Are Diet Soft Drinks Bad for You?

[General Zod]

The problem is once you've been at a higher weight for so long your body's metabolism really slows down, and it doesn't really go back up again, even if you lose the weight. You could always consider purchasing a treadmill.

Disagree: My metabolism went way back up after I started exercising again, I lost plenty of weight, and I do not own a treadmill - I walk and ride my bike around my neighborhood.

The caveat is you have to keep exercising even after you've lost the weight or it will go back on. The treadmill was just one suggestion.

[General Zod]

This is what I'm referencing.

I can't copy/paste text, so you'll just have to click the link.

[SCRawl]

This is what I'm referencing.

I can't copy/paste text, so you'll just have to click the link.

Ha! I went to university with the scientist they interview in that article (Kevin Hall). Small world...

[Starglider]

Well, I made these changes; eliminate 600ml Dr Pepper/day, reduce concentration of orange juice from 50% to 30%, eliminate misc. sweets equivalent to one candy bar per week. Result: lost 2.2kg in the last two weeks, which is a surprisingly large effect. I'm interested to see how much more weight I can lose without making any further diet changes or doing proper exercise.

[Terralthra]

A kilogram of fat is roughly 7,700 kcals. Looks like 600 mL is about 250 kcals, a candy bar is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 or so. 250 * 7 * 2 + 200*2 = 3,900, so just cutting the Dr. Pepper and Candy bar covered half a kilo. Cutting the soda also probably lowered the amount of water your body was retaining to maintain sodium serum levels (so called "water-weight").

[Starglider]

Experiment has been running for two months, weight loss so far is 9.9 kg. That's 99% of my initial target already, I was expecting it to take twice as long (without any further diet changes or exercise increase); as such I've extended the target to 15 kg. BMI is now 24.9, which is just under the 'overweight' boundary; clearly losing some more would be good. Conclusion is just emphasising the obvious really; if you have any desire to lose weight, do not drink soda (or high concentration squash/juice/cordial).

[Starglider]

Experiment has been running for four months, weight loss so far is 17.8 kg. Frankly much better than I expected for limited diet changes, it would appear that the evil blobs of lipids were entirely dependant on the constant flow of that dark liquor for their continued survival, and with its cessation have evaporated back into the oblivion from which they came. Weight loss target increased to 20 kg, which would put me just under the midpoint of the healthy BMI range for my height (according to the NHS calculator). The last time I was at my current weight was 2004.

Someone convinced me to try Coke Zero, but I confess to something of an uncanny valley effect where it is very close to normal Coke, but just different enough to be offputting.

[Me2005]

Experiment has been running for four months, weight loss so far is 17.8 kg. Frankly much better than I expected for limited diet changes, it would appear that the evil blobs of lipids were entirely dependant on the constant flow of that dark liquor for their continued survival, and with its cessation have evaporated back into the oblivion from which they came. Weight loss target increased to 20 kg, which would put me just under the midpoint of the healthy BMI range for my height (according to the NHS calculator). The last time I was at my current weight was 2004.

Someone convinced me to try Coke Zero, but I confess to something of an uncanny valley effect where it is very close to normal Coke, but just different enough to be offputting.

Congratulations on your success! It's been awhile, are you also exercising? Even an extra daily walk or something?

[Starglider]

Congratulations on your success! It's been awhile, are you also exercising? Even an extra daily walk or something?

Thanks, exercise is unchanged from before; I spend one hour per day walking (part of commute on weekdays, to/from local WW2 airfield at weekends).

[Starglider]

Experiment has been running for six months, weight loss so far is 21.4kg; slowed down a bit by a couple of trips to Germany where a constant stream of cooked meats and sugary pastries were pushed into my hands (happens every time). Had a slightly disturbing incident where I met some family friends for the first time in a year or so, and after I left the room they started asking my parents what kind of cancer I had. It's a bit sad that the simplest explanation for losing 21kg is 'cancer'. Anyway, I am now past my extended extended target, but still a little above the supposedly optimum BMI of 20.9. Another two or three kilos off should do it, so I'll let the diet run another two months (with a break for Christmas) and then pack it in.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Just remember that if you go back to the previous dietary habits you'll gain the 21.4 kilos, and then some. Gotta find the right balance, and probably tweek it around as you metabolism changes over time. Also, keep in mind that BMI is largely bullshit. Depending on muscle mass, the "overweight" range is perfectly able to be healthy.

Congrats on being able to get all that extra weight off. It takes a lot of willpower to maintain that sort of dietary change.

[Raw Shark]

I've managed to keep the weight off for about 15 years now. Not everybody has willpower, but we do exist. And if you don't... aspire to more, bitches. Outside of very unusual circumstances, there is only one person who controls what goes into your mouth. You know who doesn't like to fuck fat people? Non-Fat people. You only get one life. Aim high.

[Starglider]

Congrats on being able to get all that extra weight off. It takes a lot of willpower to maintain that sort of dietary change.

Eh, I'll just reset the portion sizes, and allow one sugary thing per day, and disallow the later if I get close to overweight again. The weight loss has already gone about twice as far as I expected it to without levelling out (or needing more radical changes), so I'm not too concerned. I'm building a new space that can act as a gym in January, once that's done I'll add more exercise.

[Raw Shark]

Eh, I'll just reset the portion sizes, and allow one sugary thing per day, and disallow the later if I get close to overweight again. The weight loss has already gone about twice as far as I expected it to without levelling out (or needing more radical changes), so I'm not too concerned. I'm building a new space that can act as a gym in January, once that's done I'll add more exercise.

Portion control was a big part of it for me. I still ate pizza and burgers and whatever, just less of it. Eventually I even lost my taste for sugar. I don't eat sugary things very much anymore. Once a week, maybe, and sometimes only to be polite. I allow myself one Mountain Dew every month at my game meeting. Dating a dessert baker has been challenging.