Is that why...

As most of you know, or if you didn't now you do, I drink way too much Diet Dr. Pepper. I have been wanting to cut back, and reading this article 2 days after Halloween helped. It is exactly what has happened to me. I crave more sweets and carbs when I drink the soda, and then I need to wash it down with more soda. I also look like I'm in my 2nd trimester :) but have not gained weight, just a lot of belly fat :( Too much info, but it is just too true. Read the article and it all makes sense :(

The health effects of diet soda

You may come to the conclusion that diet or sugar-free soda is a better choice. However, one study discovered that drinking one or more soft drinks a day — and it didn’t matter whether it was diet or regular — led to a 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly. Diet soda is filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. These artificial sweeteners pose a threat to your health. Saccharin, for instance, has been found to be carcinogenic, and studies have found that it produced bladder cancer in rats. Aspartame, commonly known as nutrasweet, is a chemical that stimulates the brain to think the food is sweet. It breaks down into acpartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol at a temperature of 86 degrees. (Remember, your stomach is somewhere around 98 degrees.) An article put out by the University of Texas found that aspartame has been linked to obesity. The process of stimulating the brain causes more cravings for sweets and leads to carbohydrate loading.

No picture needed on this post :)