[free1]

I've been a calorie counter since I started my weight loss journey. At the beginning, I had to reign in my 3,000+ calorie days so I allowed myself to have diet sodas and TONS of splenda products. It helped me replace my bad food cravings for lower calorie foods.

Now that I'm reaching goal, I've been thinking about cutting back/out splenda and diet soda completely. I've been working on it for about a week and noticed my carb cravings (and other cravings) have been smaller/more manageable. Anyone else given up diet soda/splenda and noticed a change? Wondering if this is just my imagination. I may allow myself a diet soda in the future or add splenda to my oatmeal, etc. However, for now, I'm trying to cut out as much as possible.

[betsy2013]

Yes......although I haven't totally cut them out. I also try to use Stevia instead of splenda because it's from a plant. The research from several studies have shown that artificial sweeteners may save calories while being consumed, but the chemical impacts actually make us crave sweets/carbs that much more so that the end result is that people often end up eating more instead of less when large quantities of sweeteners are consumed. With that said, I don't think the occasional diet soda (and by occasional, I mean maybe 1 per day) or a little Splenda on your oatmeal will sabotage your efforts. Have you noticed that a lot of these studies use vast quantities of products so it's sometimes hard to relate it to our own habits!

[hiddenstar]

Yes, stop the soda. It is hard but so worth it for your health and money. I was a soda addict. I have quit about 3times now. My biggest mistake is saying that i can have one if i went to a restaurant or something special. Both times led me back to full addict. This time i quit for good. I will not drink a soda for any reason. And guess what i am loving it. I really reduced all my cravings.

I read in a jillian michaels book that diet sodas increase cravings.

Good luck

[Psychic]

I've cut back on diet soda and other diet drinks a lot in the last couple of weeks. I find that I don't crave sugar all that much anymore. Even when I do, I opt for just a little real sugar or honey in tea, or I go for a piece of hard candy.

Recent research has shown that our bodies really don't know how to process fake sugars and that they can actually cause weight gain because it makes us crave sugary foods.

[Mer du Japon]

Yes!! I was a diet soda addict and I went cold turkey 6 months ago and feel fantastic!! I feel healthier and the cravings are gone...now I only drink sparkling water such as San pellegrino. I know many will disagree but I think cutting out diet soda has made a huge difference. I've lost 42 lbs in the 6 months since quitting. Plus I don't like having all those chemicals in my body anyways.

[Misti in Seattle]

Yes. I gave up soda and all forms of fake sugar quite some time ago. One of the smartest decisions I ever made!!

[Suzanne 3FC]

I also gave up soda and artificial sweeteners and I'll never go that route again. I also don't use so-called natural sweetener substitutes. If something contains a tiny amount of added sugar, such as a small amount needed to cut the acidity of a recipe, then I don't complain. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 10% of our calories come from added sugars. The soft drink industry recommends 25%

The only things I drink are filtered water and unsweetened tea. After a while, you won't crave the sodas or sweetened drinks again

[Skellig19]

I have no issues with Splenda and I used quite a bit. I have been careful about my soda consumption simply because of the amount of gas and bloating they give me! I exclusively drink diet soda as I can't handle the sweetness found in the "real sugar" kind.

The "studies" that say that artificial sweeteners cause cravings are all over the place. Just recently I read an article that the opposite had been proven true! Do what works for you.

[going2bskinny]

I notice it makes me eat more and have horrible cravings I even gave up gum because of this and I love gum lol.

I pretty much only drink water now or unsweetened tea rarely but sometimes I will splurge and get a can of blue sky zero calorie soda in cherry vanilla creme or the creamy root beer are really good and they only use stevia or truvia as the sweetener. I keep those to a very minimum though like a cheat meal type thing.

[Angelic Fruitcake]

I was a soda addict and cut it out cold turkey on February 13. I still crave it sometimes, but not as much as I used to. I found that I snack a lot less since I've cut it out of my diet.