Weight Loss Success Journey NOT Paved with Diet Soda

Diet soda is not the fantastic beverage for weight loss success that many (especially the makers) would like you to believe. I've said it before. I'll say it again. For most* people it does no good, and for many it causes harm. Because it has zero, or close to zero, calories many people drink it without thinking about all the chemicals they are putting in their bodies. And again because it has few calories people seem to think it is actually good for them--or at least won't make them fat!

Study after study is showing that these thoughts are wrong. This is marketing at its worst. It is on a par with marketing cigarettes as cool while knowing they cause lung cancer.

Think diet soda will make you thin? Then why are so many people who drink it obese? And they didn't just start drinking it...many of them have been drinking it for YEARS...all the while packing on more pounds.

Diet soda is not the answer.

According to a new article posted on Yahoo, more and more people are coming forward to admit they are addicted to diet soda.

Whether diet soda is technically an "addiction" or really a habit is still under debate.

Addiction definition from Wikipedia:

Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and/or psychological dependence on psychoactive substances (for example alcohol, tobacco, heroin, caffeine and other drugs) which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain. Broadly, addiction is defined as the continued use of a mood altering addictive substance or behaviours despite adverse consequences.

Drinking as little as one diet soda a day is linked to a variety of "adverse consequences" including Heart Attack and Stroke, Kidney Trouble, Preterm Deliver, and yes, Weight Gain

The article continues:

Wouldn’t it be ironic if instead of helping you lose weight, diet sodas had the opposite effect? A study at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that compared to those who drank no diet sodas, study participants who did had a 70 percent greater increase in waist circumference; worse, drinking two or more diet sodas daily led to ballooning waist circumference that was 500 percent greater than those who drank none.

For years I've been advising against diet sodas for people on a health journey and for those who want to have weight loss success, I am not the only one. The 'Eat This, Not That' guy David Zinczenko wrote an article "The Truth About Diet Soda" back in December 2008.

Don't think you have to be "perfect" to have weight loss success. Focus on being HEALTHY first and you will achieve the right weight without damaging your body and healthy in the long-run by following some low calorie diet plan that includes unhealthy choices.
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*I say "most" because I there are few rules that can be applied to literally every person on the planet, but in all honesty I have not seen a single report that diet soda is helpful to anyone. However, there may be a person who is diabetic for example who for whatever reason cannot give up soda 100% and therefore chooses a diet soda. I still do not buy into the soda being "good" for them, or not causing them harm, but the choice is certainly theirs to make.

Don't Hold Your Breath

We breathe by nature. We don't have to think about it.

What would happen if we didn't breathe?

Of course, if we could hold our breath long enough we would die. But long before that we would be building up the supply of carbon dioxide in our system. Carbon dioxide is the waste product we exhale.

Carbon dioxide is also the chemical the food industry uses to put the "POP" into our soda--the bubbles.

Just another reason to forgo soda...why do we drink something that is going to put more waste product into our body. That's kind of like eating...well a special ingredient that was featured in a recent, popular book and movie!

Wikipedia has more information about carbon dioxide and how it works in our body, and how it is used in products today.

Seriously, soda just adds chemicals, sugar and gas to our system...and many have caffeine on top of that. All of this does lead to more cravings (the sugar-free kind is shown to make us want more sweets and to become accustomed to sweeter foods.)

I'm not saying it is easy! I think I am actually fortunate that I am allergic to Aspartame...that really helped me to kick the diet soda habit. Since I knew I didn't want to be drinking all that sugar I switched to water (okay, and coffee!) years back.

I still love my coffee and I have a soda once in a blue moon...but mostly I drink lots, and lots, of water! I attribute much of my weight loss success to this healthy habit.

Dump Diet Soda for Health and Weight Loss Success

It may seem to some that the suggestion to dump the diet soda goes against the idea of losing weight. The truth is that diet sodas do NOT help you lose weight. The reasons why may be controversial, but here are some of the facts behind soda...diet and non...that might just burst your soft drink bubble.

Bone Killers: some sodas will actually take calcium out of your bones. Sodas with caffeine seem to be the biggest culprits here...whether the soda is diet of regular doesn't seem to matter.

Diabetes Risk: even one diet soda a day is linked to a increased odds of risk of both Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. Research has not conclusively shown why, but one possibility is the caramel flavoring in cola, which actually affects the boy at a molecular level and inhibits the ability to process sugar.

Weight Gain: yep, diet sodas can actually lead to weight gain because they increase carbohydrate cravings and get us used to taking in super sweet substances.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: switching to regular soda is not necessarily healthier...most are filled with HFCS which is complete void of nutrition, spikes the body's blood sugar levels and get us on the simple carb roller coaster ride of wanting more carbs to help fight the fatigue caused by the inevitable sugar crash.

The healthiest solution is to drink lots of clean, pure water. Although tap water is "safe" I filter mine to get rid of the chemicals that municipalities put in it to make it safe.

Sometimes plain water is just not enough though, so if you want some flavor to your drink here are some of my favorite suggestions:

• Add a splash of 100% fruit juice
• Toss in some fresh berries (or frozen if you want a chill)
• Squeeze in a little lemon or lime juice
• Throw in some ice cubes made from juice or with berries hidden inside
• Brew some green or herbal tea...chill it for a summertime treat

If you absolutely want the bubbles then try club soda or naturally bubbly water. While I don't recommend drinking lots of it (after all, the bubbles are from Carbon DiOxide...a gas that our bodies consider a waste product) as an occasional treat it gets my green light. Mix it up with the suggestions above or try adding a sprig or two of mint for a zero calorie refresher!

Don't think you can cut out the soda habit entirely? Try cutting it in half! Get your taste buds used to less sweet by splitting the soda pop with club soda or Perrier. Alternate plain water with a bubbly drink to reduce the number of sodas in a day.

Remember, improving your health and losing weight permanently is a gradual process. Don't expect to make the change in a day...keep at it and find the balance that works for you...and don't be surprised to see you have actually lost weight once you've dumped the diet soda habit!

Natinal Nutrition Month: Healthy Drink Choices for Weight Loss Success

In honor of National Nutrition Month, yesterday we talked about ways to drop 15 pounds in a year by cutting empty calories out of our diet pretty painlessly.

You may be wondering what you should drink instead that won't be filled with those empty calories.

I've said it before, but the absolute best thing to drink is good, clean, pure water. It is truly the only liquid the human body needs (as opposed to what we want!) We can live quite a long time without food...it turns out most of us could actually live for a couple of weeks without food--even though we sometimes feel like we are going to die without it after just a few hours. But water? Although there are reports of some people living through earthquakes and such and surviving for a week without water, most people will die after just 3 days without water.

I filter my water, which saves me money over buying bottled water and I don't use a lot of plastic bottles that way either. If you still can't drink enough water, add just a splash of 100% fruit juice to your glass of water. I start my day with lemon juice in water...I love the taste and find it refreshing and energizing. Keep in mind that all fruit juice (even 100% juice) contains sugars. Choosing 100% fruit juice ensures that there is no ADDED sugar, but fruit itself has natural sugar in the form of fructose. This is easier for your body to absorb, but if you want to lose weight successfully you want to be aware of all the sugars you are ingesting. Have most of the fruit you take in be in the form of food...so you also get all the fiber (which helps you feel full) and other good stuff that fruits have to offer!

Tea is another good choice because it is mostly water. Your risk of having a heart attack may be reduced by as much as 11% if you drink 3 or more cups of tea every day. Green tea may be better for us than black, but the most important thing about drinking tea is to take it without sugar or milk, especially without milk. The beneficial element found in tea is called "catechins" (pronounced cat-ih-kins) and these are made less active when combined with the proteins found in milk.

And coffee (black) is not the evil thing that we had heard about in the past for most of us. In fact, a cup or two may also have some health benefits including reducing your chances of developing colon cancer, Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes.

If you are used to drinking soda, you may want to wean yourself away from it...especially if your drink choice has been loaded with caffeine. Otherwise you may suffer from withdrawal, including headaches, fatigue or the jitters. Replace one serving at a time with water to help flush out your system. Don't rely on diet drinks--they may not have calories but they have their own set of problems and can actually hinder successful weight loss!

National Nutrition Month: Ahh Sugar, Sugar

March is National Nutrition Month and so it is a good time to revisit a nemesis those of us who are overweight or have struggled with our weight: sugar. Specifically, liquid sugar.

One of the easiest ways to lose weight permanently, naturally and safely is to reduce the amount of sugar we consume...and one of the easiest ways to do that is to forgo soft drinks.

I'm not in favor of saying you should "never" eat or drink something but sodas are best put on a list of items we extremely rarely ingest.

A single can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar!!! But sodas aren't the only culprit. We may think a high-energy drink or sports drink would be better for us...or iced tea, fruit juice or lemonade...but we'd most likely be wrong. Quick flip that can or bottle over and see what makes the list of ingredients. If it reads high fructose corn syrup, sugar, or other sugars and/or syrups it is pretty much the same--sugar that adds unneeded calories to our bodies.

While you are looking at that ingredient list, take a look at the number of servings in that can/bottle. You may be surprised to find that single can/bottle is actually more than a "single serving"...that is just one of the ways that manufacturers get away with misleading the consumer into thinking they are taking in fewer calories, less sugar/fat/etc.

When I was a kid we sometimes were traveling to countries where drinking the water was not safe and therefore we drank sodas. Fortunately, we don't have that problem much in the USA, and if your tap water is bad either temporarily or long-term, it is usually possible to get excellent water locally--a quick drive to the grocery store.

Still, in the USA, 47 gallons of soda per person was consumed in 2008. Some of us aren't doing our share...so that means most people are probably drinking more than 50 gallons of the stuff a year. That would be about a gallon of soda a week per person! With sugar consumption like that it should be no surprise we are a nation of overweight people with attention problems!

If you drink just one soda a day at roughly 150 calories per soda, that is a total of 54,750 calories of pure sugar. And a pound is equal to about 3500 calories. That means by eliminating just that one soda from your diet every day you could theoretically lose 15.64 pounds in a year--without changing any other habit!

But if the fact that soda has no nutritional value and only serves to make us fat isn't enough, it also increases our risk for diabetes and heart disease. So focus on loving yourself enough to be healthy and reduce the amount of sugar you drink this month...and start a trend you can live with...and have weight loss success with!

Weight Loss Tip: Drink Water

Okay, I know you've heard this before...from me (Dec 2008, Oct 2008, and Aug 2008) and from loads of other folks...but it really is true.

Water does a lot of good for our bodies, including keeping our skin more supple and helping us to feel more full without feeling stuffed.

Not everyone finds drinking water to be an easy habit to adopt...it can be especially hard if you are used to drinking things with loads of flavor or sugar. If that is the case you can ease into drinking more water by trying some herbal teas. Let them steep for a long time so you get loads of flavor.

Amanda Wicker, a fellow Lovelander, a weight loss inspiration and success story (she has lost 130lbs) wrote recently that she had a hard time getting enough water and felt it was a chore. I thought it would be good to share her perspective on drinking water.

"I found that I had to change my mind-set about it. When I started thinking about water as the conductor to flush fat and toxins out of my body, I was actually excited to drink my daily water."

This is an important point--we must change our mindset in order to lose weight. If we continue to think about them in the same way, we will have the same results.

Amanda points out some more benefits to drinking water:

• Helps control hunger and cravings
• Enhances fat loss
• Boosts metabolism
• Helps us look younger
• Flushes toxins from our bodies
• Key to disease prevention

Amanda's tips to increase your water

• Have a water bottle for home, car and work
• Add a piece of fruit or mint to your water for a splash of flavor
• Drink from a straw, it helps you drink more in a shorter amount of time
• Drink a glass of water before each meal, it will curb hunger and increase hydration
• Order water instead of soda at a restaurant

Amanda notes:

"We are literally exposed to hundreds of harmful substances daily. Our air, our foods and everything we touch has traces of harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, we can't keep toxins from getting into our bodies, but we can help our bodies get rid of them with water. Most of the degenerative diseases are the result of toxins building up in the body."

Tap water vs Bottled water

Water can be one of your best health and weight loss tools...but there is the ongoing debate over tap versus bottled water. Most tap water has a lot of chlorine in it...it will test "safe" but I don't like the way it smells or tastes. You might not even be aware of it--but that in itself may keep you from drinking enough water. Water should not have an odor or taste. Buying bottles of water can be expensive and it results in lots of little plastic bottles around which is not good for our environment. I recommend filtering your water rather than buying those expensive bottles...you get the same clean water without all the plastic.

So drink up! To your health and the health of our planet!

High Fructose Corn Syrup

There have been some recent reports that High Fructose Corn Syrup is not as bad as it has been painted. There have even been commercials on television, which by the way are paid for by the Corn Refiners Association, that tout the safety of High Fructose Corn Syrup.

The ads state that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a natural substance. Like that alone makes something safe! Dr. Oz points out that not that HFCS is the equivalent to cyanide, but cyanide is a poison and 100% natural. There are lots of things that are natural that are poisonous to us. Consider snake bites, certain mushrooms, and even the beautiful Daffodil can be fatal if eaten. For some plants only a part of them is poisonous--take the Rhubarb plant--we can eat the stalks but eating the leaves can be fatal. Many common household and garden plants are fatal if ingested.

This isn't an article about gardening but just to point out that being "natural" is not the same as being "healthy" or even "benign".

What the Corn Refiners Association is claiming is that HFCS is no worse for you than sugar. This may (or may not) be true. However, who said sugar, especially in large quantities, is healthy for you?

In a day when we have sky rocketing rates of diabetes and obesity amongst our children, we deserve to look at our personal habits and cut out the empty calories--sugar, high fructose corn syrup, as well as other syrups and sugars. These are found in sodas and other packaged foods. Sodas are the biggest culprit from shear volume but if you read your labels you will find these sweetners are in almost everything we buy--even in the ketchup for you burger!

Eating too much HFCS may also contribute to obesity in another way. An important hormone in our digestive-system, called leptin, signals the brain when you have had enough to eat and that you should stop. Mounting research indicates that having too much HFCS in your diet disturbs the leptin to brain communication, thus allowing us to eat more than we should and gain weight.

Cutting the HFCS from your diet is one of the easiest ways to cut hundreds of calories a day for most people. Every soda, canned (sweetened!) ice tea or fruit drink contains 200+ calories--mostly from high fructose corn syrup and other sugars.

Eliminating these empty calories will help you (and your children) lose weight and also help prevent diabetes!

Bob Greene's Best Life Plan Highlights--Foods to Eat and Eliminate

Bob Greene's Best Life program continues with tips on what to eat--and what to avoid.

Of course it is critical to eat a healthy breakfast. I wrote about this, too, including some of the science about WHY it is important.

Bob agrees that we should make small changes in our diet. Specifically he says cut only 100-200 calories per day out. This is to keep your body from thinking it is going into a famine.

Then Bob continues with a list of 6 foods to cut out for the first month or two of your program. The foods are:

1. alcohol
2. soda pop (because of the sugar and empty calories and the havoc it creates in your body)
3. trans fats
4. fried foods
5. white bread (refined carbs)
6. high fat milk & yogurt

While I believe there are no "forbidden foods" because by saying a food is off limits entirely it tends to make us want it more (supply and demand?) I can support what Bob is saying here.

However, if going off completely for 1 month will cause you to binge once the month is over, try for a week! Then when you have success, try for 2 weeks and so on.

It is the small changes that matter. One of Bob's points was making a commitment to yourself and keeping that commitment. Better to make a shorter commitment and keep it than to set a longer commitment and break it!

Remember--both Bob and Laurie say Put Yourself First...or as Oprah says, Put Yourself Back on the List!

The Importance of H20

Keeping hydrated is sometimes underrated. I happen to actually love drinking water, so it generally isn't a problem for me. However, I have talked to many people lately who say they don't "like" water, or they can't drink as much as is recommended, or they think drinking water will make them bloat so they stay thirsty, or they think drinking coffee and soda all day is the same as drinking water.

Starting from the back of the list, coffee and sodas are not water. They may be mostly water (or sugar) but they have other ingredients that actually can cause worse dehydration. Ingredients like caffeine and sugar, for example. For me, I gave up sodas years ago when saccharine was banned. From time to time I will have a sugar-laden soft drink, but it is so rare that I doubt my overall health is affected. Just like anything else, you can have it once in a while, it is the habitual consumption that really causes problems. And, I do drink water--about a gallon every day!

That leads to the next belief, that drinking water will cause bloat. The opposite is actually true. If you restrict your water intake then you body will hold onto the water it has. That is what causes bloat and swelling. The best way to combat the bloat is to increase your water intake!

If you are one of those who just doesn't "like" water, I have a couple of suggestions. First, it could be that you are drinking tap water, and while it is probably safe, it may have chlorine and other chemicals in it. These chemicals are added to our water to make them "safer." I have found that I am very sensitive to the smell and taste of these chemicals. So even "really good" tap water is difficult for me to drink.And remember, I LIKE to drink water! Real water should actually have no taste to it.

So try filtering your water. I use a Brita filter and find that it works great. There are other fancy options for purifying or oxygenating your water. They may be worth it, but for me right now, the price puts it into a "not at this time" category.

If that doesn't work for you, try adding a little squirt of lemon into your water. Or try another fruit juice...just add a little splash. Don't buy the premade drinks in the store. They'll have more sugars and cost you lots more money!

Finally, check the temperature of your water. I like water about room temperature, I find that I cannot drink as much water if it is very cold--it will actually upset my stomach. The exception is if it is extremely hot and I will be outside. Then I will want my water chilled--but that is only partly for thirst, it is also for temperature control and replacing the water I have been sweating out!