Splenda

I've noticed that when I use Spenda, I get bloated and have a huge appetite throughout the day... I switched to Equal and haven't had any of those problems. I was wondering if anyone else noticed having any of these (or other) symptoms from using Splenda...or if it's all in my head?

NO! it is not all in your head!! some people are just really sensitve to artificial sweeteners. I was drinking at least 6 cans of diet soda a day and consuming 3500-5000 calories a day mostly in sweets and carbs!!! I could not figure out what was giving me this appetite and sweet cravings! When I relaized how much I was consuming and read somewhere in a blog that it can cause that kind of behavior, (the woman writing the blog was drinking a mere 16oz a day and having these cravings and swtiched to water and poof! her cravings stopped) I stopped all artificial drinks and switched to water. (I hate water and have avioded it for years, but I didn't know what else to do, I was gaining weight every week!) Within a week, I was comsuming 1700-2200 cals a day!!! stopping diet soda cut my calorie consumption in half!!

This week I have kind of slipped, I went to a few parties and had a whole pitcher of crystal light, and then came home and had a cucumber salad with a vinegrette sweetened with a cup of splenda, a mikes lemonade, etc. and I am feeling the affects today. Today was my first sugar binge since I stopped artificial sweeteners. I ate a pint of Edy's Maxx real butterfinger ice cream and a Hostess Lemon Pie that had 490 cals!!! I think I am going to "detox" again and switch to water only again!!!!

It truly does make a huge difference for me!!!

Wow...I knew that artificial sweetners could cause people to crave sugar more, but I didn't know the extent of it! I use A LOT of artificial sweetner (in my oatmeal, my coffee, in crystal light, etc) and I crave sweets so much that as I write this I have a box of brown sugar in front of me and I'm eating it straight! I always thought it was strange that I had such a sweet tooth, because when I was younger I was the total opposite. I hardly ever craved sweets and we'd always had to throw away my halloween candy because it would get old. I've known for a while that I needed to cut back or stop using it, but it would be SO HARD. I'm literally addicted to it like it's a drug! Maybe I'll gradually wean myself off of it....or at least TRY to!

It affects different people different ways.  I don't notice any side effects, but use very little, and not every day.  One of my friends avoids it, but once in a while some slips in (it's in so many drinks and juices)  She gets really ill with a splitting headache.

meganwilliams2,

just for a week....drink only water and NO artificial sweeteners of any kind...you will not want to go back!!! It is the best feeling ever!! Here is the article that opened my eyes..the way she describes the cravings is EXACTLY how I felt.

Thanks for the article. It really hit me too. Especially the part about, "If you think it's too hard, then that probably means you need to do it!" I'm going to start it on Friday. I'm going out of town, so it will be easier. Since doing this have you noticed that stuff tastes a lot sweeter now? One of the reasons (besides being 0 cals) I use sweetner is because it is sweeter (more concentrated) than regular sugar. For my coffee or whatever to taste how I like it, I'd have to use like 10 TBS (I'm just guessing, and possibly exaggerating) of sugar. I'm hoping that it will bring my tolerance down. Also, do you use regular sugar in things like coffee now? I drink decaf coffee everyday (a lot of times twice) and can't stand the thought of drinking it without making it sweeter. I'm just hoping that I will be able to train myself to like it with 1-2 TBS in it. Any suggestions are welcome!

I use it everyday in my oatmeal and coffee and I think I'm ok with it, but It'd be interesting to do a weeks trial and see if I notice a difference 

Isn't that just the greatest article? :) I am exactly the same as you, I have to have everything sicky sweet or it tastes gross!

I dont drink coffee (except for the occasional iced, and yes I have to have it REALLY sweet too), and since probably 98% of my artifical sweetener comsumption was from drinks and I have totally switched to water I dont have that issue. I find that 3-5 splenda packets once a day in my oatmeal is ok for me and doesnt have an affect. (I used to have 12 packets! lol) If I want a sweet juicy tasting drink the only thing I allow myself is Sobe 0 calorie Lifewater and Vitamin Water 10, because these are the only diet drinks on the market sweetened with stevia, which is supposed to be a whole lot less effective at appetite stimulation. I still try to limit those to 1 or 2 a day and the rest is water. 

I just bought some stevia packets also for my oatmeal so I won't need to use splenda anymore. I have come to realize I am very sensitive to artificial sweeteners and if I consume drinks with them, in just 2 days I am back to my sweet raids. You may tolerate it differently, and it may be ok for you in small amounts not every day, but then again, you may be blessed with my unfortunate high sensitivity. :) Stop them completely for at least a week and then test the waters a little bit and see how you tolerate small amounts. 

But the good news is it only takes one day of "detoxing" (water only) for the cravings to almost completely subside again. by this time yesterday I had comsumed over 4000 calories, today I have consumed 975!! But seriously, for your oatmeal and coffee try stevia. Besides the whole appetite thing, it is just supposed to be more natural and you are not putting all those chemicals into your body. It also has a high concentration (may be even sweeter than splenda) so you dont need much and it is also no calories. I haven't consumed it in excess like I did the other sweeteners, but the limited amounts I have consumed don't seem to have the affect on my appetite that the other ones do.

If you have any questions, just post or PM me. Thanks for adding me as a friend! :)

I started using truvia at one point, but gradually started using both because truvia is so much more expensive (i buy walmart's version of equal and it's like $2.50 for 200 packs, where as truvia is $6+ for 80 packs) I guess if it's better for me, it shouldn't be as big a deal, but I'm a cheapo!

As for oatmeal, I usually put around 10 packs in mine, depending on what else i'm putting in it. LOL!

It's not that I consume a TON more calories when I'm using the artificial stuff or that it has caused me to gain weight. But, I am just always craving something sweet. After every meal, I want dessert. I don't always eat it, but I want it. And I used to not be like that. Plus, I've heard that sweetners can cause bloating and irritate IBS, which I'm not sure if I actually have, but I do have problems with bloating, constipation and gas. 

Thanks for all the help!

ya I have gas problems too.. as for the calorie comsumption..you may just have better willpower than me..I also am 5'11'' and weigh 285lbs (trying to do something about that) so you may just eat less, but we deifnietly have the sweet thing in common. Just see if it helps your sweet tooth, I bet it will.

As for the stevia, ya truvia and purevia are a rip off because they are produced by pepsi and coke and they are the "commerical" version of stevia (with a couple other hidden ingredients added). I don't know where you live, but if they have any natrual food stores like whole foods they sell stevia there, for less $ and in more pure form. You can get it in packet form, loose powder form, or liquid form for tea and coffee so you dont get any powder or clumps if you are using a lot. You just need like 6 or 7 drops to get the sicky sweet that we like lol :)...it's got a slightly different taste, but no aftertaste, so it should do the job to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

I'll definitely try looking for the more pure form of stevia to see if it is cheaper. I've seen other brands of it at Walmart (where I normally grocery shop), but it was pretty much the same price as truvia. It looked like it was another name brand of it though, so maybe the earthfare near me will have some that is non-name brand. Thanks again!