experience with artificial sweeteners

i've decided to cut out all artificial sweeteners from my life (including STEVIA). I thought that stevia was okay since it's natural, and i was really hooked on the stuff (put it in my yogurt in the morning and every cup of tea and coffee that i have throughout the day, which is more than i'd like to admit)

anyway, i've stopped having stevia (and all fake sugar) for a little over a week now, and i've found that it has really helped me recognize my hunger/satiation signals better. plus i dont crave sugar all of the time anymore.

has anyone else had a similar experience? has anyone lost any weight after giving up artificial sweetener and stevia?

I have lost weight after STARTING on artificial sweeteners. I used to put 7 tsps of granulated cane sugar in my tea every morning for 6 days a week. When I started losing weight i switched to 4 packets of splenda and haven't and will not look back.

I notice no differences in craving for sweets or any type of hunger pangs other than what I used to feel before I started losing weight.

Also I have switched to coke zero and I notice no change AT ALL.

I am grateful for artificial sweeteners, they really help me when im craving sweets. i try not to overdo it, no more than 1-2 diet soda's a day and such. i also try to go for the more natural artificial sweeteners. but hey everything in moderation.

I felt much better after giving up artificial sweeteners. Less bloated, lost weight, more regular blood sugar levels, less cravings. There is nothing good about artificial sweeteners.

I absolutely think artificial sweeteners are awful. They're not natural and do nothing for me except increase my appetite, leave a bad taste in my mouth and overall just don't give me anything positive to keep using them.

I'd rather have an occasional soda (which doesn't even taste good anymore...High fructose corn surup is disgusting to me now) or have my coffee black with a tsp of sugar than put that stuff in my system.  15 cals of sugar isn't anything for me to cry about and it's only an extra 4grams too.  Going natural is for sure the best way to go. It only took me a few weeks to get used to the coffee tasting that way too.

Good luck. It's your body, but remember that this weight-loss thing is mostly mental and you can do it without tricking yourself into enjoying it.

Personally, I cannot abide by artificial sweeteners except the pink stuff in iced tea (and only brewed iced tea as the tanin covers the nasty aftertaste).  I also used to use quite a bit of sugar in my coffee, so I switched to hot tea in the morning and drink it with a tablespoon of honey.

I haven't given up real cane sugar, but I don't use artificial sweeteners or have anything with high fructose corn syrup and I don't really miss any of it.

I love artificial sweeteners. I totally agree that they must not be healthy for you, but they have been a key component in my weight loss. And I havnt noticed any side effects.

Thank you sweet n low pink packets :)

one thing that i've definitely noticed is that i can control my eating better at night (which was always my pitfall). and it just makes me stop thinking about food so much (which was my greatest challenge of all).

i wish more people would give it a try, i think you might be pleasantly surprised by how much freedom you feel once you give up artificial sweetener and copious amounts of sugar (i emphasize the word copious because i think that we all need little treats here and there)

right now i'm enjoying some blackcurrent, vanilla and ginseng tea with a little bit of soymilk. normally i would have put in an entire dropper full of stevia, but having it without the sweetener actually makes it enjoyable in a much more calming way.