Why "diet" drinks actually make you fatter

I actually had to give up nutrasweet because I have a low tolerance for it. I can sometimes have Splenda, but even that is tough on me. So, I've just about given up diet drinks (I have one about once a week to every two weeks). Those I drink don't have nutrasweet and have some potassium in it. But, my weight is harder than ever to manage. When I drank diet drinks, I actually weighed less than I do now, though I'm on a much, much healthier diet and am exercising harder than ever. So, go figure.

well i aint suprised frankly!!! my mom always said that these crash diet courses never works and that the best way to lose weight is the traditional way of eating veggies and exercizing like hell!! anything else u do to lose weight fast might help in the short run but will have some damaging effects in the long run!!

I do not find that diet drinks do this to me at all and I certainly do not crave fat foods at all, maybe diet drinks are made differently in different countries, and I think that it all depends on how much diet drinks you actually drink that if you drank too much then it could have a side effect. In regards to regualar drinks it has far too much sugar in them, and also why not drink more water, rather than filling your body up with more sugar so that you may end up with sugar diabeties

I agree with you that many of these artifical sweetners kill brain cells. The best course of action is to limit soft drinks altogether. I have also heard from a respected source that Splenda has chlorine in it and can't be fully digested.

This is a subject that I have been griping about for years. Back in the 60s (yes, I am older) there was an artificial sweetner called CYCLAMATES. It didn't have near the bad stuff that NUTRISWEET has, yet FDA yanked it. ASPERTAME should be taken off the market, but I believe the FDA is involved in our systematic poisoning. Otherise, this horrible substitute would also be taken off the market years ago or a least looked at more carefully before putting it on the market.

In my coutry we sell something called Diamat and Natreen. But generally speaking I read somewhere, that it has been prooven, that artificial sweetners have bad influence on the pregnant women and are also cancerogenic in some cases. But from a simple point of view, it is quite obvious, that natural sugar is a carbohydrate our body depends on and when you make a substitute, you don't produce the saim thing only with fewer callories, but a completely different substance, which only resembles the taste of sweet, yet has a totally different effect on our body. Not good. Not good at all.

Oh my god! That is aweful. My whole family has been drinking things with this stuff in it and yes, we are overweight. And my little 5 year old sister also drinks alot of it. We buy diet pops and diet sugar free drinks like crystal light and off brands. I do feel a little sluggish after drinking these sometimes but I thought it was just the pop. thanks I will tell my mother and we will clean that junk out of our cabinets right away...thanks.

wow,this a very nice information, my brother-in law is a diabetic and using equal as alternative sugar.like nutra sweet. and they found out that it is more harmful than regular sugar. now he is not using it, he just use less regular sugar.

Big people have diet drinks because they don't want the extra calories. Correlation doesn't mean causation and there are definitely alternative answers. I disagree that it makes someone heavier, whether it makes them crave fats or not, because when you look at the comparison, a Diet Coke isn't as bad for you as a regular Coke, period.

If I am not mistaken, aspertame when it becomes hot becomes benzine, a cancer chemical. It is very dangerous. I have had cancer and would not wish cancer on you or anyone else.

I have read of the evils of Aspartame on and off for years. Can I have your site for this? I like to go to the source. I am fussy about where what I believe comes from.

Interesting information! I have read on the internet about the hazards of artificial sweeteners and I always avoid food that contain them like the plague. It bothers me too that no drink manufacturer (or food manufacturer) ever bothered to TRY and lessen the amount of ordinary sugar they put in their products so they wouldn't be so fattening! Why didn't they try that first? Why go straight to an alternative just to get the "matching" sweet flavour? It's like kathy77 responded, people should just drink more water and reduce their sugar intake. I don't really think it's scientifically true to say sugar causes diabetes, not in those who don't have the genetic pre-disposition anyway, but it certainly is good advice to not consume so much sugar anyway, when you don't need it. I believe most juices (except natural fresh-squeezed juices) and drinks have too much sugar in them. Most snack products are the same, which I cannot understand. Why do these companies deliberately seek to destroy the good health of people by making them obese through their high-sugar products?! It doesn't make any sense. Did they do a survey and determine that products with sugar sell more often?

Thanks for the information, Radical. I knew that the fake sugar did more harm than the real sugar. And I never liked the taste. I chose to drink the regular drinks anyway. I only drink them once in a while. But so many people get up with a soda and go to bed with them. It's like an addiction.

I don't see how that can happen. I have lost over 167 pounds while drinking diet soda/dieting and I know of other people who have had no problem losing weight while drinking it.The reason why people who drink diet soda and are still obese is for one good reason and it's something i see ALL the time.these obese people will eat stuff like cheeseburgers,french fries,fried chicken,etc then have the nerve to order a diet soda.That's why they are still obese.not because they are drinking diet soda

I prefer to use honey or stevia. Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar. stevia is "a natural sweetner, and there's no calories."

I prefer to use honey or stevia. Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar. stevia is "a natural sweetner, and there's no calories."

I have actually been hearing more and more about this lately. I am going to try doing some research on the subject this weekend, as I have been drinking a TON of water flavored with Nutrasweet (the crystal light packs and that sort of thing). All of a sudden I am retaining a lot of fluid in my feet and hands, and my face is breaking out. I was wondering if it was due to the sweetener, and have decided to go the weekend without any flavored water of diet pop to see if I begin to notice a difference. It is an artificial product, so I would believe that it could have adverse effects. Thank for posting this.

When to Start Dieting? This one is for women: Never start a diet one week before your period. The hormonal imbalances will drive you nuts, will make you frustrated, and the water retained in your body will make appear as if you haven't shed a pound. Actually, you will look as if you took pounds. So spare yourself! The best moment to start a diet is two days after your period has started, when your cravings subdue and your body starts eliminating the retained water. It's better not only from a psychological point of view, but also from a physiological one. So, girls, did you know that the body retains up to 1 liter of water before and during your period? Keep that in mind next time you are complaining that you cannot lose weight. Personally, I retain even more sometimes. Anyway, I started this new way of eating. My friend lost 20 pounds almost following it in the US, and if she could do it there, I can do it here! The basic principles are the ones I have mentioned already. 5-6 meals a day and two or three more substantial. Never eat until you are full, just until you are not hungry anymore. Take out sugar so your insulin is not high and stopping you from losing weight. My daily intake varies from 1,200 calories to 1,500 calories. I don't think that going under this is helpful or healthy. In the morning I'm having a Diet Cereal Bar and half a glass of yogurt. Two-three hours later I have lunch (for example today I had three small pieces of chicken nuggets and 3 large spoons of eggplants and yogurt salad). Then I had one Diet (with fructose instead of sugar) fruit cheesy yogurt. Then I had dinner - other 3 pieces of nuggets, one egg, and lots of lettuce - and then one more fruity cheesy yogurt. I could have added more, but I feel ok. I am not hungry. I could use some fruits though.

A lot of big people drink diet sodas because diabetics tend to be overweight....so they must drink diet if they want a soda.

have heard of this before it is nice to know some more information on it thanks. well done