Drinking ALL that water.....

MissEm915

Hello. I know it will make loads of a difference if I drink the amount of water that is suggested, the 8 glasses. I am having a hard time doing that. Is it acceptable to count things such as ice tea, crystal light, and other drinks that don't have all the calories and are pretty much flavored water? If I shouldn't do that, does anybody have another suggestion? Thanks for looking.

MissEm915

Hello. I know it will make loads of a difference if I drink the amount of water that is suggested, the 8 glasses. I am having a hard time doing that. Is it acceptable to count things such as ice tea, crystal light, and other drinks that don't have all the calories and are pretty much flavored water? If I shouldn't do that, does anybody have another suggestion? Thanks for looking.

tiretread

I'm sure you'll get varied responses on this but I count them as water. I drink between 12-15 8oz glasses of water a day (deployed to a desert environment so it's pretty easy).

A dietician I spoke with says that it's okay to count one non-water drink as water (such as a coffee or diet soda). But she cautioned on using other drinks as water as people tend to justify their six or seven sodas as water.

alf1163

This is just my opinion since I am no expert in nutrition or anything like that...I think it would be ok to count flavored drinks such as diet soda, crystal light etc as long as they don't have a lot of sugar because that is not going to help you with your weight loss efforts. I am not so sure about coffee because it is a diuretic and it will actually take away some of the water intake. I only count it when I drink water and nothing else. I do drink a lot of water, on average 112oz if not more. I am so used to it. And of course I exercise and drink a lot of coffee so I feel I really need that much water. :drinker:

rheston

Everyone is right on. Something that you may not know is that the 8 glasses of "water" each day is just a rule of thumb introduced in the 1940's and hasn't been updated. Everyone should drink enough liquid each day to both keep them hydrated but also to help the body flush itself of any impurities. What you count toward that hydration level is up to you and how much you take in is also something that you should measure based on your body's demands.

krazykayzy

Everyone is right on. Something that you may not know is that the 8 glasses of "water" each day is just a rule of thumb introduced in the 1940's and hasn't been updated.

Actually I think it was updated (and nobody seems to know about it) to be based on your body weight. Each person should drink half their body weight in ounces. IE: a 160 lb person should drink 80 oz of water per day (or 10 8 oz glasses) a 200 lb person should drink 100 oz (or 12.5 8 oz glasses) and a 120 lb person should drink 60 oz (or not quite 8 8oz glasses)

These are the numbers I go by. Now....I haven't finished researching this yet but I will because I don't want to post something that's not true. However I've come across this calculation a couple of times, and I think it makes sense.

Patwin55

Remember that an 8 ounce glass is only one cup. Most glasses hold more than one cup of water. And, yes, it is possible to drink too much water ( or liquid.) I count Crystal Light as water, but I don't count carbonated soda in my water intake.

catlover

I also have heard a lot of conversation about amount of water, and I go with the half of your body weight. Personally, I only count the water. I have one cup of coffee each morning, I don't drink juices or sodas or alcoholic beverages or milk or any other liquid you could think of. Because I don't like them. I also don't like any flavored waters, so this is easier for me to do than others. I think people should count the water if it is flavored and no calorie. And it does mean, an 8 ounce cup. There's lots of way to do that. I have a set of glasses that do hold 16 ounces, I measured them with a measuring cup. I drink one glass with breakfast, one with lunch, one with dinner. Then I drink one before I exercise and one after, and I have one near me while I'm exercising and I usually drink it. That's 96 ounces, well over half my body weight. But it's what my body asks for. I've heard of every tip in the book to get adequate intake. What you need to know is that if you are not used to drinking at that level, it will take a while to make the adjustment. You might have a 64 ounce pitcher at your house, if not, you can get one cheap, fill it up in the morning, and commit to drinking it each day, whether you drink it plain or use it for tea or add a little crystal light.

songbyrdsweet

I only count water. If something has caffeine, it acts as a diuretic and dehydrates you. If something has artificial sweeteners and dyes, those have to be filtered and excreted. During my workout, I refill my bottle as soon as it is empty (usually 3-4 times) and during the day I drink until my urine is clear. I'm not saying I don't have flavored drinks, because water does get boring at times, but only water is water...everything else is water+stuff.

laurajoyk

I only count water. If something has caffeine, it acts as a diuretic and dehydrates you. If something has artificial sweeteners and dyes, those have to be filtered and excreted. During my workout, I refill my bottle as soon as it is empty (usually 3-4 times) and during the day I drink until my urine is clear. I'm not saying I don't have flavored drinks, because water does get boring at times, but only water is water...everything else is water+stuff.

I think that she is right on. Anything with Caffeine or carbonation is going to dehydrate you.

I carry a huge water bottle with me wherever I go, and most of the time I end up drinking more like 12 cups of water instead or just the 8 since I always have my water bottle handy. If you don't like drinking plain water, try adding a little lemon juice in there to flavor it a little bit. That helps me.

rem1979

Me personally, only count water but then again, that's all I drink except for a Coke Zero for dinner and I bring tea or coffee in the morning when I am at work which I sip throughout the day.

I find it gets easier as you go along with drinking more water. I am at the point now that if I don't get water for over an hour, I feel icky. Just always keep a bottle with you and you will find you will drink lots of water. I never leave home without one.

alf1163

Hmm...so if I follow the new guidelines I should be drinking 67.5oz and so far I've had 96oz. And I know I am going to drink more water throughout the day before I go to bed...and I have not even exercised yet...I do drink a lot of coffee, my total today 5 cups. Should I then subtract that from my water total since drinking that much coffee takes away from the water I am drinking? Oh, and before you say anything, I do not count coffee or any other drinks in my water tracker. I DO drink that much water!!

catlover

I think the half your body weight is the minimum, what you take in should be influenced by activity level, exercise, weather, etc. My absolute minimum is 10 x 8 ounce and now that my workouts are more intense, it's usually 14 to 16 x 8 ounce.

When I did child care at home, during the summers, I tried to locate a minimum for children, thinking they would drown with 64 ounces of water as a 20 pound toddler, especially since I had to provide a certain amount of milk each day, although babies can generally take that much in fluid and not be adversely effected. Do you know, not one office, including the USDA could give me an answer??

kbglazier

I don't count anything but water, and I try to limit my crystal light or other flavored waters. The way that I got through the whole water thing was buying one of those big jugs (you can get at CVS or Walgreens or Walmart). It holds 74 ounces and I fill it in the morning, drink it all day while at work with the goal being finish before work is over, plus I usually drink a 28 oz bottle during my morning workout. This gives me 102 oz for the day. Then anything I drink at night with dinner is like a bonus.

MissEm915

Thanks for all the awesome responses. This website is such a great resource!!!