Are diet drinks really THAT bad for you?

[aandd]

I admit it - I am addicted to Coke Zero. I cut it out of my diet this week, and I think I've noticed a lessened craving for sugary carbs, but the two may or may not be linked in reality.

A figure competitor friend of mine mentioned something about the evils of caramel coloring, but she was a bit vague and I was not really considering giving up my precious CZ at the time, so I didn't pursue her reasoning as much as I should have.

Has anyone here really noticed a difference in their ability to cut with and without diet drinks?

Along that line, what about non-caffenated diet drinks?

 

[KIAN]

You will find additional information at this link:

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=406186


___________________

KP--Fitness Basics

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[musclemom]

I'm into alternative health and medicine ... and the general concensus among people who are a lot smarter than me (naturopaths, wholistic physicians, etc.) is don't use artificial sweeteners, period. It's sweetened with aspartame, right? That's one that's got a lot of people very ... leery, let's say that. And this isn't something I've even directly researched, just informatoin I've come across.

Research it, just put in aspartame and health and see what you get.

I will use honey, I will use maple syrup and I will use stevia, in a great rare while I'll eat something with real sugar in it, but I will not touch artificial sweeteners.

 

[KIAN]

I will use honey, I will use maple syrup and I will use stevia, in a great rare while I'll eat something with real sugar in it, but I will not touch artificial sweeteners.

Just to point out that stevia is classed as a 'dietary supplement', only because it has not been approved as an artificial sweetener by the FDA. As to whether it possesses the same health concerns as current artificial sweeteners, that is still open for debate.


___________________

KP--Fitness Basics

.

 

[aandd]

I'm into alternative health and medicine ... and the general concensus among people who are a lot smarter than me (naturopaths, wholistic physicians, etc.) is don't use artificial sweeteners, period. It's sweetened with aspartame, right? That's one that's got a lot of people very ... leery, let's say that. And this isn't something I've even directly researched, just informatoin I've come across.

Research it, just put in aspartame and health and see what you get.

I will use honey, I will use maple syrup and I will use stevia, in a great rare while I'll eat something with real sugar in it, but I will not touch artificial sweeteners.

I'm not much for the holistic stuff. I prefer hard and fast research. I'm not sure that there is that big a difference between Stevia and artifical sweetners, but I don't use it and only know what I've read. I do love my Splenda, though.

 

[aandd]

You will find additional information at this link:

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=406186

.

So, from that thread, the general consesus is that it's relation to a cutting diet is that diet drinks may slow down your metabolism and may stimulate a craving for caloric intake? However, in moderation diet drinks are not detrimental to cutting?

 

[KIAN]

I think you have misread the information which was posted.

Diet drinks, in general, will have a much higher caffeine content than their regular counterparts. Caffeine is a stimulant and so you would expect your metabolism to increase as a result. I think you may have focused your attention on that one study by scientists which was mantioned and not on the factual, known concerns based just on the ingredients found in soft drinks. Have another read through it just to make sure.

__________________

KP--Fitness Basics

.

 

[mm107]

About Sweetners. I have a cup of go lean crunch cerial daily COVERED in Splenda. I have no noticed a craving for sugars from it tho. I mean, if im hungy and have a "carb" i go into a carb craving. but if im hungry and have a diet pepsi, i dont go into any craving at all.

Oh and about affecting your gains. Put it this way. I was 240Lbs. I am now 160 Lean, and had splenda every day.

Hopefully in a couple years some study shows splenda as being safe or else im fuced lol. but untill then i will use my splendid splenda

 

[musclemom]

Well, quick point regarding Stevia. You simply cannot lump Stevia in with something like asparatame. Stevia is totally natural (its the leaves of a bush) not a chemical. It can't really get FDA approval any more than vitamin C or calcium; the big chemical sweetener manufacturers hate the stuff. They've used it in the rest of the world for centuries.

 

[Mach1]

I used to drink diet coke all day long in the past while dieting before I heard of the evil doings of aspartame. So this time while cutting I dropped all diet cokes. I can say that I have noticed absolutely no difference in the rate of fat loss either way.

 

[1_more_rep]

I'm no health guru like Kian (damn i'm jealous of this guy's knowledge)

and i don't know any of the facts like many people here have posted about.

All i can tell you is that about 7-8 months ago i was tipping 200 pounds (i was only 16, mind you). I decided to stop ALL soda drinking and so i'd keep about 6-7 bottles of water ALWAYS in my fridge because we all know ice cold water can't be beaten by any drink! . Anyways, from 7-8 months ago to only about 3 months ago (i was not regularly exercising) with VERY minor diet changes, i went from 200 pounds-->175.

i know that this is very insignificant compared to massive changes like chefwides...but this is really really good in a few months with no real diet changes or exercise. I used to drink 2 cans a day when i was heavier. That's my advice for you aandd - keep water on chill at all times and hopefully it will refresh you more and make you crave it more than any soda. Occasionally, i agree, it is ok. yesterday i went out to dinner with the family, and...yes, i ordered a soda . Hope i helped a little

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

I'm no health guru like Kian (damn i'm jealous of this guy's knowledge)

and i don't know any of the facts like many people here have posted about.

All i can tell you is that about 7-8 months ago i was tipping 200 pounds (i was only 16, mind you). I decided to stop ALL soda drinking and so i'd keep about 6-7 bottles of water ALWAYS in my fridge because we all know ice cold water can't be beaten by any drink! . Anyways, from 7-8 months ago to only about 3 months ago (i was not regularly exercising) with VERY minor diet changes, i went from 200 pounds-->175.

i know that this is very insignificant compared to massive changes like chefwides...but this is really really good in a few months with no real diet changes or exercise. I used to drink 2 cans a day when i was heavier. That's my advice for you aandd - keep water on chill at all times and hopefully it will refresh you more and make you crave it more than any soda. Occasionally, i agree, it is ok. yesterday i went out to dinner with the family, and...yes, i ordered a soda . Hope i helped a little

Firstly, you haven't mentioned whether the sodas you were drinking were diet sodas or the regular, sugar-laden types.

Secondly (assuming you were only drinking diet sodas), was eliminating the diet sodas the ONLY change you made to your lifestyle (diet/exercise)? If not, you can not say that eliminating them was the sole cause of your weight loss.

 

[1_more_rep]

Firstly, you haven't mentioned whether the sodas you were drinking were diet sodas or the regular, sugar-laden types.

Secondly (assuming you were only drinking diet sodas), was eliminating the diet sodas the ONLY change you made to your lifestyle (diet/exercise)? If not, you can not say that eliminating them was the sole cause of your weight loss.

i personally was alternating. i'd say about 75% of the sodas i drank were dr. pepper, cherry pepsi, or sunkist (oj soda). 25% of the time i drank only one kind of diet soda - diet cherry pepsi. because it did not taste like complete shit but was still diet so i thought i was being healthy .

I played tennis 2-3x/week. But i was previously playing tennis when i was still 200 lbs - maybe 1x/week. But even if it was upping cardio 2x/week - i had played tennis 3x/week the year prior and was still 195 lbs and same soda/food habits (i gained 5 lbs from 2 yrs ago--> last year).

so i don't know WHAT it was that made me lose the weight, but i'm glad it did.

 

[jenscats5]

Water should be your main beverage. But I don't see any reason (unless competing) why you can't have 1-2 diet sodas a day.