[Mountaindewed]

I had to give it up because of the serious painful and distressful heartburn I was getting. That was yesterday morning. These last 2 days my appetite has been low like I'm on ozempic or some **** and I've lost a couple pounds.

Does soda and sparkling water make you hungry? I was using diet soda trying to control my hunger.

I just have to figure out how to handle not drinking 300mg of caffeine.

[Discombobulated]

My understanding is that soda is empty calories, but maybe that’s overly simplistic. I have heard diet and zero drinks are implicated in metabolic syndrome, which might mean they affect how your body metabolises so that could explain the weight thing.

[SquarePegGuy]

It's no surprise that heartburn is aggravated by soda. Most soda contains phosphoric acid. It's very acidic. Our bodies try to maintain a neutral blood pH, so calcium may be pulled from the bones to neutralize the acidity.
High Consumption of Soft Drinks Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Fracture: A 7-Year Follow-Up Study - PMC

I've seen this chemical in the ingredients list of ice tea, as well.

If you really need to have a "fizzy drink," add some 100% fruit juice to seltzer, which is just water with carbon dioxide added for the fizz.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I do not think that sparkling water makes you hungry, but it is on the list of likely bladder irritants.