Tips on artificially sweetened energy drinks / sodas? What stalls you (personally) and what doesn't?

I feel like Monster Zero and those new Ghost drinks stall me. Just wanted to check and see what everyone else's experiences are like.

FWIW, I'm skinny fat 140 lbs 5'10, and have like 10-15 lbs of fat to lose, and I definitely have insulin resistance and metabolic disorder(s) that manifest as acne / seb derm / dandruff / etc.