Americans drink an astounding amount of carbonated beverages and many have the extra pounds to show for it. Soda, or “pop”, is chalk full of empty calories and sugar, a sure wreck for any healthy diet.

Many people have taken the calories into account and thus started choosing calorie free versions in order to not spoil their weight loss attempts. This seems a sturdy enough line of logic, however, it is flawed. Some people have seen their efforts plateau, while others have even experienced what could be weight gain from the exchange.

Here are a few reasons why diet soda can sabotage your progress.


The sugar substitutes can increase an appetite.
One explanation for it possibly causing weight is the fact that the artificial sweeteners in zero calorie drinks can actually increase an appetite. Someone who opts for a drink with a fake sweetener may very well likely end up overeating later in the day due to a perceived sense of hunger that is stronger than normal. Unless you want to risk stoking up your hunger, don’t combine ditch the sugar substitutes to keep your weight loss plans intact.


People who are combining zero-cal pop and weight loss efforts often replace those calories with something else.
Often times the people who choose the diet sodas end up overeating something else. In a drastic example; how often do people order the double cheese and bacon half-pound burger, with an enormous side of fries, and then request a zero calorie drink?

Even in less dramatic instances, studies have shown that people who consume these drinks almost always eat those calories, and then some, somewhere else in their food intake.


These drinks can make you look and feel bloated.
The last feeling a dieter wants is that of being swollen and bloated. Drinking this stuff can lead to water retention, which can (if not only temporarily) mask any loss in pounds you might experience.


The fake sweeteners that go into beverages can be dangerous to your health
There are lots of different names for the zero calorie, fake sugars that go into pop but if you see a warning that a drink contains Phenylalanine, you should choose another beverage. The “final” verdict is still out on the health repercussions the ingredient can have on the average person’s health, but many studies have shown it to be harmful on many of your body’s functions and possibly even cause cancer.


The best thing to do when trying to lose weight is to drink water, and lots of it. Don’t try and combine these beverages and weight loss; it can hurt your health and your progress.