The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Guest]

Could this be TRUE? This issue was discussed on CNN this morning?..i hope not because i love my Splenda!

Chynna

[DogMa]

There have been many studies like this: sweeteners cause weight gain, diet sodas cause weight gain, etc. Most of the time they don't know WHY. Some say it's that people get used to eating more sweet foods, or that just like with the fat-free products, people eat MORE of the artificially sweetened stuff because they think sugar-free (or fat-free) means calorie-free.

[Guest]

When i put my usename ChynnaDoll in the box, it keeps saying someone else has it already and coes up guest..hmmmmmmm!

Chynna

[Guest]

There have been many studies like this: sweeteners cause weight gain, diet sodas cause weight gain, etc. Most of the time they don't know WHY. Some say it's that people get used to eating more sweet foods, or that just like with the fat-free products, people eat MORE of the artificially sweetened stuff because they think sugar-free (or fat-free) means calorie-free.

oh nooooooo!...this is sounding quite contradictary huh, because Splenda packets say 0 calories..maybe i'd be better off using real sugar at the suggested serving amount..i dunno? right now i use no more than 5 packets of Splenda a day, sometimes maybe 8.
Thanks Rob:+)

Chynna

PS: I'm speaking as a maintainer

[Serendipity]

I don't think it's that, Chynna. You can get alot of calories wrapped up in "sugar free" stuff. My sister made sugar free pumpkin pie at Christmas time. That pie was not low fat or low calorie. It was just no sugar. I think some people confuse no sugar with no calories -----no no.

One thing about splenda, though. It is not zero carbs if you're counting. It's less than 1 carb per serving, but that could mean .99999999 carbs, ya know?

[Mike]

SF sweeteners can fool the body into thinking it has sugar and release insulin and other hormones to deal with sugar. Then we get hungry because the body took out too much sugar, so we eat more. This is what is meant when people say that SF sweeteners can cause weight gain.... its a trick in the wording.

Its not that the sweeteners cause the gain, its the chemical reaction that occurs in the body due to the effect of them. Just be careful and don't oversue them.

Also, SF can mean that sugar alcohols are used, which we have discussed at various times ad nauseum. Sugar alccohols reduce the insulin spike, but are still digested (and can induce negative effects gastrointestinally)
Be careful when ingesting too many sugar alcohols.... we still digest them, and that adds calories.

As for being 0 calories... they are only required to list calories if its equal to 1. 1 packet of splenda has 0.9 calories per packet, so its still got some caloric value.

Hope this helps Chynna

As for the sign in issues... e-mail me and let me know the password and I can help.

[Out*With*The*Old]

I'm not convinced that it's the 'I had a Diet Soda so I can eat a Bic Mac & Fries' mentality always. I notice with myself (and this is on other plans and on MF) that when I consume too many Diet Dr. Peppers and do so for several days, my weight loss decreases. Normally, I am still consuming my water requirement and I'm certainly on plan. I dunno why my body gets bratty but it does... <img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_6_2v.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0">

I sure wish I knew why!!!

YES! I know the easy solution is to stop the sodas - - easier said than done, lol.

[DogMa]

No, that's not what I meant by eating more. It's just like when they came out with fat-free products. People would think it was OK to eat a whole box of cookies because, hey, they're fat-free. People also think it's OK to eat an entire box of candy because it's "sugar-free."

Everything, including Splenda, in moderation.

[Out*With*The*Old]

No, that's not what I meant by eating more. It's just like when they came out with fat-free products. People would think it was OK to eat a whole box of cookies because, hey, they're fat-free. People also think it's OK to eat an entire box of candy because it's "sugar-free."

Everything, including Splenda, in moderation.

I'm sorry, I should have been clear. I wasn't referring to your post at all but rather an article (or series of them) that I read recently. In my attempt to determine WTH the diet drinks cause me to stop losing I did a lot of research into artificial sweetners and the 'I'm drinking diet so I can eat more fat' was a common theme the 'experts' came up with - - which, I didnt accept as complete fact given my experience.

<sigh> I love my soda - - actually, I love the flavor. I get tired of drinking the plain water and shakes. (Wonder why I never tire of the soda? LOL). I've ordered some of the new infusers and hope they help me break the soda need.....but hells bells, they're prolly full of the sweetner too now that I think of it

[Guest]

hey, THANKS guys so much for all the helpful info regarding this issue..i guess with ANYTHING moderation IS the key!

Mike will email'ya my password k?

Chynna, not guest..lol!

[DonicaB]

Guys.....you just had to go and ruin my day. You mean to tell me.......that I can't cancel out my Big Mac with a diet soda??????? CRAP!!! <img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_14_19.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D23%252F23_14_19/image.gif">

Just kiddin....of course.

Doni

[Mike]

Just a follow-up. In the article listed today, the study in question was done at Purdue, and it used rats... not humans. Although using rats is a good indicator for many human traits, it isn't a given that the effect will be the same for us.... and, a quote at the end of the article:

"Lyn Nabors, president of the Calorie Control Council trade group, lambasted the study, saying it has "no basis in science" and "no relation to the human experience whatsoever."

Artificial sweeteners can help people lose weight, she said. "The scientific community firmly believes that calories in, calories out is what makes a difference. The recommendation is that you reduce calories and exercise if you want to lose weight.""

Sound familiar to anybody... hmm, TSFL anybody?

[Sasa]

The headline should have read simply that artificial sweeteners can and probably do increase appetite. That's what the study showed. And with increaased appetite (through the mechanism Mike described earlier) comes increased weight gain if you give yourself free access to food. I think all of us need to be mindful of that possible effect and, as always, stick to our plan.

Of course the main stream media loves to create drama, and it's much more dramatic to create mass hysteria over diet cola than to emphasize the real findings.

[Mike]

Great post Sasa. The media (excluding Robin of course ), at times, attempts to sway us with incomplete information or out of context.

Its like a little book I read in a math class I took, "How to lie with statistics". You present what you want to present, even if what you present isn't the whole truth.

[Tacoma]

Does anyone know what the shakes are sweetened with?

I'm assuming artificial stuff.?