How bad is diet soda?

I am certainly not a soda drinker but occasionally I would like to have one. my office has a fridge stocked with every diet soda imaginable. they claim that there are no calories. Does anyone have any thoghts on the nutritional value of a diet soda? What effect will it have on my wanting to lose weight?

when I read the Dr. adkins book it said that caffine had an effect on your calorie burning. I was also told that if you must have soda to stick with clear soda like diet sprite or ginger ale. I love the sprite zero it's good stuff. :)

but i thought caffeen speeds up ur metabolism to make u lose weight tho..
that is very interesting....
which is true??:O

I actually had my Doctor tell me to drink diet coke. He put me on a cholesteral diet years ago and told me to drink it...so it can't be that bad within reason

We had another long thread on this awhile back and I posted some links that showed research studies that link even diet soda with obesity. I personally lost the most weight after I cut out almost all soda ( I only have one once in a blue moon now instead of daily)

Anyway, here is a link to the original thread and a lot of others thoughts on the subject :)

I Don't want to give up diet pepsi

this was posted my the director of curves:

When we drink caffeine, we increase our adrenaline. (Oh, don't we love our morning coffee rush!) But, increased adrenaline blocks estrogen receptors and increases insulin levels. Since insulin is the fat storing hormone, this is not a good thing and what we are actually trying to avoid here. Also , caffeine increases serotonin, the "feel good hormone", but then makes it lower over time. Low serotonin levels can trigger us to crave "comfort foods" which are usually high in carbs!
additionally as I said, caffeine raises adrenaline, and adrenaline BREAKS DOWN LEAN BODY TISSUE!!!! This in turn lowers our metabolism....are you getting the full picture here???? I'm telling you decaf is the way to go!!!

so diet soda without caffeine is the way to go?

actually no soda is the ideal way to go. You will feel much better, I can't begin to tell you how much, if you lose the soda from your diet.

There are other harmful things in soda besides the caffeine. It is pure acid, the kind that eats rust ;), seriously you can remove rust with a can of cola. You are putting this into your body and it eats away your tooth enamel, the lining of your stomach, and can eventually lead to a host of other issues like kidney problems.

Hi, I'm new but a doctor told me that diet sodas increase cravings for sweets so some people end up getting some cookies to satisfy the craving.

Hi,
I just read somewhere that the bubbles in soda increase the size of your stomach and make you hungry. I'll try to find the article as I am sure I am not explaining it correctly at all. I do find though that I eat a lot less if I don't start my day with a diet Coke.

This is coming from a true soda addict...

When I cut out all soda...including diet soda...without even changing my eating habits, I lost weight...10 lbs to be exact. Now, this was a while ago, and I had since put the weight plus a few extra back on. So when I decided to stick to my weight loss goals for good this time, I made a commitment to stay away from all soda. Once in a great while I will treat myself to a Sierra Mist free, and oh does it taste so good. I have to tell you, I think only drinking a soda 1-2 times a month, really makes that can of pop that much better...and that's really all I need to keep my cravings in check.

okay my doctor told me to cut out ALL sodas including diet..but i can have coffee! So i dumped the diet sodas and drink water ...i don't drink a ton of water but i sip on it all day at my desk at work. i reach for it instead of the soda. not only have i saved money..not having to buy a 12 pack a week to stock up the company fridge, but i think it has helped with my weight also. I am not saying i lost a ton of weight, but what could it hurt to cut that out? Now what about crystal light, or those other flavored drinks? I so like to just drink one glass of tea with no sweetner no artificial no splenda no nothing maybe some lemon, but lemon will eat your tooth enamel up too.

For the last year and a half I wont but soda for the house. I usually buy juice, water, make iced tea, and if my husband must get soda, we get the store brand pinapple, strawberry, rasberry, or peach soda. We mainly cut out dark sodas. He cant gain wait and I've lost a bit. My main key to losing is not eating out for lunch everyday though. (I think so anyway)

lorenda, that is really a key point--restaurant food has so many hidden calories, and temptations. You have much better control if you make your own lunch.

I'm not a big soda drinker - a case can last a couple of months in our house. I buy Crystal Light Raspberry Tea and mix it in bottled water - shake it up really good - and put it in the fridge. Then, whenever I want a 'quick beverage to go' - I grab a bottle! They also have the little presized Crystal Light packs just for mixing in bottle water and I'll carry them in my purse.

Ive been a caffine free diet coke/sprite/pepsi fan for years. They might or might not be better for you but I do know being over weight is worse.! Just remember to brush your teeth as they are as bad for enamel as sugared soda. Its the acid:)..If I didnt drink diet Id be consuming 300 cals of sugar a day for nothing..

Christins73, I don?t know where you heard that cola can remove rust, cause I have to change all my cleaning supplies?.lol... I think a lemonade is probably more acidic than a cola or the vinegar you are putting on a salad?

The thing is that we are made of 75% of water, so does it make sense to fuel our body with water to keep it hydrated? And only water can do a good job!

It can also help to trick your stomach when you feel hungry by drinking a full glass.

The other bad things are these preservatives, dye, artificial flavor that we don?t really know what they will do at the end.

Anyway the key is that you can have cola or anything out there but in moderation?

I never used to drink cola I actually hated the taste, but when I first moved here I could not believe how expensive water bottled was, so I started to drink coke and got addicted to it. I want now to cut it out just because I think that the chemicals that they are putting in all the soda and juice are not really healthy?