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 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.
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.
*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 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 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.
Diet Soda ( or Pop, cola, etc)
