Is Diet Coke a safe replacement for regular carbonated beverages? Can it really help you lose weight or, at least, is it a good choice when it comes to cutting calories? There are as many pros and cons to Diet Coke as with anything else in the world. Some people would say carbonated beverages are a definite no-no when it comes to a healthy life style and a seriously committed weight loss program, while others would say Diet Coke has zero calories so why not drink it if you really enjoy carbonated soft drinks.

Artificial sweeteners are beneficial. They don't promote tooth decay or affect blood sugar levels in diabetics like sugar does. Also, judicious use can help in weight loss. For example, if you drank, say, three 12-ounce cans of regular sugar-based Classic Coke every day and then switched to artificial sweetened Diet Coke, you would decrease your calorie intake by 480 calories a day, or 3,360 fewer calories a week.

Theoretically, by doing this, it is possible to reduce weight by about one pound a week, given that any 3500 calories which are not used are stored as one pound of fat in our bodies.

In fact there are so many healthy food products available today, that it's really hard to imagine how come we are faced with an ever increasing obesity problem. This situation has led many to put the blame on artificial sweeteners, when in fact the problem lies elsewhere.

The fact is a low-fat or no-fat diet just makes you hungry for more sweets to counterbalance the horrible taste bland foods have.

We don't eat and drink only because we are hungry, but also because we enjoy certain aromas and tastes and when food lacks aroma and taste we do try to make up for it.

And there are also people who need a high dose of caffeine on a daily basis. Caffeine addiction is quite common in today's world, even though most of us would rather not to call it a true addiction. Caffeine is a great stimulant for the human body because it keeps us focused and active and we like to feel that energy boost every time we drink something that contains caffeine. This is why caffeine is used in most of today's weight loss pills. It can also have a low to mild appetite suppressant effect.

In case you do need to drink more than 3 cans of coke a day, you can at least do yourself a favor and have Diet Coke. It will give you all the benefits of caffeine without the headaches of counting the sugar calories.

Of course, replacing meals with Diet Coke or any coke for that matter is not a good idea. Even if caffeinated beverages are a great help when dieting, you should not skip meals and - as you already know by now - you should plan for a balanced, healthy diet. This will help you make the most of your weight loss efforts and will ensure long term results.