Conference rocks::weight_control

    Not really a diet soda, but I love Club Soda (sometimes with a twist
    of lemon or lime).
    
    I also love Waist Watchers Diet Root Beer and their Citrus Frost.
    

    Paul,

    Hate to be a party-pooper (and constantly refer to diet techniques from
    the Rotation Diet), but here goes. Katahn strongly suggests that you give
    up the use of diet soda, claiming that it keeps up your desire for
    sweets. I really have to agree with the man, since in the time I've been
    using the Rotation Diet, I've had a total of a half can of diet soda 
    (during my week off) and have been able to satisfy my need for sweets
    with fruit. I've taken to drinking water instead and actually have come
    to enjoy it. I find it hard to believe that I'm actually getting down
    eight 8 oz. glasses a day (but I am). I've also worn a path in the
    carpet from my office to the men's room :-). 
						    -Dom

    re .2:
                                   
    Point well taken -- I will agree with you 1000% that diet soda is not a
    substitute for water.  In addition to the reasons you stated, diet
    sodas that contain sodium (even in small amounts) cause fluid
    retention.  While I do sometimes have a can or glass of diet soda
    with a meal or while watching TV, I drink it *in addition to*, rather
    than *instead of*, the eight 8 oz. glasses of water that any good
    weightloss program recommends.
    
    Have to go refill my glass and make a trip to the men's room, so
    I'll sign off...
    
    
    Paul

    
    
    I have always been a big diet pop drinker. Lately I've read in a
    number of different articles suggestions that diet pop increases
    your craving for sweets. I've been trying for the last couple
    of weeks to not drink pop, or limit it how much. For me, it
    seems I don't get that urge to hit the vending machine during
    the day at work when I'm not drinking pop. 
    
   

    
    
    Diet soda's are good but the best drink for a weight watcher to
    have of course is water.. but for a different taste it's good
    to try other things..  Diet soda's have salt in them and we have
    to be careful not to drink too much.. unless you don't retain 
    water....
    
    It's nice to share different things to try to keep us from 
    not over doing it and being able to control our habits..
    
    
    Thanks for sharing Paul  ........
    
    and Paul knows what I mean when I do this + + + +.. they are
    everywhere!
    
    Paul and I report to each other and we always say the DEC bugs are
    out there looking for those not sticking to program and are going
    to bit us.. just a silly Pee Wee type thing ..Just watch out anyways..
    
    Guess who!
    
    

    re Dom, Cathy, Ann:
    
    Was thinking of your replies Friday night when I was picking up some
    "liquid refreshment" for a get-together at a friend's house. I picked
    up a couple of cans of light beer first, and then headed for the soda
    section to get some diet soda to go along with it. But then, I thought
    of this note and instead headed for the spring water section -- and
    purchased a six-pack of Poland Springs water with lemon essence. So,
    you all helped me out the other night without realizing it. Thanks! 
    
    
    Paul
    
                                                                       

    I have a huge glass (16oz) on my desk that I fill at the fountain
    right outside the door to our department, and just keep it there
    handy all day.  I found that the fact that I don't go to the 3rd
    floor pop machine helps, in that I don't get a diet pop, then
    rationalize getting a Snickers, too since it's not a "real" Pepsi!
    Another thing that helps with drinking all the water is to visualize
    all that clean clear crisp water flowing through my various cells
    and flushing them out - somehow visualizing diet pop w/chemicals
    just isn't the same!

(just got back to my office after a quick break for some more water, and
I didn't even have to stop at the ladies' room!!)

I've never tried a diet soda that I really liked.  Maybe I'll try one of those
by Polar that Paul suggested just for a little variety.  I've been drinking
water almost exclusively since last summer when I started WW.  We also have
several types of flavored water in the fridge at home, the Poland Springs
lemon, and Polar peach and grapefruit.  (I think someone mentioned the
cranberry lime elsewhere?).  But sometimes, the fuzziness bothers me, I'm
so un-used to it now!  You can't drink it as fast as unfuzzy water, either.

Jill

           I would really love to start getting into the habit of drinking
    water, but I don't like the taste, or should I say the no-taste
    of it.  However, I have never tried the flavored water before. Does
    it have a definate type of flavor to it, or is it a bland taste.
           When I was in Germany, there was a type of water called
    Spudel(spelling?) and it was orange-flavored or lemon-flavored and
    it had lots of bubbles in it just like soda does. Are those Poland
    Springs Water something like that? If so, then THAT I can deal with.
         
     Chris...
    
    

    Re: .9

    You might try squeezing some lemon or lime into plain water & drinking
    that. I'll admit I haven't tried this myself, so it might be utterly
    disgusting, but its worth a shot. Actually, I've become hooked on
    those 8 glasses a day & am "fortunate" that the water here at MRO is
    bad enough that DEC has put Poland Spring coolers all over the building
    (boy, would I like to be the Poland Spring salesperson who got this
    account!). If I had to drink 8 glasses of Marlboro water a day, I'd
    probably glow by now :-).
						-Dom

    I have started drinking Arrowhead Sparkling Mountain Spring Water
    when I can't tolerate the plain kind.  It comes in different flavors
    (or, more accurately, with a squeeze of juice added):  lime, lemon, 
    orange and cherry, as well as regular.  It is salt free.  This is real 
    important.  Some Perrier types have a lot of sodium so you have to
    check for that.  There are other brands of spring water, but I can't 
    think of their names.  Just check out the selection at your local market.
    
    Colleen

    POLAR also has some flavored Seltzer waters out now in bottles AND
    for all us brownbaggers - I have found two flavors in twelve ounce
    cans, plain, and with lime.  There is NO SALT and NO CALORIES, and
    having one with my lunch lets me feel like I'm having a little
    something special, without the thoughts of having a diet soda with
    all that salt.  The flavored seltzers are really good.

          Thanks to everybody for giving me all the different choices
    of flavored water to choose from. The flavored Seltzer Water from
    Polar sounds like "a good place to start drinking".
             
             Cheers!      Chris...
    

    I find the Polar flavored seltzer waters very tastey.  The bubbles
    help make them filling, too!  They have many flavors from lemon
    to peach to cranberry/lime (my favorite).  No calories and no salt
    and relatively inexpensive.  I buy the quart size and bring it to
    work with me where I have one of those Super Size plastic cups from
    MacDonalds (that was once filled with Diet Coke...of course! Tee
    Hee).  I try to get through the WHOLE thing by 10 am.  This has
    helped me cut down on all the coffee I have been consuming since
    putting myself on the Herbalife plan.  That has been quite successful,
    too...I've lost 15 pounds since 14 SEP 87!! YAY!!
    
    Keep smiling.... {8-)
    
    Lin
    

    For those of you who think drinking flavored selzer water is like
    drinking diet soda and would just prefer drinking water, try putting
    a drop or two of lemon extract, or orange extract or what ever flavor
    into your plain water.  You can get the extracts the same place
    you get vanilla extract.  I personally like drinking flavored seltzer
    but my aerobics instructor puts the extract in her water and it
    is a nice change from plain water, especially when you're exercising
    and don't really want the bubbles.
    
    -leslie
    

                 I just tried something last night called "New York
    Seltzer". Is anyone familiar with this? It looks like plain water,
    but it comes in different flavors such as; strawberry and dark cherry,
    lemon-lime,etc. Even though it has the distinct flavor,it still
    is clear like water. They come in little 10 0z. bottles in a 6-pack.
                 What I was wondering is what is it? Flavored water,
    or pop (soda). Whatever it is, it's good.
    
    chris.
    
    

    New York Seltzer Water is just that - water.  It has been carbonated,
    and some flavor "essence" added - still no calories, no sodium.
     It is available is some deli's and I guess grocery stores (I haven't
    found it in the store yet.)  And you're right - sure does taste
    good, and it's nice to have an alternative to straight water once
    in a while.

re New York Seltzer...

I think I remember reading on the inside back cover of an older Consumer Reports
(those of you who read CR will recognize this as a "buyer beware page" :-)
about something called "The Original New York Seltzer".  The article says,
basically, that there's nothing Original or New York about this product,
and it's not seltzer, it's soda.  Ingredients included some sort of sugar.

Now, they may have changed their ingredients since the article came out (I
was going through a stack reading that last page of each of them!), so
I suggest you check the ingredients list, and ignore what the product is
called.  (This is always a good idea, which was beat into me more after all
my reading :-))

(I'll try to remember to check the issue tonight, as well as check the bottle
if we ever get around to going to the supermarket...)

Jill

    If this is the same beverage we get in California.  I think it is
    although I can't remember the exact name but it's labelled as a
    flavored water with New York in the title.
    
    It contains as much sugar as regular soda.  I checked the label
    but there is no ingredients list -- usually a clue that it isn't
    low-cal.  Most low-cal products promote that fact.
    
    I checked with my WW leader and she told me WW had checked with
    the beverage company and it does indeed contain sugar.  It's a
    pity because they are tasty.
    
    						Donna

I have the Consumer Reports right here.  Yes, it's probably the same one
that .-1 gets in CA, because that's where it's made!

CR (March 1987) claims there is an ingredients list, and the second one
(after seltzer water) is fructose syrup (read: SUGAR).  True, the label
they have pictured says "NO SUCROSE".  Misleading, no?

Just figured I'd document my last reply...

Jill

    We have a local restaurant, that has carafes of ice water with slices
    of lemon, on each table.  This really is good - adds a little zip
    to the water!
    gulp, gulp.
    
    t.

    My votes go to Diet Cherry 7-Up and Diet Cherry Coke, followed
    immediately by any brand grapefruit and then any brand chocolate.
    Depends on what mood I'm in and how active my sweet tooth is.
    
    BUT, I limit myself to 2 per day (maximum).  Most days I have one
    or none.
    
    Lynn

    I dislike the "fizzy waters," whether or not they're flavored.  I do
    try to limit myself to 1-2 diet sodas per day.
    
    One of my favorites is something I've seen in Virginia and Ohio, but
    not here in New England -- it's Diet Mountain Dew.  It's got that great
    citrus taste of regular Dew, but it's nutrasweetened.
    
    If anybody sees it in a NH/Mass store, I'd appreciate a pointer!
    
    Beverly
    

    re .23:
    
    No, I haven't seen Diet Mountain Dew around MA/NH.
    
    A statistic worth mentioning about the regular Mountain Dew (don't
    know if it's also true for the diet product): I read somewhere that
    of all the national brands of soft drinks, Mountain Dew had the
    highest percentage of caffein -- even more than any cola!
                            
    
    py

    
    Mountain Dew has ~53mg of caffine.
    Jolt has 62mg.
    
    							--- Neal

    re .25:
                                                      
    The article that I had read about Mountain Dew was written a few
    years ago, apparently before this junk called Jolt hit the market.
    
    For those who are not familiar with Jolt, it is a product that
    contains, according to the label, "All the sugar and twice the caffein
    of regular cola".  Tried some just for laughs about a year ago (back
    in my pre-WW days).  Yeah, it sure has quite a kick to it.  About
    12 hours later, my intestines were kicking too!  Spent most of that
    day running to the bathroom.  I'll never touch that stuff again,
    that's for sure!
    
    
    py
    

    FYI
    
    SOMEONE TOLD ME DIET RC COLA IS REALLY GOOD, I HAVENT TRIED IT
    BUT STAY AWAY FROM DIET CANADA DRY GINGER ALE,
    YUCK, YUCK, PHOOEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
    

Well, shoot, I LIKE the diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale!  In fact, I'm mad
that our vending machines have diet Mt. Dew instead.  Oh well.

Liz :-).

    Too bad the soda's have nutra sweet...Diet Mt. DEW would be interesting...

    Diet Sprite/Diet 7up.......so much better than their sticky sweet
    counterparts and no after taste.
    
    Diet Polar Orange Dry is delicious too....
    
    I really don't care for any colas...diet or sugar-full

    Diet Dr. Pepper is the best!  More stores are finally carrying it, both
    in the can and in 2 litre bottles.
    
    E Grace

    Diet Mandarin Orange Slice -- in independent research, my brother and I
    both found we like this best
    
    Diet root beer -- no caffeine!
    
    Diet Coke with lemon -- I won't drink it without lemon

    Diet Mountain Dew.  Can't find the cans but the 2 liter bottles are around.