Is there anyone who drinks diet soda regularly and does not have it affect weight loss at all? I love Diet Pepsi and am not at a point where I can give it up or cut down much. I drink maybe 2-3 glasses a day. It's a 'treat' that I really enjoy the taste of, and I look forward to. I know that it is supposed to increase your appetite and therefore cause you to eat more calories, and that the artificial sugars are bad for you. But I still love it.
I guess I'm looking to hear it's ok to keep drinking it and not have it affect weight lose too much. Also, I'm curious- is there anything "bad" for you that you continue to eat/drink and still do good with weight loss?
I'll be curious to hear answers also. I drink a lot of diet coke. Sometimes as many as 5 or 6 a day! I have cut back to 2-3, but I know its still too much. I am having a hard time loosing these last few lbs, and i think if I drank water in place of the cokes it would help. My hubby cut out all sodas a few years ago, and is convinced that every bad thing in my life is a direct result of diet coke, lol. We go round and round about it!
I love my Coke Zero too!!! I have cut way back on it, and I refuse to give it up totally. I try to stick to 1, no more than 2 cans per day and I drink tons of water. I guess it's all the chemicals that are bad for you. I'm doing way better than I was and that's all I can do right now.
After taking microbiology you couldn't pay me to touch that stuff...nonetheless drink it. But I understand guilty pleasures/treats. I still eat a slice of whole grain bread (I bake my own) every once in a while even though I know I should really be cutting more carbs.
I used to drink diet soda a lot. However, it did stall my weight loss. In my experience anyway because it made me retain water. I gave it up completely. Now, I drink a diet soda once a week or every two weeks.
Like any bad habit to break, it takes time, and you need to be ready. I have a friend that has tried every diet from weight watchers, to quick weight loss, to nutrisystem, etc, and they all told her to stop drinking diet coke. She only has one a day. (it's more like her morning cup of coffee) and she hasn't been able to lose any weight.
Sorry if I wasn't much help! Just wanted to share my thoughts on it.
I have definitely noticed that drinking diet soda affects my weight loss. I'd say it can be about a 5lb difference, for me - meaning, all other things being equal, I can weigh up to 5 pounds more when I am drinking 1 a day vs. 0 a day.
I've also read somewhere that apparently although you can lose weight, the fat cells never go away, they just are small and not full. Supposedly diet soda can inflame those fat cells, so you look bloated and heavier even if you're not. (I couldn't find the article, so I may be VERY wrong on the details of this!)
In the past it hasn't affected my weight loss, but lately I have been feeling bloated and yucky a lot. I really need to up my water intake, I barely get two bottles in a day. I have a newborn and 3 year old and it's hard to remember to drink drink drink all day, lol! But I need to.
Unfortunately I have the immature mentality that if something is "forbidden" or "bad" then I want it even more! So I'm not ready to give up my diet pepsi yet. I need a naughty treat everyday or I start to feel restricted and am more likely to binge.
I confess that I also eat Stoufers French Bread Pizza at least once a week!
I've also read somewhere that apparently although you can lose weight, the fat cells never go away, they just are small and not full. Supposedly diet soda can inflame those fat cells, so you look bloated and heavier even if you're not. (I couldn't find the article, so I may be VERY wrong on the details of this!)
I know the first part is true, or at least that's what I was taught in my human anatomy class. That fat cells don't go away...they get bigger and smaller, and you can make more...but they don't go away. I'm not sure of diet sodas effect on them though. Worth researching I guess!
I would definitely limit your intake. The sodium is pretty high and can cause you to retain water.
I used to be an avid pop drinker. Then I started having a negative reaction to caffeine and switched to decaf. Once I detoxed (it was killer), I gradually weaned them out. It made a huge difference in how I felt. Now, I drink maybe 2 a month.
I also think you have to be careful of "treats". If you're eating more than 1 day, I don't think it's a treat.
I actually don't drink soda so much and seeing the good point about the sodium I should say that I drink iced tea I make myself with artificial sweetner (a mix of Splenda & Stevia) these days. So... sodium in my diet drinks isn't an issue.
I sometimes drink splenda orange soda or splenda coke as Aspartame makes me really sick.
When I lost 110 pounds a few years ago, I drank all the Diet Mountain Dew I wanted. I knew it wasn't healthy, but it honestly helped me stick to my plan, which ended up with me being at a healthy weight. (I gained 80 pounds back with my pregnancy, but that wasn't related to diet soda at all!)
For some people, it makes them crave certain foods. But it's not that way for everyone. If you enjoy it and it helps you stick to your calorie limit and you're ok with taking in all the chemicals (that's the part that bothers me!), then I don't think it's a problem. If you're trying for a truly healthy diet with whole foods and no processed foods and chemicals, diet soda wouldn't have a place in that. I try to be as healthy as I can with my choices, but I do still drink diet soda. One day I'll give it up! But I just wanted to say you certainly CAN lose weight while drinking it and it doesn't stall weight loss for everyone. It didn't for me when I lost all that weight, and I was very fit and healthy after losing the weight.
Diet Soda
