Diet Soda: Good or bad for fat people?

[Sticksboi05]

Sorry, thought you were trolling for a smartass reply. I'll write the knowledge you dropped on the front of my nutritional tips notebook.

No I legitimately believe there was an article on MayoClinic or something about how you can drink more water than your body/kidneys need not related to hydroasphyxiation or lack of electrolytes. I could be wrong. In any case it's extremely rare.

[chipwhich]

I lost 50 lbs two years ago with a diet change (elimination of sweets/chips/etc) and exercise. The one thing I didn't give up was my pepsi. I still drink it like it's my job. I also drink a ton of water, but I love the taste of Pepsi more than anything.

The problem with diet soda is twofold. The artificial sweeteners (already discussed), and the people who order a **** load of food at restaurants (super sized, etc) then have a diet coke. That's not helipng......

So lose another 50 buy getting rid of pepsi?

Dieting is simple. Eat a diet high and fiber, low and SATURATED fat, and drink plenty of water. Don't eat anything from a box. That's getting fiber from vegetables folks, not a Fiber1 bar.

I really don't get why anyone thinks they can't survive without a soda. That's a mental block.

[ixcuincle]

Soda is so overrated

Just a bunch of carbonated manufactured nonsense

All about water

[frostyj]

When I was working at the FDA I would get all kinds of comments that I'd be better off drinking reg Coke than Coke Zero/Diet. I have come adjusted to the taste and reg Coke doesn't tast right. But I have gained 10 lbs last year and the only real change has been to Zero/Diet Cokes. I think after reading all this I may switch back.

[Heidenreich]

So lose another 50 buy getting rid of pepsi?

Dieting is simple. Eat a diet high and fiber, low and SATURATED fat, and drink plenty of water. Don't eat anything from a box. That's getting fiber from vegetables folks, not a Fiber1 bar.

I really don't get why anyone thinks they can't survive without a soda. That's a mental block.

I really don't need to be 6'3" and 145 pounds, so I guess I can keep the Pepsi. I eat fine, I'm also not going to give up everything I enjoy......

[TD_washingtonredskins]

And once you get in the habit of drinking water, soda tastes like chemical ****.

Great point. I cut out soda a while back and now can hardly stomach it. I probably drink 3 or 4 per year.

[chipwhich]

I really don't need to be 6'3" and 145 pounds, so I guess I can keep the Pepsi. I eat fine, I'm also not going to give up everything I enjoy......

If you ar 6'3 and 195 congrats.

Doesn't make Pepsi good for you nor does it mean you wont get type 2 diabetes. But glad you enjoy it

Oh and eating fine is debatable. If you need a pepsi in your life, I have a hard time believing you are eating fine.

[Heidenreich]

If you ar 6'3 and 195 congrats.

Doesn't make Pepsi good for you nor does it mean you wont get type 2 diabetes. But glad you enjoy it

Oh and eating fine is debatable. If you need a pepsi in your life, I have a hard time believing you are eating fine.

I've never claimed that Pepsi is good for me, I know it's terrible. It's also my only vice.

Breakfast- cheerios or waffles, with orange juice

Lunch- don't eat lunch every day, when I do its usually a turkey sandwich

Dinner- Chicken, steak, pork chops with broccoli

That's it. I don't eat chips, candy, fast food, etc. I drink a gallon of water every day as well. I do just fine......

[big#44]

Sodas, and most foods that are prepackaged nowadays, contain a little substance called High Fructose Corn Syrup. Fructose actually improves your bodies ability to metabolize and store fat. So any soda, be it regular or diet, is an awful choice if your trying to lose weight or be healthy for that matter. Same goes for anything containing HFCS. The very abbreviated version of why americans are too fat is because we consume far too much sugar. We turned to artificial sweeteners that have so many chemicals that they can cause cancer. The truth is natural sugar is 10 times out of 10 better for you then artificial sweeteners. Just not too much of it.

---------- Post added February-27th-2011 at 11:11 PM ----------

I've never claimed that Pepsi is good for me, I know it's terrible. It's also my only vice.

Breakfast- cheerios or waffles, with orange juice

Lunch- don't eat lunch every day, when I do its usually a turkey sandwich

Dinner- Chicken, steak, pork chops with broccoli

That's it. I don't eat chips, candy, fast food, etc. I drink a gallon of water every day as well. I do just fine......

breakfast. replace the cereal and waffles with an egg or two and some veggies and youd be good. cereal is awful for you. sorry to break it too you.

lunch depending on what bread you use, your good

dinner. seems good.

[Enter Apotheosis]

I'd like for you to elaborate on both points, if you could.

Okay...

2. Gaining or losing fat is not what caloric intake actually correlates to. Were you to replace the word fat with the more general weight your statement would be far more accurate.

Let me modify that first sentence a bit by saying that gaining or losing fat is not what caloric intake best correlates to. That should sufficiently cover my ass from any minor technicalities.

A calorie is just a unit of measurement for energy, it says nothing about how that energy will be used. It could be used to carry out vital processes, it could be used to fuel bodily movement, or it could be stored for future use as fat. That first possibility is particularly important seeing as it includes tissue repair which is the process directly responsible for building lean (non-fat) mass (e.g., muscle). It's ultimately up to your body to apportion that energy according to need and sometimes adding to your fat reserves simply is not one such need. I'll even throw in an example...

Let's say that theoretical person X has a clone, theoretical person Y. They start off exactly the same in every respect, down to what they do on a daily basis and what they eat. Suddenly their habits are changed and they begin to lead very different lives. X develops a largely sedentary lifestyle, consuming about 2500 calories a day while burning a meager 2000. Y becomes extremely active, consuming about 3500 calories a day while burning a fairly impressive 3000 calories. Both have a surplus of 500 calories a day which should lead to weight gain of approximately 1 pound per week. If caloric intake is simply about fat gain and fat loss they should look exactly the same after 10 weeks of this, which is to say that they will both be close to 10 pounds fatter than they were to begin with. Right about now common sense should be kicking in and telling you "that can't be right". That's good... because it isn't right. A decent chunk of Y's caloric surplus will likely have gone towards building muscle to help cope with Y's rigorous daily routine. X, however, may have actually lost some muscle mass after weeks of inactivity. Both will come in at approximately the same weight on the scales, though, because both have the same amount of surplus energy being converted into solid mass.

Now to expound upon the other half of that post...

1. The calories in vs. calories out view of dieting is far from a perfect model of how the human body handles food. It is obviously very practical and is a useful tool to have at your disposal but you can't neglect its limitations.

We've already established that calories are a measure of energy. There's more to the picture than just energy, though, because our bodies don't treat food as just energy. Food is also a source of building blocks and the abundance or absence of certain blocks can influence how you put on or lose weight. Food can also be a source of various unnatural chemicals and toxins that can influence how your body perceives the food you have ingested and can have a whole host of interesting effects. If you simply track calories you will have absolutely no concept of the effects of either of these bodily influences. Becoming more cognizant of all of the factors involved and becoming more adept at reading the entirety of a nutrition facts label will generally give you a big leg up when it comes to changing your body according to your wants/needs.

No I legitimately believe there was an article on MayoClinic or something about how you can drink more water than your body/kidneys need not related to hydroasphyxiation or lack of electrolytes. I could be wrong. In any case it's extremely rare.

You're right. Look up water intoxication.

[chipwhich]

I've never claimed that Pepsi is good for me, I know it's terrible. It's also my only vice.

Breakfast- cheerios or waffles, with orange juice

Lunch- don't eat lunch every day, when I do its usually a turkey sandwich

Dinner- Chicken, steak, pork chops with broccoli

That's it. I don't eat chips, candy, fast food, etc. I drink a gallon of water every day as well. I do just fine......

Well don't trivialize a vice.

Waffles or cheerios for breakfast isn't a win.

Your remaining menu is suspect without more details.

[PokerPacker]

there ARE throwback sodas with real sugar right now. They seem to be making a resurgence. But still, I'll stick to water except every now and then for social occasions (when beer isn't the drink of choice)

[Bubble Screen]

Well don't trivialize a vice.

Waffles or cheerios for breakfast isn't a win.

Your remaining menu is suspect without more details.

I can't imagine Cheerios without sugar is bad for you.

[Enter Apotheosis]

I can't imagine Cheerios without sugar is bad for you.

Cheerios are good for you relative to a lot of crap out there but they're still not good for you. Granted "good" or "bad" in this particular case depends largely upon what philosophy you subscribe to.

[Special K]

This thread is an example of pure excellence: posters nit-picking other posters' diets, without knowing a thing about them.

EA, you've got great advice with a sound knowledge base, btw

Personally, I still like to have 2 Coke Zeros during the work day, one before, and one after lunch. On the weekends, I maybe have one or two total. Other than that, it's water, or Vitamin Water when I'm playing tennis for 1.5+ hours at a time. I know the Coke Zeros aren't "good" for me, but I very much enjoy them

[Bubble Screen]

Cheerios are good for you relative to a lot of crap out there but they're still not good for you. Granted "good" or "bad" in this particular case depends largely upon what philosophy you subscribe to.

What's your view on Raisin Brand?

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

That first possibility is particularly important seeing as it includes tissue repair which is the process directly responsible for building lean (non-fat) mass (e.g., muscle). It's ultimately up to your body to apportion that energy according to need and sometimes adding to your fat reserves simply is not one such need.

First, thanks for the big reply, I'm all ears when it comes to this. I'm adept at reading nutritional labels; mainly looking for high protein, high fiber, whole grains and amino acids. Also keeping calories as low as I can.

My understanding (or misinterpretation) of it all, is that protein is mostly responsible for muscle tissue repair, not calories. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if X were to eat 3000 calories with 200g of protein, and Y were to eat 2800 calories with 200g of protein, who would build more muscle? Am I mistaken to say that your explanation gives X the nod? So more calories are better, in a practical sense, seeing as they help to build muscle tissue. Got it.

So when deciding between a super-low calorie super-high calorie food like chicken breast, should I perhaps substitute it for something a little higher in calorie content? Perhaps I won't be as shredded in the short term, but I'll take the penalty for a few extra calories helping the muscle building process.

Hope I'm not way off track here. Just a tad perplexed.

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

What's your view on Raisin Brand?

d

[Enter Apotheosis]

What's your view on Raisin Brand?

I've never been a big cereal person, so my opinion on individual brands is ill-informed at best. If I had to take a stab at it... cereal with dried, processed fruit? Probably deceptively high in sugar and significantly worse for you than Cheerios.

First, thanks for the big reply, I'm all ears when it comes to this. I'm adept at reading nutritional labels; mainly looking for high protein, high fiber, whole grains and amino acids. Also keeping calories as low as I can.

My understanding (or misinterpretation) of it all, is that protein is mostly responsible for muscle tissue repair, not calories.

You need the protein and the calories to effectively build muscle.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if X were to eat 3000 calories with 200g of protein, and Y were to eat 2800 calories with 200g of protein, who would build more muscle? Am I mistaken to say that your explanation gives X the nod? So more calories are better, in a practical sense, seeing as they help to build muscle tissue. Got it.

X will gain more lean mass than Y if the limiting factor in the equation is calories.

X and Y will gain the same amount of lean mass if protein is the limiting factor and X will likely gain additional fat over Y due to the higher calorie load.

So when deciding between a super-low calorie super-high calorie food like chicken breast, should I perhaps substitute it for something a little higher in calorie content? Perhaps I won't be as shredded in the short term, but I'll take the penalty for a few extra calories helping the muscle building process.

Hope I'm not way off track here. Just a tad perplexed.

For practical purposes, just keep an eye on your weight. If you're holding pretty steady with your current diet you should add several hundred calories to your daily intake so that you'll be on track for a slow weight gain (not much more than a pound a week). As far as protein goes, I've seen all sorts of suggestions but the consensus seems to be that 1-1.5g per pound of body weight per day is a good area to be in.

[NoCalMike]

I stopped drinking soda a long time ago. Once in awhile if my wife gets rootbeer when we eat pizza, I may have a sip or two, but seriously, if you can give up soda for about a month, COLD TURKEY, you'd be amazed how weird it will taste the next time you attempt to drink some of it.

I was never a fan of diet soda, because it had a funky taste. The only diet soda that seemed up to par with the regular stuff was Dr. Pepper.

Now, I still have a habit of adding some sugar to sweeten my tea, but I'd imagine it is a hell of a lot better to be doing that, than drinking soda which not only has the corn syrup sweetener but also all the other acids and weird junk in it.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

X will likely gain additional fat over Y due to the higher calorie load.

If you're holding pretty steady with your current diet you should add several hundred calories to your daily intake so that you'll be on track for a slow weight gain (not much more than a pound a week).

If I do the second thing I quoted, won't the first thing I quoted happen? My understanding is that the quickest way to gain muscle and get ripped is that I should focus on exercise and protein, while burning more calories than I consume.

One gram of protein per pound of body weight, like you said. It's worked perfectly, and you want me to up my calories? Nobody has ever recommended that to me. I've gained muscle mass despite the fact. You want me to gain weight that quickly? A pound a week? There is no way that could be muscle weight. Upping my calorie intake would go against the main thing I've learned so far, from a nutritional standpoint, when it comes to losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time.

[Bubble Screen]

I've never been a big cereal person, so my opinion on individual brands is ill-informed at best. If I had to take a stab at it... cereal with dried, processed fruit? Probably deceptively high in sugar and significantly worse for you than Cheerios.

.

I'm not a big cereal eater either. But I have been eating Raisin Brand lately. It makes me go to the :toilet: more often. I guess its the fiber.

[PokerPacker]

BRAN! its Raisin BRAN!!!!

[Kosher Ham]

There was a reason the pic was posted Bubble.

It is not called "Raisin Brand" ... "Bran" is the flakes.

However I can tell you that raisins are potentially really bad for your teeth, thus the reason they tell kids not to eat them anymore.

That said I love that cereal too. Just don't eat it anymore.

---------- Post added February-28th-2011 at 04:20 AM ----------

On topic, I drink maybe 2 sodas per month. Just stopped cold turkey like someone stated, and sometimes just want a small taste.

But sweet tea is absolutely disgusting. I have no idea how peole drink that crap. Unsweet tea is even worst tasting.

[Chump Bailey]

My advice is to stay away from all artificial sweetners. There's a product called Zevia. It's a soda sweetened with stevia and much better for you if you must have them. I pretty much kicked my addicition to such things.