Is Diet Coke good for weight loss?

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I thought Diet Coke allegedly made you gain weight as it made you crave sweet things and made you more likely to binge on sweet things as a result. If you didn't binge or eat sweet things after, can it aid weight loss? Bit confused as I want to lose weight but love Diet Coke

I’m sure the occasional Diet Coke won’t hurt, but it can leave you feeling seriously hungry.

The sweetness tricks your brain into thinking that your body is getting a lot of new energy. But once it realises that that energy is not forthcoming, it wants to get it in a different way and, before you know it, the cravings start.

If you can resist those cravings, you should be ok. Depending on how much you love Diet Coke though, it does sound like you could be making things unnecessarily hard for yourself. It’s a lot easier to stick to your diet when you’re not dealing with a lot of temptation!

I've not heard that.
It's zero calorie so I wouldn't worry about drinking it at all if it floats your boat.

I used to drink a lot of pepsi max when I was thin because it satisfied my cravings and made me less hungry. So if you're similar, I guess it could be an aid. But if you're the type of person where it triggers cravings as is more common it'd probably be a hindrance

Well water is better obviously but it's a question of taste!

I drink one can per day usually, its sweet and satisfying I find.

I'll have it with lunch or mid morning instead of a coffee. I find it filling too, so I eat less.

Depends if you see your teeth as excess weight?

Everyone I know who drink a lot of DC are fat.

Ive lost 4.5st and maintained for almost 2 yrs. Always have at least 2 diet cokes a day. They fill me up and help avert bingeing.

I drink a small DC after a meal in place of dessert. It is sweet enough to satisfy the craving for sweets.

Baffled about this because when I drink diet soda, I feel full (from bubbles) and don't get the nasty sugar effects. I have read the articles about the terrible fattening side effects but don't and can't see them in reality (and I am not overweight). I have a very bad reaction to sugar though and none to aspartame.

I drink it sometimes when I fancy a treat or as a diet aid if I want food but i’m not Hungry. I find the bubbles give my mouth the sensation I’m craving and it fills me up. Never found it leads me to eating more

I lost a fair amount of weight switching from ‘full fat’ coke to Diet Coke, so from that point of view it helps!

@Lichfieldpeasentry that really made me laugh!

I'm also addicted to diet coke, have terrible teeth and am obese. I don't know anyone who drinks diet cxke regularly who doesn't struggle with their weight.
Having said that, I'm using sweeteners while coming off sugar. I've heard that it can take a month to detox from sugar so will be trying to get off diet Coke after that.

Roseypeas...there are other concerns...the neurochemical reaction that Coca cola delivers is similar to that initiated by heroin. Certain chemicals generate feelings of well being (food, sugar, caffeine, saturated fats, etc. etc) all generate reactions in your brain chemicals that influence the way you feel in terms of mood, behaviour, etc. Coca cola induces what is known as dopamine which generally makes you feel content. The drink is not addictive, but you unknowingly become addicted to the dopamine release, and it just so happens that "ooh...come to think of it...I have four cans left in my multi pack in the fridge...." Unknowingly you are seeking the " reward" function that the dopamine releases...you don't die from any of this, but it is not really living is it?

Plus the effects of heroin last longer than the commercial break in Coronation Street, actually make the plotlines in Coronation Street seem somewhat believable and the person who sells it to you doesn't wear a ridiculous uniform with their namebadge on it, ask you if you want any assistance packing and generally make you feel less than human because they have had positional intercourse with everyone on the fruit and veg section (some of them unknowingly) and enjoy sadisticallly the fact that you had to queue to get your diet cok e fix yet again. Then they appear during your Coronation Street ad break saying "every little bit helps"? At least with heroin Ken Barlow s wife dying is a source of mirth?

Don't often want a fizzy drink, on the rare occasion I do I've always drunk DC, and as far as I know it has never given me cravings afterwards. But then I'm drinking it because I'm thirsty. I like the taste of it better than ordinary Coke.

I find fizzy drinks 'filling' if I crave a snack but know I have eaten enough (if that makes sense- basically boredom eating). But have learnt to like fizzy water, especially with some squash and ice cubes; I know squash isn't great but better than diet coke I think.

Nobody said it gave you cravings...

Apart from the op and the first person to reply to her

I used to drink DC every day and weighed between 7.5 -8.5 stone. I'm now the fattest I've ever been and rarely drink it. It doesn't make you fat.

It really doesn't make you fat. If anything g the bubbles make you feel full so I eat a lot less when drinking a D.C. with a meal. It's zero/1 calorie per can or something like that

It certainly does not make you gain weight. I doubt it really helps you loose it either though tbh.
I love diet coke.
Ive lost 4 stone after my first pregnancy and then 3 stone after my second and I'm now a size 10 (5ft 7) which is my usual size apart from when I balloon out when I'm pregnant lol! All through I've been drinking diet coke. Both when I was pregnant and put on all that weight, and when I lost it after. I still drink it now whilst I maintain my weight. Diet coke has nothing to do with making you fat or thin.

I suppose if you were previously drinking loads of full sugar coke and swapped to diet then you might lose a bit of weight. But diet coke certainly does not make you put on weight.. how on earth could it it contains no calories?! And it doesnt make you hungry at all... if anything it's quite filling because its fizzy and all fizzy drinks make you feel a bit full.

Hahaha at the poster saying 'it's not really living' to mildly crave diet coke. Only on mumsnet!
I crave coffee sometimes, or half a cider, or a cupcake... all pretty bad for you and make you a little bit 'high' on something... but it's hardly a whirlwind of addiction is it lol. Everything in moderation. Of course it's bad for you to drink absolutely loads of a fizzy drink containing caffeine. But one can a day is not going to do you harm even if you do crave it because you are used to having it at a specific time. It's a mild stimulant. Like a cup of tea.
I mean I feel a bit ratty if I dont get my 9am cup of tea each morning but I think saying I'm not really living is a bit dramatic hahaha.

I love Diet Coke bit limit myself to one a day as it's really not good for the teeth and it's full of artificial sweeteners. It won't help you lose weight unless maybe you are swapping a full fat drink for a Diet Coke. But it won't make you gain weight either.

Associative rather than quantitative evaluation...