How To Gain Weight With Diet Soda

Human bodies are so complex that traditional logic sometimes doesn't apply in how they function. For example, you'd think that swapping sugary soda for the diet version would lead to weight loss. Scientific evidence can point to the contrary. A 2010 analysis published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine concludes that when you try to trick your taste buds with fake sugar, you also trick the inner mechanisms that process sugar and store fat. As a result, you can pack on pounds by consuming "diet" drinks.

While long-term consumption of diet soda has been linked with weight gain, the safest, most reliable way to gain is to add additional calories to your diet derived from healthy foods, not diet soda.

Step 1

Use a calorie calculator to determine how many calories you need to consume each day to stay at your current weight. Reliable weight gain happens when you eat more calories than you use on a regular basis. Take in 100 to 300 more calories than you need per day.

Step 2

Choose a diet soda that contains at least a few calories. While this isn't necessary, any additional calories you consume will help you put on weight.

Step 3

Stick to one or two cans of diet soda per day. Drinking more diet soda than that has been linked with Type 2 diabetes and other medical problems, according to registered dietitian Katherine Zeratsky of MayoClinic.com.

Step 4

Eat extra servings of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains to tip your calorie consumption in the direction of weight gain. Add healthy snacks between meals if you have a small appetite. Doing so will contribute to your weight gain without increasing the risk of heart disease that comes with too many high-sugar, high-saturated fatty foods.

Step 5

Continue to exercise for 20 to 30 minutes on most days of the week to maintain your good health. Begin strength training to help add pounds of lean muscle to your frame. Eat additional calories to compensate for those lost during exercise.