spanky1

Read the contents on the back of the can. Most diet drinks contain benzine. Benzine is used as an industrial cleaner. I got off the diet POP three years ago. My weight was 240 LBS. Today its 175 LBS. Today I drink black coffee, water, green tea, and red wine a couple of times a week with dinner. This is an inspiring thread. So many cyclist have discovered the secret. Life style change and exercise. It's not rocket science. Good Luck Virgin iker

Propofol

What a totally false and misleading statement. Benzene is NOT an ingredient that's purposefully added to any drink, diet or otherwise.

https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/F.../ucm055815.htm

You don't like diet drinks, fine. But you don't have to spread lies and misinformation, rocket scientist. Seriously, where do you get this crap, or are you just making this stuff up?

LesterOfPuppets

Hahahaha! Benzene on an ingredients list. Hilarity!

Benzene is found in most charcoal however if you want to really worry about benzene when cookout season starts up again.

Oh and it's in most printing inks so think twice before licking your fingers to turn that newspaper or magazine page.

-- In reality there are greater worries, but just thought I'd throw those out there for ya.

prathmann

True, benzene is certainly not an ingredient used in making diet soda.
However, both diet and regular soda (and other foods) frequently have either sodium or potassium benzoate added as preservatives:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_benzoate
Closely related chemical structure, it has a benzene ring with an additional CO2 group hanging off the side - but would have very different biological interactions. Maybe that's what spanky saw on the ingredients list.

banerjek

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the stuff is nutritionally worthless at best.

Anyone serious about about getting in shape has to to work about it. That means not consuming crap and working like crazy. My friends tell me how lucky I am to have a fast metabolism. My sense is that if you can get to the point that 5K miles is a disappointment year after year while you eat a diet devoid of the fast foods, hi cal drinks, and preprepared foods that most Yanks consume, the luck will somehow follow you.

Shroomy

I have quit soda all together, I now only drink coffee water juice and tea... It's hard but I will continue on

rjones28 

After a while these things will become your habit and it won't be hard anymore.

BillyD

I drink water almost exclusively, except for 1 to 2 cups of coffee in the morning.

Dropped soda entirely about 10 years ago . . . it's nothing but sugar-water. And diet soda is one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated upon consumers.

Dropped fruit juices almost entirely . . . they too have lots of added sugar.

DropDeadFred

lots of acids to.
water is the best way to go. most normal people fail to drink half of what they are supposed to drink daily. Just by consuming 8 glasses a day you will naturally drop weight because your body will quit having "false hunger pains". Your meals can be greatly reduced if you drink a lot of water with them.

Shroomy

LOL I went to eat with my mom today and when I went to use the restroom she grabbed me a diet cola... I was like... "Can I pour it out and get water?" Well I wasn't aloud to -.- FAIL

wkg

If my mom brought me any diet soda I would slap it right out of her hand.

Shroomy

LOL!!! I would find that very comical lol

BarracksSi

How old are you? Six?

Next time she pulls that stunt, just don't drink it.

Shroomy

Bro, im not going to fight over a freaking soda...

HokuLoa

You know VB, the big caveat to most people's advice on what works is that everyone is different. Genetics and metabolism play a big role in one's expected outcome from cycling and diet (all else being the same).

I know slower metabolism riders my age who easily gain fat (notice I'm not saying weight here as it can be a very misleading measure to focus on) while riding same rides as me and eating the same diet. For me, I burn calories like nobody's business so I lose weight without trying even without cycling. Of course the weight I lose is muscle as much as fat so not really an optimal result. Putting on the miles simply means I can eat more or less whatever I want without any real change in weight or fat while at the same time I increase muscle mass.

To the point, everyone is different but if you eat healthfully and moderately while paying attention to your changing body composition more than the scale then you will not go wrong. You should be gaining lean muscle mass (ie dropping fat and increasing muscle) so your weight differences may be a wash...

Heck, at your age just riding a lot and eating well should be your foolproof course of action.

BarracksSi

Well, it's not really about "a soda", it's about you wanting to achieve a goal and your mom getting in your way on purpose (at least that what it seems like from that one post).

HokuLoa

Oh, forgot... Skip all the diet, fat substitute, fat free blah blah blah nonsense. I fully believe in the "eat the real thing but in moderation" philosophy. When you body craves fats, sugar, sodium etc it often does so for a reason. Give it what it needs to satiate that need and learn to differentiate "need" from compulsive, culturally conditioned desire.

On the soda note, have a "real" one now and again. On a regular basis though a MUCH healthier and equally (more?) satisfying option is to make your own. Just buy 80cent 2liter bottles of Soda Water or Seltzer and mix in a splash of simple syrup (or just juice). You greatly reduce your sugar consumption and get lots of H2O while your taste buds and brain perceive it just like soda. Plus it is SUPER cost effective....

BillyD

Good response.

Pick your battles. Somewhere along the lines just explain to her that thanks to her you've learned that soda is not the best for you, even diet soda. Eventually she'll be proud of you.

Shroomy

What I find greatest about all of this is the fact that she is like 108 pounds and is a nutrition freak! Every freaking dinner is a science lesson on omega 3's and fatty acids... and she's always saying "the more color, the better" Oh well... it's my mother and you have to love family <3

fishymamba

My parents hate soda, I have to beg to let them get me some.

Shroomy

My parents do too, what people are mistaking is this... I said we were out and I went to the restroom and when my mom went up to the soda fountain she grabbed me soda naturally and I havent explained my new diet to her, and when I asked her if I could dump it for tea, she said no. Sorry for the mistake

Ricanfred

Just ate a chocolate croissant; it was yummy.

Shroomy

^ Random as f@#!