Tracking water

lajuice24

My coworker and I were discussing water intake. She logs her coffee as part of her water. I do it separately from the water. She is saying it "technically" water. How do you track your water?

Zedeff

I track it by making sure I pee. It is, without a doubt, the least important item to log.

segacs

Coffee counts. Tea counts. Even water content from food counts.

The whole "drink 8 glasses a day" thing is basically a myth. Drink if you're thirsty, that's all.

emtomas

Ehhh, the only problem with coffee is that it actually can cause acute dehydration - the caffeine causes water and salt loss. This isn't so bad in chronic caffeine users; if you're drinking the same amount daily, your body will adjust. If you go up and down, or have a bad day where you really need 4 cups of coffee, then your body will be less happy.

When i worked as a phlebotomist, i would just tell all my patients to drink a glass of water for each cup of coffee (especially if going in for a blood draw. Lots of coffee before makes finding veins to tap extremely difficult).

yopeeps025

Zedeff wrote: »

I track it by making sure I pee. It is, without a doubt, the least important item to log.

Actually I would think hydration levels definitely have a place in working towards your goals.

jgnatca

Coffee does not dehydrate significantly. That's an urban myth. It counts as liquid.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/healthy-beverages
I am required to drink enough liquid as part of post-operative care, but I don't bother to track. People on an extremely limited diet risk kidney stones if they don't drink enough water.

I just always have a water bottle handy, and start my day with a cup of tea. A friend had a cool system. She put colorful rubber bands on her water bottle, one for every bottle she finished.

@emtomas, to respect my lab techs, I would drink a full cup of water before going in for my bloodletting.

Azexas

Zedeff wrote: »

I track it by making sure I pee. It is, without a doubt, the least important item to log.

Proper hydration is pretty important. You may be urinating, but what color?

I go by the color of my urine. If it is a straw yellow, I'm good. If it is darker, I increase fluids.
Water makes your organs very happy

lajuice24

Thanks for the replies. I usually have two cups of coffee and then around 60-80 ounces.

sdado1013

my nutritionist says you can count the first 2 cups of coffee as "water" but extra coffee after that doesn't count. Tea and flavored water always count as water.

chouflour

Troutsy wrote: »

Zedeff wrote: »

I track it by making sure I pee. It is, without a doubt, the least important item to log.

Proper hydration is pretty important. You may be urinating, but what color?

I go by the color of my urine. If it is a straw yellow, I'm good. If it is darker, I increase fluids.
Water makes your organs very happy

If it's pink - eat fewer beets.

slondro

Basically agree with most of the people before me. Staying hydrated is extremely important, without a doubt, but logging the actual number of cups is probably not necessary.

For example, when I'm working out, I usually fill my water bottle once or twice, but I also do a whole lot of sweating. I could report every ounce of water I drank during my workout, but it wouldn't mean the same thing as drinking that same amount on a rest day. That makes me feel like having liquids throughout the day and making sure your urine is light is more important than seeking an actual number.

Liftng4Lis

I count my coffee as water.

KatyRu

I drink so much water, I have no need to substitute, but that's because I take allergy pills that make my throat really dry. I work at a Starbucks so you'd think I'd get my fair share of coffee too, but I actually gave up drinking coffee on a daily basis and I feel much better for it. I do drink it occasionally, but I don't count it as water. I'd probably count my green tea lemonade as water though. I guess it just really depends on the person and what their daily beverage preferences are.