow blindly. Good for you.

    Also, I have always used splenda or aspartame in my coffee. Years ago, I found out that I get migraines if I consume alot of aspartame so I cut it out of my diet as much as possible. That said, splenda has never caused a headache for me and I continue to use it on a daily basis. However, I don't drink sodas. When I started my diet, I cut them out completely. I had, in the past, occasional had a soda here and there. When I was drinking sodas, I was always bloated. Once I stopped drinking them, the bloating stopped too. That goes for before the diet too. Drink soda, bloat. Drink tea and water, no bloat. So maybe that's why diet sodas are attributed to increasing weight because they can cause bloating in some people? Not sure, but just a thought.
  • diet4amy
    diet4amy Posts: 9 Member
    I don't think there's anything wrong with artificial sweetners. The only thing I find is that when I use them even that in soda, I begin to crave sweets even more. So I try to stay away from them. There are so many natural sweets out there. It is just difficult to stick to the apples and grapes.:smile:
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    I've used aspartame since the early 80's and splenda since they started making it. I started mfp in January and I've lost over 30lbs so as far as weight loss is concerned, it certainly has not affected me!
    I'm not afraid of them. There are a lot of fear mongers out there. Use them, if they bother you, don't.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    I hate splenda, it has a funky taste. I use stevia in the raw. It has its own taste, but I love it! It's not artificial either :smile:
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    I have used artificial sweeteners since Equal first came out. I like Splenda best. To me, they all have some degree of an aftertaste, but IMO Stevia is, by far, the worse aftertaste of all of them. I have eaten Splenda whenever I wanted and however much it took to get the results I wanted. I have never died or even felt sick from it. And; it's never made me eat out of control either. As far as one sweetener being better, health-wise, than another? Splenda is derived from sugar. Stevia is derived from a plant leaf. Nobody has proven one safer than the other, so I would say use whatever you think taste best.
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    I love Splenda. I use it every day. I've done my research on it. I believe it's safe or I wouldn't use it.

    I stay away from diet soda. It's full of Aspartame and it makes me depressed. I drink a glass of iced tea with splenda or water and add a 0 calorie flavor to it.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    This is an article I read last year about diet sodas and weight gain. You might want to check it out. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html

    I read some of this article. The part that says drinkers of diet sodas had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference over 9.5 years is misleading. If a person isn't overweight, why would they drink diet soda? So, the people drinking diet soda were overweight and that's WHY they drank diet soda. They didn't have a bigger waistline BECAUSE they drank diet soda.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Splenda is horrible. It ran over my dog and seduced my wife.

    Artificial sweeteners are perfectly healthy in moderation, provided you don't have an intolerance to them.
  • LisaDunn01
    LisaDunn01 Posts: 173 Member
    Ideally, we eat whole, live, natural food and that includes sweeteners. Try yacon syrup, stevia (KAL liquid is pretty good)... there are many natural alternatives. I'm sure you can find something that works and would be good for your body. :-)
  • Laurej
    Laurej Posts: 227
    try Stevia, IT's all natural, zero cal substitute, plus, studies suggest it actually improves insulin resistance! :)

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