What counts as water?

13

Replies

  • omgiacobbi
    omgiacobbi Posts: 88 Member
    Someone else already said it, so I'm just repeating this, but:

    You need to be consuming at LEAST 64 ounces of plain water a day, ON TOP of any other drinks you consume. This is coming from TWO different medical weight loss clinics I have been to, which are doctor and nutritionist monitored, and they specialize in helping obese people lead healthier lives. Tea, juice, pop, crystal light, etc, etc, etc, are nice extras, but they don't count towards your water intake. Anyone who says differently is looking for a way around drinking 64 ounces of plain water a day.

    People always freak out and say "OMG I hate water how am I going to fit in 64oz of it?! askdjf;k!" But realistically, it isn't that much.. a standard, plastic water bottle is normally (at the least) 16.9 ounces. BOOM. two glasses with one bottle. Which means you only need to drink 4 bottles of water a day, and BONUS, you're getting 3.6 extra ounces in that way.


    Quit looking for an excuse and just drink the water. Your body needs it.
  • Redtango76
    Redtango76 Posts: 144
    From my naturopath... Water counts as water...coffee and tea are considered negative water because the have diuretic affects. When you consume them you actually need to drink more to counter the affects. Milk doesn't count . Juice may count as a fluid however you are adding unneeded calories and it is better to comsume the actual fruit for nutrients and fiber than drink juice especially if it's not 100%. My naturopath told me to avoid juices and said if I want flavor in my water to add lemon or fresh berries nothing else.
  • MelissaAnn1983
    MelissaAnn1983 Posts: 149 Member
    If you are counting things like tea and water then you need to count that piece of meat, watermelon, celery, and bread. Almost everything goes towards your water intake. When they say to drink 8 - 10 8oz of water a day they mean clear plain water on top of your normal intake i.e food. Suck down a liter before breakfast and it will get easier to get over your daily intake. Work out and make sure to up your intake.
  • Redtango76
    Redtango76 Posts: 144
    I count my green tea and water as water. *shrugs*

    Green tea has caffeine ...caffeine is a diuretic . It's a negative water.
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    I count my green tea and water as water. *shrugs*

    Green tea has caffeine ...caffeine is a diuretic . It's a negative water.

    Not to be argumentative, but this is generally no longer considered to be accurate. It seems this used to be considered standard nutritional knowledge, but recent studies have suggested it is not correct. Nutritionists that keep current will now express, as has been expressed elsewhere in this thread, that most fluids you ingest, including those with caffeine, will contribute to your daily needs. As for Caffeine - some research it seems suggests there may be diuretic effects if the quantity consumed is very significant in a day and it appears early research may have incorporated effects on those who typically did not ingest caffeine instead of those who typically did and "are used to it"...


    one study demonstrating these results... (I know one is not conclusive, but I'm not searching and posting dozens...)


    The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration.
    Grandjean AC, Reimers KJ, Bannick KE, Haven MC.
    Source

    The Center for Human Nutrition, Omaha 68105, USA. agrandjean@unmc.edu
    Abstract
    ......
    CONCLUSIONS:

    This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study.

    .......

    hope this helps..
  • DaGrinch
    DaGrinch Posts: 11 Member
    You really should be drinking WATER...

    Pure, clean, unadulterated water...

    Exactly
  • I count my green tea and water as water. *shrugs*

    Green tea has caffeine ...caffeine is a diuretic . It's a negative water.

    Not to be argumentative, but this is generally no longer considered to be accurate. It seems this used to be considered standard nutritional knowledge, but recent studies have suggested it is not correct. Nutritionists that keep current will now express, as has been expressed elsewhere in this thread, that most fluids you ingest, including those with caffeine, will contribute to your daily needs. As for Caffeine - some research it seems suggests there may be diuretic effects if the quantity consumed is very significant in a day and it appears early research may have incorporated effects on those who typically did not ingest caffeine instead of those who typically did and "are used to it"...


    one study demonstrating these results... (I know one is not conclusive, but I'm not searching and posting dozens...)


    The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration.
    Grandjean AC, Reimers KJ, Bannick KE, Haven MC.
    Source

    The Center for Human Nutrition, Omaha 68105, USA. agrandjean@unmc.edu
    Abstract
    ......
    CONCLUSIONS:

    This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study.

    .......

    hope this helps..

    This does help, and goes along with another post by a young lady who is a nurse. Thanks!
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    If you are counting things like tea and water then you need to count that piece of meat, watermelon, celery, and bread. Almost everything goes towards your water intake. When they say to drink 8 - 10 8oz of water a day they mean clear plain water on top of your normal intake i.e food. Suck down a liter before breakfast and it will get easier to get over your daily intake. Work out and make sure to up your intake.

    No they don't. They mean you need 8-10 8 oz. glasses of fluid per day and some of that fluid comes from food. You don't need to drink 8-10 8 oz. glasses of clear water per day, unless you're actually thirsty for it. It's overkill.
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    Your Dr. was correct.

    You can count it, even if it's tea, coffee, soda or whatever. A lot of people hate sweeteners on here, so they'll tell you that it doesn't count, but it does. Also, the diuretic effect of caffeine does not exceed the hydrating properties of water, so soda DOES count. It's just that people on this particular forum don't LIKE them, lol

    Both my Dr. and Nutritionist have me log things that I drink, as water...well..not the booze :P


    Enjoy :)
  • Melissaol
    Melissaol Posts: 948 Member
    Coffee I count as its self. But water I count as water even if I put flavoring in it.
  • Coffee and tea have caffeine in them.. so since caffeine is a natural diuretic (flushes water out) I would not technically classify it as water unless you want to become a prune lol. Water, and adding flavor packets, count as water, hope this helps! :)
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    I only count water as water LOL
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Water.
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
    I've spent years not drinking any water as water. Tea, lemonade, soda, lettuce and tomato, juices I all did drink. And I'm still alive, guess I got enough water for my system to operate. Even counting everything I'd not get close to 8 cups a day, think more along the lines of 4 to 5.

    Really you're body is a lot better equipped to deal with everything you throw in it than you might think.

    So just get enough fluids and you'll be fine.
  • koen612
    koen612 Posts: 83
    Water is counted as water! Coffee is a diuretic , soda dehydrates you, and regardless just drink a lot of water! Water is great for you i cant understand why people avoid the clean readily available water we have at our disposal constantly. Lot of places on this earth don't even have it as sweet as we do.
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
    This is my rule of thumb, the only thing that counts as water is water. If you want to drink other drinks, that's cool, I do too. But don't count them as your water, just drink more water.


    ^ :happy: This is what I do...
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    Mayo clinic says that any water-based beverage counts as water.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/

    Lots of people on here will claim they know more than the Mayo Clinic, but they don't. Period.
  • The problem with counting tea, coffee, etc as water is that they have caffeine... Caffeine is a diuretic, so it actually depletes your body of water. Water is water. I add in the others to my meals.
  • AmberJslimsAWAY
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,339 Member
    Water... water counts as water...
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    water counts as water, that and honey, lemon juice, and cabbage essence
  • ande2994
    ande2994 Posts: 136
    Unless you're eating a cactus, nearly everything has some water in it. It doesn't mean it counts as water. Caffeine dehydrates you, so even though it's made with water, it's having the opposite effect.

    MyFitnessPal is only as good as the data you put in. If you want to cheat yourself, go ahead and call all of your beverages water, just don't get upset when you don't get the results you're expecting...
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
    Your mom counts as water.
  • Berto0391
    Berto0391 Posts: 273 Member
    I only count regular water...flavored water as water....though I would count tea because isn't tea just flavored water with herbs?
  • Lyra89
    Lyra89 Posts: 674 Member
    As far as I can understand it, we're advised to drink 8 glasses of PLAIN water on top of anything else we consume, even though tea etc is made from water. Also, coffee acts as a diuretic, so for every cup of coffee you drink, you must drink the same amount in water on top of the 8 glasses.

    That is one hell of a lot of pissing! Haha...hence why I rarely drink coffee.
  • homerjspartan
    homerjspartan Posts: 1,893 Member
    I once had a Doctor tell me that if it was made with water then it counts as water. So... I would like to know if others count coffee, tea, etc as water?

    Everything but milk and alcohol counts toward your daily required fluid intake.
    Milk, seriously?

    Wow. Someone needs a hug or an ata'boy or some sort of positive reinforcement in their life. 3 posts within 1 minute to different people being a complete smart-*kitten* for no reason. Someone tinkle in your Cheerios today?

    BTW, tinkle in your Cheerios does not count as water.
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    Unless you're eating a cactus, nearly everything has some water in it. It doesn't mean it counts as water.

    Yes, it does. If you have any evidence of otherwise, then by all means please share it.
    Caffeine dehydrates you, so even though it's made with water, it's having the opposite effect.

    You lose a small amount of water and gain a great deal. Net positive water intake. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
  • AggieLu
    AggieLu Posts: 873 Member
    WATER is the only thing that counts as WATER.... the clear stuff, you know?!? ;)
  • I once had a Doctor tell me that if it was made with water then it counts as water. So... I would like to know if others count coffee, tea, etc as water?

    Everything but milk and alcohol counts toward your daily required fluid intake.
    Milk, seriously?


    Milk should factor in because of the sodium content, it has more diuretic characteristics than hydrating, just like alcohol has a diuretic effect
  • lilybug13
    lilybug13 Posts: 154
    I count water and then the water I put in other drink mixes. Like if I have tea, I log the tea bag and the water. I don't drink coffee, but if I did I would do the same. I also do that for drink mixes. Count the water and the mix.
  • Dezmodus
    Dezmodus Posts: 68 Member
    humans. They're mostly water, so consuming them counts as at LEAST 8 glasses.

    or you could just drink that stuff that comes out of the tap...