Can Diet Soda Make You Gain Weight?

Should You Drink Diet Soda?

This is a controversial topic and you’re going to hear different views depending on whom you talk to. Many people believe that because diet soda is calorie free and sugar free that it’s a harmless beverage and you can drink as much of it as you want.

However, there has been a lot of research done to show that diet soda and artificial sweeteners in general are not as harmless as some people believe because there’s a lot more to diet soda than the lack of calories and sugar.

Diet Soda Can Cause Weight Gain…

What the heck…
How is that even possible?
Isn’t the whole point of drinking diet soda to reduce calories and help prevent weight gain?

That’s what we’ll discuss in the video below…


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As crazy as it sounds, Diet Soda can actually contribute to gaining weight. A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Drinking just two or more cans of sugar free soda a day was show to increase waistlines by a whopping 500%.

Why?

The artificial sweeteners that are in diet soda wreck havoc on your body’s ability to regulate calorie intake and appetite based on the sweetness of foods. When you consume sweet tasting food or drink your body automatically assumes it’s getting “real sugar” and secretes insulin along with all the other metabolic processes to prepare for a large influx of sugar. But the problem is that the body never gets the sugar it was expecting. This increases your sugar cravings and appetite even more due to the disrupted feedback loop in the brain.

Diet Soda messes with your metabolism.

According to a 2008 University of Minnesota study of almost 10,000 adults, drinking just one diet soda per day was linked with a 34% higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. By comparison, drinking regular soft drinks didn’t boost the risk factor by a statistically significant amount.

So while diet sodas may allow you to save some calories initially. The end result is your body is still craving sugar and you’ll feel hungrier. Thus you will tend to overeat with other foods to make up for it.

I will have a diet soda with that

Now I know some people who read this will argue that it’s up to the individual to control their calories – and that is absolutely true!

Regardless if you drink diet soda or not you still have to factor in everything that you eat or drink when it comes to fat loss. And I’ll be the first to admit that you can still lose weight on a calorie restricted diet even if you drink diet soda. I have personally gotten in ripped contest shape for bodybuilding competitions while drinking diet soda throughout the entire dieting process.

However, since I’ve stopped drinking diet soda and using artificial sweeteners the process of dieting is A LOT easier. I have less food cravings and it’s not as hard to control my appetite. While it takes a bit of willpower and discipline to initially stop consuming the artificial sweeteners. Once you do you won’t even crave them anymore.

It’s strange how the body works because the more sweet food & drink you consume, the more you crave them – The less you consume, the less you crave them. When I was younger I used to drink diet soda on a daily basis, but over the past 2 years I haven’t drank any soda (diet or regular) and I don’t miss it at all. In fact, I feel a lot healthier and better without it. My personal favorite beverage now is simply pure water 🙂

Do You Drink Diet Soda? – Why or Why Not?
Please let me know in the comments below…


Here are some links you may wish to check out for more information about the side effects of diet soda.
www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=3861
www.minnesotaalumni.org/s/1118/content.aspx?sid=1118&gid=1&pgid=1123
www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/diet-soda-linked-increased-risk-depression
www.webmd.com/diet/news/20091102/diet-sodas-hard-on-the-kidneys

About The Author

leehayward

Lee Hayward is a former competitive bodybuilder and muscle building coach who has been online coaching people since 1997. His work has been featured in several international magazines such as: FLEX, Muscle Insider, Muscle Mag International, Testosterone, Ironmag, and Forbes. Lee's main focus right now is with helping men over 40 - who don't want to be fat anymore - lose the gut, build muscle, and get back in shape. If you're ready to "Start Again" for the last time and finally build a lean healthy body that you can be proud of, just e-mail Lee to discuss a realistic action plan that's right for you... lee@leehayward.com

11 Comments

  • Rafael

    I do NOT drink it at all any soda, not matter if is diet or not, Test warned of phosphoric oácido soda-based glue reduces the absorption of calcium,” week legs fragil bones etc… so, it may case osteoporose, and as you said as well,recent studies suggest that diet beverages would further increase the appetite. This is my own opnion.
    Lee would like to say one more, I ve been following your tips of training and nutrition for the past 2 years, and man, I am getting in a really good shape =).
    Just want to thank you for all e-mails and good videos that I ve got from you and I am still getting it and I hope to keep getting it. Thanks.
    Peace out.
    Gone to chest workout =)

    Regards
    Rafa.

  • Jim USMC

    I used to consume one of those 2+ liter bottles daily for about 5 years.
    Something changed and I started feeling badly. The Doctor could find nothing wrong. I had no problems when working out.
    I keep track of what I eat. I don’t always eat right, but at least I know what I’m eating.
    After reviewing my eating history and workouts, I decided to eliminated the diet soda.

    The NEXT DAY without diet soda, I felt better. In fact, after several weeks, I am feeling better than I felt when I thought I felt good. I’m convinced. No more artificial sweeteners for me.

  • Lea

    Thanks designed for sharing such a nice thinking, paragraph is good,
    thats why i have read it completely

  • Julio

    I do prefer diet soda, I get it from publix because because their diet
    soda contains splenda, the key is to not drink it all the time, everyday,
    just once in awhile is good.

  • Jim USMC

    Julio,

    Splenda is the other side of the same fake sweetener coin.
    Poisoning yourself only “once in awhile” does not put your feet on the path.
    Use drinks containing sugar, “once in awhile.”

    How about using a sugary drink during your workout? Taa-Daa!

  • Fred

    Lee,

    What do you think about stevia. Use it sometimes to sweeten my shakes and other stuff like yogurt. Do you think that is a bad idea too? I do notice that I eat more when I sweeten it up.

    Thanks in advance!

    Fred

  • Fred:
    Lee,

    What do you think about stevia. Use it sometimes to sweeten my shakes and other stuff like yogurt. Do you think that is a bad idea too? I do notice that I eat more when I sweeten it up.

    Thanks in advance!

    Fred

    As far as sweeteners go, stevia is one of the best. When I’m making a recipe that requires a sweetener I’ll use stevia, but that’s about it. For day to day stuff, like making oatmeal, coffee, tea, etc. I don’t add any sweeteners.

  • Paul

    Occasionally — with a twist. There are times I need to fully re-hydrate and get “some” carbs, but not a full load, that is — I don’t want 32oz of sugary drink — or even a full shot of whatever sports drink, not liking the flavor] aspect. So I’ll split the quart with the sports drink, maybe a fountain lemonade, and a diet lemon lime/dew/mello combo etc. Seems to balance the budget nicely — my appetite seems to stay about the same and I don’t feel like I’ve been sugar charged or carbonation bloated. Thoughts?

  • Paul,

    You can use regular soda in place of high sugar post workout carbs if you like. Post workout is one time when consuming high sugar is acceptable because it’s most likely to go towards recovery and growth, rather than getting stored as bodyfat. I remember reading an old article from Jay Cutler and he used to do the same by drinking full sugar coke after training to help meet his simple carb intake post workout.

  • Jimmy Tally

    Great way to explain it Lee….May I use your analogy?
    One of my go to beverages is Green Tea…. I buy Lipton Decaffeinated Green Tea and make it as if I was making a regular iced tea drink, I use 2 teabags and bring to a boil for about a minute or so and then I add water to a pitcher while stirring in about a 1/4 cup Stevia in the raw. =)

  • Greg t Hogan

    So while diet sodas may allow you to save some calories initially. The end result is your body is still craving sugar and you’ll feel hungrier. Thus you will tend to overeat with other foods to make up for it. –

    Almost ever study on diet soda on weight gain , mentions other avoidable behaviors ,like overeating sweets . In my 30’s I got to the low single digits and drank diet soda daily. Now in my 50’s I hope I can stay in the double digits for bodyfat % 😉

    Phosphates are a much better reason to quit diet soda , when you are dieting it seems like a treat