Do you count coffee as water?

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  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    All liquids count, assuming they are water based. LOL
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Do I count a diuretic as water?

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  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
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    No, I log coffee and water completely separate. They are NOT the same thing, although coffee IS water-based.

    Coffee dehydrates you. Water is a diuretic. They have exact opposite effects on your body.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Hi there!

    First of all, people should feel comfortable asking whatever questions they want, new or repeated as they might be. This journey is hard enough as it is. I believe that if the question is annoying to you, skip and move on to a question you haven't read over and over.

    Secondly, coffee is not counted as water. Only count water as water (including flavour infusions such as MiO and Crystal Light).

    Because coffee will actually dehydrate you, it has the opposite effect of water.

    Hope this helps!

    Hi!! :):):)

    so we can't comment on dead horse threads anymore..?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    i count vodka as water....
  • Peejer2001
    Peejer2001 Posts: 18 Member
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    Agreed the caffeine in coffee negates the liquid benefit of being able to count as water!
  • ajbltn
    ajbltn Posts: 57
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    For me, ONLY water is water. Everything else isn't water lol
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Agreed the caffeine in coffee negates the liquid benefit of being able to count as water!

    No. I really don't understand why people still believe this stupid myth.

    You would need to drink 5-7 cups of coffee for the caffeine to start dehydrating you. Even than it's a VERY small amount that it dehydrates you.
  • fatboy235
    fatboy235 Posts: 147 Member
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    I log coffee seperate normally in my note section at the bottom of the food diary page. Normally for me it's 24-32 oz plain black cofee. Then I drink water the rest of the day.
  • Talaysen
    Talaysen Posts: 4 Member
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    water is water
    coffee and tea are not. they are diuretics.

    Right bro, right? You drinkin' that protein bro? Gotta feed the body, bro. Gotta feed the mind, bro.

    Anyways. Misinformation = 'Bro Science'. It's frowned upon.

    "It is commonly believed that both tea and coffee are diuretics, because of their caffeine content. However, recent studies show that caffeine is no more diuretic than water when consumed in moderation. The exact amount needed to act as a mild diuretic varies, but would be some around 5-7 cups of coffee - with regular drinkers developing a higher tolerance."

    The water in coffee is still chemically water (it hasn't changed, I assure you).
    The water in tea is still chemically water (it also hasn't changed), despite there being additional elements there.

    You log the coffee to account for the calories and negligible amount of sodium, and log the water separately.
    8 oz. of coffee should equal ~7.99998 oz. of water, unless you need a knife and fork for yours, which seems odd.
    Same goes for tea, log the tea bag, bump your water up by one.

    Everything should be accounted for, if you want to add it to your hydration, that's fine.
    That hydration doesn't affect your daily goals, it's really just there to remind you to drink more water if you aren't drinking enough, you don't have to fret about it in the long run.

    I can't comment on soda, as I don't drink it. I do rarely drink beer, which I log and don't consider to be 'water'.
    Use your common sense and do what works for you, try to avoid the inane responses on here, many of them are well-intentioned but full of misinformation.
  • Joe_Atlanta
    Joe_Atlanta Posts: 66 Member
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    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
    I've found that with the coming of summer I need to increase my liquid intake to help make up for sweat loss during exercise. I'm averaging 80 oz a day and feeling better.
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
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    Interesting debate; I usually count my water as "water" and count other beverages within my meal categories. :wink:

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  • taylorckt1
    taylorckt1 Posts: 263 Member
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    Water is water...nothing else counts as such...no teas, coffee, kool aid, crystal light, flavored water, vitamin water...
  • melina_bea
    melina_bea Posts: 11
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    I log all liquids as water. If they're anything other than tap water, I also log it with my meals (even if they're 0 calories).

    My doctor put it simply to me: The 'water' part of logging, really just means 'liquid'. So coffee, tea, sodas, even soup count, as they are liquids. Even if they come with extra stuff in them, the liquid is still there and that's the whole point. However, because of my medical condition I have to stay well away from caffeine, sugar, etc. So it's really about what's important to you.

    To all those saying "water is water".... The human body is something like 75% water. Do you really think that straight, pure, clear, 'tap' water?
  • melina_bea
    melina_bea Posts: 11
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    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
    I've found that with the coming of summer I need to increase my liquid intake to help make up for sweat loss during exercise. I'm averaging 80 oz a day and feeling better.

    Good link, and that's pretty much how my doctor explained it to me. Thanks for posting this!
  • sharon_moyer
    sharon_moyer Posts: 177
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    I count coffee as water because you use water to make coffee.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Interesting debate; I usually count my water as "water" and count other beverages within my meal categories. :wink:

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    wait, your saying water can be something else????? :)
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    my take....if you're asking this question, you're having trouble drinking 8 cups of water a day...and IMO, 12-16 cups of water is more ideal. Now, if you're drinking 11-12 cups of water and want to also count a cup of coffee as another cup of water, I don't think it really matters.

    One measure of how much water you should drink that I've read is: (a) half your body weight in ounces + (b) 8 ounces for every 8 ounces of caffeine (which suggests, to me, that coffee wouldn't count as water) + (c) 8 ounces for every 30 minutes of exercise.

    Another measure is....if you have clear pee then you are hydrated and are good on water at that time. If you don't have clear pee, then you have not had enough water (and, perhaps, part of the reason for that is: (a) you're aiming for only 8 cups of water/day; and/or (b) you're counting coffee as water). I guess a good test would be for someone to drink 2 cups of coffee and 6 cups of water throughout the day and let us know if you ever had clear pee that day. My guess: no, you wouldn't.
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,857 Member
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    What about Perrier?
  • Joe_Atlanta
    Joe_Atlanta Posts: 66 Member
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    Good link, and that's pretty much how my doctor explained it to me. Thanks for posting this!

    You're welcome. With so much "voodoo" nutritional information being repeated as fact, I've found most nutritional questions can be answered at the Mayo Clinic Nutrition and Healthy Eating section (if you want something backed by hard science). The search function on the website almost always comes up with something relevant.
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/MY00431

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