So I've recently cut down my calories and carbs (I count both) and I am not allowed any caffeine due to health reasons - SO my question is, I recently started drinking diet coke - its super hot here and I sometimes need something aside from cold water/coconut water/fresh fruit juice to drink.

Plus every evening I get ridiculous cravings, and so I've started just drinking a diet coke (300 ml can) every other evening when I get those cravings. Diet coke has barely any calories and no carbs, but I've read all sorts of conflicting ideas about it, does anyone have any experience with diet sodas and whether they interfere with weight loss? Thankss!!!

P.S. I've never been a major diet coke drinker, just started drinking it about a week ago, and I plan to phase it out once I'm somewhat in control of my binging habits.

For me, it did nothing to hurt my weight loss. I drank Diet Coke before and I still drink it now.

Isn't there caffeine in Diet Coke? Or is it a caffeine free version? Sorry I don't know much about coke.

I know lots of people who drink it while losing weight and they seem to be fine! I'd say as long as you're still drinking water too it should be ok.

@LeilaJey - Oops sorry forgot to mention that it's diet coke with caffeine. Ah, great, tx!

@sontaikle - Phew, thanks, thats good to hear!

I always drink diet "insert any soda here" and have never had an issue losing weight.

The key is moderation of course. I'm honestly more concerned with discoloring my teeth than how it affects my weight loss LOL.

Thumbs up for Diet Coke. (Also, try Diet Dr. Pepper. It's delicious.)

Diet Sodas are incredibly bad for you and insanely addicting. They have lots of caffine and are made of all chemicals. If you do not mind eating/drinking chemically based products then go for it! I had drank diet sodas most of my life, but finally gave them up two years ago. It was harder to give up diet drinks then any other thing I have done! Not sure why, but I was so addicited to that fuzziness. After doing loads of research, having a child allergic to chemicals in foods, and trying to live a whole food type lifestyle, I kicked the habit. There is a great website (sweetpoison) that tells of all types of problems people have with drinking/eating artifical sweeteners.

I do drink some stevia based sodas. Stevia is a natural sweetener with no calories. The drinks tastes so good on a hot day! But iced tea with a wedge of lemon is my favorite summer drink.

It is my personal experience that artificial sweeteners really bumped up my hunger levels and sugar cravings. I guess it was a case of my body thinking it was going to get some sugar, and when it didn't get any it started a tantrum :-)

Other people here do not seem to be affected by artificial sweeteners in this way, so you might not either, but that has been my experience.

@mammasita - Ah! My poor teeth! So true! I never thought about that..

@Nibbles - Haha I've never been a fan of even regular Dr. Pepper (I know, I know, my friends think I'm an oddball)

@Isabunny - I use stevia too, and I had NO idea there were stevia based sodas, thats the best news I've heard all day! Thank you!!!!!!! I know, I've just about gone from being a processed and sugar food junkie/major meat eater/coffee addict, to a whole foods eating vegan (and with restrictions like no citrus fruits, tomatoes, aubergine etc.), so I thought I would allow myself that one vice, but now that there's a stevia based soda, I might not have to! Again, thanks a bunch!

@gardendiva - That's good to know! I've read online about that happening to people, and so I wanted to ask around - thanks!

If you're not allowed any caffeine due to health reasons, are you drinking the caffeine free version?

That's the only problem I see...I drink diet dr pepper and coke zero and I love it. Doesn't give me sugar cravings, but everyone is different.

Whoops sorry I meant the diet coke *without caffeine, not with. That's great, I hope I have the same response (of no sugar cravings) to it, thanks! I'm going to try it out till I can find out more about some stevia based sodas.

I've always noticed that any sodas make me retain a lot more water. I doubt they actually mess up weight loss, but if I haven't had a soda in a week and then I drink one I will weigh more the next day.

I can have light colored sodas but I pretty much totally gave them up. Dark colored sodas combined with tea and coffee caused me to get a huge kidney stone. I'm a kidney stone producer anyway but they cause them to form bigger than they usually would according to my doc. and the type of stone i tend to get.

I used to drink it but then got concerned about the health issues.

I had a nutritionist explain to me that science doesn't fully know how our body processes artificial sugars and they know it isn't completely broken down and there are some elements of it that are not secreted and they truthfully do not know where it goes in the body so they cannot know the effects of long term use.

That freaked me out into giving it up. What I started doing was mixing juice with Club soda to make a healthier pop. Over time, I added less and less juice (even 100% natural juice has a lot of sugar) until now I drink club soda straight.

I know it sounds strange but club soda really satisfies my pop cravings now.

I love diet dr pepper. The times I've lost the most weight were times when I've had it on hand. When you want something sweet, it tastes sweet enough to take care of it. When you just feel like eating, drinking it gives you something (relatively) harmless to do with your face besides stuff it. At the end of the work day, when you're hot and tired and want to reward yourself, *sigh.* I drink it because I get thirsty a lot. I like that it's yummy. It makes healthy eating feel less like you're dieting or depriving yourself. That's just how it works for me though, everyone's bodies work very differently.

i allow myself one can of diet soda a day, usually at night, when my food cravings kick in. i either drink a diet soda, or chew the new dessert gum. it has really helped me control my cravings so far.

everyone is different though. if you feel like you are feeling more hungry after drinking a diet soda, dont drink it. drink some crystal light or something instead!