Diet coke

The two sides of the coin are this;

Regular Soda contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, a really bad form of sugar that will give you the pounds and calories you don't want.

Diet Soda contains Aspartame, a man-made chemical that some people believe to be bad for you. I've never seen a truly successful study on proving that Aspartame has any negative effects although people out there will still vouch for it. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but hell, no matter what, it seems to be treating me fine.

I almost don't drink regular soda anymore. Once in a GREAT GREAT while I might have some classic Mountain Dew but once I got over my dislike of the taste of Diet, I began liking the various flavors. I usually drink Pepsi products but when it comes to a Diet Cherry Cola, Cherry Coke Zero wins hands down with me. I just tried that Diet Cranberry Sierra Mist today and that was really good too.

Oh, another argument I've seen about how DIet soda will "cause you to gain weight" is because some people are foolish enough to believe that because their drink with their meal has 0 calories, they can eat more food. I don't know how many people actually try to practice this but my food is my food and my drink is my drink. I've never had that problem. I've been drinking diet for a while now, I'm pretty healthy and I'm losing weight.

My cousin, who is in the science field, said that even if Aspartame was harmful, you'd have to consume inhuman amounts of it daily for a long time for it to have any real effect. Take that with a grain of salt but like I said, I'm all for the diet sodas.

If you stopped drinking diet coke, my personal belief is that it wouldn't matter unless two things... 1.) You're drinking so much of it daily that the small amount of sodium found in it, actually becomes a lot in your system for the day. This could make you hold water. or 2.) You are drinking a ton of soda and not enough water. I drink my soda but I still have over 8 glasses of water a day to ensure I get my pure fluids. So as long as your 8 glass minimum of water isn't 6 glasses of soda and 2 of water, and is more like 6 glasses of soda and 8+ of water, then I'd say you'd be fine.

I'm no professional in nutrition or anything but this is my experience and knowledge. Drink and be happy.

I remember reading in my research on this that carbonated drinks during meals may tend to make you eat more at a meal as the bubbles stimulate enzymes in your stomach (or something like that) and make you not feel full. I try to drink water during meals, but drink diet throughout the day. As far as water intake, because I could down a 2 liter bottle of diet soda in a heartbeat, I alternate between a bottle of water and a glass of soda. That way, I feel like I'm evening things out. The downside to sodas (diet or otherwise) is that it seems to deplete your calcium. So just make sure you are either taking a supplement or getting a decent amount of calcium, plus strength training. You are going to need those bones later

SPRITE ZERO IS GOOD TOO

Mmmm, I LOVE some Diet Coke. Especially from a can. A nice, cold can. I too, am addicted, and nothing matches it. I don't drink it every day, like I used to, because I wanted to cut down on the carbonation and caramel color for some reason. I never craved more sweets because of Diet Coke, but everyone is different. I've read all about how Diet drinks are bad because of Aspartame, but there are reports on how everything is bad for some reason or another. Moderation is, I believe, the key.

I have noticed that when I do drink Diet Coke, I can't lose weight. Two weeks ago, I decided to cut it out of my diet completly.. I had bad headaches but after the initial 4 days of being off the stuff, I feel great!! The inches started to come off. I do not know the science behind whether Diet is good for you but I know that it is not good for my body! I realized it once when I decided to give up pop for Lent and with out even changine anything else, I lost 10lbs.

I have read some things on diet soda that agree with the theory that drinking it while eating makes you eat more. I gave up carbonated beverages all together a while ago but I didn't notice a huge difference in my weight loss. What I HAVE noticed (and research supporting this is why i decided to give it up) is that my cellulite is less noticeable. I have very bad cellulite, not just on my butt lol it goes all the way down the back of my legs and the front, but it has gotten so much better since I gave up diet coke (i gave up the real thing when i started losing weight). Do your research, but deicde whats best for you. If you use diet coke successfully to stave off snacking then i say keep drinking it, just make sure you get your water in too.