It's probably a dumb question...

Fit4LifeAR
Fit4LifeAR Posts: 233 Member
edited November 30 in Food and Nutrition
I am trying to go back to 100 oz of water a day. My weight steadily drops when I do that, not to mention I feel better and my skin looks better. My question is, I drink two 16 oz bottles of water that I add a powdered "energy" drink to. It's called Power Edge and 16 oz contains 160 mg of caffeine. I know caffeine can dehydrate the body, so should I count those two bottles towards my 100 oz? I know I should stop the powdered drinks, but I genuinely like the way they taste. I don't feel the caffeine at all, but I also grew up drinking 4-5 cans of Mountain Dew a day, so sometimes I think I am immune to caffeine at this point lol.

Replies

  • Fit4LifeAR
    Fit4LifeAR Posts: 233 Member
    edited March 2016
    Fit4LifeAR wrote: »
    I am trying to go back to 100 oz of water a day. My weight steadily drops when I do that, not to mention I feel better and my skin looks better. My question is, I drink two 16 oz bottles of water that I add a powdered "energy" drink to. It's called Power Edge and 16 oz contains 160 mg of caffeine. I know caffeine can dehydrate the body, so should I count those two bottles towards my 100 oz? I know I should stop the powdered drinks, but I genuinely like the way they taste. I don't feel the caffeine at all, but I also grew up drinking 4-5 cans of Mountain Dew a day, so sometimes I think I am immune to caffeine at this point lol.
    MFP ate my last sentence...I wrote that I haven't had a MD in over 7 years because my weight melted off when I stopped drinking it.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    No, not a dumb question. Personally, I'm in the camp that believes any beverages with caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, etc.) do NOT count as water (although multitudes of people here will disagree), but in the case you mentioned, since you mix the powder with water, I'd count those bottles towards your daily goal. Just my $0.02 though and I'm certainly no expert!
  • Fit4LifeAR
    Fit4LifeAR Posts: 233 Member
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    No, not a dumb question. Personally, I'm in the camp that believes any beverages with caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, etc.) do NOT count as water (although multitudes of people here will disagree), but in the case you mentioned, since you mix the powder with water, I'd count those bottles towards your daily goal. Just my $0.02 though and I'm certainly no expert!

    That's exactly my thought, but for some reason I feel guilty counting it lol.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Fit4LifeAR wrote: »
    I am trying to go back to 100 oz of water a day. My weight steadily drops when I do that, not to mention I feel better and my skin looks better. My question is, I drink two 16 oz bottles of water that I add a powdered "energy" drink to. It's called Power Edge and 16 oz contains 160 mg of caffeine. I know caffeine can dehydrate the body, so should I count those two bottles towards my 100 oz? I know I should stop the powdered drinks, but I genuinely like the way they taste. I don't feel the caffeine at all, but I also grew up drinking 4-5 cans of Mountain Dew a day, so sometimes I think I am immune to caffeine at this point lol.

    Contrary to the widely-circulated old wives' tales, caffeine does not appreciably dehydrate the body:

    http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12187618
    ...caffeine consumption stimulates a mild diuresis similar to water, but there is no evidence of a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to exercise performance or health. Investigations comparing caffeine (100-680 mg) to water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume. In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a CB resulted in 0-84% retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0-81% retention. Further, tolerance to caffeine reduces the likelihood that a detrimental fluid-electrolyte imbalance will occur.
  • Fit4LifeAR
    Fit4LifeAR Posts: 233 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fit4LifeAR wrote: »
    I am trying to go back to 100 oz of water a day. My weight steadily drops when I do that, not to mention I feel better and my skin looks better. My question is, I drink two 16 oz bottles of water that I add a powdered "energy" drink to. It's called Power Edge and 16 oz contains 160 mg of caffeine. I know caffeine can dehydrate the body, so should I count those two bottles towards my 100 oz? I know I should stop the powdered drinks, but I genuinely like the way they taste. I don't feel the caffeine at all, but I also grew up drinking 4-5 cans of Mountain Dew a day, so sometimes I think I am immune to caffeine at this point lol.

    Contrary to the widely-circulated old wives' tales, caffeine does not appreciably dehydrate the body:

    http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12187618
    ...caffeine consumption stimulates a mild diuresis similar to water, but there is no evidence of a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to exercise performance or health. Investigations comparing caffeine (100-680 mg) to water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume. In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a CB resulted in 0-84% retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0-81% retention. Further, tolerance to caffeine reduces the likelihood that a detrimental fluid-electrolyte imbalance will occur.

    That is good to know! Good info.

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    No, no guilt allowed when it comes to food and drink! That's a recipe for failure. It's simply about nutrition and not emotion. Although I realize that is easier said than done.

    If you really want to eliminate the powdered drinks (and only WANT to; not because you think you should out of guilt) try mixing in smaller amounts of the powder and taper down. No need to eliminate it completely if it doesn't effect you negatively, though.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    WebMD and Patient.info's Dr Sarah both have articles stating coffee and tea count. They are by no means medical journals/study to confirm, but most of at least WebMD's information is pretty accurate (except the fact a runny nose means I might have cancer). With the amount of tea I drink, and the amount of time I have to go to the bathroom, I don't see how they wouldn't count. Leaves and beans in water.
    Heck, when my mom had to get dialysis she had to watch how much fruit she ate, because that counted towards her liquid intake.
  • Fit4LifeAR
    Fit4LifeAR Posts: 233 Member
    I think at this point I should be more concerned with the amount of caffeine I drink, than whether to count it as water!
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    Fit4LifeAR wrote: »
    I think at this point I should be more concerned with the amount of caffeine I drink, than whether to count it as water!

    That's something you can decide for yourself. Since you drink the energy stuff for flavor, try checking out other flavored drinks that don't have caffeine, so you have an alternative. You may find that cutting out a high amount of caffeine is a problem, even though you don't "notice" the effect it has on you - precisely because your body is so used to it.
  • Fit4LifeAR
    Fit4LifeAR Posts: 233 Member
    64crayons wrote: »
    Fit4LifeAR wrote: »
    I think at this point I should be more concerned with the amount of caffeine I drink, than whether to count it as water!

    That's something you can decide for yourself. Since you drink the energy stuff for flavor, try checking out other flavored drinks that don't have caffeine, so you have an alternative. You may find that cutting out a high amount of caffeine is a problem, even though you don't "notice" the effect it has on you - precisely because your body is so used to it.

    Oh yeah, I am expecting the worst for exactly that reason. When I was pregnant and could t drink caffeine, I suffered for a good while.
  • 6502programmer
    6502programmer Posts: 515 Member
    320mg of caffeine is nothing to sneeze at, but it's within reason. As long as you have balance, as in plenty of non-caffeinated drinks, you will be just fine!
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    No, not a dumb question. Personally, I'm in the camp that believes any beverages with caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, etc.) do NOT count as water (although multitudes of people here will disagree), but in the case you mentioned, since you mix the powder with water, I'd count those bottles towards your daily goal. Just my $0.02 though and I'm certainly no expert!

    Okay wait. So, having a beverage that is a liquid with H2O mixed with ingredients that may or may not include caffeine to make a flavored beverage, is only okay if you personally add the powdered caffeinated mixture that flavors the water to the water....except when it comes to coffee or tea because even though you personally are steeping the natural product of a plant with water it is not as good as mixing the man made processed artificially flavored powder with the water.....?

    Do you see how little sense your above statement makes?

    It's a liquid, it is made up of mostly water no matter what is suspended in the water. It is still water. It still counts.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    No, not a dumb question. Personally, I'm in the camp that believes any beverages with caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, etc.) do NOT count as water (although multitudes of people here will disagree), but in the case you mentioned, since you mix the powder with water, I'd count those bottles towards your daily goal. Just my $0.02 though and I'm certainly no expert!

    Okay wait. So, having a beverage that is a liquid with H2O mixed with ingredients that may or may not include caffeine to make a flavored beverage, is only okay if you personally add the powdered caffeinated mixture that flavors the water to the water....except when it comes to coffee or tea because even though you personally are steeping the natural product of a plant with water it is not as good as mixing the man made processed artificially flavored powder with the water.....?

    Do you see how little sense your above statement makes?

    It's a liquid, it is made up of mostly water no matter what is suspended in the water. It is still water. It still counts.

    Thank you so much for saving me from having to type this myself.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    At out weight loss clinic, lap band and gastric bypass patients are advise to count any other beverage (crystal light, coffee, diet coke, tea, with or without sugar) as half the amount of water. So my 16oz travel mug of coffee counts as 8oz of water. Milk is the only exception to this rule. Milk is food even though you drink it.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    At out weight loss clinic, lap band and gastric bypass patients are advise to count any other beverage (crystal light, coffee, diet coke, tea, with or without sugar) as half the amount of water. So my 16oz travel mug of coffee counts as 8oz of water. Milk is the only exception to this rule. Milk is food even though you drink it.

    So milk isn't in reality mostly water and won't hydrate you at all? Your body isn't capable of using the water in foods?

    What if it provided nutrients and energy (calories) AND hydration? Because that's what it does.

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/health-tip/art-20048906
This discussion has been closed.

Categories