Interesting thread, especially the research about diet drinks not helping and possibly harming efforts to lose weight. It kind of bugs me, though, that a food (or food-type product--I'm not sure that diet drinks can count as food!) can take the blame for weight gain or lack of weight loss. Regardless of whether the food increases cravings, one of the challenges of dieting is to have cravings and not give in to them. The problem isn't the food, but the willpower of the person eating the food.

And here's where I begin my rant about weight loss--all of the promises in magazines and diet books about losing weight without being hungry, or having the pounds melt off easily are just setting people up for failure. Why not acknowledge that losing weight is hard to do? It's work, and it's no fun, and it's going to take longer than you want it to, and yes, you're going to have cravings and it's best if you don't give in to them, but not the end of the world if you do. There's no one food that will destroy your efforts to lose weight and no one food or vitamin or supplement of any sort that will be the magic bullet to ensure your success. Sure, there are things that help and things that harm, but ultimately it's about the willpower and stubborness of the person trying to lose weight.

End of rant.

For the record, when I drink soda at all, I choose diet versions because they taste better to me (less syrupy). I think most tea tastes like boiled weeds (last year I gave up coffee for Lent and replaced it with tea. That was the hardest thing I've ever done for Lent! Giving up caffeine was way easier. Turns out I'm addicted to coffee itself more than I'm addicted to caffeine). Agave nectar is a pretty good sweetner (especially if you like sweet but not cloying/syrupy). I've never tried stevia that I know of. And hot drinks in the morning, no matter what the weather, is the only way to get my system going. And I drink my coffee with real sugar.

Sarah