Dieting Club: 10 - 25 Lbs Community

Very bad! Diet soda contains aspartame which is a chemical the body breaksdown into furmaldehyde (embalming fluid)! It has 92 known side effects including brain lesions. I would avoid it all costs. Also it makes you crave (real) sugar which makes you binge on sweets and high carb foods. I'm speaking from personal experience here as well as from a lot of research I've done. A few years ago I quit drinking soda, then a few months later I started drinking diet cola, and I gained all the weight I lost, plus some. I gave it up about 7 months ago and feel a lot better without that poison in my body.

Well I have to disagree with the other poster. I have been drinking 2 diet Cokes a day (one caffeine-free) and it never had any impact on losing weight. It has zero calories, so there is no way in and of itself it can CAUSE you to gain fat, unless somehow it makes you actually eat more food. (I'm 41, and 113lbs right now, BTW) Actually, it's helped me stay on track because it's a treat to me and it keeps me away from things like cookies, chips, etc. in the afternoons. I haven't seen any definitive evidence/reliable research that it causes widespread health issues, except in a small group of sensitive people. There are many toxic substances we eat and breathe in every day, from plastics to air fresheners, to transfats, even now peanut butter is tainted. You could probably make a case that anything causes cancer or is bad for you. Heck, drinking too much water can actually kill you! I see it as a matter of trade-offs. Trying going without it for a while and see how it affects you. If you are fine and don't miss it, more power to you! But if you wind up overeating or don't see anything change in your health or weight loss, then maybe you don't have to give it up.

That's really good for you that you haven't gained weight from diet soda. You're one of the lucky ones. There have been studies (one being only about six months ago) that show that aspartame causes the body to secrete excess insulin which then causes cravings of sugar and complex carbs. Aspartame itself is calorie free, but the food it makes people crave, is not. and the fact that it's screwing wtih your endocrine system (regardless of whether or not one gives into the cravings) is highly disturbing. Aspartame has 92 KNOWN side effects. They're not rumors or heresay. They are very real and very dangerous. There have been many many studies on the effects of artificial sweetners (especially aspartame). Also, there is a very disturbing conspiracy with the FDA and Rumsfeld and whatnot...I'm not getting into that but it's alarming and I suggest everyone take a peek into it. Regardless of the controversy and conspiracies, the bottom line is, drink water. (That will only kill you if you exceed 10 liters in a relatively short period of time). It's what our bodies need.

I am a nurse and am currently studying Nutrition.

I have no scientific evidence to back up my comments, but I have noticed on days when I do allow myself to drink a diet soda (normally it is just water for me) then I also tend to take in more calories that day. Ever since I started keeping a food journal I have noticed that. I have also read that studies suggest that soda drinkers- including diet soda drinkers, typically weigh more that non soda drinkers. I have always remembered that and whether it's true or not I steer clear of all soda as much as possible- just to stay on the safe side I have a major sweet tooth and for me it does totally make me want more sugar... that's just me though. I am better off without it.

As a fellow nurse, I'm sure that you would not want to pass along conspiracy theories and rumor as health advice. You state that Nutrasweet turns into formaldehyde and there is a conspiracy with the FDA and Rumsfeld. Can you provide any independent, nonbiased cites for these claims? I am particularly curious as to the conspiracy connection between the FDA and a former Secretary of Defense.

I would urge those interested in this subject to follow this link to numerous debunkings of this internet generated rumor. snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

WTG Bettie! Thank you for posting the snopes site; I think it will help clear up some of the information given.

I do drink "diet" soda and was raised on them; my mom had Type I Diabetes from the age of 12 so she has done the gammet; sacchrin tablets to drops to asparatame and everything in between. She has never been overweight nor has she had insane cravings or crazy side effects such as those supposedly part of this whole conspiracy theory.

Now I do believe some people are sensitive to it just as certain people are sensitive to some other substance. I have a friend who gets horrible migraines when she has it. I also believe that if you give a lab rat enough of anything it will cause cancer and a host of other side effects.

I'm going to take another look into this whole topic because it is intriguing!

Thanks again for the website!

I dont have any scientific back up, but my husband has been telling me for years to quit drinking anything with artificial sweeteners. I love my crystal light and my diet caffeine free diet coke. I did read though they they say that they is a correlation between artificial sweeteners and degenerate muscles-leading and adding to the discomforts of arthritis and other disorders of the joints. I have been drinking diet soda all my life and I have advance stages of Osteoarthritis I just had my hip replaced and going for the other down the road. I have bad knees and the doc says that my MRI show that the Osteo is forming on the lower spine. No one has ever told me not to drink any diet anything EXCEPT for my OB-GYNs when I was pregnant. Why do they tell pregnant women not to drink this stuff-but its okay to put it in our bodies once the baby is born?

I have not given up my soda. Its my only vice and I feel like I am treating myself. If I drink regular soda, I get tired afterwards and sluggish-I dont like how the real sugar makes me feel.

Interesting debate though. Just though I would share.

Last year I switched from regular soda to diet, and diet soda gives me terrible headaches. I found that drinking water is better, not only for your body, but for your skin. After all, the human body is made up of something like 80% water. humans can live weeks without food, but only 3 days without water. Soda on a hot day doesn't quinch thirst, I know. I think soda is a major factor in the high obesity rate in america. I know some adults and children that only drink soda, and with anything, people need to learn moderation. Almost anything consumed in large quanities is bad for you. This is just my opinion, I have no degree, I just know that my life and my families life are much more heathy and happy without all the poisons society pumps into their bodys every waking sec. If you like soda and get no effect from it great, enjoy, again I believe in moderation, moderation. Don't let your children consume 2 liters of soda a day. They are growing and don't need all of the sugar, real or artifitial.

I've been diabetic for almost two years, injecting myself with insulin four times a day. I'd certainly prefer to drink more diet soda than use injections, but sorry, typical uninformed info from conspiracy theory websites: aspartame doesn't convert to insulin.

Diet drinks also don't make you crave sweets. I think that's just a cop-out for people to lazy to monitor their own diets and give in to their cravings.

Aspartame does convert to a tiny amount of methanol ( which is also present in small amounts on regular drinking alcohol, even in fruit). As this continues through the body, it converts to small amounts of formaldehyde and formic acid. This is a completely normal metabolic process and causes no harm.

But typical internet hysteria has grabbed onto one little thing and blown it way out of proportion. Similar to the recent finding that vaccines don't cause autism. But all it took was one whack job saying so and suddenly it's "The Truth".

As the previous poster mentioned, water is certainly going to be better for you. If you do choose to drink diet soda, moderation is the key.

And even though I'm posting this on the "internet', don't believe everything. Do your research. Check out some university or scientific web sites, don't rely on Sally's "Everything man-made will kill you" website for info.

As a personal aside, I lost about 75 lbs. several years ago. Drink loads of diet soda, water, coffee, etc. and haven't gained an ounce back.

Claireen,

I have been a nurse for over 30 years, and I have to disagree. I have found that most things, including diet drinks are fine in moderation. Diet drinks are helpful to many people and aspartane has NEVER been proven in ANY RELIABLE study (I worked in drug studies for years) to be harmful in moderation. The benefits of diet drinks and weight loss need to be included in the equation before jumping to the conclusion that they are bad. The study on aspartane and the endocrine system does not affect everyone, and was one study that many other well known people in the field did not agree with. It was biased in that most people drinking diet drinks gain weight but that may be because people drinking diet drinks are drinking them for the reason that they may be overweight or struggling with weight issues. Combine with water, and just use moderation. People who lay it on so thick about diet pop don't really change other people's minds often... they make others defensive. I know you probably mean well but my view as a nurse of many years is MODERATION and exercise! Good luck!

It's not the aspartame you need to worry about. Colas contain phosphoric acid which is bad for your bones if you're a soda guzzler. As said by other posters moderation is the key.

I found out I was a type 2 diabetic in December. I've completely changed the way I eat and I walk about 4 miles a day. I enjoy a diet cola a couple times a week. I've not noticed any particular desire to binge. If I keep my blood sugar around 100 I don't get the munchies. I've lost 38 pounds so far.

As part of a chage in lifestyle last fall I gave up all soda. I used to drink a ton of Diet Coke. I changed all my eating habits and exercise. Now, 38lbs lighter and with 5" off my waist I feel great. Did the soda help? Probably. There is some research now showing that diet sodas with certain sweetners can cause you to be hungery and therefore eat more! Not 100% proven yet but some studies noted that. Mike mtaricani.blogspot.com/

Wow, there are some really good responses here. I myself love love soda. But honestly I try and keep it to as much as a minimal as I possibly can. I noticed that when I stick to water and flavored water(mix in powders) than I am fine. When I drink more than a few glasses of soda (DIET) I seem to bloat up and get all puffy like in my face and hands. Dont know exactly how this is related to the soda but it is my experience.

I gave up all things Diet Coke when I got divorced. It was a habit I did not pick back up after I started eating again. Every once in a blue moon, I'll have a root beer.

Whether Diet Coke or any other soda is good, bad or indifferent, I stopped drinking it 6 years ago.

And I recently gave up coffee...because I don't like it black and adding half n' half was adding 75 calories or more (depending on how much I'd drink) to my daily calories. I now drink unsweetened hot tea or iced tea.

Honestly, I don't think if all you want to do is lose vanity pounds that giving up soda is going to make a difference. Maybe work out an extra 15 or 30 minutes per day...that might work better and faster!