From 1 video
Is diet soda better than regular soda for weight loss?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Not necessarily. Nikkiey explains that diet soda isn't the clear win it looks like. Artificial sweeteners trick your taste buds into expecting sugar, and when it doesn't arrive you can end up craving more, snacking more, and finding belly fat harder to lose. She suggests sparkling water with fresh citrus or iced herbal teas instead.
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Nikkiey on why diet soda and artificial sweeteners can drive more cravings
Plays from 6:08 · Video: 7 Foods to Limit for Menopause Belly Fat and Easy Swaps
Her bubbly, flavorful swaps: citrus sparkling water, apple cider vinegar, iced herbal tea
Plays from 6:32 · Video: 7 Foods to Limit for Menopause Belly Fat and Easy Swaps
Why these are foods to limit, not cut out, and how sugar drives cravings after 40
Plays from 2:38 · Video: 7 Foods to Limit for Menopause Belly Fat and Easy Swaps
The full answer
On The WarriorBabe Show video about foods to limit for menopause belly fat, Nikkiey lists diet sodas and artificial sweeteners as food number five. She calls them a sneaky substitute because many women switch to them thinking they've made the better choice. Her point is that the sweet taste without the sugar can leave your body wanting more, which can lead to constant snacking, stronger cravings and, over time, weight gain, especially around the midsection. So if you swapped regular soda for diet and the scale still didn't move, the swap may not have solved the real problem. That's not a willpower failure.
The same episode is just as clear about added sugar. Nikkiey explains that sugar spikes insulin, crashes your energy and sends cravings up, and that women over 40 are already more sensitive to blood sugar spikes. The episode doesn't name a winner between diet and regular soda. It treats both sugar and artificial sweeteners as things that can keep cravings going.
She frames everything on that list as foods to limit, not eliminate completely, and says you don't have to give up something bubbly or flavorful. Her swaps:
- Sparkling water with fresh lemon, lime or orange
- Apple cider vinegar, which she says can support digestion and help curb cravings
- Iced herbal teas like peppermint, hibiscus or ginger to stay hydrated and satisfy flavor cravings
The practical takeaway: if a daily soda habit, diet or regular, is part of your routine, start trading some of those cans for one of these options and see whether your cravings settle.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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Do carbs make you gain weight?
No. Nikkiey explains that carbs on their own don't make you gain fat. Eating more calories than your body burns does, whether those calories come from carbs, fat or protein. Carbs are stored as glycogen, which holds about three grams of water per gram, so the scale can rise temporarily without any fat gain.
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10 min7 Foods to Limit for Menopause Belly Fat and Easy Swaps
Video · Feb 28, 2026