Does Diet Coke Make You Gain Weight?
September 10, 2007
I just had a question from Stella (name changed)
(Oh, and this answers my question from my previous post earlier today on What Causes Carb Cravings and Weight Gain?
Question:
“Does drinking Diet Coke make me eat more sugar? Does Diet Coke make you fat?
Does Diet Coke make you gain weight?”
Answer:
Yes and Yes !
Listen Here
Cravings Coach Podcast #16 Is Diet Soda Making You Fat?
You are definitely not alone in experiencing this. The huge companies purposely know that Aspartame and Splenda and other artificial sweeteners are actually addictive, and also make the body want more. Also, your body is trying so hard to get rid of the chemicals, it can retain water, it can be so unbalanced nutritionally, and you can gain weight.
Further Question:
I am haunted by Diet Coke every day! I keep feeling like I shouldn’t drink it, read all of the articles but continue to drink it.
When I asked my family physician, she said it is not proven to make you gain weight. But in the back of my mind, I know I don’t eat that much, but always crave sugar and drink about 4-5 Diet Cokes a day. Every time I get off the Diet Coke a few days I last about 3 days and convince myself that it is not contributing to my weight gain. Am I just kidding myself?
Here’s my answer:
Yes, you are addicted to Diet Coke…but you aren’t the only one. And it is not your imagination! The large companies definitely do their best to make sure we get addicted to many things!
Family Physicians (unfortunately) take maybe 4 hours of nutrition education in their 7 years or more of training — so it is better to go to a nutritionist or a naturopath for advice (although even some of them are okay with diet products!).
Diet products and artificial sweeteners of all kinds are deadly — that includes:
Diet Soda, Sugarless gum, Diet yogurt, Diet cookies, and even some bottled waters!
Read your labels and look out for Aspartame and Splenda. These artificial sweeteners are insidious and should be avoided at all costs.
Important Resources:
Cravings Coach Podcast #16 Is Diet Soda Making You Fat?
I have more information in my ebook Craving Secrets.
Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
Cravings Coach Podcast #16 Is Diet Soda Making You Fat?
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20 Responses to “Does Diet Coke Make You Gain Weight?”
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I’ve never been able to stand the taste of anything with nutrasweet in it, and the last time I accidentally ingested some (it was in a protein shake, a sample I got from the health food store – some health!), I vomited. Think my body was trying to tell me something?
The thing that concerns me is the link between MS and Diet Cokes – so many young women are addicted to Diet Coke and are showing up in record numbers with the disease. I’m convinced there is a connection.
Hi Carrie,
Wow – yes, your body sure was telling you something, when you vomited from the protein shake. That’s so interesting – I was just talking with someone at the gym this morning, and she said the very same thing, and here I get home and read your post!
Yes, it is frightening, because they are “hiding” Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners in products in the health food stores, and people think they are healthy to drink and eat.
Yes – isn’t that scary? The link between MS and Diet Coke. Very frightening – and I hope people start to be more aware of what a downhill spiral it can be when using artificial sweeteners.
Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
I hate it when people think drinking diet pop is better for them than regular coke. Coke isn’t good period, but I’d rather have real sugar than the fake stuff.
It burns me alive when I catch my father in law giving my 3 year old his diet coke!!!
Hi Nell,
Yes, the big companies sure know how to market to the public and even to nutritionists, who recommend Diet drinks to their diabetic patients. I can’t believe it…
Yes, that must really be frustrating when your father-in-law gives your son Diet Coke. Good for you for looking after your family’s health so well – and sometimes things are beyond our control — but if the children get the right nutrition when they are at home, the chances are they will make better choices later in life, so I know you are setting a wonderful example for the future.
Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
I stopped drinking diet coke in late May. As of today,(Oct 26) I have lost 16 lbs without making any other changes in my diet. I still eat what I want but I no longer crave the carbs like I did when I drank 3-4 diet cokes a day. I feel like a huge monkey has been lifted off my back. The weight continues to come off slowly and I still have 10-15 lbs to go but I have every confidence that it will and without starvation on my part.
Hi ManaHigh!
Congratulations on stopping diet coke for the past 5 months, and losing 16 pounds in the process. You are definitely to be congratulated for making that lifestyle health change, and by posting here, I hope others will read this and realize how life-changing it can be to make that one change.
Diet Cokes and Diet Pepsis are lethal — and definitely they do contribute to cravings for sweets and weight gain.
You have definitely proved that.
Thanks so much for your contribution, and I wish you continued great success.
Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
[...] The thing that I’m still confused about is the talk about how artificial sweeteners are bad for you, too. Diana has an interesting post about that, too, here. I’m undecided in that, other than the fact that I won’t give it to my kids, so, maybe I shouldn’t be drinking it myself. (Otherwise, I feel like a hypocrite when they ask and I say “No, it’s bad for you” and I keep drinking it.) [...]
~sigh, if only the FDA would approve stevia as a legitimate sweetner… if aspartame is 100x sweeter then sugar, stevia extract is 1000x sweeter.. does not increase glucose in the blood, and is a NATURAL extract of a plant. (it does have an odd licorice aftertase though lol)
But it is what i use to sweeten the koolaid for my kids
Hi Terrence,
Oh, you are right – BIG SIGH!!! Isn’t it crazy that we can have approval of all the artificial sweeteners – like Aspartame but we can’t have Stevia offically approved as a sweetener. It has been used in Japan for over 30 years as a sweetener, and in other countries around the world!
See my article on Stevia here http://www.diana2.com/stevia_health_benefits.html
It’s great to see you on this wonderful health journey.
Diana
[...] Does Diet Coke Make You Gain Weight? [...]
My brothers endocrinologist told him no diet products at all. Even with artificial sweetners they are colored with caramel (sugar). This doctor is also a nutritionist but has some strange recommendations. He said if you must use a sweetner use equall and splenda is the worst.
Hi George, thanks for your comment – Well, definitely both Equal and Splenda are poison… I have a one-hour Podcast coming up – well I may break it down into three 20-minute Podcasts – on the Deadly Poison of Aspartame, Equal, Splenda. I think you will really find it interesting. I’ll go live with it in August.
Diana
Diana Walker
Cravings Coach
I just got off of splenda about 1 week ago and was drinking about 5 diet cokes a day. I have since switched to sparking water and tea with lemon. I don’t keep sodas in the house or at work next to me any longer.
I dont know. I have known for years this wasn’t good for me, but was not willing to put it down. Addiction is very cunning and baffeling, as I well know! My mother gave us diet sodas from the time I could drink them. She grew up in the age of “TAB”! It’s not her fault. Ignorance is bliss! However, it does make me wonder if this has contributed to my food addiction.
MAN….I feel so,so much better today physically. I am not perfect. I had two this past week at a restraunt. I only drank a 4th of it and didnt feel like “oh, this tastes so good”. Progress, not perfection. It takes what it takes:)
Hope this helps someone elses addict mind. Also, my clothes are looser as of just one week.
Hi Shari
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing! Can I send your success story out to my newsletter subscribers?
I am so proud of you, and so happy to hear of your success!
Thank you
Diana
Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
[...] many people use Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi and other Diet products, thinking they are doing well because they are eliminating sugar from their [...]
Just to let you all know. Hi fructose corn syrup, which is what is used
to sweeten regular coke. Is just as deadly as aspertame. It will make you crave more too. There is no real sugar in pop anymore. stay away from all of it.
Okay, I agree that all the artificial sweetners are bad for you. I agree that soda in general isn’t good for you (especially after you see all the grime it can clean off of a car motor) I even agree that it causes you to crave more sugar/carbs etc. But does diet soda MAKE you gain weight?? The answer is NO, it doesn’t. I have lost close to 50 lbs in 6 months drinking diet coke on a daily basis and continue to be able to lose it. I don’t crave sugar at all. In fact I don’t eat ANY white sugar. Nor do I crave carbs. I eat no processed white flour either. So, while the majority of what has been said here is dead on, diet soda can’t make you gain weight. Only shoving food in your face makes you gain weight.
Is it water retention though Mama? I’ve lost 3lb in 3 days, after getting stuck at my previous weight and the only thing I’ve changed is that I’m not longer drinking 3 500ml bottles of diet coke per day!
Hi Robinson – Even if it is “water weight” —– what do you mean by “water weight”…… No-one ever questions that. Here’s the thing, if your body is operating as it should, it would NOT be holding onto water – because your kidneys and major elimination organs will work properly.
When we are drinking three 500ml bottles of Diet Coke per day — the body CANNOT do its proper elimination because it is trying to deal with all the chemicals and junk that is in the drinks, and doing its best to not poison you!
So taking out the 3 bottles of Diet Coke is so wonderful for your body – now you need to replace that with either lots and lots of water to keep flushing your system – or go to http://www.diana1.com and start drinking other herbal beverages that will help to detox and eliminated more of all those toxins you have been putting in your body, as well as strengthen your body!
Congratulations on your achievements!
Diana
Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
http://www.diana1.com
Hi Robinson – Oh, I just realized you are talking to the person who posted above called “Mama of 2″ — so, I appreciate your contribution to this conversation, as an example of what can be done by eliminating the three bottles of Diet Coke a day!
Way to go!!!
Diana