Having started this yesterday, am following the menu plan in the book strictly – giving up my beloved bread, pasta, potatoes, wine and beer but my one treat is going to be diet coke – obviously this has zero calories but seems to be generally frowned on in health circles – anyone know if this is proven to have a negative impact on weight loss or lowering blood sugar?

Interesting question toby101. I drink diet coke all the time on this diet and have lost 5.3Kg/10lb 10 ounces in the three weeks I’ve been at it. So I don’t think it stops weight loss. And my blood sugars are now amazing. But I’ve read somewhere here that it’s not recommended because we are supposed to be giving up sugar and a craving for sugar and diet coke is still sweet tasting so we never actually get the chance to learn to live without that sweet taste. Unfortunately, I really crave the sweet stuff and the diet coke gives me what I need to be able to stick to this diet. I also use equal in my tea and coffee and stevia in some sweet very low carb treats. So I guess I’m really missing out on one of the big benefits of sticking to this diet properly. But I’d rather have the diet coke if it allows me to stick to the diet.

I’ve gone off diet drinks for the most part but still use a sugar free squash to get my water intake up – if I didn’t do that I would not be able to drink all the water I need so whatever helps you stick to the diet. Another issue with all these sugar substitutes (apart from Jo’s answer above which I agree with) is the artificial sweeteners in most things are just bad for you. But, whatever helps you stick to the diet, do it – there are pros and cons in all things and a bit of artificial sweetener or diabetes – I know which one I’d choose!

I believe the advice is to not have any diet soft drinks because it continues your craving for sugar, which makes the diet harder to sustain. That being said I was a Diet Coke addict before I started this diet. I can’t permenantly cut it out so I’ve just been treating myself to one when I go out, as I think it’s better to have a Diet Coke than a glass of wine!

Thanks for the replies.

Oddly I don’t have a sweet tooth generally and can happily do without sweet things I just have a particular liking for diet coke (cannot stand the full fat stuff). Having given up everything else unless somebody can point to it doing something counter-productive to weight loss or blood sugar levels I am going to keep drinking it as it seems to fight the cravings to eat something better than water does and gives me a little lift in the absence of snacks and/or alcohol. Having perused the web it seems to just be a general feeling that additives and artificial stuff must be bad for you than anything specific.