So What's So Bad About Diet Coke?

I get this question a lot. From clients who are trying to lose weight, from friends who know how adament I am about any soda consumption, and from innocent bystanders who hear my rants while trying to dissuade an obese person in the soda aisle from a purchase. Well, the last ones really don't question me but more look at me like I am crazy. 

So what's so bad about Diet Coke? 

It's "diet", right? It's gotta be good for you, right? 

First of all, the word "diet" is a TOTAL misconception. The false claim that it has: 
NO calories
NO sugar
NO nothing

Well then, why drink it if it has nothing?


I don't know why so many choose to drink it because I personally never got into the flavor, but I do know personally how destructive it can be. I have seen people I care about drink it and have side affects. I have seen clients who are hooked on it and dealing with a number of physical issues. Let's face it, do any amount of research on Diet Coke and you will be bombarded with the negative physical effects of it, mostly due to the Aspartame sweetener in it. Yes that's right, NO sugar = plenty of Aspartame. Still think there's no calories in it?  Really? 

The most common negative side effects besides fibromyalgia, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, and on and on are DEPRESSION and FATIGUE. 

What have I seen the most? 

Depression, definitely. 
Hormone imbalance. 
Weight gain. 

It is SO ironic because of the name "Diet" Coke, there is an immediate EMOTIONAL tag in your brain that says "because it's diet, it must be good for me, it must be able to help me lose weight". It sincerely drives me crazy when I see an OBESE person drinking a diet soda. Aaaaggghhh! How did it get that way? 

Umm, may be marketing and advertising? May be to make a company millions of dollars by promoting an addictive product to people with low self-esteem?

I'm sorry if I am stepping on some toes, but maybe some toes need to be stepped on. 

I asked one of my best clients who had a huge problem with colas when I first started with her to give me her point of view:

"Eliminating coke from my diet has overall made me feel better. I don't get as many sugar cravings in the afternoon that typically came with my drinking soda, and I my digestive system seems to appreciate using water in my tummy instead of excessive amounts of carbonated drinks. I used to have a pretty bad eye twitch - it's completely gone since I cut soda out of my diet. I do not drink any caffeine anymore, which really wasn't that hard to get used to. The best part of this all....I can't stand the taste of coke anymore! It's really disgusting! I actually decided to treat myself over the holidays with a Coke Zero - I had one sip and had to dump the rest of the can down the drain. It was horrible. Water is really satisfying and truly feels like a clean drink. I have no worries when I'm drinking water."

As a Fitness Professional, the biggest negative symptoms I see:

Women - hormone imbalance, depression
Men - belly fat, depression









I know it's hard to give up something you like, but I challenge you to do a little research yourself. If you are feeling any of these negative symptoms or are overweight, consider taking a soda break. I challenge you to take a two-week break. Do you think you can? If you can, please let me know your results, okay? 


sandi@startwiththeinside.com