On my way with the weight loss challenge, picking and choosing the right foods that will nourish my body instead of take away from it.  I’ve decided to cut out my extra cups of coffee and my diet soda all together.  Looks like that was a great move!

Drinking diet soda won’t help you lose weight.  On the contrary, it can actually contribute to weight gain.  Who’d a thought?!   People who are overweight or obese and drink diet beverages actually consume more calories from food than do obese or overweight adults who drink regular soda or other sugary beverages, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Although overweight and obese adults who drink diet soda eat a comparable amount of total calories as heavier adults who drink sugary beverages, they consume significantly more calories from solid food at both meals and snacks," said Sara Bleich, PhD, associate professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Health Policy and Management and lead author of the paper.

So you have to ask yourself, why does drinking diet soda encourage us to eat more food? Artificial sweeteners, which are present in high doses in diet soda, are associated with a greater activation of reward centers in the brain, thus altering the reward a person experiences from sweet tastes. In other words, those of us who drink diet soda, the brain's sweet sensors may no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener disrupts appetite control.

My solution to this, drink more water.  I know, I know but it really does make a difference in how I feel.  Plus, you can add fresh lemon or lime if you’d like to “taste it up” a bit!

Make it a healthy day!

Lisa

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