Can I count my Diet Coke that I drank as one of the glasses of water

SweetNina81

We were out and about today and then went to the movies with the kids, didn't have popcorn since it's sweet popcorn ( which means I would just put on a lot of calories of non food) and didn't feel like water I wanted something different. So I got a Diet Coke? Now can I count it as part of my water consumption but still log it in the food section for sake of sodium and stuff

KorvapuustiPossu

Water consumption is more in the lines of 'liquid' consumption...so soda or tea or coffee count as well.

Nicklebee93

No don't log it as water -- as it's not. Put it as a regular food and get the correct amount of nutritional value. Nothing wrong with giving yourself a treat, but certainly make sure you log it correctly.

janejellyroll

n1cholee93 wrote: »

No don't log it as water -- as it's not. Put it as a regular food and get the correct amount of nutritional value. Nothing wrong with giving yourself a treat, but certainly make sure you log it correctly.

Diet Coke has water as a main ingredient and it helps meet hydration needs -- which is the point of tracking water. It has virtually no nutritional value (other than a bit of sodium). There's no point in logging it -- it isn't going to contribute to the daily calories or macro/micronutrient goals.

Not saying people can't log it if they want to, but there's no impact to weight loss if it isn't logged "correctly." It's a zero calorie item.

KorvapuustiPossu

n1cholee93 wrote: »

No don't log it as water -- as it's not. Put it as a regular food and get the correct amount of nutritional value. Nothing wrong with giving yourself a treat, but certainly make sure you log it correctly.

I think you misunderstood...she said she will put it in diary, but was asking about that water cups you add at the bottom that is used for counting how much are you drinking - a lot of people don't use this option at all. Especially if they drink plenty. It's mostly for some people like me that forget to drink all day to remind us

Nicklebee93

KorvapuustiPossu wrote: »

n1cholee93 wrote: »

No don't log it as water -- as it's not. Put it as a regular food and get the correct amount of nutritional value. Nothing wrong with giving yourself a treat, but certainly make sure you log it correctly.

I think you misunderstood...she said she will put it in diary, but was asking about that water cups you add at the bottom that is used for counting how much are you drinking - a lot of people don't use this option at all. Especially if they drink plenty. It's mostly for some people like me that forget to drink all day to remind us

Ahh okay. Yeah i don't use that.. But diet coke has calories, no? I don't know, i log everything. You think "well this wont effect it too much..." and you do that a hand full of times throughout the day, or even week, and it all adds up.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

Do whatever works for you, as long as you are consistent. Personally, I don't track water at all. I do (usually) track diet soda since I'm trying to keep track of sodium and at one time was trying to track caffeinated sodas to try to cut back. There was a time when I did not track diet soda and drank a whole lot of it.

Mentali

n1cholee93 wrote: »

KorvapuustiPossu wrote: »

n1cholee93 wrote: »

No don't log it as water -- as it's not. Put it as a regular food and get the correct amount of nutritional value. Nothing wrong with giving yourself a treat, but certainly make sure you log it correctly.

I think you misunderstood...she said she will put it in diary, but was asking about that water cups you add at the bottom that is used for counting how much are you drinking - a lot of people don't use this option at all. Especially if they drink plenty. It's mostly for some people like me that forget to drink all day to remind us

Ahh okay. Yeah i don't use that.. But diet coke has calories, no? I don't know, i log everything. You think "well this wont effect it too much..." and you do that a hand full of times throughout the day, or even week, and it all adds up.

It does not.

briscogun

I don't log sodas, but I log my coffee as a glass of water and even my protein powder that I mix in a huge glass of water. I put all that down in the "water bucket" so to speak. I don't log my beer in there, but I wouldn't have a problem with logging sodas down in the water tracker. It is mostly water after all (about 12 ounces of it, even!). I guess I just figure if it has a barcode for scanning on it, it isn't something I track in the water tracker. If I make it with water, I do.

Personal preference. Your mileage may vary. See official rules for eligibility. Void in Puerto Rico and Nebraska.

SweetNina81

I'll definately put it in the diary to be in the safe side and will try to drink water like there's no tomorrow

janejellyroll

SweetNina81 wrote: »

I'll definately put it in the diary to be in the safe side and will try to drink water like there's no tomorrow

I'm not sure why you would need to drink extra water (unless you're thirsty). Drinking some diet soda doesn't require one to consume more water.

sijomial

If you feel the need to log water/fluid then including zero (or virtually zero) calorie drinks is fine.

perkymommy

I wouldn't. Water consumption is needed during weight loss and the water tracking is for water only. Soda of any kind is not nutritional at all.

Mentali

perkymommy wrote: »

I wouldn't. Water consumption is needed during weight loss and the water tracking is for water only. Soda of any kind is not nutritional at all.

This confuses me a little bit - water is nutritional because it is water. Diet Coke is 99% water. You are consuming water when you consume soda.

karenoneill94

Diet coke has no calories but it does have sodium. I would put it in as a regular food in case I need to look at my sodium intake more carefully (you would be surprised by what you find when you run reports on nutrition, especially when your weight gets "stuck.") That being said, a drink with sodium isn't exactly water, even if it contain a lot; it also contains a lot of bad stuff not tracked here, like phosphorus and artificial sweetener. Diet soda is "junk food" and you should be drinking water to help flush your body of the icky chemicals.

perkymommy

Mentali wrote: »

perkymommy wrote: »

I wouldn't. Water consumption is needed during weight loss and the water tracking is for water only. Soda of any kind is not nutritional at all.

This confuses me a little bit - water is nutritional because it is water. Diet Coke is 99% water. You are consuming water when you consume soda.

Soda isn't the same as water. I do weight watchers and track water there. Water is water.

janejellyroll

perkymommy wrote: »

I wouldn't. Water consumption is needed during weight loss and the water tracking is for water only. Soda of any kind is not nutritional at all.

Water has no nutritional value. It's good for you because it keeps you hydrated. Which foods and other drinks -- including diet soda -- can also do.

dolliesdaughter

Not that it matters to me any more, since I gave up soda, and the like. I didn't count diet soda's as water when i drank them. Same as I didn't count Crystal Light or those other chemical water "changers" as water. Water is water. Oh I do count real lemon\lime (fruit) squeezed into water as water.

sijomial

Icky chemicals? Like the ones in high quality mineral water perhaps?
Calcium, Sulfates, Magnesium, Potassium, Bicarbonates, Silica, Chlorides.

Plus oxygen and hydrogen of course, hydrogen is really dangerous!

perkymommy

karenoneill94 wrote: »

Diet coke has no calories but it does have sodium. I would put it in as a regular food in case I need to look at my sodium intake more carefully (you would be surprised by what you find when you run reports on nutrition, especially when your weight gets "stuck.") That being said, a drink with sodium isn't exactly water, even if it contain a lot; it also contains a lot of bad stuff not tracked here, like phosphorus and artificial sweetener. Diet soda is "junk food" and you should be drinking water to help flush your body of the icky chemicals.

This.

Soda also bloats most people out. I drink one eight ounce diet Pepsi each day and put it in my food diary along with my meals. It bloats me out something awful.

Beaner63

sijomial wrote:

Icky chemicals? Like the ones in high quality mineral water perhaps?
Calcium, Sulfates, Magnesium, Potassium, Bicarbonates, Silica, Chlorides.

Plus oxygen and hydrogen of course, hydrogen is really dangerous! "

You could blow up! Haven't you ever seen the Hindenberg?

MzManiak

Lol Some of you crack me up... you realize bottled water also has some sodium in it, right?

klund13

Drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper as I read this.

zyxst

I would not track it with the water cup, unless you use that for everything you drink, but I would put it in the food diary for the other things it has (sodium, sugar, etc.). Diet Coke counts towards your hydration.

I drink diet A&W root beer and diet Mountain Dew and I log them as food.

Ready2Rock206

People like to make things to complicated. The water tracking feature is to make sure you stay adequately hydrated. Diet coke hydrates you just as water does. Go ahead and track it.

Nuke_64

OP, it depends on why you are tracking water. There is a myth that water is needed for weight loss. Water is needed for life but not directly for weight loss. That being said, water can give you sense of fullness. Drinking some through out the day may help with hunger. Also, water and adequate fiber keep the pipes working.

I don't track water, artificially sweetened drinks nor do I log them in my diary.

mitch16

Although Diet Coke or coffee or tea are 99% water, I log them in the food diary section and not as glasses of water at the bottom--I only log plain old water there... And while drinking water is important to hydration status, many of the foods we eat contain plenty of water, too--I don't track that as glasses of water, either. But to each her own!

karenoneill94

Bottled water tastes like plastic, so I don't drink it myself :-) That's because the plasticizers that keep the plastic pliable leach out into the water (I'm an engineer and studied plastics - plus nursed a cancer/bone marrow transplant patient back to health). Studies on water quality show that the cleanest water is filtered tap (as long as your municipality doesn't add anything to it), followed by filtered bottled waters like Nestle Pure Life and a couple of other common brands. Brita is one of the best filters, best used on your sink. There are some nice quality alternatives to plastic drinking containers, but if you like the convenience of plastic, in general, the less soft the plastic is the less leachates they are going to have in them to transfer to your drink. If you use one of the Brita pitchers, they tend to collect molds and bacteria unless cleaned frequently and meticulously. The expensive bottled waters (like Fiji) and ultra cheap store brands are very polluted. My husband and one of his friends have gotten themselves into some serious medical problems by a couple of decades of drinking lots of soda (diet and non-diet, 2 liters per day!), and are pretty convinced it's just not good for your body and not a good substitute for some decent-quality water. But of course, everything in moderation and one can of diet Coke a couple times a week isn't going to kill anyone - it's just not likely to do you much good, either.

SweetNina81

well I am tracking water coz to be honest before MFP I would probably go the whole day with just a cup of water thats all and end up after a while with dry eyes (smack in the face sign of dehydration) so I am trying to keep myself on track to a healthier me not only lose weight (though yeah I need to lose 100 LB, never thought I would reach this point in a million years, but it happened the good thing is I am doing something about it instead of whining as usual)

saylorkw

Beverages such as diet soda are composed primarily of water, they do count towards your daily water requirement. However, you must take into consideration diet soda additives such as sodium and caffeine may actually remove water from your body. Because of this, it's crucial that you avoid relying solely on diet soda to meet your daily recommended water intake.

jlvgriffin

Despite diet soda being mostly water, caffeine with cause a slight diuretic effect with if consumed in large quantities or if you already have fluid balance issues, can cause or exacerbate fluid imbalances. I don't count soda as water, but unless you are drinking a lot of caffeine, I don't see a reason that you can't count it.