Why There’s Nothing ‘Diet’ About Diet Soda…
I was thinking about some of the old habits I used to have years ago when I was fatter and unhealthier (the average American really), and I remember one of those habits was downing several cans of soda pop each day.
Of course this is a terrible habit for someone trying to stay lean and healthy, and I eventually cut it out of my diet completely. But you know what, I quickly switched to another dietary devil, diet soda.
And man was I hooked…
All of my favorite sodas were available in diet varieties and I thought since I cut out all of the sugar and extra calories in regular soda, by drinking diet pop, I could have a couple diet pops each day and be much better off.
Well, I did start to lose fat after making the switch, due to the drop in calories and sugar each day. But I really became addicted to the artificial sweeteners in this stuff. After a few months, I was having a diet pop with every meal and snack. When I went out to eat, I’d drink all the refills I probably downed about 70-90 ounces each day, and guess what?
I started gaining fat again. I then began investigating the artificial sweeteners and some of the longer term studies that had been done. Well, some of the results I read about regarding what happens to these things after they enter your body literally scared me to drop diet soda drinking immediately.
On top of that a recent 8 year study showed that those who drink even 2 cans each day of this stuff are 57% more likely to become overweight.
Why the weight gain from something with 0 calories?
The exact reasons aren’t conclusive at this point, though one of the primary concerns is the false sense of security that the habit of diet soda drinking can give. In other words, you’ll tend to get extra loose with your diet because you feel you’re making up for it with the diet pop.
Another problem is that when anything other than water hits your stomach, you get an up tick in the hunger response…so if you grab a diet soda instead of water, there’s a good chance you’re going to want to eat something with it.
Bottom line, diet soda is another one of these ‘diet products’ that are loaded with bad chemicals your body doesn’t want or need. In most cases, these just foster a yo yo method of dieting…trying to lose fat through short term solutions that usually just magnify the problem.
The secret to attaining life time health and fitness starts with the right mind set…when you’re in the right frame of mind, ridding your life of nasty habits like diet soda becomes a natural consequence of the way you choose to eat…and live.
Are you addicted to anything unhealthy? What are YOU doing about it?
Let’s hear it!
Rob
Related posts:
Rob,
I too am concerned about drinking diet soda, as I am guilty of this behavior myself. While I have not researched any studies as to what you are referencing, I do come from a scientific background. I rely on references so I can look into any stated claim. Could you provide some references (journal articles or the like) that you have investigated about your findings other than your experience?
Thanks.
I have been following Dr Mercola’s news letters and he has repeatedly reminded us to refrain ourselves from sodas, artificial sweeteners such aspartame, saccharin (sorry, I’m not sure of the right spelling), high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) etc. Nutritionist like Isabel de la Rios always advise us to take Stevia as our main sweetener and the BEST DRINK is PURE WATER, i.e., plain water.
Thank you.
correct!
Thanks for this article…I don’t drink soda much, but this one convinced me to just stop with the diet stuff. I did see diet soda sweetened with Stevia, however. What is your opinion on those?
Thanks for these articles, they are great motivators!
You might try the FDA’s own website they list the chemicals that have been approved to be added to food and drinks. Also you might try US geological website, they report on testings of different chemicals and they have good info.
Hi Rob
I was really interested to read about your concerns on artificial sweeteners, and would like to share with your other clients the experience I had some years ago. In an effort to maintain my weight when I changed from an active to a desk bound job, I started using sweeteners in black tea and dropped the dairy produce. Whilst my weight remained static for some months, I noticed that my muscle tone seemed slacker (despite routine gym visits), and after about a year, I developed a rash all over my body and face. I was referred to one specialist after another who all gave me different theories (insect bites!! allergies etc), and I also saw several allergy therapists who all gave me conflicting information. The rash never worsened, but occasionally became irritating, and so I decided, in desperation, to do some of my own research on line. It would appear that the sweetener I was using contained Aspartame, which is actually a toxin and can cause all manner of insidious symptoms, one of which is an inexplicable rash. I stopped using sweeteners immediately, and the rash disappeared over a period of about 3 months after having had it for over 2 years. I would recommend that anyone considering the use of artificial sweeteners make sure that the ingredient Aspartame is not present in anything that they consume, as the toxin builds in the body, and is not expelled until all usage is stopped. It is interesting to note that this additive is present in most diet drinks and also in some wines, so beware!!
I took a nutrition class in college a few years back. My instuctor was a physician. She said that all fake sugars are bad period. She recommended moderation in all things. She had us read an article from a magazine called the horrors of aspartame. The article was quite the eye opener.
I also developed a rash after using artificial sweeteners for the first time at the beginning of 2010. When the rash appeared I wrongly presumed it was as the result of my changing my bath soap. I have now not used artificial sweeteners for a few months and yay! no rash!!
I also was using artificial sweetner with aspertame quite a bit a few years ago. It took me a while to realize it was the main trigger for my migraines. It doesn’t just happen right away, but takes a little time to build up in your system I guess. That being said, for the diabetics, etc out there, some sweetners are not as bad as others, aspartame is very unhealthy though.
I suffered with Chronic Fatigue for years and also suffered from headaches that would last for days and no over-the-counter medicine would help alleviate the pain! I consumed about 44 oz of diet soda a day until I read an interesting article on aspartame. Aspartame is a poison…there is no other way to say it. I cut aspartame out of my diet and it helped tremendously! No more headaches and my energy level rose considerably.
What are the 3 Veggies i can eat
Order for Facts about herbs
I strongly believe in the diet prescribe for us great work done.
My most concern is the abdominal fat
great work
Hello Rob,
thanks a lot for the e-book gift. i love it. just want to know if drinking lots of water can strain the kidney and liver
sure thing Elizabeth… regarding the water, you should check with your doctor if you have those concerns, but most folks don’t drink nearly enough water…
I used to walk marathons. I was told by my coach if a person actually feels thirsty and can’t wait to get a drink of water, that person is already a quart low on intake of fluids. I believe this.
Hello Elizabeth,
My daughter recieved a kidney transplant 5 years ago and she is “required” to drink 4 liters of water a day to keep her new kidney healthy. That is a lot of water; but according to the doctor is good for her.
About 10 years ago, I heard that mixing the “pink” sweetener with aspartame gave a tremendous synergistic effect. It did — making my tea about 5-10x sweeter than using either alone. I got hooked, and was using perhaps a dozen packets of each, every day.
Within 3 or 4 months I started seeing little black spots floating in my eyes, and in about 2 years I ended up with detached retinas in both eyes within maybe 6 months of each other.
Did some research on aspartame, and found this is not rare!
About 100 studies have been done, with about 42 showing eye problems resulting from extended, heavy use of aspartame.
The other 58, that showed NO such problems, were ALL funded by Monsanto, the maker of aspartame. Well, duhhhhhhh.
I quit the aspartame, with no further eye problems. Looks like I need to quit the pink stuff too, to hopefully eliminate my weight loss problems.
Hey Ron, thanks for commenting… one thing I didn’t note in this post was some strange headaches I used to get back when I was sucking down diet cokes all day… haven’t had ‘em since…
Rob, In regards to headaches, I am a migraine sufferrer and have been for 30 years. I used to drink only diet coke until I got pregnant with my daughter in ’95. I had read that aspartame was bad for the fetus, so I stopped drinking my diet coke for 1 year. 9 Months and 3 months while breast feeding (no migraines). The first chance I had to have my forbidden drink, I indulged. Within 5 minutes flat, I had a full blown migraine. They had never come on without warning before and never so fast. I have never had anything with aspartame again (including gum) and now only on rare occassions have migraines due to pressure changes.
Is there gum that doesn’t have aspartame?
Yes – there are some gums out there made with Xylotol – One I know if is called Spry. You can find it at Amazon.com
Does adding Crystal light to your water cause the same effect?
Yes, but they now make crystal light called “Pure” thats made with Stevia which isn’t a artificial sweetner, but a herb or plant. Walmart and Hansens also make flavors for water w/ stevia.
I have heard from a friend and I do not know if this is true, but here goes. The diet sweeteners trick you body into thinking there is sugar present and the results in a spike of insulin production.
I asked a nutritionist about this and she said foods that have no caloric content (have zero calories) have no rating and thus cannot be listed on the glycemic index.
My thoery about this is this: While this may be or may not be true, an added problem is the carbonation or the bubbles of those drinks. Those bubble of Carbon Dioxide go into the stomach in a large number and are not immediately expelled through the mouth (as a belch) or anus (as Flatulence). This it is held in the gatrointestinal tract forcing the body to accommodate it. Thus those organs have to stretch to accommodate all this gas that is still in the system. This make the stomach bigger and thus in order to feel full, we need to eat more. But it is my theory that it is the CO2 gas that is making the stomach larger thus creating the need for more food to fill the stomach to make it feel full.
I was recently sent two interesting tidbits about artificial sweeteners, which I find interesting since I am admittedly an addict to Diet Cherry Pepsi. I have suffered with bloat and an inability to lose the 50 extra pounds of belly fat I’ve been carrying around for about 11 years. I get migraines, I am exhausted all the time, I sleep poorly, I break out in inexplicable rashes on the back of my head and behind my ears, and I’m continually congested. Here are the links…I’d highly recommend them to everyone who loves diet soda like I do. It may make you rethink what you drink!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoAtwVyzZI
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/09/splenda_study.html
Kelly,
Wow ur story about diet soda is me to a teeeeeee. I am so addicted to soda that its not funny. I drink nothing else!!!!! I even get withdrawals if I dont have any. Its incredible isnt it. I was drinking regular soda everyday and wondering why I couldnt lose weight. I saying I drank alot of soda almost a 12 pack or more a day. I switched to diet soda, no more weigjht gain and i wound up losing about 60#s went from an 18 to size 10 I am so pleased I dress better and its amazing that i can finally fit into the cool stuff instead of the mooooomoooos LOL I have kept it off for over 5 yrs now. I am now ready to lose more especially this belly fat of mine. Thanks for ur story. Best of luck to u
Hi James,
I was recently diagnosed with insulin resistance. This means my body overacts to sugar, or in my case artificial sweeteners, and produces to much insulin. My doctor told me this is because artificial sweeteners look like sugar to the body but they are not reduced by insulin. The body keeps producing insulin to reduce the perceived sugar level but nothing happens.
He also explained to me another negative side effect of having insulin in your blood trying to combat artificial sweeteners. Insulin is one on the primary compounds in the blood that control fat breakdown back into sugar. While there is insulin in the blood the body thinks it has too much sugar in the blood and therefore will not breakdown fat even though there is no actual sugar in the blood.
This means is if you consume artificial sweeteners and then exercise your blood sugar will reduce but you will not be burning fat because the body is still producing insulin to combat the artificial sweeteners so all you end doing is feeling exhausted without losing weight.
If you keep doing this long enough, like me, you’ll end up with insulin resistance, which if untreated leads to the pancreas burning out which results in diabetes.
My wife warned me off artificial sweeteners years ago but should could come up with any ‘scientific evidence’ so I ignored her. It I hadn’t I would be a lot slimmer and healthier today.
Regards
Steve
Rob,
Hi, I am a single father to my 15 year old son. My son is very muscular but carries about 30 lbs of fat. This has caused him to not go to school, and to basically hide, play his electronic games thus gaining more weight. His mom gave up on him and asked me to take over thinking because I am ex speacial forces, I could whip him into shape. I’m now 59 and not in very good shape myself. I have broken my son from his coke addiction (the drink) and switched him to coke zero. He drinks it with the same gusto he did the regular coke. BAD or OK??? I have limited him to three a day.
On a good note, he and I are doing your weight and eating program. We have been doing it for a week. He reads your book daily and is very exited about the out come (so am I) Would appreciate any feed back. Thanks! Gord
Hey Gord, good work getting him off the sugary stuff… if he can stick with a sound whole foods based diet along with FBF routines, I believe he should lose about 10-15 pounds in the next few weeks.. the Coke Zero is essentially Diet Coke, so while it has no calories, you are still looking at the downsides of diet soda… next step is to get him drinking more water… show him the ice cold water trick and how it burns 100 extra calories a day… he will slowly start to replace the Coke Zero with water… let us know how it’s going and good luck!
Thanks Rob,
He read your reply and he will switch to more water. Both of us are very serious about your plan, Thanks again
Gord
Ice cold water thick? I have not heard of this, what is it?
hi rob
just read your ice cold water trick – is that in the book, i think i may have missed it got to the exercises and started doing them. guess what its working, in a week i lost 3 cms off my waist and bust, the weight only moved a bit but i feel heathier and fitter already.
you are going to tell me to finish the book right?
Claire
I LUST LOVE UNSWEET TEA, I HOPE SOMEBODY DON’T FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.
This is going to be a difficult habit to break. I was hit by a semi in 1996 and in ICU for a week. I was on great pain medication and didn’t feel anything except for the caffiene withdrawal headache. It was awful. As soon as they took the tubes out and said “can we get you anything?” I croaked “diet coke!”
I’ve been drinking it since I was around twelve and am now 56. I will start by cutting down, and see if I can wean myself off of it.
I know I sound defeatist, but this is one habit I’ve tried to break several times and a flippin’ SEMI hitting me didn’t stop it……..
How do I get a loved one to stop drinking soda altogether?!? My brother is as you describe in the blog – drinks a bottle of diet coke every morning, noon, and night, and often two or three in between. I keep telling him to either cut down or cut it out entirely, but he just won’t listen. Do you know of any alternatives that I could offer instead of Diet Coke? Are there any carbonated drinks that contain caffeine, but aren’t awful awful? Or even non-carbonated, caffeinated (like tea or coffee) that would be a good improvement? I haven’t drunk soda with any regularity ever in my life, so I don’t know what the addiction is like, but having helped my husband overcome smoking, I know what withdrawal can look like. Any advice or references would be greatly appreciated!
Best
Hey Elizabeth, a good sparkling water with a bit of juice can do the trick… just go with a splash of juice… there are brands already like this out there…one that I’ve tried recently is called La Croix…
Hi Elizabeth
Have you tried the natural (80%) juice, slighlty carbonated caffienated drink from Mona Vie? I use it for study as it gives me energy without the quick up and down so many enegry drinks have. I dont get headaches or suffer the big fall after the drink. Most fizzy soda drinks will do that, give you false sense of a sugar high then throw you back down, and in a few short hours you are looking for more.
They have tested it and there is abotu 4-5 hours of slow released enegery from naural caffien but wont get u all fuzzy after. The drink is called Emv, and can be bought from distributors or on line from the company. I am a drinker ( they have a range that includes juices for arthritis health) and non-active distributor, so I am just giving you some info should you want to try a truly natural company and the best enegry drink as a start, for your brother, and your health as well. Cheers from down under (Australia) PS it is an American company, but thats OK, cos they do good things!
Everyone seems to know about the horrors of aspartame (Nutrasweet)—I’ve stayed away from the stuff for years—but no one has mentioned sucralose (Splenda). I have found the greatest soda (imho) in the world: Diet Rite Pure Zero. Been around for years, but awhile back, they reformulated & repackaged/changed name to look ‘hip’, no calories (uses splenda), no caffeine, no sodium, & I LOVE it. Doesn’t have that diet aftertaste like aspartame either. Just curious as to why so many people are aware of aspartame being bad, but 99% of diet drinks (soda, snapple, etc) still use it. The splenda diet coke is very good too, but has the sodium & caffeine…
Hey Rob,
You are right about drinking diet soda’s making a person gaining weight.
I personally experience that weight gain but after i switched to drinking water
when im thirsty or when the urge to snack hits me, it becomes easier to lose those stubborn
fats.
So yea, great advice! Especially the part where you advised to add lemon to the water which helps to cleanse the digestive system.
Thanks Rob!
Thanks for the info – I had NO idea. Isn’t it amazing that this is not readily available information and people have to dig deep to find out the truth?
I was hooked seriously on sodas for 38 years. In my 20′s I would spend around $80 a month on sodas. I always drank one from the time I got up to going to bed(I would have one open next to my bed. I tried many times to quit, cold turkey, and would get pounding, intense migrain headaches. And almost every time, within a month after quitting, I would start up again, rationalizing that I could just drink the caffeine free junk, moderately…which never lasted.
The carbonation and acid began giving me severe joint problems, I have been told, heavy soda drinking can ruin your joints, and accellerate arthritis in your joints.
I prayed to The Lord finally took away my desire, and broke my addiction. I have been free of sodas for 2 years now.
way to go Matt!
how about Splenda?
another chemical concoction to avoid… try stevia, and all natural sugar alternative
I began using a product called Xylitol (by Nirvana Health Products specifically). It is 100% xylitol as opposed to other brands, and xylitol has the added bonus of protecting teeth against decay!
I have one coffees at home each morning before breakfast with Splenda (Sucralose) or Stevia (a natural herb) for sweetening.
I feel like I just COULDN’T break this habit. But, if anyone has anything to say about it regarding any dangers, I would consider it.
Does anyone know any dangers or if this morning habit of mine is harmful or sabbotaging my fat loss?
hey Lesly a cup of coffee a day is fine… the main issue is adding cream/sugar as far as weight loss is concerned…
I use agave nectar in my coffee. It’s a natural sweetener, I believe it’s derived from a cactus. It’s more of a complex sugar and isn’t digested the same as regular cane sugar. The flavor is slightly different than regular sugar but you quickly get used to it.
Stevia is great! Herb tea with stevia is one of my favorite cold-weather drinks.
Are there any other sugar substitutes besides stevia that don’t mess up your appetite-regulating hormones or have other bad side effects?
Some sugar-free breath mints I’ve used in the past have sorbitol or mannitol, so do I need to find a substitute for those?
Hi! Rob
Talk about being hooked on diet coke, i drink seven to ten 350mls cans a day my stomach size is around 95cm & my height is 5′ 8ins & i weight between 13stone to 14stone. After reading what you have say about it and reading other info from Joe Benson & others.
I have stop to day 2nd October 2010 Do you have any ideas on over coming the withdraws
Thanks
Bruce Clare
Vic Australia
Keep up the good work
Hey Bruce, nice work man… try adding a splash of fruit juice once in a while if you’re craving some flavor…
Isn’t it amazing we’re something like 87% water and yet have such an aversion to it? lol
For me I’ve determined it’s what you’re used to. Starting a new habit takes some discipline. For me it was buying the bottled spring water. And the brand I buy is truly certified spring water. I set six bottles out on my desk at the beginning of the day with the goal of having none left by the time I went home. Also a little fresh squeezes lemon not only gave it a little taste but I understand there are other positive effects as well. At first that was actually a job. In time it jsut became routine. Not other thatn a cup of coffee in the morning I don’t drink much other thatn water and I do about 6-8 16 ox bottles a day. I don’t consider my post workout protien shake a beverage. That’s a meal. ALmost any diet plan I’ve gone on always worked better when there was lots of water running through my system. And Rob, I used to be a Diet Coke man myself.
great tips Rob!
I was wondering is splenda is also bad, I quit smoking and gained 25extra pounds which I find hard to lose i drink two low fat coffees a day with splenda the coffee took over for the smokes.
yes splenda is just another artificial sweetener… try stevia
One of the best things you can do for your health is to cut out all sugar. I lost 10lbs just by doing it, and that was just cutting it from my drinks. It’s little tough at first, but then it gets to the point where anything sweet is sickening. It just takes a little will power.
This all sounds great except that I am a type II diabetic with an extreme resistance to insulin. (I use 150-200 units of 70/30 3x daily at meals). Fruit juices are really bad for diabetics. They raise my blood sugar almost as soon as I drink them. whole fruits aren’t quite so bad because of the fiber but still require caution. I haven’t dared to try Stevia because it is a natural sugar. I use Splenda because I would never be able to say to myself, “Nothing sweet for the rest of your life”.
The commments sound good for a person who isn’t diabetic, but it’s too late for allot of us.
Hi Greg,
You are right about fruit juices and some fruit. Have you looked at which foods are high glycemic and have high glycemic loads? Those are the ones to avoid… understand that it is not too late for you! Carol Wanless RN
Try a bit of pure unsweetened grapefruit juice in your water. I’m a type 2 diabetic and I find that grapfruit juice actually helps to lower blood sugars not raise them.
I am suprised to hear that grapefruit actually will help lower glucose levels. The problem for alot of people who are diabetic is that they also have other health issues and are not able to consume grapefruit because it will interfer with medication, I know this because my husband was told he could no longer eat this wonderful fruit due to the negitive interaction it has on his medicatons.
Terri, you are right. My husband is a Type 2 diabetic. We’ve had him off of insulin for 5 years now but because of other health problems one of the meds he is on says “NO GRAPEFRUIT.” of any kind. Hoping to get him off that medication in the near future.
His doctor says Splenda is just as bad. I’m trying to get him to use Truvia or Honey. He was a 6 to 8 (12 to 24 oz bottles- it did not matter) pack a day Diet Pepsi drinker for over 20 years. I tried & tried to warn him for the first 15 years of our marriage about the diet pop but he won’t listen until he was diagnosed with the Type 2 & was taking 4 shots a day. He originally lost 163 lbs. but over the last 2 1/2 years he’s put 80lbs. back on. I can’t stand over him 24hrs a day-saying “No, No, No.” But, I’m still strying!! So hang in there!!
Hi Rob,
I am 42 and have drank nothing but diet coke for more than half of my life. I got away from it once but the addiction got me and started right back into drinking it again. I have heard and read that diet pops aren’t good for you, especially the dark ones but I can’t get myself to stop. One of the things I quess I’m confused about is that the articial sweetners are supposed to be bad for you but what about Splenda? I have read in alot of diet and fitness articles that they recommend substituting Splenda for sugar, so wouldn’t that be bad too?
Shelly
Hey Shelly, Splenda is basically a form of sucralose, another chemical concoction to avoid… I would try stevia, a natural sweetener with no cals (you also need much less of it than sugar)… also if you want to flavor your water, add a splash of fruit juice (just a splash).
I very rarely drink soda so I’m not concerned about the aspartam but there is another serious issue with every soda, be it diet or sugary: they are terribly acidic. I don’t feel any of this when I drink it, but I know it’s there, and I don’t even dare to imagine what damage it does when someone drinks his stuff regularly…
I was a diet soda junkie for a couple of decades, drinking a liter or two of Diet Pepsi about every day. Artificial sweeteners in general, and diet sodas in particular, are a huge problem for two main reasons:
1) The sweetener chemicals contain toxins, which at low levels of consumption our amazing bodies deal with pretty well. At high levels, though, the toxins that can’t be dealt with and eliminated are stored in fat cells. The body then tries NOT to burn this fat because it then has to deal with the re-released toxins. My “saddlebags” weren’t just fat, they were toxic waste.
2) Soda, diet or not, is very acidic. High consumption means your body has to cope to keep your blood pH at 7.4. The way it copes is like a swimming pool, it pulls minerals such as calcium out of storage, which is your bones. A swimming pool with too much acid in it dissolves its own plaster, and a body with too much acid in it dissolves its own bones.
When you look at how hard your body has to work to cope with keeping you alive when you drink a lot of diet soda, water with a slice of lemon is truly DELICIOUS!
Soda also affects the gallbladder because of the acid content. My husband was warned off soda by his heart doctor after learning about how sour his stomach was becoming. He would consume up to 3 or 4 two litters per day. The doctor telling him to quit soda had a wonderful impact on lowering his bad stomach gas as well as the pocketbook.
I quit drinking diet coke 2yrs ago…stopped cold turkey. I was drinking 2 1liter bottles a day
While I don’t think aspartame is a bad as everyone here seems to think and I also don’t think stevia is necessarily as benign as some seem to think:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.html
I do believe that too much of anything is not a good thing. All things in moderation.
I definitely drink too much soda, and plan on trying to go cold turkey.
Keep out the sweeteners of all sorts and pretty soon, sweet things will not taste that good to you. Therefore, you will eat less calorie-dense, nutritionally-empty foods.
Hi Evan.
Yes everyone has different reactions to different things. I would like to add that the FDA has a list of 78 known side effects of Aspartame (nutrasweet and other brands too). The list of 78 side effects includes death. I think you would agree it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s bad for consumption after reading that list. Nothing should have that many side effects. I bought a Stevia plant at Home Depot once. It’s an herb and if you eat the leaf it’s like eating sweet lettuce. Stevia is a sweet plant, kinda like sugar cane but w/o all the calories and tooth decay probs.
I really like your comment about all things in moderation.
Hi Rob
I think that is half of my weight problem
I have never drank diet at all, I drink full strength coca cola and V can. It is nothing for me to have a V a day with a coke later or 2 vs or 2 cokes. So totally addicted it bugs me. I can go two days with out a V or a coke but that’s it.
Recently, Instead of buying flavored sodas and other sweet drinks and juices I get club soda (just plain carbonated water) I find that it satisfies my craving just as good as something loaded with sugar and caffeine.
Hi Rob,
I have read conflicting reports on room-temperature vs. ice cold water. I started drinking cold per your book but then came across this recently:
“The problem is that as the COLD drinks pass through our system, they solidify the fats from the foods we have just eaten or are eating at present. This makes the body find it harder to digest and disperse the unwanted fats from our body.”
Just wanted to get your thoughts. Thanks.
Eric, I am not aware of this information or how accurate it is… I can tell you the ice cold water trick works as I personally used it to drop fat, and it also helps kill cravings…
I used to drink a lot of sodas but now I have at the most three cans of diet sodas a week which has greatley improved my addiction to sodas but I find also that when I do have diet sodas I crave high sugar products and this is something I never understood till now I know that I have to increase my water consumption to a minumum of at least eight glasees a day and my doctor told me that even natural fruit juices I need to add extra water to this. I am still learning some of these things as at nearly seventy years of age I am still willing to learn as life is a learning experience.
My main vice is chocolate, and though I could literally eat my body weight in chocolate I buy Dove Dark Chocolate Promise individually wrapped squares and allow myself only one per day which lets me enjoy my chocolate and gives me the benefit of antioxidants as well.
Hi Rob, this article was very useful but I need to know about that other types of food that I should not eat to lose fat so can u tell me like the top 10 foods that I am NOT supposed to eat while losing fat to maximize my workouts?
Hello, everyone. Here’s my experience. I used to poo-poo the notion that artificial sweeteners actually caused you to gain weight UNTIL I stopped using it due to a diagnosed hiatal hyrnia (had to give up the bubbles). Didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I stopped cold turkey. One day I noticed that I had stopped “grazing”, especially in the evenings. Then I realized that I no longer had cravings. THEN I noticed that because I had replaced my sodas with water, my natural thirst was restored and I wanted more water. I don’t know how this works; I just know it does.
What is the difference between Zero Coke and Diet Coke? I guess I’ll learn to drink water and ice tea
Joel… different artificial sweeteners… you can also flavor your water with a splash of juice… just a splash
What about Tea and Splenda??
Hey Bart, splenda is yet another artificial sweetener that is suspect at best… lots are having great success with the all natural sweetner stevia if you want to sweeten your tea…
I once used stevia in the liquid form. It came in a little bottle with a dropper and it was easy to control how much you use in your tea. What I started to taste was a bad after taste after I had used it for about 6 months. It just wouldn’t go away so I quit using it. I haven’t used the new granulated time long enough to see if it would be like that, but I did taste that old taste when I did try it. Maybe I’ll have to make an attempet at sticking to it for awhile.
Where can i buy Stevia?
You can find it most health food stores or at health grocers like Whole Foods Market… I usually buy it online here…
Most of the diet drinks come loaded with caffiene, Pepsi Max, Coke One. Thats max caffiene, which will for sure give headaches if taken in excess, I get the same effect by taking coffee no diary no sweetners/sugars. Try espresso, not the 450 calories Starbucks lattee’s.
My girlfriend told me about the dangers of diet sodas (artificial sweeteners). She had two miscarriages and after she quit she had 2 healthy babies with no problems at all. So I decided right then and there to quit my diet sodas and breath mints with artificial sweeteners and the ringing in my ear that nothing would help for 2 yrs magically went away. It made me angry when I found out thru different articles on the net that diet sodas were making me fat. What? That anger made it easy to quit. Today I use stevia in my morning coffee and iced teas and have quit soda altogether. Spring water is the best drink so I do lots of that too.
But here’s a coolest thing I’ve discovered: At night is when I felt like going off my diet because I wanted something sweet so I decided to trick my brain. I bought all sorts of herbal teas in an assortment of flavors like Vanilla, Chocolate Chai, Almond, Apple, Caramel, Peppermint, Mandarin Orange, Coconut etc… you get the picture. I made my own recipes too. Like 1 bag of Vanilla to 1 bag of Orange + stevia = the flavor of a 50/50 bar. Apple + stevia = Apple pie, Peppermint + stevia = candy cane. Coconut + Vanilla = Coconut truffle. I would drink the tea and picture the desert and tell my brain that was the taste. It took a little while to train my brain into thinking this is what desert is now but it was well worth it. Merry Christmas to you all : )
How many artificial sweeteners are out there and what are there names?
Google is your friend
… but the major ones are aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, cyclamate and Acesuflame Potassium (AceK) … there are also brand names like Splenda…
I started usng sweetners back when we had some that I can’t even remember the names and have gone through all of them. I’ve now settled on Splenda which I use in my green tea and my lemonade and some cereals. I also use it in my baking. Early this past summer I started looking closer at the contents label on my soda cans and I saw that most all of them had switched to aspertane which I had quit for splenda. After seeing that was my only choise I said noway and quit pop all together and started making lemonade. I keep to half gallons of water in the frig and one of them always has lemonade in it. I feel much better about what I’m drinking and I haven’t done the math, but I know I’m saving alot of money. Here’s to you!
How about the ‘new’ 0-calorie sugar from the stalk of sugar cane (not the sugar on the inside)?
I go through 1 or 2 12-cup pots of coffee, sugared, daily. It doesn’t stimulate me; instead, it works on me as a relaxant.
The really big problem with any kind of Soda is…..the acid level. If you want long term health problems, get your body really acidic. That is exactly what a can of Soda with every meal will do. Do the research, you will change your diet. Add to that the sugar in a regular can of Soda, or the questionable chemicals in a can of Diet Soda and your body gets some real stress.
See if you can limit 2011 to 12 cans of soda or less. You will not miss it. I have had less than 5 glasses of Soda in 15 years, and my brother in law runs two Coke plants!
If you’ve ever read Dr. Atkins book, he claims that Aspartame is the big villian in diet soft drinks, or anything with artificial sweetener. I have found doing Atkins that the diet does, in fact, work much better if you cut out all aspartame.
I am a diabetic and when I need to add a sweetner, cereal, etc., I have no other choice then to us splenda. I have been on the Adkins diet using the artificial sweetber and lost a lot of weight. What other option do diabetics have?
Hey Bernice… look into stevia, but check with your doctor first.. here is a quick recap on stevia and diabetes…
Derived from a South American shrub, Stevia is recommended for anyone with diabetes, as well as those looking for natural, low-carb, low-calorie sweetener solutions. Stevia is also considered healthy for other reasons, but most importantly for diabetics, stevia stimulates the release of insulin and normalizes the response to glucose, particularly in type 2 diabetes, and is also used a therapeutic remedy for hyperglycemia.
Used in South America to help lower blood sugar in diabetics, further studies are ongoing, and seem to prove that the anti-diabetic properties of stevia can also help to reduce blood pressure and control blood sugar levels, as well as improve muscle tone and the health of the heart.
Because stevia can lower blood sugar, individuals also taking insulin and other medications for diabetes should consult a doctor first before using stevia, and check their blood sugar levels often while using stevia.
Do you have any comments on the artificial sweeteners used in gum? I have noticed that even *sugar* gum has artificial sweeteners in it. I am curious about this – it’s so easy to just finger “diet soda”… our family does not generally drink pop, but my husband chews gum on a regular basis.
Hey Julie, there are such small amounts in gum, unless you’re chewing a lot of gum every day, it should be a minor issue… but some folks will even stay away from the gum as well…
I learned, a long time ago, NEVER to eat ‘diet’ anything. I figured they were actually giving me a “clue” right on the label — simply remove the last letter of ‘diet’(?!) I also avoid anything that says: light or lite and products with too many unpronouncable multi-syllable words. Oh, and anything that is being advertised a lot.
Simple rules for me: raw food for breakfast; vegetarian for lunch; carnivore for dinner; 3 C/F/P snacks and a LOT of water; and I try to have something of each colour each day.
My only downfall is ‘pepsi’ … straight up, none of those gimmick versions (max, diet, whatever). I realize it’s bad for me … at the same time, it’s my only bad habit.
Goal: to eliminate it entirely from my food intake. Right now, drinking 1 or 2 a day (there was a time when it was closer to actual ‘cases’ a day. So, I’m on the right track. It’s a tough one, as any habit is.
I have a problem with desiring potatoe chips. Do you have any suggestions to this fatty habit?
dip them in a lean protein source like no/lowfat cottage cheese and try baked versions. This will cut down on calories and slow the absorption of the chips into fat…
I have been one who has been addicted to diet soda in the past as well… used to drink many cans a day for years (diet mountain dew was my fav & is pretty much all I drank)
I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2003 & haven’t had a can since.. I drink mostly soymilk, vitaminwaters, juices, etc..
Does anybody believe that these artificial chemicals can be responsible for seizures, etc.??? I know other people who have lived on diet sodas & they too have epilepsy. I think that these sweeteners are horrible for the body & for certain people can bring on disastrous results…. almost like people smoking, the certain people destined to get cancer (the cells are affected etc..)
Just curious as to peoples opinion… Thanks!
I mentioned in a couple of other comments, for years soda and other foods were sweetened with Nutra sweet which is a combination of two chemicals. One scientist I saw interviewed said that he thought through his testing that it was the cause in the rise of brain tumors in this country. I heard else where that it causes the electrical impulses from one side of the brain to the other to shut down, exactly what happens in epilepsy. So yes scientist have comfirm that. And if I remember right asparteme is one of the chemicals in nutra sweet.
I never got on the diet soda wagon, but I did add aspartame sweetner to my coffee and tea for quite a few years. I believe I am now suffering memory loss as a result of that consumption. I stopped drinking it 2 years go based on the recommendation from my doctor and that was the the beginning of my weight loss. Still working on getting my memory back.
I HAVE USED DIFFERENT SWEETNERS FOR YEARS, I STARTED USING THEM INSTEAD OF SUGAR AS DIRECTED BY A REGISTERED DIETITIAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS. NOW I HAVE SWITCHED TO STEVIA,. I HAVE AWFUL BLOATING, GAS, BURPING ODOUR SMELLS LIKE EGGS, STOMACHE IS AS IF I HAVE SOUR STOMACHE LIKE WHEN I WAS A KID!!????? I TRY TO STAY UNDER 5 PACKETS A DAY LIKE IT SAYS ON PACKAGING. IT MAKES ME BURP FOR HOURS WITH NOT MUCH RELIEF, AND THEN I GO TO BED AND WELL I HAVE GAS FROM ELSEWHERE! IT IS HORRIBLE! WHAT CAN I DO, OR HAVE IN PLACE OF STEVIA????????? PLEASE HELP ROB, AS WHEN I GET LIKE THIS MY STOMACHE BLOATS OUT AS IF I WAS PREGNANT!!! THEN I AM PRISONER IN MY OWN HOME, AS IT IS WAY TOO EMBARRASSING TO GO OUT IN PUBLIC. NOT TO MENTION TYPING IT ON HERE!! ROB I HOPE YOU HAVE A SOLUTION FOR ME?? THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU GUYS DO FOR ALL OF US FATTIES, LOL.
I use stevia all the time and don’t have that problem, what type are you using? The powder or liquid? I find the liquid has less additives and tastes better. Sounds to me like you might be using one of the brands that is a mix or stevia and xylotol (Which when consumed in large amounts causes gas and bloating) sheck your labels.
I was addicted to coffee for many years. I started drinking it right after High School when I joined the Navy. Couldn’t stay awake without it. I soon discovered that I couldn’t function without it.
Every time I tried to quit, I’d have these terrible headaches and fits of rage. My coffee also included plenty of cream and sugar and the pounds were mounting. I decided that I would continue to drink coffee, but switch to saccharin to help in reducing my caloric intake. I did this for years with zero weight reduction.
After reading of the harmful effects of saccharin, I decided to quit for good, no matter what it took. I actually had to take two (2) weeks vacation and lock myself up in the house to deal with my severe mood swings. My wife left town to visit family during those two weeks also. I drank water like mad and quickly discovered it was helping to alleviate my headaches.At the end of those two weeks, I was basically coffee free. My body had kicked the habit.
Now I can’t even imagine drinking another cup of it. I awake each morning naturally energized. My teeth are whiter, and my breath no longer reeks or fermented coffee. I look more hydrated and just feel better. Besides, I no longer have an addiction to consume artificial sweetners.
I started drinking diet coke when it was first released and continued drinking a 6 pack everyday for years. Then my face started going numb with occasional hot firings. After umpteen tests with the neurologist, and other doctors, they gave up. Said they had no idea what was causing the problem. Went to a naturopath who had treated my daughter and she told me to quit drinking diet soda and see what happened. It took me 3 weeks to quit it (caffeine withdrawal headaches, etc.), but 2 weeks after my last diet soda, the symptoms all disappeared, never to return. She told me that your body modifies it to a formula similar to formaldehyde – I was pickling my brain. Yikes! So no diet soda in our household ever!
I personally don’t care for any diet sodas or regular sodas for that matter which I guess is a good thing. I do notice many people mentioning Stevia as a choice of sweetener. I haven’t tried it in a while, but about 5 yrs ago I bought some and to me it tastes like saccarin which is positively disgusting imho. Have they improved the flavor or stevia sweenteners or does it still have that awful aftertaste like the “pink packets”? I find agave nectar is good as is coconut palm sugar. Are those ok? Thanks!
If you use the right amount you shouldn’t experience that aftertaste with stevia… try using a bit less…
How about Maltitol? Is this safe?
Malitol is derived from wheat, so if you have any gluten issues, that may be a concern… it has also been known to cause bloating and gas, but that depends on usage of course. Stevia and stevia derived sweeteners have been the best we’ve tried so far.
Yes the liquid stevias are the best in my opinion and now you can get them in many flavors as well. I love the vanilla and chocolate, but they also make fruit flavors.
HELP!! I am a diabetic, am insulin resistant, can’t drink milk (lactoce intolerant) and don’t do well with straight water (over 8 oz and I start throwing it back up)…. so what CAN I drink?
Hey Carol, try sipping the water throughout the day instead of downing it all within a few minutes…
Hi
I read your comment on “drinking the water” are you using purified water? Straight tap water has all kinds of impurities and chlorine!!!! These taste bad. try purified water, I get mine from the Culligan machine at Walmart.
I personally use a whole house water filter from LIfesource… it filters out pretty much everything you don’t want, but leaves important minerals in the water than normal Revers Osmosis systems take out.
I AM LACTOSE INTOLERANT AS WELL. BUT YOU CAN BUY LACTOSE FREE MILK!!! OR LACTAID IN PILL FORM FOR WHEN YOU WANT TO HAVE DAIRY!! IN CANADA WE HAVE SHOPPERS DRUG MART, USE THE STORE BRAND OF LACTAID, OR LACTEEZ IS USUALLY A LITTLE CHEAPER, CHECK WALMART!
I drink 1-2 glasses of red wine after my dinner, almost every day.
Is this habit of mine sabbotaging my fat loss?
Rob,
What is your opinion of Fruit 2o naturally flavored water drinks? They say no artificially flavors.
It is so hard for me to drink straight water. I liked your idea of putting a “splash” of fruit juice in my water. I can try that! What about Crystal Light–probably has aspartame.?
I am switching to Stevia–I use alot of Splenda. My husband is a Type 2 diabetic.
Barb
Hey Barb, haven’t tried fruit 2o, but could be a good option… we enjoy Sobe LifeWaters, the 0 cal varieties that are sweetened with stevia. We’ve also tried a stevia sweetened soft drink called Zevia, which is nice once in a while.
I have diet soda when I have craving for some soft drinks, I’m not addicted to it but would definitely have it once a week. Combination fried rice was something I was addicted to, I eventually got myself off it with trying to space out the time between meals. I went from 5 meals of it a week to 4 meals to 3 etc etc. This method worked for me, admittedly I did try cold turkey but that didn’t work!
I understand that Stevia is suppose to be better than Slenda, and I have tried to switch, but my husband does not like the after taste, I have also noticed that all the store brands of Stevia, even that sold in the vitamin section that are just called Stevia have Maltodextrin added. What is this and is it not another chemical as a preservative?
I use Kal Pure Stevia Extract from Whole Foods Market. It has no maltodextrin and there is no after taste.
Try the liquid brands they don’t have the moltodextrin and in my opinion dont have the bitter after taste that you refer to.
I was addicted to Cokes and easily drinking 6 to 10 a day. When I tried switching to diet drinks my body actually rebelled against the artificial sweeteners with belly aches and headaches. Finally getting into the right mind set and knocking off all sodas with water and the occasional crystal light pkg I add to my water for flavor once in awhile I have knocked the habit – but wanted to mention that I found a soda called Zevia – made from Stevia (a natural sweetner) and it has zero calories and sugar and nothing artificial. These are my treats that I have once in awhile and keep me completely satisfied.
What about Truvia?
Hey Sherry Truvia is Stevia based, so it’s a decent choice…
Great blurb on artificial sweetners. 20 years ago my best friend had a kidney/pancreas transplant (one of the 1st) and her kidney doctor told her the most dangerous thing we all ingest was artificial sweetners. He advises all his clients (many diabetics) to just say NO to all of them!
Hi
I went to a weight loss physician a few years ago and he said that the carbonated water in soda is an acid and so it causes your body to store fat and it can also be a contributeing factor to osteoporosis because when you introduce an acid to the body if there is not enough calcium to counteract the acid that the bones are called on to give up calcium. I am so addicted to the stuff that I still can’t stop drinking it, the minute I get under stress I tell myself that I’ll just have one today and that I’ll be good tomorrow!! What do I do?!
Hi, I would like to comment on not drinking artificial sweeteners. I don’t know what to drink, I am diabetic and am having a hard time losing weight. This may be my problem but I don’t like just plain water. Any suggestions? I start my day out with diet soda and drink it all through out the day, even end my day with it.
One of the problems with diet soda is that, though you drink them, they do not quench your thirst. Water with a fresh lemon wedge will quench the thirst without leaving an aftertaste and making you feel bloated and uncomfortable. Besides, what diet sodas lack in sugar, they make up for in other nastiness like way too much sodium. I am Type 2 diabetic, and I am on coumadin (Warfarin) for heart valve replacement surgery I had 10 years ago. So I have to watch the salads and Vitamin K intake as well. Makes for interesting meals and choices. I have an implanted cardiac defibrillator as well. So most diets are not something I can live with. No grapefruit or grapefruit juice for me, though I love the stuff, watch the spinach, broccoli and romaine lettuce, and cranberries are limited to 2 teaspoons every 6 months or so. So, I exercise, and watch what I eat, try to eat healthy organic mostly, and cook most meals at home. Not terribly successful at weight loss, but if I can keep my A1C at 6 or below, and my INR at around 3.0, that is good. Weight loss comes after that. As I say, lots of factors inhibit weight loss, but I am alive to try again. Thanks
Hey good question! the feel good police say no!, if you are a type 2 which i am now–but research says 1 to 2 drinks is all good to go as it destresses–good antioxidants–and relaxes giving less anxiety and a good nights sleep which prolongs your life–how about that?? However they say red wine is high in sugar so i have a couple of glasses every second night maybe and that seems to satisfy me but i do still feel like more–
Hey Rob, How do you feel about Trurvia or Purevia???
Hey, Rob…
For me, the problem was that diet soda caused me to be rather like a crack addict around food. I would end up standing in front of the fridge, door open, and honestly didn’t remember walking there. It wasn’t that I had cravings… I was literally out of control.
And then, through a lot of trial and error, I realized that I am highly sensitive to phenylalanine (in aspartame), which is not just in soda, but just about everything “diet” under the sun.
When I stopped putting things with phenylalanine in my body, I regained control.
I’m 2+ years free of that crap. Whenever I pick up something that’s could even remotely have phenylalanine in it, I look before I leap. I learned the hard way that even a small bit of it (like if I have a diet coke) sets me off.
Maybe that’s something people can look for and avoid, too.
Thanks for all you do!
A
Hey Anastacia, thanks for sharing your story with this stuff… I appreciate it and you will help many others by doing so! Keep it up…
Hi Rob what about xylitol as a natural sugar substitude, being low gi, low carb, less calories and better for your teeth, would that be fine to have in moderation with organic natural tea and coffee and natural healthy desserts snacks and meals.your website and emails i receive from you are great keep up the great work.
Hey Rigo thanks! Yeah Xylitol is not a bad choice, though I would still go for stevia if you’re adding it to your foods… but chewing gum for instance that uses xylitol is a better choice than an aspartame sweetened gum.
Everything that I have read shows that Xylitol is actually beneficial for your teeth, assisting with washing away the bacteria before they cause decay. It also has shown to have the same type of benefits within the body, making it hard for bacteria to “stick” to your healthy cells.
Is drinking Crystal Light similar to drinking diet soda?
Yes John, if it uses any artificial sweeteners it is very similar…
Dear Rob,
I know you are partial to Stevia virsus Xylitol, but is there that much difference in the taste?
Also, there is a Frutivia that Stevia people make, have you tried this one yet. I’m hoping
they will send me a sample of it.
Thanks,
Sharon
Hi Rob,…….just wondered if you are aware that Stevia cannot be legally sold for human consumption in the UK ?
I gave up drink all soft drinks (pop) altogether but I still drink light beer what else is there can I drink we out a party/bar?
According to the FDA website, they athorized beer companies to use formaldahide in light beer to make the foam on top.
I have a serious question to you. I am following the healthy diet and controlling my food portion very strictly. I have stopped having sugar, any type of sweet things except fruits. I drink 12 glasses of plain water daily, having green tea, stopped having any sort of grains, no sodas etc etc. I am following the instructions of Isabel from DST and I have lost 14 kg in five months. I must lose another 16 kg to get to my normal weight. Now as I am suffering from arthritis so I can not do those extensive exercises you suggest to lose stubborn fat. My scale has stopped moving or is moving very slowly. Is it possible to get to my goal weight by just watching my food intake like this? How long will it take me to lose weight? I would very much appreciate if you give me your opinion about my problem.
Hey Flora, have you read the ‘FBF for Seniors’ section yet? We describe how to do some of these exercises in ultra slow form, or even using techniques such as static holds to reduce the amount resistance needed, yet still produce great results. This could be an approach that would work for you, along with monitoring your arthritis with your doctor.
Rob, just wondering if we will hear in 5 years that Stevia is bad for us too. Seems like whenever we switch to something to be healthier we find out that’s the wrong thing to do. I’m thinking diet soda for one thing.
Hey Helene, Stevia has been around for a long while, so I currently feel it’s the best bet as far as sweetners go. Keep in mind though, we don’t use tons of it everyday either… maybe a drink or two a day… and maybe a recipe or two a couple times a week.
Well, I cut out pop totally in my life since Ash Wednesday and haven’t had pop since. I found out also that diet pop contains aspartame and some researchers say that aspartame can cause symptoms for muscular dystrophy so I definitely stay away from diet pop. You know I really do not miss the pop at all – I have been drinking iced tea (peach & raspberry are my favorites) and filtered water – no bottled water as that causes landfills to fill up. So yah – once you take pop out of your diet – lifestyle – you really do not miss it.
I have drank diet sodas for years. I’m 41 trying to lose my weight.
One thing I have not read on here is how soon does a persons body start to normalize after quitting? I know at one time I drank only water for couple months and I do not recall it making much of any improvements. I have ditched artificial sweetners for good. I use Stevia for awhile now. But not losing weight. I’m mostly overweight in middle and gut. 175lbs. Used to be 125lbs. I’ve always been thin til 3rd child 2002. Been drinking diet sodas since 1990.
A nutritionist told me that diet drinks give you “sweet mouth”, which encourages you to want more food. BUT, I love diet coke and I know that I drink too many, trying to stop!
In the last 18 months I have gone down 10″ around my waist by staying away from junk food, staying away from processed food, keeping starches to a minimum, and watching my sodium intake. Everyone I know is amazed at how well I am doing.
Between the Diet Pepsi in the morning (I can’t stand coffee, and tea has a very potent and unpleasant diuretic effect on me) and the Crystal Light during the day and evening, I drink a lot of artificially-sweetened beverages. It doesn’t seem to have slowed me down any.
But then, as with everything else, your mileage may vary.
Hi Rob
I have read that one of the way your body tries to deal with toxins is to store them in fat so drinking something loaded with cemicals just encourages the body to make more fat to get rid of them. makes sense to me.
I am a regular diet soda drinker, and I am hooked on the caffeine from the soda. I want to stop drinking it relying on it, but how do you overcome the withdraws, they are fierce. Water is so boring!!!!!
I am new to this type of lifestyle. But when I started, I measured myself. I then started cutting out processed foods and additives. No pop, diet drinks, canned foods, etc. Today, only 3 days later, I decided to check my measurements. I was totally surprised, I had lost 2 inches from my hips and waist, 1&1/2 inches everywhere else.!!!!! All I did was change what I ate and drank.
Great to hear it Debi…keep up the good work and good things will continue to happen!
I have signed up and paid for your program, but haven’t been able to download it – please
advise how to do this
Hey Lois, I’ll have our support people get in touch with you shortly. Please watch your email…thanks!
Never touch the stuff and won’t.
Aspartame has, and still does, continue to trigger my migraines whenever I encounter it. I always know when I have accidentally consumed it, because the result is almost immediate. In a wierd way I have to thank it, though. There’s nothing like the worst headaches of your life to turn you off to all artificial sweeteners permanently.
My experience with diet sodas was headaches. Talking to my Daughter, a registered nurse, the substitute sweetner “ASPERTANE” is a chemical used in many diet sodas and some other foods. My Daughter said she also experienced headaces from consuming it. Researching aspertane, I found it had a bad reputation. Once I stopped consuming drinks with this chemical in them my headaches ceased. Check the lables of the diet sodas and other so called “diet foods” and you may find it as an ingrediant.
An interview with a scientist on 60 minuets back in the ’90′s claimed that nutra sweet and aspartame was causing the rise in brain tumors. It shut down the impulses from one side of the brain to the other which caused headaches.
hi there!
First – I am allergic – yes ALLERGIC – to all artificial sweeteners. They give me instant headaches, nausea, and leave a horrid nasty after-taste in my mouth from even one sip. Two of my sisters have the same problem, and so does my daughter only worse – she vomits. So, I never touch the stuff. I also don’t think it is a good idea for anyone to use them. I have tried the stevia – had the same reaction, only not as strong. We are all also allergic to dairy (not lactose intolerant, allergic). I don’t know if there is a connection.
Anyway, I did at one time drink so much soda pop I think it was not unusual for me to go through three or four liters a day. I tried to quit over and over, and couldn’t manage it. I would go a few weeks and then find myself at a restaurant with a pop in front of me.
Finally I realized that I wasn’t just hooked on the sugar of the pop, I was also hooked on the caffeine high of drinking cola. So, I decided to tackle it with a multiple step process. I quit drinking caffeinated pop three years ago, and limited myself to one large cup of coffee with sugar and non-dairy cream a day, and non-caffeinated pop. Then two years ago, after a year of non-caffeinated sodas, I switched to bottled tea. Mind – the calorie difference isn’t that much if you get the sweet tea in the bottle, but I figured it was a step in the right direction – away from sugar even though it added caffeine back into the picture. Now for about six months I have been drinking only unsweetened tea, or half/half lemonade tea (it has the least sugar or calories of the non-diet flavored teas), and that one cup of coffee. I also started drinking at least as much water every day as I do anything else about then. I put a 20 oz bottle of water on the table and a 16 oz glass or bottle of tea – and drink both of them before letting myself get anything else.
I have started to try to wean myself off the tea as well now.
I haven’t seen much by way of progress with weight loss through this process, but I feel healthier and that means a lot.
Hello Rob & Thanks I am just starting your program & have been doing well. Todays newletter gave me a bit of a scare as i chew sugar free gum all day. After reading the packets nutition information I googled them, I cannot believe whats in my gum!!! So I am off to the rubbish bin with my packs of gum: Is there any tips for me to stop my craving for chewing the gum?????
I love popcorn and chips! What to do?????
Hi Rob thanks for sharing this I never thought that artificial sweeteners are harmful as well we realy need to watch what we put in our bodies Thanks.
I may have a maximum of maybe 3 diet cokes a week and that’s not even because of the calories. I just don’t like the syrupy taste of regular soda. Is that too much? I do drink a lot of diet green tea for the same reason. I think I better check the label to see what kind of sweetener is in those!
Hey there… diet green tea? Just use regular green tea and add a bit of stevia to sweeten if desired…
I dont drink soda of anykind very often. Once in a great while I have a diet drink.I only drink tea or water. I think thats good for me, without artificial sweetners.
No more diet soda for me! It’s been two weeks. I have one guilty pleasure, and that will be added to my verboten list this week: McDonald’s vanilla sugar free iced coffee. I’m exchanging that for iced green tea and oolong tea. I MUST get Stevia or else I’m going to crave sweetener in my drinks
Now if I could only add EXERCISE on a more regular basis
I got hooked drinking diet Cokes (‘Coke” is every soda under the sun in Texas) back in the teenager years, and have tried to avoid them in recent years. They always stimulate my appetite, which is what you DON’T want when you’re trying to lose weight! In fact, I can get so crazy hungry after drinking a diet coke, I tend to grab the quickest food on the shelf, which is typically an unhealthy carb. I love ‘em, but they are diet busters.
I read that drinking anything other than water increases your hunger response
does this include fizzy water? (I’m Australian)
Hey Meg, I wouldn’t say anything…that would be tough to prove… or if it’s true the hunger response varies for sure. Water is your best bet… enjoy your fizzy water on occasion and don’t worry about it…
Not sure that you would like my comment, but diet anything is not good for anyone, especially soda I do not drink the stuff and I tell others it is poison to the system, Saw to many times what it done to my grandchildren, Joan
Joan I am with you 100%…
l eat mach l mean too mach, when lam hunger l will open my cupboard and eat whatever l see inside.l weight 90 kg blw of bad eating pls l need your help
What about honey – I use a two teaspoons on oats (no sugar oats – the real thing) every morning. I use honey as it helps my constipation but I’m wondering about belly fat – anyone help on this?
I too used to drink 2-3 liters of Diet soda a day and quit and went to drinking water and using stevia. In the process I discovered that the painful tension in my neck and shoulders that I thought was “stress” related for years is gone. after it being gone for over a month I had something sweetened with splenda and sure enough the pain was back and lasted for week even though I only had one glass of diet soda. Through several experiments of accidently having something with artificail sweenter in it and having the pain come back I’ve become a label reading addict (I never would have thought a box of granola bars would have it, but it did and the pain lasted for 2 weeks that time!) Since stopping the artificail sweenters my cravings for food are almost nonexistant. I love the liquid stevias out there the best and they come in great flavors. I also use “Capella flavor drops” to flavor coffe, tea and water when I want something decadent. Did you know that splenda is by product of a chemical for killing bugs, no wonder its bad for us!
Back in the ’90′s the show 60 minuets had a full hour episode on Nutra Sweet. Nutra Sweet was composed of two chemicals one being aspartame, if I recall. Companies would use just aspertame as a sweetner to get out of paying royalties to Sorrel the company who produced it, the two chemicals together were patented. When it came on the market back in the ’70′s Congress filed criminal charges against Sorrel for producing Nurta Sweet. The head of the investigative committee eventually quit his job and went to work for Sorrel so the investigation was halted and it was put on the shelf. After the statue of limitations ran out they brought it back and put it into dry products like kool aid. In 1991, an appointtee by Bush authorized it to be put into liquids like soda, within a year he had quit his job and went to work for Sorrel. Eventyally products contained just the aspartame.
All artificial sweetners are artificially made in the labs from sometimes lethal chemicals. They used to put the same chemical that is used in anti freeze for the car in Dr. Pepper. Got that from my college science prof. You don’t see it on there any more. Doesn’t mean they still don’t add it.
Did some research myself on chemicals in our invironment. There are 50 to 70,000 chemicals being used today in this country alone. Artifical coloring is made with protroleum and artificial flavorings consists of any combination of one to 300 different lab produced chemicals. According to the FDA’s own website formaldihide can be used in light beer to create the foaming head because of the way it’s produced light beer naturally doesn’t have one. The FDA admitted that they have test less than 20,000 chemicals and rely on corporations own testing about a new chemicals. About 10 to 15% has ever been tested for its affects on humans. That includes most of monsantos creations.
I reread my comment, nothing Monsanto has produced has been tested by the FDA, they rely on Monsantos own testing just like congress relied on Sorrel own testing on nurta sweet. Only 10 to 15% of the chemicals we are exposed to has been tested for the effects on humans.
Hi Rob,
I just started the FBF techniques and I’m seeing results after only one week.
But my question is about my husband. He gets migraines and severe ear ringing 24/7. The ear ringing is driving him crazy and making it very hard for me to live with him. We’ve done lots of research on minears disease and nothing seems to help. He drinks one Squirt soda a day. Regular, not the diet. Do you suppose this soda could be causing it? Other than that he has a relatively healthy diet. What are your thoughts..if any?
Hey Terri, can’t really answer medical questions, but I don’t know of any relationship between sugar and ear ringing… definitely talk with your doctor…
How can you talk about artificial sweeteners and diet sodas and not mention the brain damage caused by aspartame. Your readers should get acquainted with Dr. Russ Blaylock’s book, Excitoxins, The Taste That Kills. (He can be Googled.) Turns out that aspartame is the chemical twin of MSG and therefore can pass the blood brain barrier at will. End result, and cumulative at that–brain damage. Weight loss is one thing. Brain cell loss is even more serious. C’mon, guys, get serious about this diet crap.
Hey Peter, thanks for commmenting, but we are not getting “past this diet crap” because our blog is about being fitter primarily.
If you want good information on chemicals, research can be done by looking up the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) You would be amazed how dangerous some of thes chemicals are. We are being poisoned by our food industry daily.
As I was reading the comments on the side affects of Aspartame I noticed on my chewwing gum lable(eclipse) it also contains aspartame and spit it out. I dont chew alot of sugarless gum but for people who do should consider changing brands.I need to read more lables going forward when purchasing surarless or low calorie foods and snacks thank you for the info.
Just wanted to put in my 2 cents worth. I’m 62 and overweight, diabetic, high blood pressure, and many other health problems . Over the years I have found out that I have an inability to process the caffeine in coffee (use to drink 30 cups a day or more). The results were that my skin dried out until it cracked and started bleeding (arms) and it would cause me to black out with little warning (might have been my blood sugar was very low – don’t know). Another problem was later on with migraines. The doc thought I had a brain tumor. After MRI and CT scan, found no cancer or other problems. It was the artificial growth hormones and steroids that our FDA says are safe to fatten up the beef and pork for quicker profits!!! Almost all of my problems are based on the artificial junk that is put into our food supply. You are on the right course – go natural. Easier said than done!