Do you count tea and coffee as part of your water intake?
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If you feel thirsty you are already more dehydrated than you should allow yourself to become.
This used to be dogma, but recent research by Tim Noakes and others has called it into question. This blog post by Alex Hutchinson sets out some of the issues. Even ordinary marathoners should drink only when thirsty, though elite marathoners have a food and hydration plan that they follow.
If you have a medical condition that requires unusual hydration or makes you insensitive to thirst, then follow your doctor's advice. Otherwise, it's fine to drink only when you're thirsty. Personally, I follow that advice, unless I'm having a night on the town; in that case I'll alternate alcoholic drinks with water, since alcohol (unlike caffeine) is a significant diuretic.0 -
I log my decaf tea as water.0
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I don't count coffee as water, but I do count tea because it is an herb..0
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Tedebearduff wrote: »I have never counted (or considered) it part of my water intake. I read a post that suggested you could count it.
Please let me know why or why you don't count it. And yes, I've read the links on the myth of tea and coffee dehydrating and therefore shouldn't be counted.
It's like everything people want to do as little as possible while counting as much as possible. What you should be doing is drinking 3 liters of water IMO, I really don't understand why this is so hard... 8 x 8 ounces of water is 1.9 liters that's a 1.5 liter bottle and another glass.... it's really not that hard to do.
That's total water. 80% of your water comes from food. You only need to drink about a half a liter of water on top of that (if you drink nothing else)0 -
I log coffee and tea as coffee and tea, and only log water as water.
Even black tea and coffee get logged in my diary because I like to track the potassium, and even though I might not be counting it as water, I can see it in there as my overall fluid intake for the day.
Some people count is as water, some don't - do what works for you. Personally, I feel and function much better with my 7-10 cups of water per day, no matter how much coffee and tea I've had along with it.0 -
No. I log water as water. Other beverages go under the drinks option I made.0
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People are trying to make this more complicated than it really is. Water, by itself, is the best way to hydrate your body. I have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, and then the rest of the day, I only have water with meals or in between when I'm thirsty. Drinking pop or juice makes me feel gross, so I cut it out from my diet entirely. I feel the best when I only drink water, so that's what I do, and I never track it.0
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I log mine seperately, but that's because I like a squirt of honey in my tea and I like to keep track of the calories/sugar. I actually made a custom tab for "Drinks" that I put things like tea and the occasional hot cocoa under (I'm not much of a coffee person).0
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sheepotato wrote: »TNunraveler wrote: »Logging simply motivates me to drink more water. There's something about clicking that water glass icon.
This! I don't even need to track my water intake because it's such a habit for me that I drink roughly the same amount everyday but I still like to log it because there is just something satisfying about watching the little cup icon overflow.
I might eat more protein if there was a little chicken to color in during the day.
Lol I'd like that chicken too.
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britishbroccoli wrote: »Why are you tracking your water? Will counting coffee/tea change your water count a lot? Like, 5-10 cups of tea/coffee? If so, you might want to reevaluate how much tea/coffee you drink.
I think it's a slippery slope. Would you count brothy soups? Watery fruits?
Drink ample water. If you feel dehydrated, drink more. Done.
I try to track my water because it reminds me to drink more water.
I usually only drink one cup of coffee (in the a.m.) and one can of diet soda or a glass of tea. In general, I'm not a big drinker of anything. Someone from a previous post said that coffee and tea counted b/c they were mostly water.
So, it got me to thinking...
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I count it because it's mostly water with a little stuff dissolved in it.0
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Yes... I do count tea and coffee. The dehydrating effect of caffeine is negligible (according to multiple peer-reviewed scientific studies) . I see no reason to force myself to drink extra water just so I can formally tally 64 ounces of plain water in my daily food diary. I like to be properly hydrated, but I'm not going to drink so much water that I have to pee every 90 minutes. That's just silly and doesn't provide any health benefits. In fact, when I used to force myself to drink 8-10 cups of water on top my other beverages, it gave me heartburn. The gastroenterologist told me to lay off the extra water and just drink when I was thirsty. Turned out, all the extra liquid was making my stomach contents too voluminous.
Some folks feel differently - I suppose it just boils down to a personal preference. :-)
Thank you! This helps a lot!0 -
stumblinthrulife wrote: »People are too obsessed with this water thing.
If it's blue or purple, you may be an alien.] LoL Point well-taken! Ha!0 -
TNunraveler wrote: »I log water only. Water (approx. 72 oz./day) makes me feel so much better that when I'm only drinking coffee coffee, tea (decaf or otherwise), etc. Logging simply motivates me to drink more water. There's something about clicking that water glass icon.
^^ This... yes, I agree!
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daviloreana wrote: »I don't ever count coffee towards water intake. Whether you're drinking coffee/tea or not doesn't change the fact that you need to be drinking enough straight-up water. However, make sure to log any milk you're adding; it's so many carbs!
You do not need to drink any straight up water. Fluids are fluids (other than 'hard' alcohol which does dehydrate more than it hydrates).
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I'm just starting to track my water intake again, as I've been very bad at it lately as my urine has been darker than normal. I don't count regular coffee (I suppose I could, but whatever), but count all my milk and any non-caffeinated beverages (herbal teas, no cal drink mix, the pint of water in my protein shake, etc.).
It's made a difference--urine is light again. I'm just one that needs to track it to stay on top of hydrating my body properly. Tracking makes me drink enough, I guess.0 -
Thanks, everyone for your feedback!
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I add coffee and tea as part of the meal I am drinking it with, or if it's in between meals, as a snack. Especially if I add creamer or honey or something to it. I do not count it as water. I log only water as water.0
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No. I just want to ensure I get ample water. Water is in nearly everything anyway.0
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I log my daily tea as water intake - I only put a little stevia in it (half a packet for a big mug), so that's all it is, really.0
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Coffee and tea can be dehydrating so I don't count them unless its green tea with no additives. I am trying to quit coffee and am in the process of switching to an antioxidant green tea which I will count it in my water intake. Regardless of that I get 64 oz of water in daily.0
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As someone noted – Water is water and coffee dehydrates. I know my cardiologist has told me to drink lots of water for my heart (& to limit coffee) and I know water helps balance body fluids.0
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I don't count it as water but instead log it but that's just personal preference.
In regards to what some have I wanted to point out two things. Tea/caffeine can dehydrate but in large quantities. A glass or two will not have a large effect on hydration. Second the 8 glasses of water "rule" is not always necessary. Urine color is a good indicator of hydration. The lighter the better. Foods and other beverages such as teas and soups can contribute to hydration lessening the need for lots of water.0 -
Coffee and tea can be dehydrating so I don't count them unless its green tea with no additives. I am trying to quit coffee and am in the process of switching to an antioxidant green tea which I will count it in my water intake. Regardless of that I get 64 oz of water in daily.
They are not dehydrating.0 -
I just watch the color of my urine. Totally helps you determine if you need more water or not 0
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Just to keep my log accurate I put coffee and tea as part of my meal or snack and keep my water as a separate category.0
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nope- 1.) I don't track water as it is.
- 2.) I drink way to much tea and coffee to log- it's just obscene- waste of time to me- it doesn't count calorically - so therefore I do not log.0
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