I don't post zero-cal stuff I drink. Should I?

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sweetalker
sweetalker Posts: 43 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I keep track of the water I drink, but if I have an unsweetened tea or a diet soda or a black coffee, I don't log it. Kinda feels like cheating that I'm not logging that stuff. Is there a good reason why I should? I'm not really keeping track of nutrition all that strictly since I don't have diabetes or blood pressure problems.

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  • stljam
    stljam Posts: 512 Member
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    I track it because I added sodium to my tracking. I didn't add it for blood pressure but more for water retention in making sense of weigh ins that seem conflicting. Note, I weigh myslef at least once a day, lol.
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
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    I think it's a good idea to log anyway because sometimes things like caffeine can hinder weight loss. I heard of a woman who gained a few kilos even though she had continued eating well. Turned out she was stressed at work and starting drinking more coffee than usual. Once she stopped that the weight fell of her. So it's not just about logging calories.
  • Armyx2
    Armyx2 Posts: 10 Member
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    Zero cal beverages often have a whole rack of other things in them (like sodium) that could be beneficial for you to track. There can often be carbs coming in the form of drinks you would not expect them to be in!
  • schell81
    schell81 Posts: 187 Member
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    I keep track of the water I drink, but if I have an unsweetened tea or a diet soda or a black coffee, I don't log it. Kinda feels like cheating that I'm not logging that stuff. Is there a good reason why I should?

    Black Coffee has calories in it. Each mug I have has 5 calories. It's not a lot but having several cups and some crystal light (5 cals a glass) each day add up for sure.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
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    I think it's a good idea to log anyway because sometimes things like caffeine can hinder weight loss. I heard of a woman who gained a few kilos even though she had continued eating well. Turned out she was stressed at work and starting drinking more coffee than usual. Once she stopped that the weight fell of her. So it's not just about logging calories.

    You know I just read about this today and started scratching my head on my own caffeine intake. It's different between individuals but never thought of it to hinder.

    If sodium is a concern to you then yes, otherwise dont worry about it.
  • babyhazelz1
    babyhazelz1 Posts: 39 Member
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    I track it all out of habit. Cant hurt, right? :)
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I would only track it if it contains something in it that you believe you need to track. In my case the answer to that would be "no".
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I would only track it if it contains something in it that you believe you need to track. In my case the answer to that would be "no".

    Agreed.

    On a side note, be sure that they are really zero cal drinks. I've seen things (those sobe waters, for example) have 0 Calorie in big letters on the front of the bottle, and the nutrition label shows 0 cals, yet for some reason, they still have carbs.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    I think it depends on whether or not you need to track what's in it, for instance, if you are watching your sodium intake. And also whether you drink a LOT of it. If you don't have concern about sodium, and you don't drink a ton of whatever it is, I would not worry about it. I don't drink diet drinks as a rule, but I will have a Diet Dr. Pepper every once in a while. I don't log it, because on most days my sodium intake is well below my allowance.

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