Diet & Drinking Pop (Soda)

[Disney Ontario]

Hi. Just wandering if you can still drink regular pop and lose weight. I might drink around one can of Coke a day. That is one thing I think is hard to give up.

 

[Desiree]

I'm not sure but I did remember Jillian saying on the Biggest Loser the other day that you should never, ever drink your calories.

 

[milestogo]

I have the same problem of drinking one Dr. Pepper per day and it's hard to break. Years ago I stopped the multiple sodas and kept this one little habit. Our goal this year is to stop chemicals in our diet and anything that cause inflammation - unfortunately, soda counts against both!

 

[LittleMissMickey]

One thing that helped me kick this was to check how many calories are in the pop, then multiply that by 365. How many calories? How many pounds? It's amazing. I saw the same thing in my magazine last night for chewing regular gum. (5 sticks of gum per day equals 5 pounds per year) How many calories are in pop?

I read last night about diet pop being an appetite trigger. Your body registers it the sugar and tries to burn it, leaving you hungry later.

 

[becka]

When I was on WW years ago I was addicted to regular Coke and I still let myself have 1 per day and just counted it as 3 points and factored it into my points for the day and I still lost weight because my calorie intake for the day was still in the range I needed. I eventually transitioned over to diet and I now try to limit myself to just 1 diet soda per day.

The bottom line is that yes it can be done but you have to compensate for it by giving up food calories. It is not the healthiest choice and I hate to drink my calories but if you just really need a Coke then imho have a Coke, count it and move on.

 

[allyphoe]

Another vote for "if you can make it work in your calories / points / macronutrient ratios, go right ahead."

The stores near me sell kid-sized cans of Coke that are 8 ounces, rather than 12. If you want to cut back, that would be a possibility.

 

[o2bacelt]

I'm hoping to ween myself down to the small cans, which are the cola companies answer to the 100 calorie packs, the 8 oz. cans are 100 calories.

My vice is soda, I was a multiple can a day person, I'm slowly working my way down to just one can a day. I'm currently at two but I don't always actually drink the entire contents of the two cans so I'm probably actually at 1 1/2 cans a day or less. Just remember if you aren't a coffee or other caffeine consumer, to watch it when you come down, I've given myself several really good headaches in recent weeks because I wasn't paying attention. Caffeine is a tough habit to break. I hate coffee and I'm not a big tea fan so I have to force myself to be careful so I don't trip off a great big headache.

Good luck! I'm fighting it with you right now.

 

[JudyS]

Hmmm, I thought I posted here, but my post didn't show up. Internet glitch, I guess.

I think whether you can lose weight while drinking regular soda depends on your metabolism. I really have to go reduced carb to lose weight, but I'm much more sensitive to carbs than most people. (I have type 2 diabetes.)

I don't really miss regular sodas. I don't think I've had a non-diet soda in over a decade. I don't think I remember what they taste like.

I read last night about diet pop being an appetite trigger. Your body registers it the sugar and tries to burn it, leaving you hungry later.

I've heard that, too. I've gone to the primary medical literature (via Medline) to try to look this up, and so far what I've found are a few studies sayings dieters lose more weight if they add Aspartame (Nutrasweet) to their diets. I'm hoping to look into this more.

 

[disneychrista]

IMO, the best way to lose wieght is the way that you can stick with. If you can not live the rest of your life without drinking a regular soda then don't try to.

For me I allow calories for Mochas and Lattes because I know that I could not give these up. But I get sugar free / fat free whenever possible. YEAH Starbucks for introducing sugar free mochas.

 

[mudnuri]

You could try Pepsi One

I was an avid Diet Coke drinker...and i mean- almost 12 pack a day drinker! I switched over the Pepsi One, no carbs, no sugar, 1 calorie....and I have 2-3 a day...

Has a weird after taste that i'm still getting use to, but it's not the splenda, because I don't use sugar I know the splenda taste...this isn't it

Brandy

 

[karynnix]

I believe that you shouldn't have to give up EVERYTHING to lose weight. Life is too short to deprive yourself of everything that you enjoy. I am a sweet tea addict. I am doing Weight Watchers, and have no plans to discontinue drinking sweet tea. I am losing weight every week, so it must not be hurting me too much!

 

[allyphoe]

You could try Pepsi One

Has a weird after taste that i'm still getting use to, but it's not the splenda, because I don't use sugar I know the splenda taste...this isn't it

Pepsi One and Coke Zero are both sweetened (at least in part) with Ace-K. I personally like them better than the "normal" Diet Pepsi/Coke.

 

[disneychrista]

I know it is all personal taste but I do not care for Coke Zero at all. I have been a diet drinker well since, well forever. The only thing that I prefer the regular of is Dr. Pepper. I don't care what the commercials try to push Diet DP is not the same as regular DP.

 

[mudnuri]

Pepsi One and Coke Zero are both sweetened (at least in part) with Ace-K. I personally like them better than the "normal" Diet Pepsi/Coke.

Actually, Pepsi One is sweetened with Splenda...

But here's the ingrediants anyway...

Carb Water, Caramel Color, natural/artif flavors, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, sucralose (SPLENDA) caffeine, citric acid, aceslufame potassium... Thats it

Coke Zero- however is sweetened with Asartame...

Brandy

 

[allyphoe]

acesulfame potassium...

Which is Ace-K.

 

[mudnuri]

Which is Ace-K.

Which is still better than aspartame~!

I do believe you can't take EVERYTHING away from your diet and actually succeed- if you are a soda junky- just reduce the amount you drink, and try to pick one that fits your new lifestyle the best...for me, it's pepsi one......

Once you say YOU CANT HAVE THAT....that will be what you want- it's like me with the stupid baked potato right now. i've gone months without one before, but since i CANT have it I want it now LOL

Brandy

 

[Aquagirl]

Try the coke zero. I personally think that it tastes a lot like regular coke. It doesn't taste as "diety" as diet coke.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I drink too much diet soda everyday and am really trying to cut that back. I was an avid Coke drinker for many years and hated diet soda. I still do not like Diet Coke but I found it easier to transition to diet soda by mixing regular and diet and slowly adding more diet than regular. I have given up soda but have always gone back. At least now all I drink is diet and I actually like the taste of it. I love Diet Pepsi.

 

[PartyofSix]

I just wanted to jump in and vote for zero's. I personally only drink coke zero but the sprite and dr peppers are good too. Don't think you can change after a week a regular drink will be so sweet you'll hate anything else. I used to drink a 12 pk a day or 2 2liters you can make this change it's not as hard as you think. And if i could just add that while i'm cooking supper or once i get home from work in the afternoons i switch stickly to water. I fix a great big glass with a straw in it so i drink more and just keep refilling.

 

[brockscandy]

I'm not sure but I did remember Jillian saying on the Biggest Loser the other day that you should never, ever drink your calories.

I have a question about drinking your calories - I am allergic to milk and eggs. Therefore it is very hard to get calcium. I use rice milk and trying to make it taste better AND get some more fruits and veggies in, I put it in the blender with frozen strawberries and bananas. Would she say I shouldn't do this?

Curious about a glass of orange juice or grape juice.

Kandee