Are diet sodas ok to drink?
example like diet pepsi. If they are ok can i just down a 6 pack? Will not try, just Curious

Hi John,

There are a few things that could get you into trouble with the diet sodas.

1. Caffiene can trick your body into insulin high
2. Artificial Sweeteners can prevent weight loss
3. Diet Pepsi and Coke (and most diet sodas) contain aspartame which is not recommended.

Every body reacts differently. Its probably best during induction to keep it clean and just drink cold water. There are some who will not be affected, others, like me, cannot drink the stuff.

Cheers
Kim

John - I heartily discourage excess intake of diet sodas.

Apartame has only been around for 30 years or so. That's not long enough to know just HOW bad it is for us.

Case in point, my friend has been drinking 2-litres a day of diet cola religiously for 20 years and is now (at 40 years of age) in the line up for a liver transplant.

She thought she was doing herself a favour by choosing diet drinks. The doctors told her flat out that the aspartame was the cause of the cirrosis.

Aspartame will be to the 21st century what cigarettes were to the 20th century.

Here is my 2 cents for what it's worth. Initially I stopped diet soda but my doc said I did not have to being on Atkins so a month later I started to drink them again since I am a Diet Coke fiend..I noticed no difference. I still lost a ton of weight and continue to and I am monitored every 2 weeks by my family doctor. Of course everyone is different but it has not affected me. I have a HARD time with water....:-) I cannot seem to drink that much water in a day. I wish I could and am searching for ways to do that still. Got some great ideas' here. Good Luck

Have you tried drinking ice cold water?

I know if I drink luke warm/room temperature water, after about a glass I start feeling water logged and a bit queasy.

Drinking ice cold water seems to help because I can now down 120 oz with no problems.

I have also lost a lot of weight while drinking diet coke / pepsi all along. Caffeine doesn't seem to make a difference to me either.
It's very much an individual thing.

I have an aversion to anything that is "artificial" so I try to avoid the artificial sweeteners as much as possible. For many of us the aspartame in diet soft drinks can cause a stall. Another potential problem with diet sodas is the sodium content. Who'd a thunk it? Too much salt in a soda?

As Deirdre said, it's very much an Individual Thing!

Marlaine

Thanks for the info everyone. Water is the best drink out there anyway. I can drink 200 oz if i wanted too. I was just curious when a friend offered me a diet drink. Thanks again for the feedback

As you've heard there are reasons why avoiding diet drinks is recommended. I, personally, drink diet drinks and it doesn't seem to be making a difference in my weight loss. I don't count them in my water intake, though -- and I limit to one or two a day. For most people, a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi now and then is no problem. You can decided, too, about the caffeine. I try to drink caffeine-free at home.

The bottom line is ... there is no one "right" way to do this woe. It's whatever works for you, what fits in your lifestyle, what sacrifices you're willing to make, what you want to keep. It's being intentional, trying new things if you hit a stall, and keeping with it for the long haul that matters most.

John19,

I have found what I hope to be a good solution to diet sodas. Although I drink the required amount of water, (for me its 64 +16) I have been drinking Koolaid with Splenda. I havent drank Koolaid since I was a kid. But since I had to give up regular sodas( Dr Pepper, lord help me through it!) and I think diet sodas really slowed down my last progress, I decided to find something I could make. So now I use Koolaid. Its cheaper and you know what you are getting. I even called the company first to make sure there were no hidden carbs, sugars etc. If anyone knows something wrong with this that I dont, please let me know.

Janfan I too make the occasional kool-aid with Splenda. It's a nice change from water.

I am afraid I have to disagree with this one. The diet isn't a free for all whatever works for you. It is very specific on what to do and when to do it and what needs to be cut out of your diet. Period. As many people have been finding out lately if they "do it their way" they have very negative results in gaining weight or totally stalling out. Dr Atkin's is very specific on the limit of artifical sweeteners....3 per day. Period. Some people don't have problems with it and do whatever. Others find they can't do it at all. I was one of those that could have diet sodas as many as I wanted until I hit around 160 pounds. Then boom, no more weight loss. So...I ditched the soft drinks. Now I am down 5 pounds without much effort.

Go here and read Karen's post: http://forum.lowcarber.org/t29249.html

There is a right way and a wrong way.

Agony,
Thank you, Thank, you. I was hoping I wasn't the only one who did. Usually people stress over diet sodas vs water. Then I started seeing Low carb Drinks, but of course they tasted like vomit! (sorry, I get graphic sometimes). But seriously they do! So I figured what out there that I could drink that wont taste bad? I only drink it with my heavy meals where I really need to wash food down. Other wise its water. I think I've asked this before, but you know the water you drink when you are working out? Does that count towards your water intake? I was told no since your body is using it up so quickly. Do you know? Anybody out there know this one? Thanks again.

Janfan,

Yes the water you consume during workouts count On my workout days I normally add another 8 ozs. Just to make sure I don't dehydrate.

And I don't rely too much on the kool-aid. Only during the summer months I will make up some of their lemonade. It's great on these hot Texas summers!

But I thought that was for Aspartame based products? Im not sure if Spleda is. (i really dont know-I did switch from equal to Splenda for that reason) Mine adds up to 4 a day. I use the Koolaid drink for Lunch and dinner at two packets each.