Do all beverages count towards your water intake?

13

Replies

  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    A drink containing water is frigging water. There is nothing to disagree on.

    Heck, people would disagree on here whether or not the sky was blue. I didn't say it makes sense I was just saying that's why they weren't getting immediate answers LOL.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    LOL K.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    I made a commitment to stop drinking anything that was not either water or coffee - which I now drink black when I started this journey. I drink a ton of water, hopefully I won't have too much of a hard time keeping it up when it gets colder. I don't ever leave my house without a water bottle though that may change when its below freezing outside. For me that makes it easy, though I never though to count my coffee as water (maybe I will if I feel the need) Thankfully I am blessed to live in a country with good tap water so I don't have a problem with the taste (since it has none).
  • mjsunshine16
    mjsunshine16 Posts: 251 Member
    I've always been told caffeine dehydrates and you need to replenish with 8oz of water if you drink 8oz of tea, etc.
  • smithy85
    smithy85 Posts: 104 Member
    NO, water is water.....just drink it....nothing else should be counted really. as tea will de-hydrate you.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    There are no calories in iced tea. :)
    I dont add it to my water intake due to the fact it has some calories. I do add any drinks other than water to my calorie intake though, but I am not sure what is the proper way to add any liquids to your water.. I would ask a nutritionist if they know.. Good luck..

    I personally only count water but I do drink a lot of it daily. I don't see it as a problem as long as it's unsweetened iced tea (the sweetened ones can pack a lot of calories).

    I don't see a problem with counting low cal/no cal drinks though as long as it's not dehydrating and you are still getting enough pure water. Diet pop is counted by some.. the sodium content in it isn't enough to do much (there's less than 100mg per can/glass/serving).
  • kah0201
    kah0201 Posts: 11
    Not sure I saw this question and answer...is your tea caffeinated & sweetened? If so I would not count that. I drink one unsweetened earl grey tea in the morning for the caffeine. I do not count that as water. After that, I drink herbal unsweetened ice tea (no caffeine) or flavored seltzer. I do count those as "water" intake. But I also try to make sure I get the full amount of regular water. I always feel better when properly hydrated! Good Luck!
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    A drink containing water is frigging water. There is nothing to disagree on.

    Everyone acts like drinking a diet coke will dehydrate you the same way quaffing a pint of milk of magnesia will...

    quaffing...lol...I almost spat my water (with added cordial) out!!
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    There are no calories in iced tea. :)
    I dont add it to my water intake due to the fact it has some calories. I do add any drinks other than water to my calorie intake though, but I am not sure what is the proper way to add any liquids to your water.. I would ask a nutritionist if they know.. Good luck..

    I personally only count water but I do drink a lot of it daily. I don't see it as a problem as long as it's unsweetened iced tea (the sweetened ones can pack a lot of calories).

    I don't see a problem with counting low cal/no cal drinks though as long as it's not dehydrating and you are still getting enough pure water. Diet pop is counted by some.. the sodium content in it isn't enough to do much (there's less than 100mg per can/glass/serving).

    The caffeine in tea and coffee is not enough in its diuretic effect to cause enough water to be forced out of you for a negative water balance, no where near.

    The salt in diet drinks is NOWHERE near enough for the Na+/K+-ATPase pump to force enough water out the system for it to be effected.

    Guys, seriously - water in a drink is just that - water.
  • lauralind5
    lauralind5 Posts: 133 Member
    Wellllll, I personally only count water. I drank tea, diet coke (of whichI still drink some) and other things and it contributed to me being overweight.

    Ive also noticed if I dont drink 8+ cups of WATER, in addition to whatever else Im drinking, I dont lose weight, I dont feel hydrated and its certainly not helping my liver metabolize fat.

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I don't track water.

    But really.

    If your pee is clear or very light yellow, you're fine.

    If your pee is dark yellow, drink more water.

    If your pee is cloudy, bloody, and/or burns when it comes out, drink more water and see a doctor.

    If your pee is pink, eat fewer beets.

    If your pee is blue, quit drinking food coloring.
  • pinthin87
    pinthin87 Posts: 296 Member
    I never count anything that is not water as water. With the exception of crystal light and other 0 calorie powdered drink packets. I definitely do not count sodas of any kind, coffee, tea, or even the Gatorade powder I use after a hard workout sometimes. To each's own I just think if it is not hydrating my body it doesn't count as water! Sodas don't quench thirst neither does coffee, teas can quench your thirst but they can also dehydrate you when drinking in excess, and Gatorade is to replenish electrolytes lost when sweating not to quench thirst no matter what the commercials say.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?

    Because you are drinking water! You are talking absolute rubbish. Sorry someone had to say it.
  • lauralind5
    lauralind5 Posts: 133 Member

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?

    Because you are drinking water! You are talking absolute rubbish. Sorry someone had to say it.

    Your body treats a diet soda different than water, not rocket science here.
  • vger11
    vger11 Posts: 248
    I don't count things like diet soda or almond milk to my water count, but I do count anything that I use water to make (Crystal Light , tea, those sorts of things). Hmm, I also don't count coffee...hadn't considered that even though I make it from water. :-)

    same here
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?

    Because you are drinking water! You are talking absolute rubbish. Sorry someone had to say it.

    Your body treats a diet soda different than water, not rocket science here.

    Care to explain in what hormonal or chemical way? Please :)
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    Water intake is not called fluid intake for a reason. All liquid we consume essentially has some water in it.


    Count water as water, if you are counting iced tea as water you may also begin to consume too much "water"


    This is cutting corners imo
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Cutting corners?

    So much folklore here its unbelievable. If soft drinks etc aren't water I happily challenge anyone here to drink 10 litres in 1 hour and tell me they don't die of water poisoning... using the theory here, they will excrete enough water out for the drink not to count.
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?

    Because you are drinking water! You are talking absolute rubbish. Sorry someone had to say it.

    Your body treats a diet soda different than water, not rocket science here.

    Not so much rocket science though but basic physiology and anatomy. The water in the diet soda is treated pretty much the same as water from the tap. Your gut, liver and kidneys are quite capable of separating substances that are ingested at the same time.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Unless you drink a whole lot of it, iced tea is not a diuretic, but even if it was that is why people drink so much water. Drinking more water than your body needs provides a diuretic effect.

    I get most of my liquids in the form of iced tea and it hasn't hurt my weight loss or maintenance one bit. And I'm sure it's done my health good since tea contains antioxidants.

    If you add sugar be sure to track those calories.
  • lauralind5
    lauralind5 Posts: 133 Member

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?

    Because you are drinking water! You are talking absolute rubbish. Sorry someone had to say it.

    Your body treats a diet soda different than water, not rocket science here.

    Care to explain in what hormonal or chemical way? Please :)

    www.google.com I dont have to time post the numerous studies from googling or from PubMed. So keep drinking soda and have a great day !
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
    I only count water because it's, well a water intake ;-)
  • Apocalypse_Meow
    Apocalypse_Meow Posts: 90 Member
    The thing about soda and iced tea is that they dehydrate. just drink water, it's not that freaking hard.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    It really, really hurts my brain to see people repeating things that simply aren't true. There is absolutely no excuse, with the access to information that we have - to believe, repeat, or hammer in things that are just terribly, terribly inaccurate.

    Some subjects are complex, and easy to forgive, because of the amount of wading it takes (hint: don't offer advice on these subjects unless you have waded.)

    Some are simple. Like water. Like the diuretic effect of caffeine.

    " ... caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day." - Source: Mayoclinic.com
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member

    So why would you cheat yourself and not want to drink just water?

    Because you are drinking water! You are talking absolute rubbish. Sorry someone had to say it.

    Your body treats a diet soda different than water, not rocket science here.

    Care to explain in what hormonal or chemical way? Please :)

    www.google.com I dont have to time post the numerous studies from googling or from PubMed. So keep drinking soda and have a great day !

    There isn't any. How does it dehydrate you please? What mechanism?
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    The thing about soda and iced tea is that they dehydrate. just drink water, it's not that freaking hard.

    Same question to you.

    What mechanism?
  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
    I only count water also...

    And drinking diet coke vs. water is cooooommmpletely different!!
  • cheshirechic
    cheshirechic Posts: 489 Member
    I count anything with zero calories-- water, black tea, black coffee.

    ...I wish wine counted. :(
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    I only count water also...

    And drinking diet coke vs. water is cooooommmpletely different!!

    Why are they different?
  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
    Seriously?

    Ok for starters, and this is just the first article that had a summary that I saw ...

    http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/dietsoda.aspx

    "Foremost among these is caffeine. Many of the diet drinks are cola-based or otherwise have caffeine added. It’s part of the mix created by manufacturers to make soft drinks — particularly diet soft drinks — seem more substantial. Yes, it gives you a sugar-like “boost,” or seems to, but that caffeine buzz really isn’t giving your body anything it needs. And the complications of caffeine consumption and addiction are legion, with fatigue, chronic anxiety, insomnia, and worsening symptoms of hormonal imbalance topping the list.

    Additionally, caffeine is a diuretic, so while you may be thinking that a diet soda quenches your thirst and helps keep you hydrated, the opposite is true. Diet soda often contains sodium, which exacerbates thirst, while the caffeine causes you to lose fluid.

    All carbonated sodas also contain calcium-leaching phosphoric acid, and so much acid in your system can tilt your pH balance to an unhealthy level. Healthy detoxification takes place in a slightly alkaline environment. Too much acidity will sabotage the detox process.

    If you think I’m being an alarmist, try this experiment: Fill a glass with soda, diet or regular, and drop a nail into the glass. Watch it over the course of an hour or two. You’ll find that the soda eats away at the nail in a surprisingly short amount of time. Now think of what it can do to living stomach tissue!"

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