When you hear the words diet soda you probably think of something healthy. That is not always the case with diet soda because it contains such a high level of artificial sweetener, which is not good for your body, especially if you are dieting. These artificial sweeteners can also cause you to have cravings for things you wouldn't normally have, such as something sweet or salty.

In many cases, people say diet soda helped them lose the weight and keep it off. Yet this was not the case for many others who said diet soda made them gain extra pounds, making it harder for them to shed any already existing pounds.

Many diet sodas, such as Diet Coke, contain caffeine, and lots of it. If you have been drinking these types of diet soda, it is likely you have formed a dependency on the caffeine. With this caffeine dependency you are more prone to have headaches, be jittery, and lose sleep. Caffeine can also speed up your heart rate.

While you are drinking diet soda and dieting, you may think you can have that extra large order of fries or that king size candy bar. When the truth is that you shouldn't because the extra food you eat will counteract with the diet soda (and your diet) causing you to take in more calories than you should, also causing you to gain more weight instead of losing it.

If you are a hard core diet soda drinker, and you usually don't have anything else to drink, you should try taking a break. Drink one regular soda per day and water after that. The more water you drink the higher possibility you have to shed those unwanted pounds. Also, water doesn't have any sweeteners so you won't have to worry about becoming dependent on having it like you would with soda.

Many, who put this to the test, said drinking more water made them feel more energetic, had fewer headaches throughout the day, and didn't eat as much as they did when drinking soda. This is because water helps get out harmful toxins in your body and fills you up faster and easier. When you start to feel thirsty, or hungry, grab a glass of water to help calm that feeling. Water is better for you than any diet soda with or without caffeine.

You can start at any time by throwing out the can of diet coke that is on your desk and fixing you a nice cold glass of water (you can even add a lemon slice if that is what you enjoy). Diet soda vs. Water, the choice is up to you. So which do you pick?