water intake - relating to coffee, liquids, salt, etc

carleyfunk

I only log water as water. I really only drink water, non fat milk and some unsweetened ice tea. But I only count water as water. I feel like it's cheating if I would add anything else. It says drink 8 glasses of water. Not tea, soda, soup, juice ect...

MrsLawsonNavyBrat2B

Water is water...I work in healthcare. When I calculate IV fluids & feeding tubes, a portion of the ingredients as H2O, while other parts are of something else. For instance, soup. It certainly counts has a fluid, however you cannot count it towards water due to the fact that if you broke it down, there would be traces of whatever is mixed into the mixture (the solid). Same with soda...phosphates, sodium nitrates, etc. are all a solid form...

Thank you tracey, you said exactly what I meant to say but didn't know how to get out in the beginning of your message. I was waiting for someone with some background in something.

YAY for nurses (well, you sound like a nurse or dr)! THANK YOU for sharing some knowledge :flowerforyou:

SergeantSunshine_reused

I have had about 2 pots of coffee in less than 24 hours. YAY college -.-

I didn't log it, but still had some plain water for something cold. I'm plenty hydrated. And sleepy xD

I was half interested in this thread because I was drinking up to about 4 cups a day and then I stopped and started having a coffee once every few days. Anyway, what prompted the message is that I've been half experimenting and drinking what I consider to be to much water. Anyway, I gotta say I feel absolutely great, and alert! I had one cup of coffee earlier today. It may also have something to do with my diet, I'm not sure.

How much water are you drinking now? You feel better without the coffee?

I'm a little addicted. Love me some coffee keeps me warm and alert. Love the black sludge xD

RodrickF

RodrickF: How do you feel since you switched to tea?

Terri_May - I feel wonderful! The biggest deal is that I've lost what I thought was a permanent situation of acid reflux since I switched to weeks ago. This is a big deal to me as I'm a nuts for spicy foods, and I really pushed the limits lately there, but still no need for the Pepcid!

Other then that though, perfectly normal. I made the switch because I've read that research has proven that green tea does help people lose weight.

HMonsterX

I only log water as water. I really only drink water, non fat milk and some unsweetened ice tea. But I only count water as water. I feel like it's cheating if I would add anything else. It says drink 8 glasses of water. Not tea, soda, soup, juice ect...

Or you could actually research it for yourself, and realise it only says water to make it simple for people to understand. See my earlier "press any key" post.

CoderGal

YAY for nurses (well, you sound like a nurse or dr)! THANK YOU for sharing some knowledge :flowerforyou:

Actually I develop sophisticated navigational software, I guess that's kind of the same. You listen to sick people, I listen to sailors with a sick mind

CoderGal

How much water are you drinking now? You feel better without the coffee?

I'm a little addicted. Love me some coffee keeps me warm and alert. Love the black sludge xD

Recently about 10 glasses a day to experiment. I've been finding that if I have more then that, I start loosing my concentration, and if I just have what I feel like having, I feel tired (which is kind of explained in one of the links in this thread).

I'm still drinking coffee off and on, but at most I'll have a small coffee and I can't drink the full thing anymore (it gets cold). I use to hate it. I remember the first time I contemplated buying one at tim hortons I finally got to the cash and this wide eyed over caffeinated man asked if I wanted coffee with my meal and I immediately replied no lol.

I feel significantly, noticeably better and more alert without as much coffee.

keyer23

I only log water as water. I don't understand why people log their other liquids as water...If it said "Fluid Intake" then okay, but since it doesn't...
Also, when I have a lot of sodium in a day I always drink a bunch of extra water to flush out the excess.

Exactly...if they wan't you to log fluid intake, they would call it fluid intake. Geesh!

traceymonroe

Exactly, it needs to be just water. And if you add anything that when such as carrot it now contains a "solid" substance. The whole idea is to drink water in it's natural form mainly b/c it will aids the bowels, on top of other things. I know it's difficult for some b/c not everyone cares for water...drinking it ice cold helps. I've had others who drink plain hot water instead. Either way about it it's 8 cups. That is not very much to say the least. So just add a cup of water with any other additional drink at every meal, then drink water between meals. Before you drink your coffee in the morning, gulp down a cup of water 1st. It is a wonderful thing you can do for your body! I would advise againist counting other fluids as water b/c it just is simply not the same.

CoderGal

RodrickF: How do you feel since you switched to tea?

Terri_May - I feel wonderful! The biggest deal is that I've lost what I thought was a permanent situation of acid reflux since I switched to weeks ago. This is a big deal to me as I'm a nuts for spicy foods, and I really pushed the limits lately there, but still no need for the Pepcid!

Other then that though, perfectly normal. I made the switch because I've read that research has proven that green tea does help people lose weight.

See! That's the kind of replies I was hoping for. That's great, I also absolutely love spicy foods. I've been contemplating cutting it out for good, but it's a habit. To get a break some people grab a smoke, I grab a coffee.

Have you found a difference in weight loss? I knew a few girls who swore by the one a day vitamin pills with green tea in them (weight smart I believe it's called). I found that when I really grilled people who've lost weight using them, it's been around the same time they've changed their diet and started exercising so you can't really tell.

RodrickF

What I want to know from the only-water-is-counted-as-water folks is what practical difference it makes? I haven't seen the prediction for my projected weight loss go up or down based on whatever I put in so I would like to know what MFP is doing with those entries. That is, other than as just a reminder that most of us should drink more water.

killagb

What I want to know from the only-water-is-counted-as-water folks is what practical difference it makes? I haven't seen the prediction for my projected weight loss go up or down based on whatever I put in so I would like to know what MFP is doing with those entries. That is, other than as just a reminder that most of us should drink more water.

It's just what you said. A reminder. Nothing more.

CoderGal

Exactly, it needs to be just water. And if you add anything that when such as carrot it now contains a "solid" substance.

If it's insoluble I still count the water. I'd add a carrot and a water :P If there's a chemical reaction and the solution turns homogeneous I don't :P

killagb

Exactly, it needs to be just water. And if you add anything that when such as carrot it now contains a "solid" substance. The whole idea is to drink water in it's natural form mainly b/c it will aids the bowels, on top of other things. I know it's difficult for some b/c not everyone cares for water...drinking it ice cold helps. I've had others who drink plain hot water instead. Either way about it it's 8 cups. That is not very much to say the least. So just add a cup of water with any other additional drink at every meal, then drink water between meals. Before you drink your coffee in the morning, gulp down a cup of water 1st. It is a wonderful thing you can do for your body! I would advise againist counting other fluids as water b/c it just is simply not the same.

Wait...let me get this right; you don't think your body uses the water content in solid foods to remain hydrated?

CoderGal

What I want to know from the only-water-is-counted-as-water folks is what practical difference it makes? I haven't seen the prediction for my projected weight loss go up or down based on whatever I put in so I would like to know what MFP is doing with those entries. That is, other than as just a reminder that most of us should drink more water.

Personally I don't think the 8 glass glass should be on the site. People are different, people have different activity levels, people eat different amounts of salt, people eat at different times of the day. It's no good if you eat salty food for 23 hrs without liquid and then decide to scarf down 8 large glasses of water all at once. I guess the reason it's there is as a reminder that water's important. And if the rules to complicated for the general public to understand, people will have angry pee conversations, and perform experiments on themselves.

traceymonroe

Hey, no problem. It is complicated for some to understand and without the proper background I wouldn't expect different. I work in the field of dietetics. There is always some new statistic or study on something in this field. Many times it's not been researched or approved by the ADA. Before you know it, most everyone is an "expert" in the field of dietetics...just from inaccurate information found over the internet. One day coffee is good for you (lastest news it protects against type II diabetes) then the American Heart Association comes out and tells you it's bad....and eggs...they use to be bad b/c of the high cholestrol, now they are saying different. Studies are always being done and the field of dietetics is always evolving. The one thing I don't think will ever change is that water is very good for you, and yes we mostly made of that water. So why not flush that water in our body with pure water that our livers don't have to worry about breaking down the different additives (solids, and not to forget to eliminate artificial sweetners).

killagb

What I want to know from the only-water-is-counted-as-water folks is what practical difference it makes? I haven't seen the prediction for my projected weight loss go up or down based on whatever I put in so I would like to know what MFP is doing with those entries. That is, other than as just a reminder that most of us should drink more water.

Personally I don't think the 8 glass glass should be on the site. People are different, people have different activity levels, people eat different amounts of salt, people eat at different times of the day. It's no good if you eat salty food for 23 hrs without liquid and then decide to scarf down 8 large glasses of water all at once. I guess the reason it's there is as a reminder that water's important. And if the rules to complicated for the general public to understand, people will have angry pee conversations, and perform experiments on themselves.

rofl....angry pee convos :laugh:

SassyCalyGirl

So Coffee is very dehydrating, and many of us drink coffee. After reading a post a while ago (I can't remember which one) I thought it was kind of ironic that some people are logging a dehydrating drink like coffee under their daily water intake. I've also noticed that people seem to log juices and soups.

Coffee is NOT dehydrating, so we log it as fluid intake because it is. Same for juices and soups too. Can you show me some research that says they are dehydrating?

You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/


As for coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo



Our body doesnt need NEAT water, just water. Whatever we drink or eat that has water content, our body extracts it.

when is says "Daily WATER intake" It means just that. Water. Not fluids. It 's pretty basic!

killagb

Hey, no problem. It is complicated for some to understand and without the proper background I wouldn't expect different. I work in the field of dietetics. There is always some new statistic or study on something in this field. Many times it's not been researched or approved by the ADA. Before you know it, most everyone is an "expert" in the field of dietetics...just from inaccurate information found over the internet. One day coffee is good for you (lastest news it protects against type II diabetes) then the American Heart Association comes out and tells you it's bad....and eggs...they use to be bad b/c of the high cholestrol, now they are saying different. Studies are always being done and the field of dietetics is always evolving. The one thing I don't think will ever change is that water is very good for you, and yes we mostly made of that water. So why not flush that water in our body with pure water that our livers don't have to worry about breaking down the different additives (solids, and not to forget to eliminate artificial sweetners).

Water is almost never pure(are you distilling your water or something?) and your liver DOES need to filter out the impurities.

h0m36r0wn

I log water and tea as water - all other liquids get logged with meals.
Drink water like it's your job!!

killagb

when is says "Daily WATER intake" It means just that. Water. Not fluids. It 's pretty basic!

You could have at least READ what he posted before making an obtuse statement like this.

RodrickF

RodrickF: How do you feel since you switched to tea?

Terri_May - I feel wonderful! The biggest deal is that I've lost what I thought was a permanent situation of acid reflux since I switched to weeks ago. This is a big deal to me as I'm a nuts for spicy foods, and I really pushed the limits lately there, but still no need for the Pepcid!

Other then that though, perfectly normal. I made the switch because I've read that research has proven that green tea does help people lose weight.

See! That's the kind of replies I was hoping for. That's great, I also absolutely love spicy foods. I've been contemplating cutting it out for good, but it's a habit. To get a break some people grab a smoke, I grab a coffee.

Have you found a difference in weight loss? I knew a few girls who swore by the one a day vitamin pills with green tea in them (weight smart I believe it's called). I found that when I really grilled people who've lost weight using them, it's been around the same time they've changed their diet and started exercising so you can't really tell.

Terri_May - Honestly, I just started in my company's biggest loser contest two weeks ago. Green tea replacing my coffee was just added into the mix since I'm adding anything into my diet that research has positively shown to help speed up the metabolic rate or otherwise help you lose weight. Included in my diet are lots of water "rich" foods like grapefruit and fruit smoothies made from skim milk. So, I have no idea whether or not it's helping, since it's really only replacing those last two pots of cofee. I do feel more energy from the tea although it has less caffeine. I'm somebody so out of condition that I could have a cup of black coffee right before bed. I can't do that with green tea, it has other energy producing compounds that will keep me awake and alert.

One piece of research that surprised me is that fats really don't provide anywhere near the satiety that water, fiber and protein rich foods do (look up satiety index). So just by adjusting my diet to include those, I've been honestly able to get myself down to less that 1400 calories a day without every really getting hungry. That's saying something since I'm 6' 3"!

HMonsterX

Our body doesnt need NEAT water, just water. Whatever we drink or eat that has water content, our body extracts it.

when is says "Daily WATER intake" It means just that. Water. Not fluids. It 's pretty basic!

And yet it seems not basic enough for some people.

It says water in the same way computers used to say "press any key", and people couldnt find the "any" key, so they changed it to "press a key", as some people needed it simplifying.

You dont think FLUIDS have WATER in them, making up 99% of it?

PeaceLoveVeggies

I log the actual water I drink. I do not include any other form of liquid! Just the good old water itself :0)

This.

CoderGal

Hey, no problem. It is complicated for some to understand and without the proper background I wouldn't expect different. I work in the field of dietetics. There is always some new statistic or study on something in this field. Many times it's not been researched or approved by the ADA. Before you know it, most everyone is an "expert" in the field of dietetics...just from inaccurate information found over the internet. One day coffee is good for you (lastest news it protects against type II diabetes) then the American Heart Association comes out and tells you it's bad....and eggs...they use to be bad b/c of the high cholestrol, now they are saying different. Studies are always being done and the field of dietetics is always evolving. The one thing I don't think will ever change is that water is very good for you, and yes we mostly made of that water. So why not flush that water in our body with pure water that our livers don't have to worry about breaking down the different additives (solids, and not to forget to eliminate artificial sweetners).

I really hate it when people start claiming 'the truth' like it's the be all and end all. I didn't answer several comments towards me because the answer was to complicated for me to touch and boils down to the answer changes.

The worst part is it's hard to figure out where one should get their information and who approves what and to what standard.

there's good and bad things to everything, scientists just need something to spend money on :P

I'm hoping to get to the point where there's a group that's known for truly understanding how things work. I have a leopard gecko and was interested in their diet, and was sad to find that not much was known about them (and was extra worried about keeping her healthy since she had an eye defect). then I had a friend come to me telling me her health problems and how she's changed her diet because the doctor couldn't figure it out and how nutritionists are so impossible to get here. It took her 2 years of stress and ovarian cysts later to get a nutritionist who is trying to figure out her stomach problems. Then I thought hey better wait for people to figure out people before I start expecting them to figure out animals.

SassyCalyGirl

when is says "Daily WATER intake" It means just that. Water. Not fluids. It 's pretty basic!

You could have at least READ what he posted before making an obtuse statement like this.

Duct Tape-Priceless!

traceymonroe

No, any fluids and most all food contains water. With that said, if you eat watermelon or lettuce for instance, are you going to log a portion of this under "water" or under your food intake? Just saying....I understand your thought process, however I think the idea is to get plenty of water to drink and to each their own.

Lorie66

I log water and black coffee as water... my urine runs nearly clear so I know im not dehydrated from coffee...2-3 cups of coffee.a day. "Coffee as water, trusted by hospitals" :bigsmile:

traceymonroe

Yes, exactly. My comment is mainly for those who are counting soda, juices (high in sugars), or caffiene drinks as water. Not to get all technical....I am certainly aware of the whole process.

erxkeel

LOL...

Well some people have different opinions on that subject it seems. Let them drink their water in forms of coffee and soups. It's their muscles that will not recoup, not mine!