You’ve finally decided to do something about your extra weight. Great!

You’ve thrown out all the junk food in your house, and forbidden anyone to bring any home. You’ve cut out or otherwise saved all the low-fat or low-carb recipes you can find. Maybe you bought a cookbook or two on the subject. You bought an exercise contraption or some hand weights, and you have designated a certain amount of time for your daily grunting.

So how long is this gonna take? You want it NOW. You’re eating better. You’re counting every calorie and/or every gram of carbs. You're exercising fairly regularly. Why isn’t it happening? It’s never fast enough.

If you are trying to lose weight, you are probably interested in sugar substitutes, also known as artificial sweeteners. Replacing sugar is a smart idea. Sugar has four calories per gram, and is a leading source of tooth decay. Many sugar substitutes have no calories, and still provide a sweet flavor for your food. Some, unfortunately, have unwanted side effects.

Research suggests that aspartame, for instance, sabotages weight loss. It breaks down into phenylalanine and methyl alcohol, which tend to make you hungrier. If you are trying to diet, you're already hungry. You don't need to be made even hungrier for no good reason. The phenylalanine also competes with dopamine and serotonin in your brain, which is bad, because dopamine and serotonin help you feel good. Their absence can leave you feeling depressed.