Can you gain weight drinking diet soda?

I’ve always thought that since it has 0 calories, then you can’t gain any weight

You don’t gain weight from drinking the soda per se….but you might eat more as there is nothing substanitive in the soda for satiety. In other words, sometimes something w/ a little fat calories in it will make you feel full so you consume less overall…...

There is a theory that the sweetener chemicals are processed by your body like sugar, meaning you would gain fat and therefore weight. However, I drink about 2 Diet Cokes and wouldn’t even consider switching to the sugary, calorie filled regular soda. What a waste of precious calories!

Actually, I’m trying to switch to Iced Green Tea + Splenda, which is going to be WAY better for my body in the long run. Wish me luck!

The article doesn’t seem to offer any kind of hard evidence or statistical data, just one woman’s story. Obviously it was true for her, but I don’t think that’s any indication that it would be true for anyone else…
If it doesn’t have any calories, the soda itself cannot possibly add energy in itself. Perhaps some people associate soda with unhealthy food choices, or eat more because they are accustomed to sugar in their soda, and these other issues cause them to gain weight.
Personally, I’ve never liked the taste of full-sugar soda, and only drink diet on an occassion. I have gone through periods of drinking more or less diet soda, and I cannot think of any weight gain I experienced during a time that I drank more of it.

uh, yes. drink water.

@Trumi…I’m sure you read that somewhere, but without calories the only weight you can gain is the weight of the liquid you are drinking.

Just drinking diet soda won’t make you loose weight unless you drank A LOT of regular soda before and got fat because of it. It takes 3500 calories to make a pound. There are 143 calories in 1 can of coke classic (according to calorieking.com.) It takes 24.5 cans of coke to gain or maintain a pound. The more you weigh the more calories it takes to maintain your weight.
You can drink diet soda all day long but if you’re still eating high calorie foods you will still gain weight.. There are some theories that say diet soda increases your appetite so you eat more but I don’t really buy into it. The one thing that probably IS true is that the chemicals in splenda and nutrasweet are not good for you, but neither is sugar. As a matter of fact for me, sugar is worse. The best thing to do is eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, low in fat and moderate in whole grains and proteins. Avoid refined foods like sugar and white flour, and avoid fats, limiting the fats you do eat to natural unrefined sources like avocados and nuts. I still haven’t been able to dump the nutrasweet but I’ve done pretty good at everything else!

i recant somewhat here though. ok, the bottle says zero or low calories, but for nutritional value, go with just plain old water. diet sodas are loaded with all these certain ingredients that contain syrups and fake sugars your body recognizes as empty nothings. if it’s thirst you’re quenching, the satisfaction will be short-term. if you’re dieting, go for the simple things like water, fruits, vegetables and anything else that seems like it’s not all that fun to eat or drink.

i agree with judi…

Most diet sodas contain the toxic, addictive chemical, Aspartame, which interestingly enough, Donald Rumsfeld helped get passed through the FDA, after the FDA said no for 8 years because it produced seizures and tumors in lab animals.

Aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal/Spoonful/Canderel/E951/Benevia) is an addictive excitoneurotoxic carcinogenic drug that interacts with virtually all drugs and vaccines. When you ingest the toxic chemical aspartame it is absorbed from the intestines and passes immediately to the LIVER where it is taken inside the liver via the liver filter. The liver then breaks down or metabolizes aspartame to its toxic components – phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. This process requires a lot of energy from the liver which means there will be less energy remaining in the liver cells. This means the liver cells will have less energy for fat burning and metabolism, which will result in fat storing. Excess fat may build up inside the liver cells causing “fatty liver” and when this starts to occur it is extremely difficult to lose weight. In my vast experience any time that you overload the liver you will increase the tendency to gain weight easily.
Aspartame also causes weight gain by other mechanisms—-Causes unstable blood sugar levels, which increases the appetite and causes cravings for sweets/sugar. Thus it is particularly toxic for those with diabetes or epilepsy. Causes fluid retention giving the body a puffy and bloated appearance. This makes people look fatter than they are and increases cellulite.

If anyone feels addicted to any of the followinf substances, aspartame is your culprit:
* Breath Mints

* Carbonated Soft Drinks

* Cereals

* Chewing Gum

* Flavored Syrups for Coffee

* Flavored Water Products

* Frozen Ice

* Frozen Ice Cream Novelties

* Fruit Spreads

* Gelatin, Sugar Free

* Hard Candies

* Ice cream Toppings

* Ice Creams, No Sugar Added or Sugar Free

* Iced Tea, Powder

* Iced Tea, Ready to Drink

* Instant Cocoa Mix

* Jams & Jellies

* Juice Blends

* Juice Drinks

* Maple Syrups

* Meal Replacements

* Mousse

* No Sugar Added Pies

* Non-Carbonated Diet Soft drinks

* Nutritional Bars

* Powdered Soft Drinks

* Protein Nutritional Drinks

* Pudding

* Soft Candy Chews

* Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup

* Sugar Free Cookies

* Sugar Free Ketchup

* Table Top Sweeteners

* Vegetable Drinks

* Yogurt, Drinkable

* Yogurt, Fat Free

* Yogurt, Sugar Free

@chris6137: you know your stuff! hit the nail on the head. educate us oh great chris!

chris6137
I am sure you are right but I have already given up sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, fat, refined flour, This addiction is just to hard to kick without swelling back to 200+ lbs!
I gave tried to go on “detox” fasts before and I always get really really sick and can’t do it. I know I get sick from my body trying to purge all that Nutrasweet!

.

Yes. My thyroid is fine. Actually right now I get an A++ from the doctor on all my health indicators. I exercise, eat right and don’t do all the things I have given up. The only vice I have left is artificial sweeteners. 4 years ago I was obese, This morning I weighed (On my Wii Fit :) 136. I’m 5’4, so I’m now in the normal range. I’m 48

I’m too lazy to find the article, but they did a study comparing weight gain/loss in those who drank 2 regular sodas a day, 2 diet sodas a day and no sodas. The soda drinkers – regardless of caloric content – were unable to lose or gained weight or something whereas the water drinkers lost weight. I don’t remember enough specifics but basically: it’s the same as drinking regular when it comes to your weight.

This is a direct quote from the Mayo Clinic’s website,

“According to the National Cancer Institute, however, there’s no scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer. And numerous studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are safe for the general population.

Aspartame does carry a cautionary note, however. It isn’t safe for people who have the rare hereditary disease phenylketonuria (PKU). Products that contain aspartame must carry a PKU warning on the label.”

Chris, if you’re going to directly copy and paste, you should use quotes. Otherwise, this is considered plagiarism.

Excuse me if I put more trust into the Mayo Clinic website, than some random person’s website who claims to be a doctor.

One other note, I didn't see any of her ‘books’ on amazon.com

It did not say anywhere in my answer, that i caused cancer. It said tumors in lab animals. Other than that, all my answer stated was why aspartame causes weight gain.

I apologize for not putting quotes on what i copy and pasted, but I did include the link that i copy and pasted from.

what kind of tumors then chris, obviously not cancerous ones, so benign tumors? Saying “tumors” and then it turns out “oh, but not cancer” seems a little misleading to me….

“A dozen toxicology and epidemiology experts and the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately review the study, which found increases in lymphomas, leukemias, and breast cancers in rats.” link
Unfortunately, even our scientist have become politicized and bought in this country. It is important to look at the time line of the passing of aspartame through the FDA.
It was discovered in 1965 by a scientist working for G.D. Searle and Co., whose CEO and President from 1977–1985, was Donald Rumsfeld, who played a huge role in the acquisition of Searle and Co. by Monsanto Corp. and made ALOT of money. (Convieniently, in between his roles in government.)
This site is an excellent timeline for passage through the FDA. Note how every significant approval of aspartame, was approved by a commissioner that went onto very cushy jobs, for very powerful people. Follow the money.

And about the study that you mentioned, as my link states, “A 2006 National Cancer Institute study seemed to ease cancer fears related to aspartame, but that study had major limitations, including its reliance on imprecise food-frequency questionnaires, and it included only subjects between the ages of 50 and 69 who first consumed aspartame as adults. The effects of consuming aspartame from infancy or childhood might be very different, says CSPI, as suggested by the new animal study.”

I’ll just add that Coca-Cola was against FDA approval of aspartame before it was approved. That’s testimony enough for me.

@chris: u look great!

@judi: well, i meant judi but chris just the same.

I actually get a worse reaction from splenda. It makes me more hyper than caffine does.

If you read the article you linked, it says that the rats were given twice as much as the “acceptable daily value” which is intended to be significantly higher than a person would actually consume. This is not a representative study!

I actually didn’t mention only one study, Chris. I reference The Mayo Clinic. It cites ” numerous studies”. If you had read it, you would know that.

I would also point you to the World Health Organization, which has approved aspartame. Whose pocket are they supposed to be in, in your opinion?

Did you further know that it is approved in more than 100 countries?

According to your own link, it’s been widely available for more than thirty years.

Do you think that in thirty years in one hundred countries widespread effects would not have been noticed by now?

An outbreak of salmonela from raw jalepeno peppers was caught in a matter of months. A think more people drink diet coke and diet pepsi than raw jalapenos…

@la chica, Google “world health organization hcg tetanus.”

It’s difficult to find a mainstream media source, but consider this link.

Is that a joke, kevbo?

As in, did I plant those pages on the internet? Nope.

There are other pages that are more lengthy reading, which you can look up if you like. That particular page sums up the information a little more concisely. I do realize, though, that the page’s appearance is suspect. There are lots of other places to read similar info.

No, but as in “Did you put this link up just to weird me out?” or “Is this entire website just here to see if anyone will believe it?” Did you read the links under “navagation”? such as “dream catchers” :

“These dreamcatchers, made in the authentic way teach the natural wisdom of the Seventh Fire—Circle Power, Spider Web, Grandmother spider, father sun dreamcatchers, lotus dreamcatchers, and more.”

or this gem of a news story: Zionist US And Zionist Israel Crap Another Diaper which claims that Russia is “infested with its share of Zionist Jew thugs they want to get rid of…one way or another”

Frankly, after exploring the rest of the website, I’m a little concerned this “joke” is not as “nice” as I first assumed.

Yeah, I understand where you are coming from. I didn’t read the rest of the site, I was just trying to find concise info about the vaccine issue. So, lesson learned on my part.

@La chica gomela
There is much wheat among the weeds at that site. I think the administrator is only looking for traffic though and so links to everything under the sun.

I refer of course to kevbo’s Native American site- http://tinyurl.com/dlftem not the Dirty Diaper link
I’m not saying that the Diaper site is justified. It’s obviously laughable.

The Israel/Zionist Palestinian conflict will never be solved by tabulating a pros and cons list and it’s clear that both sides have acted horrendously. To paraphrase Einstein, the consciouseness that creates the dilemma can not be the one which takes us out of the mess. The basis of countries’ divisions in general are not ethical. Who can say we have the justification to occupy the land we are on at present? Was there a clear mandate to escape from persecution or opression? Yes and no of course-religious opression; opression of thought. But it was force, manipulation and deceipt that ruled the day and wrested this land from the original occupants. If I can demonize you and dismiss you, it’s easier to kill you. So it’s imprtant that we see the mindset of the Zionist, Anti- Zionist, Palestinian, Hamas voices, so we can see clearly that which we need to release. The most seductive of these being of course the desire for objective truth which does not get us closer to a solution but creates further entrenchments that heighten tension.

@chris6137
Well done. Every time they come out with a wonder chemical we pay for it dearly.