The FastDay Forum

Hi Folks,

As I'm an all or nothing chap I've found its easier to stick with not eating at all during the day and then getting my 600 cals in as late as I can bear it. This way I also get a better sleep.

Anyway, I've got into the habit of necking a lot of diet coke --Pepsi Max is best- during the day to fill me up. I'm sure its probably bad -aspartame etc--

comments/ thoughts ?

x

Baaaaad

I avoid it because it makes me get a fake sugar rush and then crave something salty ... then sweet ...then salty ... then sweet ...it's a total vicious circle

Yes, Dr Mosley tweeted something similar, Pixie. Well, he said it made him crave sugar. And there is salt in diet coke. Bearing in mind you're not getting the water from your food this is a very bad idea, I'd say. Try and get into the habit of drinking water. It tastes very nice, you know and it's free!

I'm quite bad for drinking diet coke. I don't really like that it's full of sweetners etc but everyone has a sin. One step at a time!

I am the same Echo. I dont drink tea or coffee but have 1 or 2 cans of diet cokes a day. It is my sin. I know it's not good for me but I drink lots of water too, just cant drink all water.

On a fast day I do try and drink it before I'm going to eat some of my 500 calories because I was aware it can give you a fake sugar spike.

[carorees]

I noticed a comment in one of the Facebook groups about bone density problems with weight loss. I haven't followed it up, but I immediately thought of this thread because too much Coke is well known for leaching calcium out of your bones...so there may be a risk of this with fasting and drinking coke, making fractures more likely. I'll try to find out more and let you know if I find any good info.

On top of artificial sweeteners simulating high-energy food intake and the body may (differs for different people, but in general this is true) start looking for the sugar rush (and not finding it, it will go looking for it by making you hungry), there is the potential problem of too much caffeine.

Of course, I drink a lot of black coffee in the morning on fasting days, and I've found that if I drink any after about 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon, I have troubles falling asleep at night. From what I can tell, recent findings on caffeine are generally neutral to good in terms of things like athletic performance, and I guess that thing about caffeine upsetting your water intake (diuretic, or something like that) is a myth. But the bad thing about caffeine affecting your sleep, and the importance of getting good sleep every night, is still very true.

Hi folks

For addicts, this film might [should] give you the impetus you need to wean you off diet coke.

About 20 minutes in, Dr Christiane Northrup describes how brain cells are affected (read 'killed') when aspartame and caffeine are combined. The film then goes on to detail the myriad harmful affects of artificial sweeteners:

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/92129/Hungry_For_Change/

If you're getting bored of drinking water all day, try SoBe flavoured vitamin water. Good idea on a fast day as it has extra vitamins. It's flavoured ( this one is black current & goji berry) and is 1 calorie per 100ml. So yes it uses 10 precious calories for a litre but if it keeps you hydrated and out of the snack cupboard,( it doesn't taste like coke I'm afraid!) all the better!

I also drink a lot of diet coke (or rather asda flavoured diet cola). I notice it does not contain aspartame as a sweetener but Sucralose. As with everything there appear to be a number of scare stories on the net about Sucralose but little with any basis in research. Some people appear to be allergic to it but show me something besides water that does not produce an allergic reaction with a small number of people.

For me drinking coke helps me get through the fast days and given the evidence I can find the positive benefits of fasting including weight loss outweigh any perceived risk from the artificial sweetener.

There is not a lot of salt in Diet Coke, at least as sold in UK, the can I have in front of me says sodium is 'trace' that means negligible I think.

I have read research about osteoporosis risk and carbonated drinks. I will try and find it and put in a link

I use cold sparkling water, or hot tea, flavoured with fresh lemon juice, as they are safer than all the fizzies containing artificial sweeteners and flavourings. They do the trick perfectly when hydration is so important. Also, it is a step in the direction of getting away from processed, unhealthy concoctions. 1st step drinks--- next step safer, nutritious solids, devoid of chemicals. We will all be the better for a revamp of our food intake, but just little steps at a time are the way to reach that goal. I think 5:2 is so liberating, and we should ask ourselves " who's in charge of this game? Me or the food industry? Once we break the dependency on the chemicals, we are on the road to recovery.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17023723

"Intake of cola, but not of other carbonated soft drinks, is associated with low BMD in women. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings."

[carorees]

Thanks Phil! If we also consider that fasting and low IGF-1 has been linked with low BMD (bone mineral density), then it seems wise to avoid cola if we can. Of course, I doubt that any of us are fasting enough to lower our IGF-1 levels to the point where BMD is affected, but best be cautious...especially for those of us who are, ahem, getting on in years...