Yes, it is Memorial Day weekend. The un-official start to summer if memory serves me well, which it often doesn’t..Summer starts around June 21). I remember always getting out of college before Memorial Day, it gave me a head start for getting that summer job before the UC and other colleges got out here in California.
With summer comes the relaxing in the sun, picnics and Bar B Ques, baseball games etc. And the heat. And in the past it has been no problem for me to suck down a 6 pack of diet coke a day. Now I know that diet coke is not good for you. Just the acidity of it can help you wear down the enamel of your teeth. And who knows what evil the artificial sweeteners really do to you. But alas, I am also human and I still break down and drink diet coke.
For me it goes through a similar pattern. I can go diet coke free for a few weeks or even months, then I walk into the 7-11 and when I see I can get diet coke instead of water I become a consumer who wants the best value for his money and I will start with a diet coke. And eventually it works its way back onto my diet until I go on another cycle.
Well, I just started another diet coke cycle. Prior to it I noticed how my weight has actually climbed a little bit. And I seemed to recall that I had seen articles about how diet coke may not actually help you lose weight so I did a little internet surfing and a I found an article written by Shane Ellison. He holds a Master’s degree in biochemistry and said the following about diet coke.
Diet coke contains artificial sweeteners that researchers at Purdue University found disrupt the feeling of satiety, that is, the feeling of being full. In other words, you will eat more than you should because you don’t feel full when you are drinking diet coke.
The other issue with diet coke is that it is sweet and it causes an insulin spike. The problem with the insulin spike is that insulin can inhibit the fat burning hormone called HSL (hormone sensitive lipase) Instead of your body releasing fat into the bloodstream as a full source the body will begin to use amino acids (from muscles) and carbohydrates for fuel. This can leave you tired and grumpy at the end of the day.
I have about an hour drive home from work. And many times I would stop for the diet coke on the road home. Maybe that’s why when I got home I would feel hungry and tired at the same time. I am going to see how being diet coke free feels when I get home.
Until my next blog..stay healthy