Artificial sweeteners

[Petunia3]

I'm confused about artificial sweeteners. I see some people referencing using them quite a bit and others who stop them completely. Is it OK to use artificial sweeteners after surgery? Will it hinder weight loss?

[Christie13]

My nutritionist said Splenda and Stevia were ok in moderation. I have used Splenda since the beginning and I hit my goal and then some. So I don't think it hurt me at all.

[Sarcastic_Bard]

I've used Splenda in my iced tea and coffee without issue. I've used brown sugar splenda for BBQ sauce and other dishes calling for brown sugar too. I've also used the odd bit of honey, and when we were traveling in Iceland there weren't a lot of substitute options so I did sometimes have a bit of their raw sugar. It didn't hinder my weight loss, mostly because I kept it in check and mostly ate protein, veggies and fruit. I just keep things in moderation and I mostly drink water anyways.

[RehabNurse]

Is it OK to use artificial sweeteners after surgery? Will it hinder weight loss?

I'm 2+ years out, lost over 100 pounds and attained my goal weight.

With that having been said, I'm an extensive user of artificial sweeteners. I add Equal and Sweet-N-Low to my coffee, iced tea, and yogurt. I also use Splenda on occasion.

Some folks are vehemently opposed to processed foods like artificial sweeteners. Meanwhile, I use them freely. Some clinical studies were published indicating a higher chance of weight gain with artificial sweeteners, but the study design was flawed.

Also, those who use artificial sweeteners in the general population are more likely to be overweight not due to sweetener chemicals, but because they engage in compensatory eating: they drink calorie-free soda and tea, so they compensate by eating more since they assume they're saving calories by drinking zero-calorie soda pop.