However, people still believe that diet drinks can make you lose weight, and even fat specifically, but we need to set the record straight. Many studies have shown that not only do diet drinks not help you lose weight, but people who regularly drink diet beverages gain even more weight than those who drink ‘regular’ fizzy drinks.
According to one 8-year study from the University of Texas, for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day, they increase their risk of being overweight by 41%. The study author noted ‘What didn’t surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity. What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks; their risk of obesity was even higher’.
So why does this happen? One explanation is that the artificial sweeteners in diet soft drinks make your body respond negatively. Your body increases its production of fat-storing hormones whilst having more cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after you drank the diet soft drink. Artificial sweeteners ‘fool’ your body into thinking it is getting sugar, and your body can’t cope with that very well, creating more insulin as your taste buds believe you’ve had sugar. Or, weight gain may be due to psychological reasons, as you may subconsciously think that because you are drinking a diet drink, you have an excuse to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall. Who knows? It could be a combination of the two.
Instead, why don’t you try unsweetened iced teas? Teas give you plenty of weight-reducing antioxidants, as well as coming in a variety of options such as green, white, black, oolong, and red, so there’s something for everyone. Otherwise, have a go with water and sweeten it with a little bit of lemon. There’s nothing better for you, and you’ll feel energised and refreshed.