..does only water itself count as water consumed?

jvest

so what counts as water...just water...iced tea, coffee, soda???

FeatherBoBeather

I personally only count water, unsweetened coffees & teas in my cups-per-day.

anjiemr

I have always heard and that natural clear water is the only thing that should be counted as water consumed...Others may count coffee and teas...

ladyrider55

The meaning of water seems to be different for everyone. Just do what you think is right for you :happy:

WinnerVictorious

a) the only 8 x 8 rule is a complete myth. drink when you're thirsty, don't worry about forcing yourself to drink 64 ounces of water per day unless you're thirsty for 64 ounces of water per day.

b) all liquid that you drink and the liquid content of your food counts. whether it's water or soda or tea or coffee or rice or pasta or soup or whatever. your body takes it in and extracts the water it needs from all of it.

chels0722

Can it rain coffee? Can it rain tea?

Unless there are clouds made of coffee grounds and tea bags,,,, I think not.

cwolfman13

Why is this in success stories?

Anyway...H2O...if you add stuff to H2O, it is no longer H2O and thus, no longer water. That said, just stay hydrated..mellow yellow to clear.



Now go have a cool drink of H2O.

tartsul

i wouldn't count soda. you want to drink a lot of "water", and if you think soda counts, then that may make you want to drink more soda to reach your "water" goal. then you'd be drinking lots of extra sugar, calories, or other fake, weird, unnatural stuff. if you want to drink a soda, just log it in the food diary.
i'd just stick with counting water. and water is good for you!

tropicpalm

I only count water as water. Tea and coffee are diuretics, so some diet plans actually tell you to drink MORE water to counteract the effects of drinking coffee or tea. After all I have read, I have cut out soda - diet and regular - and fruit juices totally. Sugar spikes are not my friend for a host of reasons and both of those cause them. They are even finding that "diet" sweeteners are worse than sugar itself. They cause cravings and I can do without that!

Is there a reason why you don't want to drink plain water? If I feel like something with flavor, I just squeeze a half lemon or lime and if I want it sweeter tasting, I might add some stevia, but not usually. Just once in a while.

Good luck!

Cat

KenosFeoh

Weight Watchers allows pretty much any 0 calorie beverage as water. They're a well-respected organization, so I can't say they're wrong.

WinnerVictorious

i wouldn't count soda. you want to drink a lot of "water", and if you think soda counts, then that may make you want to drink more soda to reach your "water" goal. then you'd be drinking lots of extra sugar, calories, or other fake, weird, unnatural stuff. if you want to drink a soda, just log it in the food diary.
i'd just stick with counting water. and water is good for you!

you can drink nothing but soda if you choose and your body will still obtain the water it needs from the soda and any food that you eat that contains water. the human body is well designed to break down everything you ingest into its usable parts. why do you think soda is not mostly water? what do you think constitutes most of the liquid?? :huh:

gramacanada

a) the only 8 x 8 rule is a complete myth. drink when you're thirsty, don't worry about forcing yourself to drink 64 ounces of water per day unless you're thirsty for 64 ounces of water per day.

b) all liquid that you drink and the liquid content of your food counts. whether it's water or soda or tea or coffee or rice or pasta or soup or whatever. your body takes it in and extracts the water it needs from all of it.

YES!!! THIS!!! If people would look at actual research. And not only go by what they 'hear'
The Water Only Counts' myth would go away.
It was de-bunked almost as soon as it became a 'thing'
A cup of coffee in = a cup of coffee out. As is true for Any ingested liquid.
Or food that is mostly liquid.

ThisGirl2013

It depends on which article you read and who you talk to.
I count up to two cups of coffee or tea and count as two cups of water. If I drink more, I drink water to offset any side effects and only count the water as water from that point.
If I drink soda or juice with sugar I do not count that as water because of the sugar in it and again, I try to drink water to offset any dehydrating or other affects.
Water as water is best if you want to get technical but I am happy with my way and will continue to use it

tartsul

amazing

tartsul

i wouldn't count soda. you want to drink a lot of "water", and if you think soda counts, then that may make you want to drink more soda to reach your "water" goal. then you'd be drinking lots of extra sugar, calories, or other fake, weird, unnatural stuff. if you want to drink a soda, just log it in the food diary.
i'd just stick with counting water. and water is good for you!

you can drink nothing but soda if you choose and your body will still obtain the water it needs from the soda and any food that you eat that contains water. the human body is well designed to break down everything you ingest into its usable parts. why do you think soda is not mostly water? what do you think constitutes most of the liquid?? :huh:

my point is that, although you may be getting "water" from soda, you're also getting a lot of other stuff that isn't good for you.

JUDDDing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912894-can-i-log-this-as-water?hl=water

Sorry, kind of new here...

Do we do this every day?

cwolfman13

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912894-can-i-log-this-as-water?hl=water

Sorry, kind of new here...

Do we do this every day?

Yeah pretty much...people like to make all kinds of excuses not to drink water.

Personally, my body needs more than 8 cups...I lift heavy things and put them down and can drink about 1/2 gallon while doing so. Never mind cardio days. I also need lots of water for muscle repair and also to flush sodium out of my system because I'm hypertensive. In any event, a coke isn't going to cut it for any of that...neither is herbal tea or coffee or crystal light or whatever.

Water is H2O...do I drink other things? Sure...bit those other things aren't water.

WinnerVictorious

i wouldn't count soda. you want to drink a lot of "water", and if you think soda counts, then that may make you want to drink more soda to reach your "water" goal. then you'd be drinking lots of extra sugar, calories, or other fake, weird, unnatural stuff. if you want to drink a soda, just log it in the food diary.
i'd just stick with counting water. and water is good for you!

you can drink nothing but soda if you choose and your body will still obtain the water it needs from the soda and any food that you eat that contains water. the human body is well designed to break down everything you ingest into its usable parts. why do you think soda is not mostly water? what do you think constitutes most of the liquid?? :huh:

my point is that, although you may be getting "water" from soda, you're also getting a lot of other stuff that isn't good for you.

...but the thread title was a question about what counts as water, not the nutritional qualities of anything you drink that is not water. i'm not soda-phobic so i don't worry at all about what is or is not inside soda, but i rarely drink soda so it doesn't make a difference to me. but if i were stuck in a raft adrift at sea and all i had with me was a case of 7-UP, the 7-UP would certainly keep my hydrated until i had exhausted it. the simple fact of the matter is that a lot of people completely misunderstand what liquids and foods can be used to keep you hydrated... the answer is simple. all of them. provided you're not making your tea with anti-freeze instead of water, then tea counts. same with soda. same with coffee. for hydration purposes, they all count.

WinnerVictorious

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912894-can-i-log-this-as-water?hl=water

Sorry, kind of new here...

Do we do this every day?

Yeah pretty much...people like to make all kinds of excuses not to drink water.

Personally, my body needs more than 8 cups...I lift heavy things and put them down and can drink about 1/2 gallon while doing so. Never mind cardio days. I also need lots of water for muscle repair and also to flush sodium out of my system because I'm hypertensive. In any event, a coke isn't going to cut it for any of that...neither is herbal tea or coffee or crystal light or whatever.

Water is H2O...do I drink other things? Sure...bit those other things aren't water.

in bold is wrong (from a hydration perspective). your body doesn't know or care if you're getting your water content in its pure form, or mixed with sugars and other additives. your body is supremely capable of breaking down the components of everything you ingest and make use of them each of these ingredients as necessary. i drink water almost exclusively myself, but that doesn't mean that tea or coffee or soda or soup wouldn't also assist me in keeping hydrated.

hilary2005

I don't count hot drinks as water, but I do count cordial as water.

Lovebears99

My nutritionist today told me not to count coffee or tea in my water count. She said if i add MIO drops, or crystal light to a cup of water, i can still log it. But coffee and tea contain caffeine, and does not count in your daily water intake.

tartsul

i wouldn't count soda. you want to drink a lot of "water", and if you think soda counts, then that may make you want to drink more soda to reach your "water" goal. then you'd be drinking lots of extra sugar, calories, or other fake, weird, unnatural stuff. if you want to drink a soda, just log it in the food diary.
i'd just stick with counting water. and water is good for you!

you can drink nothing but soda if you choose and your body will still obtain the water it needs from the soda and any food that you eat that contains water. the human body is well designed to break down everything you ingest into its usable parts. why do you think soda is not mostly water? what do you think constitutes most of the liquid?? :huh:

my point is that, although you may be getting "water" from soda, you're also getting a lot of other stuff that isn't good for you.

...but the thread title was a question about what counts as water, not the nutritional qualities of anything you drink that is not water. i'm not soda-phobic so i don't worry at all about what is or is not inside soda, but i rarely drink soda so it doesn't make a difference to me. but if i were stuck in a raft adrift at sea and all i had with me was a case of 7-UP, the 7-UP would certainly keep my hydrated until i had exhausted it. the simple fact of the matter is that a lot of people completely misunderstand what liquids and foods can be used to keep you hydrated... the answer is simple. all of them. provided you're not making your tea with anti-freeze instead of water, then tea counts. same with soda. same with coffee. for hydration purposes, they all count.

i didn't realize that we weren't allowed to slightly deviate from the question in the title of the thread by giving a brief explanation of what our reasoning was for our answer to said question. that being said, i never said that your body doesn't get hydration or water from other drinks. my point is that there are other ingredients that are also being absorbed by your body besides the water portion of your drink, whatever it may be. i mean, you don't say, "i need some calcium. i'll eat some ice cream and my body will absorb only the calcium." - YES, your body will get some calcium from the ice cream, but it will also get sugar, fat, etc. i never said you wouldn't get any hydration from soda, coffee, or tea. i also never said people couldn't drink soda, tea, or coffee. i drink tea and coffee both on a daily basis and i love them both. i just don't count them as water. i have a separate beverages heading that i put them under. BUT THAT'S JUST ME. but i guess all of that belongs on a thread with a different title.

fresh_start59

...if you add stuff to H2O, it is no longer H2O and thus, no longer water.

This does not make sense.
What if you take your prescription medication followed by a glass of H2O? Does that mean once it hits your stomach and mixes together, the H2O no longer counts as water?

What if you drink H2O with a meal? How long do you have to wait before or after eating to ensure that H2O does not mix with anything in the stomach, thereby turning it into something other than water?

I tend to go by this, from the Mayo Clinic:
" Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total."
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

MaMaMaof2

Anything with caffeine or alot of sugar can dehydrate you so I wouldn't count those.

redbreastedsapsucker

I only count water, and include coffee and teas in my daily log. Also noticed that even though I drink my coffee black, it still registers as 2 cal. So even if you think you may be drinking something totally free of calories, it's best to really check the label.

SerenaFisher

I only count water, and include coffee and teas in my daily log. Also noticed that even though I drink my coffee black, it still registers as 2 cal. So even if you think you may be drinking something totally free of calories, it's best to really check the label.

*this* This is what I do anyway. Anything non-water I consider a "treat" including my "wake me up coffee" and my "I need to stay awake all night diet pepsi 20z" (they both have caffeine which is a diuretic anyway so you really cannot count them). I drink 80oz of water a day... at least that's my goal. I drink no less than 8 cups (64oz)

WinnerVictorious

I only count water, and include coffee and teas in my daily log. Also noticed that even though I drink my coffee black, it still registers as 2 cal. So even if you think you may be drinking something totally free of calories, it's best to really check the label.

*this* This is what I do anyway. Anything non-water I consider a "treat" including my "wake me up coffee" and my "I need to stay awake all night diet pepsi 20z" (they both have caffeine which is a diuretic anyway so you really cannot count them). I drink 80oz of water a day... at least that's my goal. I drink no less than 8 cups (64oz)

their diuretic effects are negligible unless you consume a large amount of caffeine in the process. count the calories on your food log. count their volume towards your water intake if you track that.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

AABru

I count water as water. But generally I don't drink anything but water and one coffee in the morning unless I am sick or drinking vodka or hard cider...I am with the guy who said he has to drink alot. If I don't have at least 80 oz of water a day I feel sick and my skin dries out and flakes. Also, a little water trivia for you, chronic dehydration is the number one reason for fatigue in the USA.

Can you get liquid else where? Yes, but I'm a little OCD and take things at face value, so when I am asked how much water, I put how much water. If it was some liquid with calories, I would log it as food whether it has good nutritional value or not.

ottermotorcycle

In order to motivate myself to drink more water, I only count water, flavored water and tea. If I counted diet soda it would be way too easy.

Whoever says tea doesn't count is a little loco. Tea is hydrating, and caffeine will only dehydrate you in large quantities (500+mg? Not a hard number to hit but when you consider that you're still taking in water you're fine.) I personally can't think of ANY tea that has more than 100mg caffeine... unless it's intended to have a lot for some reason. And diet sodas have about 30-50mg per 12oz serving. I mean I know it can add up but you really should not worry about becoming dehydrated from these things.

beccalyse

I drink only water. Period. It's what works for me.

I don't track my intake because I feel that the number is largely arbitrary. I drink when I'm thirsty.

On the diet soda front, to each his own. I feel that diet soda is detrimental to health and weight loss. The artificial sweetener might not contain any calories, but your body still reads it as sweet, thus triggering a hunger response. People who drink diet soda tend to eat more. I'm not saying all people. I'm saying people in general.

I drink tea on occasion for the health benefits. I drink water because there's nothing in it that could negatively effect my lifestyle.

weightnomore33

cool post, love the waterfall