What counts in water allowance

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Replies

  • wendybrat75
    wendybrat75 Posts: 52 Member
    I only count plain water. I add tea, coffee & juice in with my meals & snacks.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    I only count plain water and seltzer/club soda. I assumed water meant water.
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
    I count anything nonalcoholic and without much caffeine.

    I was wondering if IV fluids count. I may have reached 8 cups today if they do! :drinker:
  • myma81
    myma81 Posts: 29 Member
    However, it's OK to not count such beverages as well. A little extra water is at worst harmless and at best beneficial, and it would take a LOT of extra water to actually hurt you. So don't go drinking a half gallon of water in any 5 minute period after heavy exercise, at least not without taking in some electrolytes, OK?

    That's not a problem for me as I don't like water.

    However, you guys have inspired me to drink more so today is a fresh start for me - 8 cups of pure water here I come. x
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
    I only count water. Everything else gets logged in the food diary as it usually contains at least a little bit of sodium or calories. Even plain black coffee.

    This. Even if it does count toward my daily fluid intake, I still log it in my diary.

    Also, unlike what many people here are saying, caffeinated drinks do not dehydrate you. They offer slightly less hydration value than water, but they still offer hydration (as they are, after all, generally mostly water).

    Oh, and, even food counts toward your daily water intake, but it's still good to have at least some just plain water.
  • Laddiegirl
    Laddiegirl Posts: 382 Member
    I count water, tea/iced tea and coffee. I drink one of these 4 things 98% of the time so thats all I really worry about. I rarely drink juice or alcohol and cut out soda so I don't have to worry about those.
  • head_in_rainbows
    head_in_rainbows Posts: 290 Member
    I count everything I drink as watter accept for cofee.
  • icreate
    icreate Posts: 60
    only water :)
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    I DO count:

    Water (obviously) lol
    Flavoured water
    Squash (i only add a tiny bit to my water just to flavour it slightly as i HATE drinking water on its own)
    Fruit and Veg
    Herbal/fruit teas (as long as they are caffeine free)

    I don't count:

    Tea or coffee (unless decaff) as caffeine is a diuretic.
    Fruit juices as although they may contain water, they are LOADED with cals and sugar! (a trap i fell into big time!!!!)
    Alcohol as this again makes you lose water

    Jx
  • wilsonm24
    wilsonm24 Posts: 26
    I don't drink water alone but I'm counting no added sugar fruit squashes, diet drinks and tea & coffee. Is this right?

    Do you count it in your food diary, too? If you are counting these as water consumed, be sure to log them in your food diary as they all contain sodium and calories. It's pretty easy to drink up 100 calories worth of "diet" drinks in a day.

    Edited to add: Crystal Light has 5-10 calories per 8 oz serving. Eight cups of Crystal Light could add an additional 80 calories to your day.
    Not to be snarky, but even at 10 calories per 8-oz. serving, none of us got fat because we consumed 80 calories worth of Crystal Light that we didn't bother to count. The most important thing is to stay hydrated and if using a little bit of flavoring helps you do that, then go-for-it!

    We got fat because we didn't accurately pay attention to everything we put in our bodies. So that 80 calories may not be the straw that broke the camels back but it is one of the many sitting on there that you decided not to factor in because it was "only a few extra calories that aren't going to make a difference".

    I made the decision to pay attention to everything that goes into my body so that when the scale goes up or down I understand why, and to hold myself accountable for what is happening to my body. I choose not to overlook a few calories. If you choose to then that is your choice.
  • Kimi0371
    Kimi0371 Posts: 19 Member
    I think there are a lot of different ways to look at this that still come out with good results.

    The bottom line is: if your pee is nearly clear, you are hydrating enough. If not, you aren't. That's the test that will tell you if your method is right.
  • jburka522
    jburka522 Posts: 3
    I log plain water as water, everything else I log under beverages, including the diet pop and sugar free fruit drinks. There's nothing wrong with drinking those, but for me, it's important to drink some plain water throughout the day as well. For example, I drink a cup of water for every 2 cups of coffee I drink, and I only drink water at work. But I definently DO drink diet pop as well :) hope that helps a little :)
  • Cassie8877
    Cassie8877 Posts: 177
    Water. ONLY WATER! Those other things tend to only dehydrate you more.

    yeah coffee and tea for one are not the best thing for you at all.. and make you even more thursty.. your going ot need to love water! your body needs it and you will feel so much better if you drink enough! but i personal dont count fruit or anything as my "water allowance" i count the 2-3 liters of water i drink and thats it!
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
    i am confused on this as well, so i don't count anything other then water itself. I drink coffee but i do not count that towards my intake.
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
    The whole reason for adequate liquid intake is to keep your metabolism at a healthy level. As the human body becomes dehydrated, it slows the metabolism down to preserve what liquid it has on board. So a slower metabolism equals a slower weight loss.

    The human body takes all liquids {except alcohol} and uses the water content as hydration. Water is, by far, the best way to hydrate. But, hydrating can come from foods, as well as any liquid intake. As long as you log your intake as calories {if present}, than any liquid will be hydrating.
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
    water.....anything with caffeine, alcohol, sugar, fake sugar etc doesnt count....they dehydrate you and plus some of them will have lots of sodium added to make them taste good which will cause you to gain more water weight.

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