Can Diet Soda Make you Fat?

I seen this over on one of the other sights posted and thought it was very interesting, since there is always a yes-no on soda's after surgery. Thought you all would like to read: ABC News: Can Diet Soda Make You Fat?

Good am Melinda - interesting article. I've been cutting WAY back on artificial sweetners anyway as honestly I seem to feel a bit better WITHOUT them. Have a WONDERFUL Wednesday.

in my own experience id say no way, i drink them im well over 5 years post op and i like coke zero, now i dont drink alot of them, but im 123 pounds now and they arent makin me fat!!!! if they do then maybe id better drink a few more because im loosing more then i want now,when my 3/4's are too big, then something needs to change i guess. i have a very good friend who is my height and lonly weighs 112 and she drinks regular coke, so i dont believe the hype.

I am just gonna throw my two cents in here.  My Nut and Dr. told me no carbonation period, dot, end of story.  I have heard though that if you wanted to drink some you should let i****er down or lose its fizz.  I did try a swish in my mouth one time since surgery and it tasted like metal so I spit it out.  I drink only water or Crystal Light 100% of the time. The reason for no carbonation is that it will stretch your pouch.  Studies have shown that it stretches even a "normal persons" stomach and that is why they eat more than they really need.   For me, and this is just my opinion, I chose this surgery to save my life and change my lifestyle and bad habits FOREVER.  I feel that by drinking a diet soda again, I used to drink 8-10 per day, would ease me back into my old ways and I do not ever want to go there again.  

Now what I find interesting is the link appears to be with the sweetener not the carbonation, so by the same argument diet drinks of any ilk could make you fat. I have to say that before WLS, I was a Diet Coke machine. It would be nothing for me to drink a full 12 pack during the day at work. I have cut them out totally as well. My thoughts are two fold: 1. That article was about saccharin. I don't think I have used that since the 80s. Most things now either have aspartame or splendia. So, I am not sure what the effects are. 2. Not that I am bariatric, I would dump like there is no tomorrow if the diet drink let me to sweet cravings, so I guess I have a failsafe. I guess I could end up eating more sugar-free (but still ri*****alorie) items, so it's something to be aware of. But I imagine in studies like these, the subjects have access to unlimited calories. Hopefully my new anatomy will continue to limit the amount of damage I can do.