Soda soda soda

[marys 2]

Just pulled this off the internet - I believe it's by Michael Murray the alkaline diet proponent. It does make you think - don't see many thin people drinking diet soda and it never helped me lose any weight...

Why "Diet" Soda Makes You Fat

Many people see diet soda is an innocuous, harmless beverage that

can't possibly cause any harm to their waistline since it doesn't

have any calories. Think again.

Research published this summer in the medical journal Circulation

shows that people who drink more than one soda a day -- whether

it's regular or diet -- have an almost 50 percent increased risk

for metabolic syndrome, which doubles their risk for heart disease

and diabetes.

Two years ago, a study at the University of Texas Health Science

Center found that there was a 41 percent increase in the risk for

being overweight for every single can of diet soda a person

consumed daily.

But how can something with no calories increase the risk for

obesity and heart disease?

There are several possible ways.

First, my own theory is that the sweet taste works in the brain to

create a conditioned response. The body responds as it usually does

to normal sugar -- with insulin, the fat-storing hormone. Those

circuits in the brain are pretty primitive and ancient, and they

can't immediately distinguish chemical fakery. As far as your brain

is concerned, sweet means sugar. It's entirely possible that

physiologically, you would respond to aspartame in the same way as

you would to table sugar. It's only a theory, but it makes sense to

me.

Second, sugar creates its own cravings. Just as a taste of rum

creates an unstoppable craving in an alcoholic, it's entirely

possible that the taste of sweet, even if it's fake, creates the

same cascade of cravings in a carb addict that regular sugar does,

leading to overeating and binging and all the rest of the reasons

people put on weight.

Third, many people think that by drinking diet beverages they're

"saving" calories. They subconsciously allow themselves to eat

more, figuring it's not doing as much harm since they're drinking a

diet drink. The diet drink gives them subconscious "permission" to

eat more.

What's worse than making you fat, aspartame may be toxic. Aspartame

is made primarily from three ingredients: aspartic acid,

phenylalanine and methanol. Methanol, an alcohol, breaks down in

the body to formaldehyde, a poison if there ever was one.

Apologists for aspartame say that it doesn't create enough

formaldehyde in the body to cause any damage, but I'm not so sure.

Exposing children to formaldehyde levels as low as .75 mg daily for

several months has been shown to cause gradual toxicity. Plus, diet

soda is frequently stored in hot warehouses, causing chemical

breakdowns that went undetected in the original safety studies that

looked at "ideal" conditions.

Soda is bad news, whether regular or diet. Period.

Note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss,

nutrition and health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist

with a Master's degree in psychology. Dr. Bowden is also a life

coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of

the award-winning book, Living the Low Carb Life.

[www.jonnybowden.com]

[di1138 8]

Not laughing as a kid I did the same thing with grape juice. I havent thought about it in years! I am very diet soda addicted. 8-10 cans a day. I do not have my surgery date yet but have been trying to cut back. I have let diet Dr Pepper go flat by letting stand and stirring. With a lot of ice it is not too bad. Giving up diet soda will be harder than giving up ice cream and believe me I think every extra pound I carry is ice cream! Good luck and thank all of you for your input on this subject. I am glad the question was asked.

[Mimibate 0]

I used to drink lots of soda. I was hooked on Dr. Pepper. Since surgery I've cut it off, but everyone once in awhile, I want a sip. A couple days ago, I took a VERY small sip of my husband's and held it in my mouth until it fizzed up and had no more fizzy bubbles. Can anyone explain the real danger with soda. My doc says no soda, but doesn't really offer a satisfactory reason as to why.

I can live with no soda... and I don't crave it or anything. I've been so good since I cut it out and have been very surprised at my will power regarding this subject, since I have unsuccessfully tried to eliminate it from my diet during pre band life. I'm just wondering about people's perceptions on soda.

I was told that the fizz in the soda is the culprit. If you get too much fiz in your tummy, it will cause a gas bubble with no place to go and will be extremely painful. 'm a chicken, I guess, but I don't want to tempt fate. I suppose if you waited until the soda was really flat, it might be OK.

[Amisha 2]

My weakness was Pepsi. Before being banded (admittedly only a little over a week ago) I loved a tall glass of Pepsi with ice more than I loved rainbows, kittens and possibly the baby Jesus. I have never liked coffee so soda was my coffee. I would drink it before work in the morning and all through work and in the evening, right up till bedtime. It was the worst kind of addiction for me. It made me feel nasty and gain weight and have headaches and just generally be miserable, but I kept drinking it anyway.

When I made the decision to be banded I asked about this in detail, because I couldn't see myself living without it. My surgeon explained that it would be painful to drink, due to the carbonation and could cause stretching of the pouch and slippage, among other problems. The nurse, who was also banded, confirmed that she had tried soda after surgery and it caused her to go down on her knees. The pain was so intense.

They assured me I could drink iced tea though, which is the only beverage I love more than Pepsi, so I gladly gave it up. A little more than a week in I'm not really missing it that much. I don't think about it really. I know it's not available. It will be painful. It will defeat the purpose of going through what I did.

Today at lunch with my son I watched a guy drink his Pepsi from across the room. He probably thought I was bonkers or something because I couldn't take my eyes off his glass. That's really the only time I thought about it since surgery. I think he thought I was checking out his bojangos or something.

I just keep telling myself it's battery acid in disguise and that helps me. Good luck to all of you who are struggling to let it go though. I know if I didn't have tea to fall back on they would have to wheel me away in one of those nice, white jackets I keep hearing so much about. (Mostly from my mother.)(Cause, you know, she's crazy so she should know.)(Long story.)(I'm shutting up now.)

[Gracey 7]

WELL... I was a COCA-COLA-AHOLIC! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! It is the one thing that I truly have cravings for in my new lifestyle. Fortunately, my best friend Jill, bought me a SlushMug (Original Slush Mug).

SHUT UP!!! We had one of these growing up and I L-O-V-E-D IT! I have no idea what happened to it over the years but I have very fond memories of slush mugs! Now where is my credit card....

[amsderb 1]

OMG! I totally remember the slush mug!

Hey, did you see the new freezer pops in your favorite soda flavor? I saw them at Walgreens....unfortunatley, there was not a sugar free option....Boohoo, cause a Diet Dr. Pepper freezer pop sounds good....LOL

I had my first Decaf coffee today! My doc wanted us to wait a month and only have herbal caffiene free stuff....So, me, the iced coffee drinker before it was cool to drink it has been off for 2 months! It tasted ok but I don't need one everyday anymore!

[Mimibate 0]

Hey, did you ever think about making your own freezer pops in your favorite soda pop flaver--only diet version? tupperware used to make a form for making Koolade pops. If you used something like it you could pour up some soda, let it sit for a while to lose most of the fizz, pour and freeze it right up. Voila!

[amsderb 1]

Great idea! Thanks

[Aphrodite1984 2]

I LOVE Coke....I used to drink 4-5 per day, which undoubtedly contributed to my weight problem. I would call it an addiction, I couldnt even get my day started without one. Since surgery, I have tried it once. I could only drink about half a can. I do miss it, but the health benefits definitely outweigh my desires :thumbup:

[armywife4life 0]

in my book from the doctor it says that soda can contribute to the enlargement of the small pouch and therefore should be avoided

[Sask Patient 0]

I just called the distributor at Original Slush Mug He was so nice.. BUT THEY CAN'T SHIP TO CANADA!!! :thumbdown:

Gonna cry... I luv LUV my slurpees and I think this would be the ticket... is there anyone out there willing to order one for me - I'd send you a certified cheque...

Yah - this would be great to have post-surgery. I get my band on Aug 20th.

Thanks!

[Froggi 4]

wtf is a slush mug lol

[Sask Patient 0]

Hahhahaaa!!! Froggi you are so cute!!! It's a mug with a sleeve that you freeze, then you add you favorite drink or what-have-you (chocolate pudding! Milk & OJ for a creamsicle!) and stir it as it turns in to slush. I'm a huge 7-11 slurpee fan :wub:so this is a dream gadjet for me! But I couldn't find anyplace that would ship to me,:tongue: AND THEN, yesterday I found a place that will ship to Canada :teeth_smile:- Vermont Country Store on line. OK so it's totally costing me a small fortune ($40 for 2 of em with shipping!) but it's gonna be Soooooo worth it!

Yes I am a dork... :thumbup:

[Froggi 4]

so you just pour it in stir and it turns into a slushie ? :ohmy: sounds interesting

[UT LB Loser 0]

I used to love my soda pop. I never believed I could give it up completely. I said I would TRY. Once the headache was gone from the loss of caffeine, it was easy to stay away from. Now I am so glad that that addiction is removed from my life!!! I am done TRY-ing, now I'm TRI-ing! The first 30 lbs I lost were due to giving up pop. If you stopped, by all means never start again!!!!