Are Diet Drinks Making You Fat?

Published Feb 05, 2012

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+

Beauties, have you been reaching for diet sodas to lose weight and cut back on sugar? Newsflash! These drinks can actually pack on the pounds, and can even cause a sugar addiction. We spoke with Washington, D.C.-based nutritionist JJ Smith, author of Lose Weight Without Dieting or Working Out, to get the scoop on why these popular beverages are a Beauty’s worst nightmare.

A big problem with diet drinks is the assumption that they contribute to weight loss. Consumers also think that because of the "low sugar" or "low fat" label, they can drink as many as they want. While sugar-free drinks may not have sugar listed on the packaging, sugar is still the main ingredient in them—even when the bottle says “sugar-free!” "Diet drinks are packed full of preservatives and artificial sweeteners—which are essentially sugar—labelled under different names that most people don't know or understand," warns JJ. The misconception that there is no sugar is what causes people to overindulge, and too much of this sweet substance triggers an unhealthy response in the brain.

"When the brain craves sugar and doesn't receive it, it will continue to crave it," explains JJ. "So while these diet drinks do contain sugar—in the forms of preservatives and artificial sweeteners—it's not the type of natural sugar that will end your body's craving." This results in your body begging for more sweetness, causing you to consume more. Before you know it, you become addicted to these bad-for-you beverages.

Many diet drinks also contain caffeine, which is another addictive substance. "The combination of chemical sugars and caffeine causes a vicious cycle," explains JJ. "By consuming so much sugar, your body experiences a high, then drops into a severe low when you don't feed it enough sweetness. When you're in that low, all you can think about is getting more sugar so that you feel good again."

Another ingredient that has harmful effects is the artificial sweetener aspartame. "Studies have proven that aspartame raises your insulin levels, which causes fat storage," says JJ. So not only is your body craving more sugar, which makes you drink more diet soda, it doesn't burn the consumed sugar into energy. Preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and chemical ingredients (such as aspartame) are extremely hard for the body to process, so they build up in your system, turning into fat. This fat is also extremely hard to work off. Over-consumption of sugar wreaks havoc on your hormones, making it easier to put on weight in stubborn places, such as your thighs and hips. "The only way to remove this fat is by changing your entire diet and lifestyle," says JJ. "You need to correct your hormones before you can expect any real weight loss."

So, Beauties, it’s time to put down the diet soda can! While it may be hard to resist your body’s cravings at first, it’s an important step in changing your lifestyle (and your health!).

More to Love

Comments

or to add a comment.

Aug 15, 2012

Jasmine H.

Toxicating*

Aug 15, 2012

Jasmine H.

I was talking to a nutritionist about diet pop and he said that 99.9% of them have aspatame in which is actually toxic for your body and usually builds up a fat like substance around your thighs, I have been drinking these sugar free drinks for years and I wondered why my legs where bigger than the rest of me and no matter how much exercise I did they didn't budge now I know that it's the sweetener that I will eventually have to have surgically removed because its not good to have this toxic acting your body...damn

Feb 13, 2012

Noelle B.

I started on the diet cola's because I thought "oh yay no sugar" and had as many as I wanted, because I thought that was better than eating. They really are addictive, I had to have at least one a day and I started getting regular headaches, which I think might have been from the artificial sweetener. I really want to get off them once and for all - dark, sweet, sticky stuff really cant be too good for our bodies. I'd rather stick to water!

Feb 10, 2012

Enis S.

My biology teacher warned us about this. She said that the sugar substitute added to diet soda is not very good for our bodies since it takes our bodies a longer time to break it down. I gave up soda about 2 years ago and now I personally feel a lot better .I don't feel sluggish and I've lost weight in the process. Nothing but water, mineral water, and teas for me :)

Feb 09, 2012

Niamh D.

definitly water is my number 1 but i do reach for diet coke sometimes if i get fed up of water.. ive heard this before alright but the article has really woken up the truth

Feb 09, 2012

Kim B.

Aaggghhhh!!!!! I've been telling people this for years and they all tell me I'm wrong! Thanks for posting this article so I can prove to everyone that I was right and they were WRONG!!! hahaha!

Feb 08, 2012

Maya J.

Diet pop is so bad for you and has a nasty after taste! While I mostly drink water or low sodium club soda/soda water and tea I'm 14 and will have a pop or two a week. My favourite thing to do is mix equal parts ginger ale and orange juice. So good and not AS bad drinking the whole can. Water is still my number 1 though.

Feb 08, 2012

Elizabeth T.

This really has no information, and clinically, diet sodas don't make you fat unless you're foolish enough in your "diet" to go ahead and consume those other sugars your body thinks you are missing out on. If you have any self control at all, this isn't an issue. One thing to take from the article is that yes, some artificial sweeteners are not good for you. Drink anything in moderation, and you're fine.