I am thinking I might need to go drinking diet soda regularly for awhile and see if that
does make an impact in preventing weight gain from my normal diet/food routine.

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I am thinking I might need to go drinking diet soda regularly for awhile and see if that
does make an impact in preventing weight gain from my normal diet/food routine.

I've read about research that says that, since it's sweet, the body expects calories, and this winds up making people hungrier.

But consuming fewer calories is (generally) hard, where super-tasty and high-calorie things are easily available.

That said, on this particular thing, I wound up drinking less soda pop by first drinking Dry soda pop (so, a brand by the name of "Dry"), where they intentionally included less sugar without introducing other sweeteners.

Then eventually moved to flavored sparkling water, then to just sparkling water, and now that scratches whatever itch soda pop did.

And now I can drink the occasional soda pop, and while it'll taste extra sweet, I don't feel quite so addicted to it.

Not that that helps with caffeine, if that's what you're consuming.

Regardless, good luck.

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Matthew Munson wrote to All <=-

I am thinking I might need to go drinking diet soda regularly for
awhile and see if that does make an impact in preventing weight gain
from my normal diet/food routine.

Stop drinking soda for 3 weeks. It'll be hard at first. You'll need
caffeine. Make iced tea with lemon. If you're drinking sugared soda,
stop drinking it and change nothing else, you'll lose weight. And, you
may feel better overall.

I was hooked on Diet Coke for years. I hated how it would trigger my
blood sugar - have a diet coke with lunch and 45-60 minute later, I'd
get a sweet tooth and get something from a vending machine at work.

Between that, the supply chain issues around here (I'd see tons of
cherry coke, vanilla coke, caffeine free diet coke, regular coke and a
gap where the diet coke used to be) and the cost (Really? $11.99 for a
12-pack?) I gave it diet coke a while ago. I'll have a fountain soda if
I get fast food, which is now once a quarter instead of 2-3 times a
week.







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Adept wrote to Matthew Munson <=-

I am thinking I might need to go drinking diet soda regularly for awhile and see if that
does make an impact in preventing weight gain from my normal diet/food routine.

I've read about research that says that, since it's sweet, the body expects calories, and this winds up making people hungrier.

I've felt that.

In addition, artificial sweeteners are so sweet that your palate
"recalibrates" to that as "sweet", and foods/flavors that are naturally
sweet no longer register as such.

As an experiment, I tried the potato diet for 2 weeks. Eat nothing but
potatoes - baked, boiled, but not fried. limit spices for the first
week. Eat when you're hungry, avoiding meal times if you're not hungry
and habitual eating. Drink water and unsweetened coffee.

I dropped 10 pounds, but more importantly, I reset my habitual eating
clock. "It's 10 o'clock, time for coffee and a pastry", "It's noon, I'd
better go to lunch because it's lunchtime and I like eating", and so on.

I found myself eating less because I ate when I was hungry instead of
eating out of habit.

Secondly, it reset my sugar palette. Food tasted sweet again after 2
weeks without artificial sweeteners. Corn tasted different. Blueberries
seemed like candy.

It can be a worthwhile experiment.

But consuming fewer calories is (generally) hard, where super-tasty and high-calorie things are easily available.

That said, on this particular thing, I wound up drinking less soda pop
by first drinking Dry soda pop (so, a brand by the name of "Dry"),
where they intentionally included less sugar without introducing other sweeteners.

Then eventually moved to flavored sparkling water, then to just
sparkling water, and now that scratches whatever itch soda pop did.

And now I can drink the occasional soda pop, and while it'll taste
extra sweet, I don't feel quite so addicted to it.

Not that that helps with caffeine, if that's what you're consuming.

Regardless, good luck.

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I am thinking I might need to go drinking diet soda regularly for awhile and see if that
does make an impact in preventing weight gain from my normal diet/food routine.

If you mean go off of drinking diet soda, that'd probably be a good idea. Replace it with water or tea.

I had a friend that drank diet soda for years. Didn't drink enough water. Got fatty liver disease. One of the things they told her to do was to stop drinking diet soda.


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Re: Re: diet soda
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Matthew Munson on Tue Sep 01 2026 07:27 am

I was hooked on Diet Coke for years. I hated how it would trigger my blood sugar - have a diet coke with lunch and 45-60 minute later, I'd get a sweet tooth and get something from a vending machine at work.

I've heard diet sodas, despite being sugar-free, can sometimes trigger weight gain in people due to that.

Nightfox

Re: Re: diet soda
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Adept on Tue Sep 01 2026 07:27 am

As an experiment, I tried the potato diet for 2 weeks. Eat nothing but potatoes - baked, boiled, but not fried. limit spices for the first week. Eat when you're hungry, avoiding meal times if you're not hungry and habitual eating. Drink water and unsweetened coffee.

I dropped 10 pounds, but more importantly, I reset my habitual eating clock. "It's 10 o'clock, time for coffee and a pastry", "It's noon, I'd better go to lunch because it's lunchtime and I like eating", and so on.

I found myself eating less because I ate when I was hungry instead of eating out of habit.

Interesting.. I still tend to have regular (or semi-regular) meal times, but I find that I usually am actually hungry around those times. Also, at least at work, I feel like it's generally best to take lunch around noon or so because a lot of other people do too; if I don't eat my lunch then, then I might find I might not get a chance to eat lunch due to my afternoon being busy doing work with co-workers, meetings, & such. But honestly though, that has been somewhat rare.

Also, for me, I might avoid eating potatoes exclusively, as I need to be careful about carbs.

Nightfox

Also, for me, I might avoid eating potatoes exclusively, as I need to be careful about carbs.

I wonder if I only ate potatoes, that it would somehow make me like potato-based dishes more, eventually.

It'd probably do the opposite, as I already don't understand why people like potatoes as much as they do. And associating non-flavored / non-fattened potatoes would probably make the anti-preference worse.

...not that I'd find it remotely easy to be careful about carbs.

At this point, I'm mostly happy that I haven't bought candy in a while, and have largely sworn it off, finding it easier to not eat any than to find some midpoint between there and eating way too much.

(though I still get sweet things, and it would be nice to cut down on that, too. But at least the remaining sweet things don't feel quite as addictive.)

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Hello Adept!

** On Wednesday 02.09.26 - 17:25, Adept wrote to Nightfox:

I wonder if I only ate potatoes, that it would somehow make me like potato-based dishes more, eventually.

It'd probably do the opposite, as I already don't understand why people like potatoes as much as they do. And associating non-flavored / non-fattened potatoes would probably make the anti-preference worse.

Instead of white potatoes.. try sweet potatoes. I usually just cut off a 1.5 to 2in [4-5 cm] disc, microwave that until evenly cooked, and just have that with butter and maybe some roasted garlic and pepper spices. Sweet potatoes have great flavor on their own, and are a satisfying "filler" without encouraging going back for more.


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Re: Re: diet soda
By: Adept to Nightfox on Wed Sep 02 2026 05:25 pm

It'd probably do the opposite, as I already don't understand why people like potatoes as much as they do. And associating non-flavored / non-fattened potatoes would probably make the anti-preference worse.

I do like potatoes. I think it's the adaptability in what you can do with them. They can be baked, sliced & fried, mashed, etc., and seasoned in many different ways. Some of my favorite ways to eat potatoes are baked (with salt, butter, and sour cream), as well-seasoned French fries or potato wedges, hash browns, and diced/sliced, seasoned, and fried.

Nightfox

Most fizzy drinks give me indigestion sadly. What about some hot drinks or cold teas?

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Re: Re: diet soda
By: Dundarach to Matthew Munson on Thu Sep 03 2026 11:39 am

Most fizzy drinks give me indigestion sadly. What about some hot drinks or cold teas?

That's a bummer. :/ Ginger ale often helps my stomach (at least to feel better) if I'm having stomach issues. My favorite is Canada Dry (and these days, I'd choose the zero sugar version). Ginger ale is fizzy/carbonated though.

I do like iced tea (and I do like it sweetened, though maybe something with Stevia would be best).

Nightfox

Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

I've heard diet sodas, despite being sugar-free, can sometimes trigger weight gain in people due to that.

I drove back from my office last night, a 2+ hour drive. Was feeling a
little run down, and against better judgement stopped at a
McDonalds. Double cheeseburger, diet coke, small fries -- it's weird to
think I used to crave that?

The diet coke definitely tasted different to me than I remembered.
sweet, but not sugary sweet like I used to think it tasted.



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Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

Also, for me, I might avoid eating potatoes exclusively, as I need to
be careful about carbs.

You could eat anything, as long as your diet is consistent, you don't
go overboard on oils and spices and you don't do it for more than 203
weeks.

Some people do beans. Definitely get more protein and fiber that way.





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Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

I've heard diet sodas, despite being sugar-free, can sometimes

trigger

weight gain in people due to that.

Grr, I didn't receive that original message... I drink diet soda and
maintain my weight. It doesn't cause sugar cravings for me. I mostly drink unsweetened (Celestial Seasons Razberry/Lemon Zinger) iced tea though. Also,
I drink Gatorade Zero (Splenda sweetened). And Diet Pepsi with Aspartame, which I hate but can't seem to avoid if I want something that tastes good without sugar!

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Re: Re: diet soda
By: Shurato to poindexter FORTRAN on Thu Sep 03 2026 10:18 pm

Grr, I didn't receive that original message... I drink diet soda and maintain my weight. It doesn't cause sugar cravings for me. I mostly drink unsweetened (Celestial Seasons Razberry/Lemon Zinger) iced tea though.
Also,
I drink Gatorade Zero (Splenda sweetened). And Diet Pepsi with Aspartame, which I hate but can't seem to avoid if I want something that tastes good without sugar!

I cut soda out nearly entirely years ago, diet or otherwise. For "something that tastes good without sugar," my main intake is water with Mio (or any other liquid enhancer). Lots of flavors available so you can grab your fancy, lots of flavor added to the water, no calories added, makes my dentist happy, et cetera. If I feel like I need a can of something, I like some of the stuff liquid death has to offer. Makes me feel like a teenager again crushing soda and surfing the net.
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Oh you're right I'd forgotten about ginger bear, really want some now, good call :)

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Dundarach wrote to Nightfox <=-

Oh you're right I'd forgotten about ginger bear, really want some now, good call :)

An old BBS friend disappeared from the boards for a month. We wondered
where he was and sent out search parties in real life. Turned out he
went to rehab and stopped drinking alcohol. He still hung out at
parties, but he was known for bringing obscure and potent ginger beers
with him. I garnered a taste for them after experiencing some of his.

His first post back on the BBS after his experience in rehab was titled
"THINGS I LEARNED WHEN I STOPPED DRINKING". I don't remember the list,
but I do remember one item.

"I didn't realize until I stopped drinking that I DON'T KNOW HOW TO
DANCE."





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Hello pF!

** On Thursday 03.09.26 - 19:41, poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Nightfox:

I drove back from my office last night, a 2+ hour drive. Was feeling a little run down, and against better judgement stopped at a
McDonalds. Double cheeseburger, diet coke, small fries -- it's weird to think I used to crave that?

The diet coke definitely tasted different to me than I remembered.
sweet, but not sugary sweet like I used to think it tasted.

And.. what about the double-cheese-burger? Was it what you expected?

I haven't set foot in a McDonalds in over 25yrs.


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Re: Re: diet soda
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Thu Sep 03 2026 07:41 pm

I drove back from my office last night, a 2+ hour drive. Was feeling a little run down, and against better judgement stopped at a McDonalds. Double cheeseburger, diet coke, small fries -- it's weird to think I used to crave that?

The diet coke definitely tasted different to me than I remembered. sweet, but not sugary sweet like I used to think it tasted.

McDonald's burgers aren't really my favorite, but I do think their fries are good. Even though their burgers aren't my favorite, they aren't bad, and sometimes I feel like a McDonald's meal hits the spot. I don't go to McDonald's much these days (except perhaps for their breakfast items), but sometimes I used to stop by McDonald's for their value menu - I remember being able to get a McDouble and a small fries for around $3, and it seemed like a fairly good deal for some quick food to tide me over until later. Prices have gone up quite a bit in recent years though.

I think restaurants (particularly fast food restaurants) do try to make their food such that people will like the taste and crave them so that customers will come back.

Also, I've noticed that Coke at McDonald's tends to taste somewhat different than Coke elsewhere. I've heard that Coke makes a special version of their soda for McDonald's, though I don't remember what exactly is done differently.

Nightfox

Re: Re: diet soda
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Thu Sep 03 2026 07:41 pm

Also, for me, I might avoid eating potatoes exclusively, as I need to be
careful about carbs.

You could eat anything, as long as your diet is consistent, you don't go overboard on oils and spices and you don't do it for more than 203 weeks.

Some people do beans. Definitely get more protein and fiber that way.

Yeah; also, I've heard of the beans & rice diet if you don't have much money, and I suppose that could work for losing weight too (maybe without much rice).

Nightfox

Re: Re: diet soda
By: Dundarach to Nightfox on Fri Sep 04 2026 02:13 pm

Oh you're right I'd forgotten about ginger bear, really want some now, good call :)

Do you mean ginger beer (not 'bear')? I recall mentioning ginger ale, which I think is a bit different from ginger beer. I like ginger ale, but I had tried a ginger beer once, and I found it much more intense than ginger ale; the flavor was so strong that I didn't really enjoy it much, and it actually made my stomach hurt (whereas ginger ale tends to sooth my stomach).

Nightfox

Yeah; also, I've heard of the beans & rice diet if you don't have much money,
and I suppose that could work for losing weight too (maybe without much rice).

I am thinking of the jacket potato diet.
Next Friday I'll be eating some interesting food!

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Ogg wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

And.. what about the double-cheese-burger? Was it what you expected?

It was more "I need some calories and protein in me" than any real
enjoyment. I've been restricting calories lately, had a busy afternoon
and didn't get to have a snack before the drive home.

I wouldn't crave one next time I'm on the road, though. I was bad at
fast food while driving.



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Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

I think restaurants (particularly fast food restaurants) do try to make their food such that people will like the taste and crave them so that customers will come back.

There's a whole science to that. Layering salt and fat with sugar to
entice your reptile mind.

Also, I've noticed that Coke at McDonald's tends to taste somewhat different than Coke elsewhere. I've heard that Coke makes a special version of their soda for McDonald's, though I don't remember what
exactly is done differently.

They keep the syrup cool, filter their water, and they probably get a
different formula - they've been in partnership with Coca-Cola since the beginning.



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Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

Yeah; also, I've heard of the beans & rice diet if you don't have much money, and I suppose that could work for losing weight too (maybe
without much rice).

There's an interesting documentary called "Living on One Dollar" about
four college friends who live in a Guatemalan village and try to live on
the money they'd make as day workers there - equivalent to between $1-$5
a day. They did the beans and rice thing, one of the local women was
shocked they weren't cooking it in lard for the added calories.

It was eye opening for them to be too hungry to work, when you need to
work to eat.



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The diet coke definitely tasted different to me than I remembered.
sweet, but not sugary sweet like I used to think it tasted.

I try things like that, and it's invariably that they taste like fake sugar, and I've never learned to like that.

It's something that wound up disappointing me when I tried Miracle Fruit (fruit that you eat, that coats your tongue, then you eat or drink something sour, and the sour becomes sweet), and the sour things just tasted fake sweet.

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Re: Re: diet soda
By: Matthew Munson to Nightfox on Fri Sep 04 2026 10:47 pm

I am thinking of the jacket potato diet.

With some of the fully loaded jacket potatoes I've seen, this wouldn't be much of a "diet" :P
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Hahaha I tried drinking from the bear, it didn't end well - ooops :)

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Re: Re: diet soda
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Sat Sep 05 2026 12:16 pm

There's an interesting documentary called "Living on One Dollar" about four college friends who live in a Guatemalan village and try to live on the money they'd make as day workers there - equivalent to between $1-$5 a day. They did the beans and rice thing, one of the local women was shocked they weren't cooking it in lard for the added calories.

It was eye opening for them to be too hungry to work, when you need to work to eat.

That's sad and scary to think about.

Nightfox

* In a message originally to Shurato, Charf said:

Re: Re: diet soda By: Shurato to poindexter FORTRAN on Thu Sep 03
2026 10:18 pm

I cut soda out nearly entirely years ago, diet or otherwise. For
"something that tastes good without sugar," my main intake is water with
Mio (or any other liquid enhancer). Lots of flavors available so you can grab your fancy, lots of flavor added to the water, no calories added,
makes my dentist happy, et cetera. If I feel like I need a can of
something, I like some of the stuff liquid death has to offer. Makes me
feel like a teenager again crushing soda and surfing the net.

Yes, I drink water with lemonade flavored Mio! I also use a shot glass of Lemon juice, a table spoon of splenda and a glass full of ice cold water.

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