Bodybuilding and Diet Soda – Yes, Drink It!

We’ve all heard it from someone: ‘Dude, drink diet soda on your cut- it like, makes you not have an appetite’. And truthfully, it kinda does. So let’s cover the topic, and discuss all you need to know about bodybuilding and diet soda.

First of all, yes. Diet soda is really good for bodybuilding. I drink it regularly (although we will cover some of those possible health problems later) and it suppresses my appetite and tastes awesome.

This is incredibly useful in a cut. As we know, when you’re trying to lose fat as a bodybuilder- you need to be in a caloric deficit. The hard part is, a lot of us love eating!

So when your appetite is suppressed- it means you eat less. Plus, diet soda tastes really good- and doesn’t make you gain weight.

So- should you drink diet soda while bodybuilding? If you like the taste, sure! It helps suppress appetite and won’t put on any weight.

But let’s cover more in-depth about this.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin - bodybuilding and diet soda are perfect for each other.
Photo by Artem Beliaikin – bodybuilding and diet soda are perfect for each other.

Diet Soda Tastes Good

First things first- diet soda tastes good. I know many people that drink normal soda that make the transition really have a hard time doing it- but trust me- you’ll get used to it.

I think it’s just a different taste at first, and you’ll learn to fall in love with it.

Once you’re over that small transition phase, you might almost get addicted. The fact of the matter can’t be ignored, most people drink soda because of its’ taste. And while diet soda tastes a little bit worse than normal soda, it’s very close.

Naturally, people drink soda. I mean, go to any restuarant or store and they’ll have aisles of Coke/Pepsi everywhere.

So this is what happens: someone starts bodybuilding, learns about dieting and muscle, then starts to question their soda choices.

I got good news for you, bodybuilding and diet soda is all good! It’s a really good combination actually.

Diet Soda Has No Calories (so- no fat gain)

Diet soda has no calories. This means you can’t gain weight from drinking diet soda.

Ignore any study saying that people gain weight from diet soda, it is literally impossible. That study is literally ignoring the laws of physics.

Your body cannot gain weight without the energy to gain weight. Diet soda has 0 calories, meaning your body cannot actually gain weight as diet soda gives no energy to your body.

This means if you’re on a cut, you can drink this freely and not worry about your fat loss. You will still lose the same amount of fat and keep the same amount of muscle.

Trust me- I’ve been drinking more than normal amounts of soda my bodybuilding career and haven’t seen any muscle problems. Furthermore, nearly every serious bodybuilder has tried drinking soda on a cut because many of them believe in the next thing.

Diet Soda Reduces Your Appetite

Many people are under a firm believe that diet soda reduces your appetite.

There are some studies supporting this, and some studies that disagree.

Many bodybuilder say, ‘drinking diet soda tricks you into thinking you’re more full’. Look- they’re not scientists, neither am I (yet)- but I mean for what it’s worth, they are full-time eaters.

And to be completely fair, diet soda has a ton of caffeine in it. And caffeine naturally stimulates your appetite to make you feel full.

This means when in terms of bodybuilding and diet soda, it is great for a cut. In a bulk, it means you might struggle to eat a bit more.

But then- also some people strongly claim that ‘soda’ makes things easier to eat as it ‘washes it down better’. So it’s really a double-edged sword. In my experience, if you drink soda, after 20-30 minutes you’ll feel full.

But if you eat before that 20 minutes is up, you’ll be just fine to keep eating.

Is Diet Soda Bad For Muscle Growth

As I said before, diet soda doesn’t interfere with your gains at all.

I don’t know why this myth circulates around so much- but diet soda doesn’t affect muscle gains.

I’d say that it helps stave off fat due to the appetite suppressant abilities.

And furthermore, I think it actually helps the gains due to the caffeine in the soda that will make you more powerful in the gym.

Bodybuilding Diet Soda on A Cut

Many people wonder about bodybuilding and diet soda on a cut.

Here’s the facts: 0 calories, caffeine to boost your gym performance, tastes good, and it won’t ruin your muscle gains.

Diet soda is really good on a cut for bodybuilding, I recommend you try it out!

What Diet Soda is Best?

You might be wondering which diet soda is best. Well, none of them are really more special than each other.

But I’ll rank them on taste.

Coke Zero and Bodybuilding

Coke zero and bodybuilding is actually really good. Coke zero is a newer product and will help many of us bodybuilders that loved the sweet taste of coke.

Diet coke has that classic ‘diet’ taste, but coke zero comes really close to the actual coke taste to be quite honest with you.

I really like coke zero, and again, it helps us that love the original coke taste. Plus, it has zero calories and is really good for bodybuilding.

Diet Coke Bodybuilding

Diet coke and bodybuilding is great as well. It doesn’t affect your muscle gains, and won’t put on any fat or anything.

Diet coke has that classic taste that many of us ‘diet’ drink fans love. And again, it won’t harm your gym performance. The caffeine might even help!

Does Drinking Diet Soda Cause Cancer?

In the small scope of this bodybuilding and diet soda post, I shouldn’t really include this.

But, it’s the truth. There’s no point in having all this muscle if you just die of horrible cancer. Furthermore, we can’t enjoy the sport if we die early due to cancer.

So let’s examine this.

According to Roswell Park, ‘The bottom line is that there is no strong evidence directly linking intake of sugar or low-calorie sweeteners to cancer risk. However, cutting back on or avoiding soda altogether may have positive effects on your health’.

And they’re right. There’s not necessarily huge evidence that sodas cause cancer- and if they did drastically increase the rates, why don’t we see more cancer?

For what it’s worth, a lot of things can cause cancer. Including the sun- but most people don’t wear sunscreen when they go out.

My mantra is: all things in moderation. Obviously, if you’re drinking 4L of diet soda a day, you probably won’t be doing so well. But 1-2 cans a day probably won’t be that bad.

For your health, try to keep it moderate. Water isn’t bad. And milk is pretty good too.

Conclusion

Bodybuilding and diet soda are actually a really good combination.

There’s no proof that it ruins your muscle gains, it can suppress appetite during a cut (helping you lose weight), and won’t put on fat.

So get out there and drink some soda, but drink it in moderation- and that will help your health a bit. But beware, as it’s not the best choice out there for your health.

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