What all do you count as WATER?

fihealth

anything with caffeine is a diuretic and makes you LOSE water so best NOT to count them as water. Start chugging the water, babes! If it tastes gross, get a filter, flavour with zero calorie lemon juice, and you can count decaf teas and coffee as water.

x

victoriannsays

I only count water as water. simple.

yes, coffee and tea have water in them - but they also have diuretic properties.

Just use your urine as a guide. As long as my urine is pale yellow - I know I'm getting enough h20.

fihealth

i only count vodka as water.

vodka is mostly water -- water and ethanol. :P

Prazzie

That's up to you, but I count tap water, bottled water and carbonated water as water. Everything else can be listed as food or snacks (coffee, soda, milkshake, soup, etc.), so I would list those there, not as water.

JacksMom12

If there were no water around, and all you had to drink was cofee or tea or a sports drink, guess what??? You wouldn't die of dehydration.. Wanna know why?? Because these drinks are made of water. Never understand why people have such a hard time believing that you can count other drinks as water. On the other hand, I do not recommend coffe, soda and sports drinks as a primary source of water because of the added ingredients. Its just not good for you.

X2.

I don't shoot for a certain number. I drink when I'm thirsty and 99 percent of the time I reach for water, sometimes I add fruit, crystal light or I drink flavored sparkling water. It you add tea bags or crystal light to a cup of water it doesn't chemically change the fact that it's water. Your body doesn't have separate processing for water and water plus something else. Water is water. Plus fruits and veggies contain a good percentage of water as well. The 8 cups or die crowd needs to lighten up.

wibutterflymagic

Or just skip the water counting. If your urine is pale yellow and you aren't thirsty then you're hydrated. There is no weight loss miracle to drinking large amounts of water or worrying about what is water and what isn't. Your body needs fluids to stay hydrated and it doesn't care if it's from water, tea, juice, milk, soup, a piece of fruit (did you know an apple is 85% water) or even soda.

This 100%

SherryTeach

There actually isn't much (or any) scientific evidence that we all need to be chugging water all day long. At least half of the water we need to stay hydrated comes from the water content of food, particularly if we are eating lots of fruit and vegetables. The water in all other drinks is also hydrating. As others have said, as long as you aren't thirsty and your urine is pale, you are fine. I grew up in a generation in which adults weren't lugging giant bottles around in public all the time. We were all fine.

bunnabear

Making sure your urine is clear or pale yellow is a good rule of thumb (as several have said as did the article link posted for myths/facts). Having worked in the healthcare field for years and seeing lots of urine samples I can tell you that the vast majority of people I saw were definitely not meeting this requirement. It was very rare to see pale yellow urine and I only saw clear urine one time. There is also the rule of thumb promoted by the Mayo Clinic and other experts that if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated - it is a delayed response similar to feeling full.

ravenchick

Water...

KenosFeoh

Most of my water count is filtered water, but I also count a mug (about 12 ounces) of coffee or tea as 1 cup of water. That's it. Other beverages I count as food.

hofdog

Well the obvious as most smart *kitten* have posted....Water. I also count the decaf teas I brew and ice to drink in the day. I don't count anything with caffeine or alcohol.

chervil6

Water is water. A group of people will be along shortly to tell you that you will die if you don't drink exactly 8 glasses of pure unadulterated tap water a day. They are talking from a theoretical point of view and although the science is correct, people who drink only other substances aren't dropping dead around us so the reality is drink what you want.

well said

duichaser

Water. Period. Anything else has additives that require your body to process. Even the aquafina water with a flavor added. Read the bottle.

syrklc

WATER

hughtwalker

I count tea and coffee as well as water drunk as water - I don't drink alcohol.

Ely82010

There actually isn't much (or any) scientific evidence that we all need to be chugging water all day long. At least half of the water we need to stay hydrated comes from the water content of food, particularly if we are eating lots of fruit and vegetables. The water in all other drinks is also hydrating. As others have said, as long as you aren't thirsty and your urine is pale, you are fine. I grew up in a generation in which adults weren't lugging giant bottles around in public all the time. We were all fine.

I agree with you. I don't count water anymore, it was getting too complicated. Count calories, protein, carbs, fibers, What the heck!

I drink water with my all my meals; two cups of coffee a day, use sugar free juices for my protein drinks/smoothies, eat lots of fruits and veggies and I do drink water during the day, but I don't count. To each its own.

tigersword

anything with caffeine is a diuretic and makes you LOSE water so best NOT to count them as water. Start chugging the water, babes! If it tastes gross, get a filter, flavour with zero calorie lemon juice, and you can count decaf teas and coffee as water.

x

You do know that WATER is also a diuretic, right? You should learn what a diuretic is before you start using the word. A diuretic is a substance that causes the release of EXCESS water from the body. You don't "lose water" by taking a diuretic, you just don't retain more than you need. Most vegetables are also diuretics, as are many fruits.

slywon

I only count water as water! Besides being important to keep hydrated it helps to keep me feeling full so I don't overeat!!

bunnabear

Well the obvious as most smart *kitten* have posted....Water. I also count the decaf teas I brew and ice to drink in the day. I don't count anything with caffeine or alcohol.

If those folks would try to refrain from commenting it would be great. I don't think a site where people come for support should read like the comments section of a tabloid site.

jnn0409

I only count water as water and the Propel zero packets and Mio that you add to water as water. Everything else I drink even if zero calories I don't count as water.

JennetteMac

That's up to you, but I count tap water, bottled water and carbonated water as water. Everything else can be listed as food or snacks (coffee, soda, milkshake, soup, etc.), so I would list those there, not as water.

Snap! But I admit that I am a complete novice at this kind of stuff. :drinker:
I only manage 4 cups on a good day, but hope that the buckets of tea I drink and log seperately keep me hydrated. I'm not ill, so I guess they do.

TXtstorm

I personally choose to count only plain water. I also drink coffee, tea (hot, iced, caffeinated, decaf), a few diet sodas (almost all decaf) a week, and the occasional glass of wine or mixed drink. Even rarer are fruit juices (too many calories for me to want to spend them this way) or milk. By keeping track of my water I am reminded to stay well hydrated and to keep WHAT I drink in balance. I physically feel better when I drink most of my fluids as water. I'm sure that is partly because I won't drink enough of other liquids to stay hydrated enough. It is also my experience that if I fall off on my water consumption or start replacing it with too much other stuff I don't lose weight as evenly. You do what works for you, just be sure that the end result is that you are well-hydrated.

Danni1585

You can count decaf coffee or tea at water. It helps me

pangy1958

I just count water

WinnerVictorious

so let me see if i understand this...

if you take an Excedrin and wash it down with 8 oz of water, then the water doesn't count simply because one of the ingredients of Excedrin is caffeine.

is that what you're saying?...

because that's not correct.

all of the liquid that you drink or eat counts and the recommendation to ingest 64 oz per day is an old wive's tale with no scientific backing whatsoever.

WildcatMom82

Just water. I have to keep track because otherwise a whole day goes by and I haven't drank anything. Not good when you're nursing a little one

Mom_To_5

the only thing i count as water is plain old water, i don't add anything to it, just water, i consider anything else as a drink, tea is a beverage, coffee is a beverage, iced tea is a beverage etc...

lorcart

2 parts hydrogen 1 part oxygen. You're welcome.

Sarauk2sf

anything with caffeine is a diuretic and makes you LOSE water so best NOT to count them as water. Start chugging the water, babes! If it tastes gross, get a filter, flavour with zero calorie lemon juice, and you can count decaf teas and coffee as water.

x

Totally wrong.

You can obtain fluids for hydration from beverages and food. It is not just plain water that hydrates you and caffeine is basically no more a diuretic than water is unless consumed in large quantities, and even then, the diuretic effect is minimal.


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283 - any beverage counts

"beverages such as milk and juice are composed mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, tea or soda — can contribute"

"What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake."


http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.short - any beverage counts

"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."


http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12834577 - the diuretic effect of caffeine is minimal

"...nor does it cause significant dehydration or electrolyte imbalance during exercise."


OP: you can count anything you want in the ticker, but water is not the only thing that hydrates you.

tisha_rae

I only count plain water as water.....I keep track of everything I drink but list the other stuff as part of my meal.