By Gabe Sanders PhD, NSCA-CSCS
Do you drink diet soda or sports drinks regularly?
When attempting to lose weight, do you cut back on or completely get rid of the diet drinks?
The benefit of consuming zero-calorie diet sodas and sports drinks is a controversial topic among health/fitness professionals. Diet drinks taste sweet and sugary without the calories; leading some people to believe they can drink as much as they want because it is “calorie-free!”
This mentality of “I can have my cake and eat it too” and still lose weight is a slippery slope but may have its advantages.
Is there a difference between drinking water and drinking diet soda?
When it comes to weight loss, is there a difference between drinking water and drinking diet soda? The answer may surprise you.
In a recent study, 279 non-physically active diet soda-drinking people participated in a twelve-week weight loss study. One group was required to stop drinking diet soda and to drink a minimum of 24 ounces of water on a day-to-day basis, while the other group could continue to drink at least 24 ounces (two cans) of a diet drink every day.
After twelve weeks, the group that continued to drink diet soda lost more weight and reported feeling less hungry than the group that stopped drinking diet soda and only drank water.
These results are interesting and should be taken seriously. It is possible that drinking approximately two cans of diet soda daily may satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you from feeling hungry.
However, you should be cautious when consuming diet drinks, regardless of what this research shows.
Drinking diet soda may not only satisfy your sweet tooth but may create one as well. That is, you may still crave sweet-tasting foods simply as a result of drinking diet soda.
If this is the case, you may want to eliminate the diet soda and drink water instead to reduce or eliminate your cravings for sweet treats. If diet drinks spark a sweet craving and lead you to eat more sugary foods, think twice about the diet drinks!
Consuming high-sugar foods is detrimental to weight loss. You (only you) need to determine what works best for you so that you can reduce or eliminate sweets and processed high-sugar foods from your diet; in order to maximize your weight loss results.
*For help in developing an individualized weight-loss eating program, consult with a registered dietitian and/ or medical healthcare provider.
Go to our Resources page- For the most recommended tools, you need to succeed in your healthy living journey!!
Article’s Resources
Peters JC, Wyatt HR, Foster GD, et al. The effects of water and non-nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss during a 12-week weight loss treatment program. Obesity 2014; 22: 1415–21.