Diet soft drinks have almost 0 calories.  Any suggestion that they contribute to weight gain would need some strong evidence to support it.  The 'chemicals' that they contain are artificial sweeteners and are in very small quantities.  Unless you suggest that they have drugs then there really isn't anyway that they could cause weight gain. 

That said, drink water.  Diet soft drinks are worse than regular softdrinks.  If you want to eat healthily then you shouldn't be tricking your body that it is getting sugar when its not. 

The simple truth is that if you can't lose weight then you are eating more or equal to your daily needs...you still need to expend more energy and / or reduce cal intake. Easier said than done I know. I don't think it is the actual calorific value of the drinks that is the problem...similar to chewing sugar free gum...it is the fact that you are eating drinking sweetened products...and personally I find for me that means I just crave more. Try and up your protein intake in each meal to reduce hunger cravings. Also drink a big glass of water ( I drink Perrier by the gallon ) 5-10 minutes before your meal as well...seems to help your filled up feelings. My biggest problem is I can get 1000 Kcals in so fast that I don't feel fill till it is too late!. 

human909 wrote:Diet soft drinks have almost 0 calories.  Any suggestion that they contribute to weight gain would need some strong evidence to support it.  The 'chemicals' that they contain are artificial sweeteners and are in very small quantities.  Unless you suggest that they have drugs then there really isn't anyway that they could cause weight gain. 

That said, drink water.  Diet soft drinks are worse than regular softdrinks.  If you want to eat healthily then you shouldn't be tricking your body that it is getting sugar when its not. 

I read some research recently where there was a strong link between artificially sweetened drinks and weight gain.  I can't remember exactly but it was something about the sweet flavour triggering chemical changes but when there is no actual sugar it does something else.  Anyway, it makes people crave sugar and overeat overall.  I am sure google will point you in the right direction. 

But yeah, the evidence is mounting that there is a link.  I would recommend that you don't eat or drink anything with artificial sweeteners.  I don't. 

casual_cyclist wrote:I read some research recently where there was a strong link between artificially sweetened drinks and weight gain.  I can't remember exactly but it was something about the sweet flavour triggering chemical changes but when there is no actual sugar it does something else.  Anyway, it makes people crave sugar and overeat overall.  I am sure google will point you in the right direction. 

But yeah, the evidence is mounting that there is a link.  I would recommend that you don't eat or drink anything with artificial sweeteners.  I don't. 

Fair enough.  I wonder whether it is psychological or physiological. 

Either way I am a very strong believer in listening to your bodies craving regarding food.  When I crave chocolate I eat chocolate, when I crave sugar I drink soft drink, when I crave vegetables I eat vegetables.  If I crave sugar and drink artificially sweetened things then it confuses my body.  Cravings are an important part of biology to get the appropriate nutrition that our body needs. 

However it is quite clear that some people have screwed up cravings, this does not lead to healthy eating. 

Actually come to think of it the only thing that I ever crave that I have to discipline is beer! 

toolonglegs wrote:The simple truth is that if you can't lose weight then you are eating more or equal to your daily needs...you still need to expend more energy and / or reduce cal intake. Easier said than done I know. 

+1

You do have to be prepared for the occasional plateau in your weight loss.  Sometimes your fitness catches up with your dietary intake (i.e. you become more efficient, so the effect of the same exercise distance is less).  Sometimes you gain a little muscle.  Overall weight can be a little deceptive during the plateau phases, better to sling a tape measure around your belly and keep track of that once a week. 

Busting out of a plateau might be as simple as shaking up your routine a bit.  Change one of your training rides to intervals for example, or do some hill repeats. 

I don't think diet soft drink is a good idea, mainly because for me personally it just makes me thirstier.  Anything carbonated has that effect, plus the flavours are so overwhelming in food like that you become de-sensitised to the more complex and subtle flavours in good food (also McDonalds and other take away foods, even the healthy choices).  With a little discipline, stick to two weeks of drinking water exclusively, you will have trouble drinking diet cola after that. 

So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right?  And we have to ask for different things. –  Paul Gildingbut really, that's rubbish.  We get none of it because the choices are illusory. 

drubie wrote:I don't think diet soft drink is a good idea, mainly because for me personally it just makes me thirstier.  Anything carbonated has that effect, plus the flavours are so overwhelming in food like that you become de-sensitised to the more complex and subtle flavours in good food (also McDonalds and other take away foods, even the healthy choices).  With a little discipline, stick to two weeks of drinking water exclusively, you will have trouble drinking diet cola after that. 

Good point.  My flatmate switched to a low salt/no sugar pasta sauce this week and made up a batch of red kidney beans with it.  When I first tasted what he made it tasted like it needed salt.  I have an add no salt to food policy though and only noticed it wasn't salty enough for a couple of mouthfuls.  Then I noticed it actually had a really nice subtle flavour that the high salt/high sugar pasta sauces don't have.  I won't be switching back. 

casual_cyclist wrote:I read some research recently where there was a strong link between artificially sweetened drinks and weight gain.  I can't remember exactly but it was something about the sweet flavour triggering chemical changes but when there is no actual sugar it does something else.  Anyway, it makes people crave sugar and overeat overall.  I am sure google will point you in the right direction. 

But yeah, the evidence is mounting that there is a link.  I would recommend that you don't eat or drink anything with artificial sweeteners.  I don't. 

drubie wrote:Busting out of a plateau might be as simple as shaking up your routine a bit

+1.  Your body is crafty machine and is very good at becoming efficient at doing repetitive activities.  Changing your routine by adding in a gym session, swimming can get things moving again. 

Apparently, studies have also found that some people don't metabolise fat very well.  There is a diet I am aware of that actually uses high fat foods (double cream, triple brie, etc) exclusively with the express purpose of forcing the body to metabolise fat.  You can only do the diet for a week at a time and you can't do any exercise whilst on it.  Interesting theory. 

Diet softdrinks are equally as bad as full sugar versions.  They have been linked in various studys to pemature birthing, increased risk of heart attacks, kydney misfunction (I have this one), increased risk of congenital heart failure, gastro intestinal problems(me again) and decreased bone development. I was a fast food restaurant manager for 6 years and worked rubbish hours with the occasional 12-14 hour day thrown in for good measure.  With a lack of drinking water in almost every store I worked in, I drank softdrink because it was too convenient.  By the time I resigned I was drinking up to 4-5 1.25 PepsiMax bottles a day.  It's taken 4 years for my stomach to begin doing what it's supposed to, and I still have major issues with digestion in the upper tracts so I have to eat meats and other heavy foods in moderation.  I also now have a high intolerance to Gluten.  Avoid diet drinks at all costs.  CocaCola pulled Coke Zero off U.S. shelves for a reason

I dont know how true this is, but I have been told that (chemicals aside) all soft drinks, diet or otherwise are bad for weight loss because they stimulate the appetite and affect the way that we store/use energy. 

"A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye. "Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

drubie wrote:Busting out of a plateau might be as simple as shaking up your routine a bit

+1.  Your body is crafty machine and is very good at becoming efficient at doing repetitive activities.  Changing your routine by adding in a gym session, swimming can get things moving again. 

Apparently, studies have also found that some people don't metabolise fat very well.  There is a diet I am aware of that actually uses high fat foods (double cream, triple brie, etc) exclusively with the express purpose of forcing the body to metabolise fat.  You can only do the diet for a week at a time and you can't do any exercise whilst on it.  Interesting theory. 

"The taste buds taste sweet, but there's no calorie load that comes with it.  There's a mismatch here.  It seems it changes your brain chemistry in some way," Savard said. " Anything you put in your mouth, your body has a strong reaction to it.  It's much more than counting calories.  It seems normally with sweet foods that we rev up our metabolism." 

That is my understanding too from the reading I have done on actual research. 

Yeah pretty much all the advice given here sounds right going along with what ive seen and read around the traps,my advice would be the same,dump soft drink all together,moderation only,a can maybe when you go out for dinner,that goes for orange juice as well,i used to drink 2 litres of diet coke a day,gave up cold turkey a couple of yrs ago,only now do i have a can very occasionaly,coffee is prob my big demon these days tho it was back in my diet coke days also

“ How can I keep both the BEER gods and the HEALTH gods happy at the same time???” 

+1.  When I changed from drinking coke to diet coke, there was no change in my weight.  Changed from diet coke to soda water,and my weight started falling.  My guess is I was doing the compensatory eating described in the link - there is more to it than the calories.  The less processed stuff you put in your mouth, and especially the fewer chemicals you put in (e.g. aspartame, other artificial sweeteners), the healthier you will be. 

WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

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