When the low-carb craze was in vogue, there were many people who had instant success but somewhere along the line the wheels came off and they succumbed to carbs and the weight came back with a vengeance. I understand, I truly do. I never really understood the reasoning though. I have a wonderful great aunt who said to me once, “That low-carb thing is no good. Yes, you lose all the weight but when you start back to eating “normal,” you will regain the weight.”
So I thought about that for a moment. I begin sick and then I do something that makes me well. Then, I return to doing that which made me sick and I return to being sick. Then, I have the audacity to blame that which made me well. In order to make it easier on the would-be dieter, the food companies come up with a “replacement” for a person’s poison. We see low-sugar this, low-calorie that and the greatest scourge ever visited upon mankind, low-fat. Yuck.
In order to be successful on any diet, a person has to conquer their “urge for the sweet.” This is the thing that dooms a person more than anything else. The idea that a person needs to reward or comfort themselves with food or drink is something that is brought on by unstable blood sugar. The very contemplation of eating carbohydrates brings on a flood of insulin which drives down blood sugar and compels the person to seek out sugar of some sort (candy, whole grains, lettuce, soda) to balance the blood sugar. Since we can only hold about two tablespoons of sugar in our bloodstream at any one time, the majority of that sugar gets converted to triglycerides and ends up on your waistline.
Even the American Dietetic Association (who I’m no fan of) agrees. “Swapping sugary, high calorie beverages for low- or no-calorie artificially sweetened beverages like diet soda can potentially help you cut calories and lose weight,” says Marisa Moore, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Certain drinks like coffee and diet sodas, although they may not show up much on a blood sugar reading, are still addictive. If you don’t believe, stop drinking them for two weeks and come back and let me know. Most have a very difficult time putting them down for more than a few days. That’s a sure sign of a problem. Why would these things be so addictive especially if they’re healthy? Personally, I would rather see a person drink the regular drink as opposed to the diet version. People consume diet drinks by the case. Most don’t drink the regular stuff nearly as much, yet they are all still overweight or obese.
The effect is very similar to salad and all of that. Relatively speaking, it may be an improvement over what one used to consume but that still does not make the diet drink and salad effective or good for you, especially if eaten with bread and desert. Sometimes the supposed improvement is just a more attractive route down the wrong path.
The American Dietetic Association says there’s no conclusive evidence that diet sodas directly cause weight gain, but at least one expert believes an artificial sweetener habit may overstimulate our taste receptors for sweetness. Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children’s Hospital in Boston, cites animal studies that suggest consuming diet drinks alone (not with food) can confuse or disrupt the body’s ability to determine calorie content based on sweetness. As a result, the hyped-up sugar receptors could increase hunger and food intake, and contribute to weight gain.
I can only speak for myself. I drink water and I eat products from animals exclusively. I don’t have weight issues anymore and I’m not addicted to any substance. That’s enough for me.