Chicks in Control - Diet Soda ( or Pop, cola, etc)

I've heard that the sweetener in diet drinks triggers hunger later on. Does anyone feel as though this is true....or not true for them?

I'm beginning to think that I need to cut out the soda not only for this reason but for the water retention it causes as well.

i usually have 1-2 cans of diet soda during the day...it hasnt caused a problem with water retention or with weight loss...it also doesnt trigger hunger for me, especially because carbonated drinks fill me up

but to each his own also....everyone else will most likely have a different experience than i've had

I drank one dt coke a week during my journey. It was more of a "treat" for me. To this day, I drink one maybe once every 2 weeks. I don't really crave it as often. I guess you can say I weened myself off of them. That one soda didn't hurt my weightloss, and I didn't find it made me hungry later. Like Alaskanlaughter said, carbonated drinks also make me full.

I've dieted with and without caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and sodas (sometimes without one of the three, and sometimes without all of them). I've also dieted with plans that ban carbohydrates, sugars, and even "sweet" foods.

For me, there's no difference in weight loss as long as I'm keeping a food journal and in some way limiting my food intake. For me, that almost always means a counting plan (exchanges or calories work best for me. I like exchanges best because I've been using them longest, starting in 1972 as an 8 year old member of Weight Watchers).

In my own experience, sweet foods and concentrated carbohydrates (like potatoes, pastas, and grains) do tend to make me hungrier especially for more sweets and carbohydrates. The stronger the sweet flavor or the carb count, the stronger the "I want more" effect. Processed sugar is by far the worst, but even the artificial sweeteners and the natural sugar in fruit and the starches in potatoes do trigger hunger and my sweet tooth.

I see it as a trade-off. I could decide to ban all sources of sweetness and concentrated carbs from my diet, or I can stick to a calorie/exchange budget.


I prefer the budget method than the banning method.

I have enjoyed my diet soda drinks all through my weight-loss journey. They actually have helped me stay on track as I view them as treats.

Everyone is different. :wave:

I also enjoy diet soda every once and awhile. I had gotten really dependent on it, and was drinking WAY too much. So now, maybe 3 cans a week, and only if I've gotten my water in for the day. I stopped drinking them in the quantities I was not because it was affecting my diet, or weight, but I worry about the chemicals in them. So, I cut way, way back.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/04/earlyshow/contributors/emilysenay/main2330142.shtml

There are a lot of studies like this one out there that show a correlation between diet soda and hunger. However, as with all things, it depends on you and how much you're consuming. Many people have no problem consuming a can or two a day.

As far as water retention goes, if you're drinking enough water, it shouldn't be a problem.

It honestly does not trigger my hunger.

*However* because I tend to go to a drive through "just" to get a diet soda, I limit myself because it lessens the temptation to get some other thing in addition to the diet soda.

I too worry a bit about the chemicals, so that (along with the trigger *behavior*) is why I've decided to eliminate them except at sit down restaurant meals (we don't go out to eat very often as a family, so it's an occasional treat now, and I don't even always choose it.)

I really try to limit my soda but that is more because of my goal to eat more whole/natural foods and I don't know of any soda lakes in nature lol!

If you find it doesn't make you eat more from your own food journaling then having a small amount is fine in my book!

I drink a fair amount of diet soda, but I'd eventually like to cut down. I don't think it causes hunger or cravings, though. As long as my diet is pretty restricted, I'll probably keep drinking it because it is a nice treat.

i have one can of diet soda at night with dinner...that's all i will allow

I actually find that it curbs my hunger so I have it every day. Although I have to say that it worries me a little because I know it isn't healthy in the long run.

Diet pop doesn't cause cravings or increased hunger for me, but I do notice water retention if I drink more than a can, so I've stopped drinking it except for the occasional treat.

Doesn't cause cravings or hunger for other foods - although it can make me crave more diet soda. If I have 1 - I'll have strong desire to have another, and another - and forget about my water.

It's not something I drink everyday like I used to since it's debatable how it'll effect our health later - mainly I read it can leech calcium from our bones and effect bones and teeth later...

There isn't a diet soda on the market that I can tolerate, but I drink a lot of sugar free Koolaid and Crystal Light (both aspartame, I believe), and I definitely haven't noticed any effects like increased hunger, etc. I like to keep calories from drinks as close to zero as possible at all times, and without those two products, I'd be FAR more inclined to go back to drinking a litre of Pepsi a day.

I find diet pop makes me crave carbs. THere are some studies that show a correlation between those who regularly consume artifical sweatners and and increased insulin resistance/diabeties.

I whole heartedly belive this. I was a diet coke addict for 10 years, boarderline diebetic and constantly craving sugar. I gave up the diet pop and within a month my sugars started to improve, I lost weight and I just generally felt better.

I try to stick to water or milk but if I want a soda now I just drink regular pop. Sure it has more calories, but I think of it as a treat so if I want it I just build it into my day.

diet soda does trigger hunger for me. Once the full-belly feeling from the carbonation subsides, Im always hungry. I try to stay away from it.

I have 1 pop daily...sometimes 2. It never makes me hungruer, but it does tend to dehydrate me, so I always chase it with extra water.

I don't find that diet soda leads to cravings for me, nor does it affect my wt. or water retention. Having said this, I limit it due to the fact that I allow myself hard sugar free candy (to avoid binges) and I am somewhat concerned about too much artificial sweetener. I do, however, take a few sips with my vitamins/meds, three times a day. A two liter bottle usually lasts almost a week and it makes the swallowing of approximately 8 pills (in one shot) go down way easier. On very rare occasions I have a full glass if I go out to dinner, but mostly I drink seltzer/club soda on such occasions.

I enjoy pepsi max probably a bit more than I should. That being said, it doesn't trigger hunger in me. If anything, it makes me feel like I'm having something "junkie", so I tend to feel satisfied longer if I have some. I do plan to cut it out eventually, but for now, it's helping me not eat as much, and the caffeine in it gives me extra energy.

I really should start to pay attention to that...well lets see I hadn't binged the past few days (started to track my calories again), but today I had a diet pepsi at lunch...& alas, I binged at the end of the day.

Its hard to say of the soda caused the binge for sure but I do know diet soda keeps my body needing/hooked on sugar even if im not getting it directly from the soda

I haven't been able to give up my diet soda quite yet. I try to drink more water, which my WW program recommends, but I find water to be so boring. I've tried Crystal Light and other drinks of that nature but they tend to be more acidic then my stomach likes and get sick on them after drinking a few. :(