Any weight loss when you eliminate artificial sweeteners?

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
May
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:06 am

Any weight loss when you eliminate artificial sweeteners?

Post by May » Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:28 pm

Has anyone experienced weight loss when you remove diet soda or artificial sweeteners from your diet?

I read somewhere that sweeteners will only make you crave for more sweet food. Any truth to that?

I used to drink a lot of diet soda and use sweetener for my coffee/tea. But zero calorie drinks did not help me lose weight.

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sat Jun 29, 2013 3:45 pm

If weight loss was my only issue, I might try being a purist about it. I use stevia at home, but don't tote it. Others have gone more cold turkey on the sweet taste than I. Some of them are still here, as I am. I don't know what happened to the others.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

User avatar
Jethro
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:31 pm

Re: Any weight loss when you eliminate artificial sweetener

Post by Jethro » Sat Jun 29, 2013 4:53 pm

Annie wrote:Has anyone experienced weight loss when you remove diet soda or artificial sweeteners from your diet?

I read somewhere that sweeteners will only make you crave for more sweet food. Any truth to that?

I used to drink a lot of diet soda and use sweetener for my coffee/tea. But zero calorie drinks did not help me lose weight.
According to the experts, although artificial sweeteners have zero calories, they reinforce your cravings for sweets.

Thus, it's like a ticking bomb within you. Unless you have the discipline of a Prussian general (I don't), at any given time your cravings will make you binge on sweets.

You could save the diet drinks for S days. Try it and tell us about it.
"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."
- Vince Lombardi

Sometimes you need to take one step back for every two steps forward.

Time heals everything!

90% of a diet is 60% mental

User avatar
BrightAngel
Posts: 2093
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:22 pm
Location: Central California
Contact:

Re: Any weight loss when you eliminate artificial sweetener

Post by BrightAngel » Sun Jun 30, 2013 2:28 pm

Annie wrote:Has anyone experienced weight loss when you remove diet soda or artificial sweeteners from your diet?
I choose to use Splenda and Diet Coke frequently.
I've run experiments on this and have found that ...for me...
reducing or eliminating them has absolutely ZERO effect on weight-loss.
BrightAngel - (Dr. Collins)
See: DietHobby. com

noni
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:01 pm

Post by noni » Mon Jul 01, 2013 2:55 pm

I'll have a diet drink on my fasting days as a treat sometimes, but it doesn't seem to make a difference in my weight. Sometimes, my belly looks bloated the days I indulge. Maybe just a coincidence. I'll have to pay more attention.

AndreaRN9
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 12:44 pm
Location: Long Island, NY

Post by AndreaRN9 » Mon Jul 01, 2013 3:07 pm

No difference for me. I use Equal in my morning coffees and I drink Diet Pepsi with dinner.

I don't know if it makes a difference but I don't have a sweet tooth (never did) so the artificial sweeteners I do use don't make me crave sugary foods. Maybe people with a sweet tooth struggle more if they use artificial sweeteners? I don't know.

For me, artificial sweeteners are a great way to reduce overall caloric intake. They certainly don't cause me to gain weight. I gain when I eat too many calories. I lose when I don't. For me, it's as simple as that. Well, not simple ... or at least not that kind of simple. If only!

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Mon Jul 01, 2013 6:09 pm

Andrea, I agree that it IS simple. Just not easy. But easier than anything else I've done!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

leafy_greens
Posts: 426
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:18 pm

Re: Any weight loss when you eliminate artificial sweetener

Post by leafy_greens » Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:36 pm

Annie wrote:Has anyone experienced weight loss when you remove diet soda or artificial sweeteners from your diet?

I read somewhere that sweeteners will only make you crave for more sweet food. Any truth to that?

I used to drink a lot of diet soda and use sweetener for my coffee/tea. But zero calorie drinks did not help me lose weight.
Sweeteners do not make me crave sweets anymore than full blown sugar. I crave sugar regardless. Replacing sugar with Stevia doesn't help my sugar cravings either. The Stevia product was marketed as another miracle binge-stopper. Just make your baked goods with Stevia and you will only want one tiny piece. After giving Stevia a try (which ended up tasting pretty gross), it turns out that sugar is not the problem; it's the habit of snacking and eating sweets, which No S takes care of. IMO sweets cravings have nothing to do with the *type* of sweetener used. The sweetener is just a bogeyman.
"No S IS hard... It just turns out that everything else is harder." -oolala53

wosnes
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA

Re: Any weight loss when you eliminate artificial sweetener

Post by wosnes » Tue Jul 02, 2013 3:36 pm

leafy_greens wrote: Sweeteners do not make me crave sweets anymore than full blown sugar. I crave sugar regardless. Replacing sugar with Stevia doesn't help my sugar cravings either. The Stevia product was marketed as another miracle binge-stopper. Just make your baked goods with Stevia and you will only want one tiny piece. After giving Stevia a try (which ended up tasting pretty gross), it turns out that sugar is not the problem; it's the habit of snacking and eating sweets, which No S takes care of. IMO sweets cravings have nothing to do with the *type* of sweetener used. The sweetener is just a bogeyman.
Interesting observation.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

JustForToday
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 2:10 pm
Location: Maryland, USA

Post by JustForToday » Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:53 pm

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/1 ... your-favor

This link is about diet soda, and not artificial sweeteners in general, but it's implications are a little bit different than the old "drinking diet soda makes you fat" myth.

I drink one diet soda every day. Not the most saint-like health behavior, but it hasn't ever made me crave sweets and will often get me through a craving for food in between meals.

I despise the taste of artificial sweeteners in almost any other product or food though. Don't know why diet soda is different for me.

noni
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:01 pm

Post by noni » Thu Jul 04, 2013 4:25 am

"I despise the taste of artificial sweeteners in almost any other product or food though. Don't know why diet soda is different for me."

I think the bubbles might be a deterrent :)

May
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:06 am

Post by May » Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:50 am

After reading this study, I had second thoughts about using artificial sweetener (AS).

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 4/abstract

From personal experience, I did not drop any pounds after using AS or drinking diet sodas. Therefore, I stopped buying AS since it doesn't help with weight loss and there may be some risk to using AS too.

wosnes
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA

Post by wosnes » Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:24 am

noni wrote:"I despise the taste of artificial sweeteners in almost any other product or food though. Don't know why diet soda is different for me."

I think the bubbles might be a deterrent :)
They aren't for me. I won't buy a product with AS.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

SuperMysteryCat
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 4:43 am

Post by SuperMysteryCat » Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:33 am

I'm giving up AS (mostly Diet Cokes), but not for weight-loss reasons. Part of adopting this way of eating is re-framing how I think of myself vis-a-vis food. I am not a snacker, I eat moderately, I really enjoy my food and I am never going on a diet again. Diet Coke just doesn't fit in with the new way I view myself. Fizzy water with a squeeze of lemon or a nice cup of tea seem more appropriate for the new me.

I know a lot of people with no weight or food issues guzzle diet soda, but in my mind it is linked to fat-free salad dressing and other dieting madness, so it's out. Now, a real Coke, served ice cold on a 103 degree S day? That's in.

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Jul 09, 2013 10:43 pm

Self-concept has a lot to do with it. Some people (not necessarily here) adopt a view of themselves as cave man/woman, athlete/warrior, gentle one treading lightly, righteous health advocate, lithe goddess, chic urbanite, etc. Moderate eater surely takes less of a toll than them all.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

joasia
Posts: 1105
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 3:22 pm
Location: California

Post by joasia » Wed Jul 10, 2013 1:24 pm

I think regardless of weight loss, just get rid of soda. I use to drink soda all the time, and now I may have a coke once a year. They just aren't good for you, full of sugar and chemicals. and I think the diet stuff is even worse, from everything I have read. I thought I would never kick the habit, then I stopped for a year. When I went back, it tasted rather gross. I believe you can retrain your taste buds to a great extent. I try to stick to water, real juice, milk, tea, and coffee.
The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

wosnes
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA

Post by wosnes » Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:32 pm

joasia wrote:I think regardless of weight loss, just get rid of soda. I use to drink soda all the time, and now I may have a coke once a year. They just aren't good for you, full of sugar and chemicals. and I think the diet stuff is even worse, from everything I have read. I thought I would never kick the habit, then I stopped for a year. When I went back, it tasted rather gross. I believe you can retrain your taste buds to a great extent. I try to stick to water, real juice, milk, tea, and coffee.
I'll have a soda now and then, but I've pretty much eliminated juice. I use it like I use milk -- it's an ingredient in some dishes.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:26 pm

I like to have a diet coke when I'm at a restaurant or in a situation when I would otherwise drink too much alcohol. It works for me.

I have noticed it helps eliminate my craving for a sugary dessert, although I know that is contrary to what some of the studies have reported.
Last edited by automatedeating on Wed Feb 05, 2014 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Zoid
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:36 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Post by Zoid » Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:46 pm

I used to drink at least 1 diet coke a day. Now I have maybe 1 a week.

I stopped because I was sick of consuming all the chemicals. Now I drink naturally flavored seltzer water when I want something fizzy.

I didn't notice any weight loss due to the change (I mean diet coke has zero calories, I wasn't really expecting to see a difference). I didn't notice a change in cravings sweets. I feel better though (fewer migraines and not as much stomach problems), so that's the benefit I was looking for.
Don't let perfect get in the way of better
SAHM to 2 beautiful girls: S (4yo) & E (8m)

5'3" female, 34
SW: 196.0 - BMI: 34.7 - 2/15/21
CW: 191.5 - BMI: 33.9 - 3/31/21

Post Reply