Diet Cola?

[Katerbug]

Why do they say that diet cola is not an ok thing to drink. There are no calories. What is in it that works against you when dieting?

I get tired of just water and I need some caffeine once in awhile and I don't drink coffee.

 

[LegoMom3]

Some of them may have sodium in them, but I think overall it's just a push to keep you drinking water (which of course is best)....But I totally agree with you on sometimes you just need something else!! I drink diet soda in moderation - once every couple of weeks or so - but I've recently gone to the Diet Coke made with Splenda as I am very wary of the studies coming out on Nutrasweet and I won't eat/drink anything anymore that uses it.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

I've read a variety of reasons, and I don't necessarily agree with any of them - there is a lot of junk science out there, especially in the one minute blurbs you see on the 11 o'clock news, where some "center" faxes them a sensational story during sweeps week and it gets right on the air without any research in to the group's past accuracy or motivations.

That being said, I've seen:

1) Caffeine stokes your appetite

2) The sweetness makes your brain think it is getting something with calories and when it doesn't get the calories, it makes you continue to crave something with calories until it gets it.

3) People think that since they are drinking something with no calories, they can eat more of something else along with it, or something with a lot of calories, since they are being "good" by drinking "diet" soda.

Actually, I've observed #3 often - you see someone getting a Big Mac, large fries, and a diet coke! I don't think the diet coke is going to have much impact....

But I don't necessarily agree that these people are getting the large fries or Big Mac because they got the diet coke. They were getting the Big Mac and fries anyway.

I drink at least one diet Coke every day at work. A few years ago, I lost about 40 lbs. while doing it...

 

[Pugdog007]

I don't get it either and I haven't given up even one of my approx 4 a day habit. I've lost over 30#.

 

[pearlieq]

I don't see a problem with drinking them in moderation. I've read that the body does have an insulin response to artifical sweetners, which can sometimes stimulate appetite, but if you drink them with food it shouldn't be a problem.

Of course, if you drink too much you wind up on caffeine overload, plus excessive consumption can give you heartburn, but I wouldn't stress about cracking open a Diet Coke with lunch!

 

[DisneyGirl]

I've lost over 20 pounds, and I have a serious caffeine/ diet anything (i.e, sweet tooth) addiction. In the end, I really think it is not about what you consume-- it's how many calories you take in, and how many you burn.

The whole, caffeinated beverages don't count as water thing never made sense to me anyway. According to most diet "guidelines," you *have* to drink at least 8 glasses of pure water (some diets, i.e., WW allow stuff like crystal light/ milk, etc.). So, I can't have coffee as water. Yet, coffee is a liquid going into my body. However, the diets don't have any rules against caffeine pills. So, under that logic, I can't have a cup of coffee and count it as water, but I can have a cup of water, and take a caffeine pill with it, and it's ok. Doesn't make sense to me, and doesn't make sense to me in execution (I've tried no caffeine-- didn't lose weight any faster/slower-- no variation at all).

if it works for you, though, great!

 

[JMD]

One or two cans of diet soda each day will not have any negative impact on weight loss.

 

[KathyFP]

Is there any truth that caffeine helps to retain water?????

 

[Imzadi]

Many sodas that have caffeine in them are diruretics (meaning they make you pee more.) The purpose of drinking so much water is to keep you hydrated so you can continue to lose weight. Studies have shown you actually need water to burn calories. So if you are replacing water with a caffeinated beverage, you are actually DEhydrating yourself. You will need to drink water just to replace the water you are losing in addition to the amount you normally need.

 

[JustEngagedNicole]

I'm not sure how much truth is in this, but I have also 'heard' that drinking caffeinated beverages affects your muscle mass in a negative way. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[goldcupmom]

here in NM in the desert they say for every 20 oz of a caffeinated drink you need 40 oz water just to stay even.