Energy Drinks...will they keep me fat? HELP!

[mypinkpolkadot]

As I type this I'm sipping on a sugar free rock star. I love the taste of these... and only 10 calories a serving. With a full time job, and gym, and trying to just breathe sometimes, I grab one of these. Are they bad for me? Will they affect my weight loss? Heres whats in them..(i only drink sugar free rock stars)


Rockstar Sugar Free Supplement Facts (serving size – 8 fl. oz.)

Calories: 10
Total Carb: 0 g
Sodium: 125 mg – 5%
Vitamin B2: 3.4 mg – 200%
Vitamin B3: 20 mg – 100%
Vitamin B5: 10 mg – 100%
Vitamin B6: 2 mg – 100%
Vitamin B12: 6 mcg – 100%
Taurine: 1000 mg
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract: 150 mg
Caffeine: 80 mg
Guarana Seed Extract: 25 mg
Inositol: 25 mg
L-Carnitine: 25 mg
Panax Ginseng Extract: 25 mg
Milk Thistle Extract: 20 mg

[JohnP]

Depends on what you consider bad.

Artificial sweeteners causes cancer in lab rats in massive doses so some people believe they causes cancer in humans in much lower doses than the FDA does.

Caffeine can be very addictive. (I'm an addict to the tune of about 200-400mg a day) If I don't get my caffeine I will develop a very nasty headache.

They cost a lot of money. If you spend $2 a day on energy drinks that's $60 a month you could put to something else.

In regards to your weight loss energy drinks will actually help. They can slightly reduce appetite and speed up your CNS thus causing you to burn a few more calories. (Very few)

[Lovely]

If you're thinking "bad" as in are they going to slow your weight loss... Probably not as long as you plan them in.

Each body is different, but there's no blanket rule that sugar free energy drinks are "bad".

[shakespearestoe]

They will most likely add unneeded calories to your diet and alot of the chemicals in them are not beneficial to you.

[kaplods]

Will they keep you fat? Absolutely not, as long as they are low-calorie or you budget for the calories (if you drank the full sugar ones and didn't count them in your calorie budget, that's a different story).

There are thousands of ways to encounter less-than-beneficial chemicals. Personally, I believe that environmental chemicals are far more dangerous than those approved by the FDA. Ultimately though, this is a personal choice. I highly recommend reading a book or two on food, cosmetic, and household chemicals (just type food additive guide in the amazon.com search button and a lot of good books will pop up. Read the reviews to find the ones you're most interested in and then check them out or order them through your library.

Once you know what the ingredients are, and the issues around the source and safety, you'll be less and less stumped by an ingredient label.

"Don't eat it, if you can't pronounce it," isn't terrible advice, but once you learn that some of those "mystery ingredients" are actually natural additives or even vitamins, you can make even better and less limiting choices.

[fatgyrl]

I'd just look at total ounces and what they recommend you not exceed and stay with in it... I have used them, they can be addictive used regularly though. I used to drink one in the afternoons when driving the ice cream truck as when it is a choice between an energy drink and falling asleep behind the week (long hot days) I felt the energy drink was a better choice.

[strawbariana]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing... I drink the monster absolutely zero. More than once a day and it seems to actually have sped up my weight loss but I've read that the artificial sweeteners in it could do some damage.