# Zero calorie soft drinks



## zacsky2 (Feb 20, 2014)

As the title says , anybody use zero calorie soft drinks while cutting ?

i just can't get my head around how it has zero calories.

surely they can't be good for you.


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## noongains (Jun 3, 2011)

pepsi max!


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## DappaDonDave (Dec 2, 2013)

Water and flavours...no sugar.

Not rocket science.


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## The-Real-Deal (Dec 5, 2014)

There are no calories in water

It must be bad for you! :whistling:


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## zacsky2 (Feb 20, 2014)

Natty Steve'o said:


> There are no calories in water
> 
> It must be bad for you! [IMG alt=":whistling:" data-emoticon=""]https://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/applications/core/interface/imageproxy/imageproxy.php?img=http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.uk-muscle.co.uk/uploads/emoticons/default_whistling.gif&key=2489fed51e163f5322d7a374e199ae988521584474c5c731db2a34783aa96d4b[/IMG]





DappaDonDave said:


> Water and flavours...no sugar.
> 
> Not rocket science.


 So their are no sweeteners ?


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## The-Real-Deal (Dec 5, 2014)

No, not in water


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## Tomahawk (Dec 24, 2014)

zacsky2 said:


> As the title says , anybody use zero calorie soft drinks while cutting ?
> 
> i just can't get my head around how it has zero calories.
> 
> surely they can't be good for you.


 They use artificial sweeteners: chemicals that stimulate the "sweet" taste buds on your tongue but cannot be burned by the body. Most of them are bad for you, yes, although in small quantities are considered "safe".

I don't know why you wouldn't just drink water.


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## rd88 (Nov 25, 2011)

some good info regarding aspartame from Alan Aragon, Layne Norton etc apparent health risks found in studies debunked, translating doses used on rats to humans showed it was unrealistic. also human studies showed no risks.

theory that they still stimulate insulin response even though they contain no carbs and cals, but just theory. i have lots of sugar free soda, dave palumbo used to drink gallons of it pre contests while dieting, so did many others.

no calories, no problem imo. i don't think they would be a health risk unless you're having silly amounts and even then it's not proven afaik


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## MR RIGSBY (Jun 12, 2007)

Priceless when dieting imo, if you're craving something sweet.

Lots of top guys use them in contest prep.


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## ellisrimmer (Sep 9, 2012)

they're s**t for you but you've gotta to consider whether they're for the greater good


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## Wheyman (Sep 6, 2011)

They are fine


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## andyhuggins (Nov 21, 2008)

Does SHERRY count???


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## spaglemon (Mar 15, 2012)

I've extensively tested how I respond to them being a diabetic and they make absolutely zero difference to my blood sugar levels (pepsi max)

I've yet to find any credible study that proves artificial sweeteners are harmful to humans, just lots of bro science


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## Acidreflux (Mar 3, 2015)

Vitamin zero is a good one 8g carbs /500ml stevia as a sweetner.


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## Dark sim (May 18, 2013)

Asda diet cream soda is the one imo. It is very sweet less than 1 cal.

Pepsi max, sprite zero,strathmore sugar free water.


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## solidcecil (Mar 8, 2012)

I couldn't prep without Pepsi Max Cherry


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## Mr Permabulk (Mar 30, 2016)

I usually have a can of lilt zero if I am craving something sweet.


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## RexEverthing (Apr 4, 2014)

noongains said:


> *Cherry* pepsi max!


 Fixed.


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## gregstm (Dec 2, 2012)

I would die without cola zero or pepsi max, they are live savers on low carb diets


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## dan23 (Jul 29, 2014)

i just have sugar free lemonade, 19p for a 2l bottle from lidl, so i normally stock up!


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## Growing Lad (Feb 14, 2009)

Love Pepsi max

99% water plus sweeteners

dieting staple


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## MunchieBites (Jan 14, 2013)

Mr Permabulk said:


> I usually have a can of lilt zero if I am craving something sweet.


 Now that my good man is a great idea!


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

Tomahawk said:


> They use artificial sweeteners: chemicals that stimulate the "sweet" taste buds on your tongue *but cannot be burned by the body. Most of them are bad for you, yes, *although in small quantities are considered "safe".
> 
> I don't know why you wouldn't just drink water.


 Please expand on why they are bad for you?

There is nothing wrong with them.

Like anything else though enjoy in moderation.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Must admit I was a little worried coming into this thread expecting to see a load of 'the aspartame is gonna turn your skin green, cause your legs to fall off and give you cancer' type comments, but glad to see some informed posting on this topic.

Despite their being A LOT of scaremongering stuff written about artificial sweeteners the vast majority of evidence suggests they are absolutely fine when consumed in normal doses, and their has been a lot of research.


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## Tomahawk (Dec 24, 2014)

BoomTime said:


> Please expand on why they are bad for you?
> 
> There is nothing wrong with them.
> 
> Like anything else though enjoy in moderation.


 They're foreign chemicals that have effects on the body which are not completely understood. I'd rather limit the amount that I put in my body.

But specific examples exist.

Saccharin in a proven carcinogen in lab animals.

Sucralose has been shown to alter gut bacteria.

Also artificial sweeteners, like sugar, induce a dopamine response so they have the problems associated with that.


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

Tomahawk said:


> They're foreign chemicals that have effects on the body which are not completely understood. I'd rather limit the amount that I put in my body.
> 
> But specific examples exist.
> 
> ...


 Can you link me to the studies. I would be very interested to read them.


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## Tomahawk (Dec 24, 2014)

BoomTime said:


> Can you link me to the studies. I would very interested to read them.


 Carcinogenity of saccharin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637197/

Loads of stuff on that. It's well accepted that saccharin causes cancer in lab rats, although it's true that it hasn't been shown to cause cancer in humans.

Gut bacteria: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800291


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

Tomahawk said:


> Carcinogenity of saccharin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637197/
> 
> Loads of stuff on that. It's well accepted that saccharin causes cancer in lab rats, although it's true that it hasn't been shown to cause cancer in humans.
> 
> Gut bacteria: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800291


 Thanks,

The gut bacteria study is rats again. Interesting still.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

A nice article here written by my buddy Adel Moussa of Suppversity - http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2015/04/sweetener-update-chronic-aspartame.html


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## spaglemon (Mar 15, 2012)

Like I said, no credible studies


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## Health Nut (Apr 12, 2016)

It's better to just filtered water. Avoid tap water with chlorine.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Health Nut said:


> Avoid tap water with chlorine.


 Are you able to provide any good evidence for why we should avoid drinking UK tap water? I'm open to being convinced but right now it's not something I've ever worried about.


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## JohhnyC (Mar 16, 2015)

Health Nut said:


> It's better to just filtered water. Avoid tap water with chlorine.


 can't see that being true, half the world would be dead if that was the case

The real question is why do all those fatties have a family size Dominoes pizza and 2L of diet coke to add in the "health factor"


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## andyboro (Oct 1, 2006)

This has been discussed a lot recently funnily enough.

zero/diet drinks are great for dieting by all accounts (as my current zero energy drink addiction will testify lol) because they kill the sweet stuff cravings without the relevant calories.

are they healthy? probably not.. but id argue that trying to push body fat as low as we want it probably isn't healthy in the first place.


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## andyboro (Oct 1, 2006)

Health Nut said:


> It's better to just filtered water. Avoid tap water with chlorine.


 fun fact for today... if you feed a plant on filtered water it will die due to the salts used in the filtration process.

id question if something that can't sustain the life of a far more simple organism is good for us either.


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## Matthew5 (Mar 17, 2011)

Health Nut said:


> It's better to just filtered water. Avoid tap water with chlorine.


 Did you just pull that out your arse? Honestly some of the s**t written on here...


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## dannw (Apr 7, 2010)

don't forget to add the Vodka or Bacardi


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## 1manarmy (Apr 22, 2012)

used entire way through my show prep and i was shredded. thats proof enough for me


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

zacsky2 said:


> i just can't get my head around how it has zero calories.


 They aren't quite zero calorie if it makes you feel better, but they are so low calorie it doesn't matter. Coke zero for example is 1 kcal per can according to the label (despite saying zero calories on the front). I usually stick to Tesco ones, which vary from saying <1 kcal per 250 mL to 4 kcal per 250 mL for the ones I buy.


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## DappaDonDave (Dec 2, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> They aren't quite zero calorie if it makes you feel better, but they are so low calorie it doesn't matter. Coke zero for example is 1 kcal per can according to the label (despite saying zero calories on the front). I usually stick to Tesco ones, which vary from saying <1 kcal per 250 mL to 4 kcal per 250 mL for the ones I buy.


 Samesies. All the soft drinks we buy, which is a lot, are all the "zero" variety.

For those who question why get diet with a dominos pizza. Errrr because it's even more calories!


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## JUICE1 (Jan 28, 2016)

:thumb Dr Pepper Zero :thumb

IMO the sugar versions are never that much better that they're worth the extra calories EXCEPT standard Coca Cola red can for me. Got to treat myself to one of those every once in awhile.


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## Growing Lad (Feb 14, 2009)

Rat studies? Convert the dose per body weight to humans and you'll see unless your drinking like 8litres a day your fine.

oh and Pepsi max ftw


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## Dan TT (May 9, 2012)

I actually prefer the zero drinks compared to the full sugar stuff.

Live on Pepsi Max, Fanta zero and Dr. Pepper zero. Sometimes the odd Monster Absolutely zero but they are way too addictive lol!


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## Health Nut (Apr 12, 2016)

Filtered water not bought in stores. Not all bottled water is considered equal. I use a filter under my sink. Here where I live the water sucks, so no filter for me equals a sick stomach. So I choose not a sick stomach LOL. The best thing to do is keep hydrated with plenty of good water. Staying healthy is hard but it's worth it. WOW


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Health Nut said:


> Filtered water not bought in stores. Not all bottled water is considered equal. I use a filter under my sink. Here where I live the water sucks so not filter for me equals a sick stomach. Not good but for everyone else it may be very healthy.


 Where do yo live?


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## Health Nut (Apr 12, 2016)

New Mexico USA. Great water but hey it can't all be perfect


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## Health Nut (Apr 12, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> Where do yo live?


 New Mexico USA. Great water NOT. Sorry I posted this twice by mistake. Lazy fingers LOL


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Health Nut said:


> New Mexico USA. Great water NOT. Sorry I posted this twice by mistake. Lazy fingers LOL


 I was guessing you lived outside the UK  . Possibly mains water supplies in the USA tend to have higher levels of chlorine than the UK, which is why you're conscious of this being an issue but we aren't. It's good to have you here BTW.

p.s. the Options button at the bottom of each of your posts will allow you to delete one if you wanted to.


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## CandleLitDesert (Mar 8, 2015)

Ultrasonic said:


> I was guessing you lived outside the UK  . Possibly mains water supplies in the USA tend to have higher levels of chlorine than the UK, which is why you're conscious of this being an issue but we aren't. It's good to have you here BTW.
> 
> p.s. the Options button at the bottom of each of your posts will allow you to delete one if you wanted to.


 what about the fluoride in some area, what do you think of that?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

CandleLitDesert said:


> what about the fluoride in some area, what do you think of that?


 I tend to think it's probably good for some people'e teeth.

Seriously though, things like chlorine and fluoride in tap water just aren't things I've spent any time looking into. For now I'm content to take the view that far more knowledgeable people than me have decided that the levels we are talking about are safe. But as always I would be open minded to evidence to the contrary.

Edit: I should perhaps add I'm vaguely aware of a suggestion of a link between chlorine and allergies, but I believe that at the levels involved the primary sources of this are not thought to be tap water.


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## faipdeooiad (Apr 24, 2012)

JUICE1 said:


> :thumb Dr Pepper Zero :thumb
> 
> IMO the sugar versions are never that much better that they're worth the extra calories EXCEPT standard Coca Cola red can for me. Got to treat myself to one of those every once in awhile.


 Same - we have a can vending machine in my office and once a month on payday I'll treat myself to a full fat coke


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## Mergal (Nov 7, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> Are you able to provide any good evidence for why we should avoid drinking UK tap water? I'm open to being convinced but right now it's not something I've ever worried about.


 i would like to see any studies/evidence too!

i got into an argument with a family member when at a family gathering i was drinking water, and theyd read in a news paper (obviously credible source lol) that the chemicals ie chlorine etc in the tap water where killing me or going to cause cancer! i asked him if he had any actual proof and he got all arsy so i left it, the ironic thing was he was drinking a large can of monster energy drink!


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## Health Nut (Apr 12, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> I was guessing you lived outside the UK  . Possibly mains water supplies in the USA tend to have higher levels of chlorine than the UK, which is why you're conscious of this being an issue but we aren't. It's good to have you here BTW.
> 
> p.s. the Options button at the bottom of each of your posts will allow you to delete one if you wanted to.


 You guys are lucky to not have that problem with your water. I honestly wish here in the US we had a better way without Chlorine in the water but that's the way it is here. Oh well we do what we have to do to stay healthy right?


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## Drew27 (Jun 22, 2015)

Haha , I've never thought of this to help curb my sweet tooth , U.K. M pull it out the bag again


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## Gavinmcl (Jul 1, 2010)

tango and fanta ones are good, stay away from cheap supermarket ones there chemical taste is awful , Victoria sugar free also really good


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## Kill Kcal (May 11, 2013)

Dr Pepper Zero, Pepsi Max Cherry, Monster Ultra, Relentless Ultra, Coke Zero.

Love them all.


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## Energy3 (Apr 21, 2016)

dtlv said:


> Must admit I was a little worried coming into this thread expecting to see a load of 'the aspartame is gonna turn your skin green, cause your legs to fall off and give you cancer' type comments, but glad to see some informed posting on this topic.
> 
> Despite their being A LOT of scaremongering stuff written about artificial sweeteners the vast majority of evidence suggests they are absolutely fine when consumed in normal doses, and their has been a lot of research.


 Honestly I don't think ther is enough research to indicate the long term affects of the artificial contents. But most people in their right mind would assume that ingesting synthetic substances can or may have some kind of effect on your physiology.

Im one for moderation tho I do gauge what I take in and therefore make a conscious choice.


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## STEVE3108 (Jun 28, 2015)

IF and I mean if I have a sugar craving or feel like I need something to calm my damn sweet tooth I'll grab a coke zero just to take the edge off.

We're only human and I'd rather reach out for a coke zero than a pack of cookies.


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## Abstroose (May 29, 2015)

STEVE3108 said:


> IF and I mean if I have a sugar craving or feel like I need something to calm my damn sweet tooth I'll grab a coke zero just to take the edge off.
> 
> We're only human and I'd rather reach out for a coke zero than a pack of cookies.


 Same here. When I used to cut weight for fights I'd be training 2 hours a day on no carbs. Would crave something sweet. A can of coke zero always used to work. I guess it would fool my body into thinking I was ingesting sugar.


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