I wanted to see what you ladies think -

I drink 5+ litres of fluid a day (including caffeine and decaf tea too). - yes i am actually that thirsty, no i do not have an any underlying health issues around that, i am just a big sweater and in a dry enviro at work etc etc.

I use Crystal Light (and Nestea type drink flavors) a lot. Like 6 or so single serve packages a day

I sometimes have diet pop as a 'treat' if i am really craving something sweet - although less and less as the bubbles are really getting my belly extra 'bubbly' if you know what i mean!

Do you think the artificial sweetness in these drinks helps curb the sweet tooth or just make it worse because it is not 'real' sweetness?

I am trying to decide if I cut it out entirely, down to just one "serving" a day, or use it to get over a potential binge/craving?

Just kinda confused and would appreciate your thoughts/experiences

Good question! I'm interested to see what others say. I read about the whole speal of "fake sugar makes your brain think it's getting sugar, and when it doesn't, it makes you crave more sugar." Personally, it hasn't been true for me. I tried dropping diet pop, and all artificial sugars, and I still craved snacks and sugar like crazy. I dropped real sugar (at least massive, unnecessarily added amounts of it), kept fake sugar, and boom, cravings stopped. Of course, compared to some, I don't get that much of the fake stuff. I have one can of diet, caffeine free Pepsi every day, and maybe half a packet of Splenda on my oatmeal in the morning. So maybe that's why it doesn't bother me?

I would love to cut out both real sugar and fake sugar, but I find that to be an unbearable notion. And as real sugar seems to be doing me more harm, I'm going with getting rid of that, even though it seems somewhat counter intuitive.

I think it may depend on the sweetener. There have been articles that the sweeteners can lead to some issues with insulin, but I haven't found that to be true for me. For me, putting splenda in my drink (usually no more than 3 packets) helps me to satisfy my sweet tooth. But, you can't go crazy about it. I think it really depends on how many carbs are in the item that doesn't have sugar.

I love sweets! If I didn't eat sugar substitutes, I would eat sugar. So for me, they are helpful! I have a few Coke Zeros a week and a few sugar-free hard candies a day when I have cravings, especially at work. I also use Splenda to sweeten things like corn and cereal.

They may not be perfect, but they are a useful tool for me.

Just do a little research on artificial sweeteners!! Aspartame is so bad for our bodies..

I've read about sweeteners making your body think it's getting sugar also and actually made an effort to cut down some.

I honestly don't get into the 'artificually sweeteners will kill you' mentality, my philosphy is everthing in moderation.

But 6 packets of crystal light a day? Wow, not from an artifical sweetener stand point but the expense, that's like 3 boxes a week?


I"m cheap and put one packet into a 32oz bottle of water. I've gotten to the point that a regular serving is just way too sweet. Which I think is good. If you slowly tone down the amount of sweetener, eventually you get to used to less sweet drinks and then a Diet Dr. Pepper cherry flavor is like an ice cream treat.

I've cut out a lot of the soda because of an article I read about the carbination being bad for your teath and then my dentist mentioned it also.

I'm using ~4-8 packets of sweetener a day and haven't had any problems causing cravings.

Your body may like to have some more just plain water every once in a while.

Unless you are binging on sugarless candy or the like, I do not think a bit of Splenda or whatever to make recipes taste right is a problem. However, everbody and I mean every BODY is different- you have to experiment and watch how it affects you. It can be a great tool or a problem.

I too have heard that artificial sweeteners can be bad because they trick you and make you crave/eat more sugar, and I have found that to be completely untrue for me and my body. I avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague for the most part, but I do enjoy a Diet Coke every now that then (0-2 times a week, depending on the week). I've found that I can use Diet Coke in place of something with real sugar as a satisfying dessert. At the end of the day, I feel like I've had a treat, but I'm not adding any calories, and I appreciate that.

thank you ladies!!! i appreciate the comments, feedback and reinforcement.

I am cutting back to two packages a day (so one 1lt bottle for me) as it is really expensive! and i am sure it is not doing me any 'good'.

i think i will also save diet pop as a 'treat' when i am out for dinner as the bubbles are not really making me feel great...

i really appreciate you all taking the time to comment !! thank you!!!

I'm in a little l;ate, but I use the wlamart generic for Splenda, in my coffee. I gave up smoking, I don't drink much booze ever, maybe twice a year, and I've given up junk food. I NEEDS my coffee still! And my choices are sugar or the fake stuff. Sugar has calories and the fake stuff doesn't so for me it's a no brainer. I'm sure it isn't good for me, but neither is the extra 93 lbs I've been carrying around the lat 1.5 years!

Just MHO
Barb

barb - i totally agree! people were giving me a hard time about how much i was using these products. i dont smoke, only drink twice ayear and no junk to speak of sooo... cut me some slack right

thanks!!! i feel better knowing that we are all coping in our own ways... i have cut back and will continue to stay at this 'lower' level of consumption...

As usual, I've written a long essay to convey a fairly straight-forward, simple message. For those of you who don't have the time or patience for my novels, the moral of Colleen's very long story is,"We all have to do what works best for our unique selves."

The unabridged manuscript:

There's only been one study of which I'm aware that found that rats who drank water sweetened with aspartame ate more sweet foods when given the opportunity than rats not given the aspartame sweetened water.

That's certainly not enough information to conclude that all sweeteners cause humans to crave more sugar.

And there's no evidence at all that this "hungry for more sugar" experience doesn't happen as much or more with real sugar, yet people are also saying that you should "eat real sugar" because artificial sweetener makes you hungrier for sweets than real sugar does (there's been absolutely no support in the research for that claim - in fact, quite a bit the reverse. Sugar is at least as likely to increase hunger for more sweet flavors - so eating "real" sugar probably is no better).

But one thing to keep in mind, humans are not rats, and we have abilities that rats do not. Rats aren't able to keep a food journal and set and keep a daily calorie limit.

When you keep a food log, you can also write notes in it about how hungry you feel, what you're craving, how you're feeling physically .... and if you see patterns that concern you, you can take corrective action. If aspartame gives you headaches, or you get extra hard to ignore cravings after eating Splenda-sweetened treats, you can decide for yourself whether the food is "worth the trouble."

My food journals helped me discover that I have a reaction to wheat (that seems worst with bread, so maybe I have a secondary allergy/sensitivity to yeast or some other bread ingredient). I'm avoiding wheat, and planning on eventually getting allergy and celiac tested.

I find that on a very low-carb diet (Atkins induction level) with no sweets or sweeteners of any kind - that I am the least hungry, but I'm also the least enthused about my diet. I feel most like I'm on a diet, and do not feel I'm eating on a plan I can stick with. I also lose the most weight (still not fast, but a whole lot faster than on a high-carb diet of the same calories).

Artificial sweeteners seem to make me hungrier for sweets, and hungrier in general, but the effect seems FAR LESS intense than real carbohydrates do. If I eat something too sweet, even some fruits I find that I feel like I'm "starving" within an hour. If I eat protein with the piece of fruit, this doesn't happen or is less bothersome.

I find that the emotional satisfaction of having sweet treats is more valuable to me than the small difference in hunger. As a human being, I can choose to ignore hunger, or satisfy it with a zero or low calorie snack.

I do find that my particular downfall is mindless eating - eating without a plan. As much value as I place on food journaling - it's also something I find very easy to abandon. I'll do great for a few weeks, and then get lazy.

Without a plan, I do eat more like an animal (an animal with good table manners) - letting my hunger and cravings guide my eating. When my intellect is in control, and I'm aware of what I'm eating, artificial sweeteners do not seem to affect my weight loss at all. I just can't afford to go on "auto-pilot," especially using artificial sweeteners, and even more so on a high-carb diet.

What a great convo, I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

Happy2be, I actually used to drink a *ton* of Crystal Light. What I found is that it was making me more thirsty! So I'd drink more CL and it was a vicious cycle. It's definitely helped me get over binge-urges, but I've tried to eliminate it.

Artificial sweeteners in general, though... I'm not sure. I always want something sweet at the end of my meal, especially dinner. If I have something sweet, then I'm not hungry anymore and I'm set for the night. If not, I'm setting myself up for a binge later on. Maybe it's an addiction, maybe it's biological, I don't know, but I don't mind eating a 50 cal piece of chocolate or having some ice cream, especially if it helps me stay on track.

Artificially sweetened foods tend to taste bad to me, so I might get a sugar-free fudge pop, eat it, be totally disappointed, and want something else sweet. But as the majority have said - I think everyone is different.

wow - i didnt expect this level of discussion over this ! this is amazing! i love hearing how you all are so different and that i am not 'off my rocker' in my decisions... thank you both (and all) for the additional comments! very very interesting indeed

I am on this "no artifical crap" kick right now - I am trying to cut back on MSG, HFCS, and trans fats. While I was pregnant with my son, I sort of developed a taste aversion to artifical sweetners.

Anyways- No one can convince me that artifical, man-altered chemicals are good for you... but I think MOST things in moderation are just fine. It is the over indulging that is bad. (like those commercials that say HFCS is just fine for you in moderation MAKE ME CRAZY. Of course it is ok in moderation... the problem is that HFCS is in EVERYTHING. it is hard to moderate it) I occassionally have a soda or diet soda. I occassionally drink a crystal light on the go. But, like HFCS, they put artificial sweeteners in a lot of things. (Grrrr.) I will see "reduced sugar" on something and think - GREAT! It was too sweet anyways (like instant oatmeal) and get it home only to find it is enhanced with artifical sweetner. I WISH they would make soda with 1/2 to 1/4 the sugar and just leave it at that.

Yes... I am ranting. I am so sorry. I really didn't mean to.

I OFTEN take seltzer water and add a splash of juice or a tablespoon of juice concentrate to it. I get the satisfying bubbles, a little bit of sweetness from the juice and they only end up being about 40 calories.

So - I would say, IMHO, that you should drink it if you like it! Drink it if it helps! But try not to drink SO much. (which is what it sounds like you plan to do)