WATER CONSUMPTION

Afternoon Peeps.... :)

I am having trouble getting 8 cups a day of water in - can i count the water from cups of coffee or my herbal teas in this or is this an additonal thing.....??

Prob a bit of a stupid question as i am consuming the water therefore it probably does count but just checking lol...

Cheers :)

xx

Replies

  • Stokejay
    Stokejay Posts: 2 Member
    If you can, I'd say try to count only water as it is definitely better than tea/coffee. I really struggle too, and have recently found that carrying a bottle of water with me everywhere (even in the house) really helps as it's always there and I don't forget to drink any.
  • gemtayls
    gemtayls Posts: 42 Member
    Ooo yeah, good tip.

    I bring a huge bottle to work with me but after a couple of glasses I feel a bit sick lol..

    I only have a coffee on a morning then one on an afternoon so will not count those but the water in my herbal tea should be OK to count would you say as it's just peppermint tea, no cals or anything added to it?
  • rondaj05
    rondaj05 Posts: 497 Member
    We have horrible water at my office, I bring bottles to work, that's what sits on my desk all day. At home, I have a cup that's equal to 2 servings, I've just gotten in the habit of drinking that instead of other things.
  • chard_muncher
    chard_muncher Posts: 75 Member
    Why does it matter? You're doing the same thing either way. Do you just want to make yourself feel better about hitting your quota? If that's the case, just count everything you drink because it's all mostly water. You could count alcohol, soda, milk shakes. Maybe even count water that sneaks into your mouth while showering or in the pool...

    The "drink more water" idea isn't just about being hydrated (it's not like everyone walks around chronically dehydrated). Probably the biggest benefit of drinking more water is that it replaces calorie dense liquids that you would otherwise drink (like sugary coffee).

    You're just wasting your time and effort by twisting it to include other liquids. Water means water, that's it.
  • goldenguymsw
    goldenguymsw Posts: 191 Member
    First of all... you really should be getting more than 8 cups... the latest research shows that sedentary women should be getting 9 cups per day.. and active women should get 10 to 16 cups... sedentary men 13 and active men 14 to 24..... Coffee...tea...soda...and alcohol are all diuretics and subtract from your water and dehydrate you... so for every cup of those drinks you need to add an additional cup of water to your daily water consumption.... I promise you that if you achieve this level of hydration you will feel amazing.... EVERYTHING works better .... your focus, your circulation, your performance... EVERYTHING!
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    The 8 glasses of water daily is meant to be a guide of your total daily water intake. Does not necessarily mean water in its purest from. If your urine is pale yellow or clear, and you are not thirsty, then you are drinking enough to be hydrated. If you exercise more then you should drink more water to replace what you have sweated out. Drinking water is good for you, and it is also better to replace sugary drinks and juice with water but not necessary.

    The premise that coffee acts as a diuretic on your body is a myth and not true. You do NOT need to balance out coffee with water.

    Personally I count coffee as coffee, tea I don't count at all and I don't record my water consumption. I have a bottle I carry with me all the time and I drink from it constantly. I do not feel the need to make sure I get enough water since if I don't drink enough I know I will get a migraine telling me to drink more water or I just get thirsty.

    First of all... you really should be getting more than 8 cups... the latest research shows that sedentary women should be getting 9 cups per day.. and active women should get 10 to 16 cups... sedentary men 13 and active men 14 to 24..... Coffee...tea...soda...and alcohol are all diuretics and subtract from your water and dehydrate you... so for every cup of those drinks you need to add an additional cup of water to your daily water consumption.... I promise you that if you achieve this level of hydration you will feel amazing.... EVERYTHING works better .... your focus, your circulation, your performance... EVERYTHING!

    ^^ Myth
  • gemtayls
    gemtayls Posts: 42 Member
    Why does it matter? You're doing the same thing either way. Do you just want to make yourself feel better about hitting your quota? If that's the case, just count everything you drink because it's all mostly water. You could count alcohol, soda, milk shakes. Maybe even count water that sneaks into your mouth while showering or in the pool...

    The "drink more water" idea isn't just about being hydrated (it's not like everyone walks around chronically dehydrated). Probably the biggest benefit of drinking more water is that it replaces calorie dense liquids that you would otherwise drink (like sugary coffee).

    You're just wasting your time and effort by twisting it to include other liquids. Water means water, that's it.

    No i'm not interested in wasting my time, nor am I trying to make myself feel better (assuming you mean in my mind not my health) - I'm just asking a simple question.

    ^^^^^

    'The 8 glasses of water daily is meant to be a guide of your total daily water intake. Does not necessarily mean water in its purest from. If your urine is pale yellow or clear, and you are not thirsty, then you are drinking enough to be hydrated. If you exercise more then you should drink more water to replace what you have sweated out. Drinking water is good for you, and it is also better to replace sugary drinks and juice with water but not necessary.

    The premise that coffee acts as a diuretic on your body is a myth and not true. You do NOT need to balance out coffee with water.

    Personally I count coffee as coffee, tea I don't count at all and I don't record my water consumption. I have a bottle I carry with me all the time and I drink from it constantly. I do not feel the need to make sure I get enough water since if I don't drink enough I know I will get a migraine telling me to drink more water or I just get thirsty.'



    Thanks this helps, I do only have a couple of cups of coffee a day i'm not a caffeine addict or anything lol.. I think I will count my herbal teas as a cup of water but not the coffee.

    Thanks very much :)
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    I should mention that you should count the calories from coffee or tea if you add sugar or dairy products since those add up.
    I drink mine black so its less then 5 calories a cup.

    And a disclaimer that while it is true that coffee or the coffee been is a diuretic. It is so small that it does not have the effect on your body. I have heard several schools of thought on this. 1. That if you drink it regularly your body becomes used to it so to speak, and 2. Only if you are drinking a lot of coffee does it have a diuretic effect and 3. The water in the coffee already counters the diuretic of the coffee. Which is why a normal coffee drinker doesn't need to balance out coffee with extra water.

    I don't remember all the science behind it.
    Glad I had some words of wisdom for you.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Rather than worrying about which guideline to follow for how much water or whether or not to count all the liquids, try listening to your body!

    If your pee is light yellow, you are getting enough. Dark yellow or orange? Drink more. Clear? Consider cutting back - you might be washing out electrolytes and essential nutrients.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    Don't get hung up. You pour hot water onto a teabag, the water is still in the cup. If you drank a cup of water, then ate the tea, the same thing would happen.

    Just drink plenty of water. If you start feeling sick, you might be drinking too much for pete's sake. If your urine appears/smells very concentrated you probably need to drink more.

    Any nutritional standard that recommends the same intake regardless if you're 4'11" or 6'5" is a stupid standard.
  • GeeWillickers
    GeeWillickers Posts: 85 Member
    Coffee may actually hydrate the body in moderation. Problem with studies and word of mouth is there are always other studies. Common sense would be if you are thirsty drink, if not don't. People seem to forget that water is in a great deal of food and if you eat a balanced diet that will contribute to hydration. Don't blindly follow anything.

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory

    http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0084154
  • I'm having some troule with consistant water consumption.
    I'm good for a day or two, then find myself not drinking anything the next day.
    Some day i'll go all day without consuming any liquids at all.
    Any tips on How i can be more consistant.
  • dogo187
    dogo187 Posts: 376
    just learn to chug it down...

    I get up in the morning and down about a quarter of a gallon straight off the bat...

    just drink it...and then a little while later, chug another quarter gallon...

    through out the day a few more glasses, glasses of water with meals...

    by the end of the day I usually have in a gallon, maybe more...

    start small though..and yes, I pee all the time...but my skin is clear and ive lost 156lbs and kept it off...

    the benefits of drinking water are endless...
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I keep a bottle with me at all times. Any time I think I am thirsty, I drink. I notice the bottle, I drink. Getting a bit peckish? Have a sip first. My husband and I share bottles, so we always have water around. Last night we went for a ten minute walk to get some of the cobwebs out and we had the bottle with us out of habit.

    It took us a while to get into the habit. We lost a couple of bottles. And all of our bottles have dents in them, most of them can't stand up straight, because we kept dropping them. We broke all of the tops, and I ended up ordering twice as many as we have bottles left. But now that we are several years into the habit, the paint is starting to wear off some of the bottles and we each have our favorites that we take to work.
  • SaraLady89
    SaraLady89 Posts: 32 Member
    I keep a pretty good sized water bottle with me through out the day and seeing it just reminds me to take a few sips off of it throughout the day. Also you could try drnking a cup of water before every meal and say you eat only 3 meals a day that would be 3 out of your 8 glasses. Just an idea though, figure out what works for you.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    My timex has a function where you can program food or water intake intervals.
    I haven't tried it yet and my timex isn't fancy.

    You could also set a timer on your phone every hour or so to remind you to drink water.
  • goldenguymsw
    goldenguymsw Posts: 191 Member
    The information I gave you about water is not a myth at all but research based ... information that comes from health and fitness research from UNC that is used as a basis for the coursework for the National Academy of Sports Mediciine... through which I am a certified personal trainer... I live by it and tell everyone I know... and everyone that follows through with staying properly hydrated has enjoyed the same benefits as me including better skin and complexion, more energy, better focus, improved circulation resulting in improved EVERYTHING including muscle and athletic performance... among other things.... Sedentary women need 9 cups ...active women need 10-18 cups.... sedentary men need 13 cups... active men need 14 - 24 cups. The positive results will speak for themselves when you are properly hydrated... this is not just from a book but also from personal experience from me, all my fitness friends, and my personal training clients... hope this helps!
  • gemtayls
    gemtayls Posts: 42 Member
    Without sharing too much info pee is very pale sometimes hardly any colour at all so I know I'm properly hydrated if thats the guage to go off - Goldenguy I'm on day 2 - got about 13 cups in yesterday plus a bottle at my spinning class - top of the class!! :tongue:

    My peppermint teas defo help as a replacement for coffee to warm you up in this miserable British weather!!

    At the end of the day we might aswell try and drink it and see how it helps skin etc. and it could make us feel great and if it doesn't well it won't hurt us.... lol xx
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    I drink 2-3 cups a day max during winter, and my pee is clear. I eat lots of fruit and veg, a cup of coffee each morning, milk in my cereal and I don't go overboard on sodium. Personally I think the 8 cups a day is madness, for me that amount of water makes me feel ill. your needs vary depending on climate, diet and how you feel. If you like or feel like you need lots of water then go for it, but don't drink excessive amounts if you don't need it.
  • pktorm
    pktorm Posts: 24 Member
    The information I gave you about water is not a myth at all but research based ... information that comes from health and fitness research from UNC that is used as a basis for the coursework for the National Academy of Sports Mediciine... through which I am a certified personal trainer... I live by it and tell everyone I know... and everyone that follows through with staying properly hydrated has enjoyed the same benefits as me including better skin and complexion, more energy, better focus, improved circulation resulting in improved EVERYTHING including muscle and athletic performance... among other things.... Sedentary women need 9 cups ...active women need 10-18 cups.... sedentary men need 13 cups... active men need 14 - 24 cups. The positive results will speak for themselves when you are properly hydrated... this is not just from a book but also from personal experience from me, all my fitness friends, and my personal training clients... hope this helps!

    I believe this.

    I was not aware that our body needed to consume so much water per day. It's something we always read in high school health class, but in the late 80's and 90's not many companies where marketing bottled water yet, mostly soda. I grew up thinking you drank when you felt thirsty and that it was rude to stay too long at the water fountain at school if there was anyone behind you waiting. Plus there was always a fear someone would give you a wedgy if you stood bend over for too long! lol

    Since then, going through university and feeling what real dehydration was after a massive morning hang-over, I started to understand the need for water. haha

    I make a conscience effort to drink min. 64 oz of water but generally drink about 96 oz or more now that I'm trying to loss weight thru good nutrition and exercise. I want the food that I eat to digest properly so that it can absorb as quickly as possible. I also think it helps my number 2 movements, but most importantly because now I am running on a daily basis, I know my body needs it.

    I have less headaches and I have noticed that I sleep much better. When I wake up, I feel refreshed and rarely sleep in (mainly because I need to rush to the bathroom) lol

    Anyway, I do believe most of what is written about the need for hydration throughout the day.

    My personal experience.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    Anyone who contends that there is a fixed volume of water that is appropriate for all humans is simply wrong.

    Stating that sedentary men need 13 cups of water per day is just strange. 5'6" or 6'5"? "Oh it's different." Arid climate or humid climate? "Oh it's different." Differing dietary intake of Cl, K, Mg, or Na? "It's different." Ambient temperature? "It's different." Varying degrees of psychological stress w/varying degrees of apocrine gland activity? "Different." BF%/LBM? "Different." Circulation? "Different." Relative polyuria/oliguria? "Different."

    13 cups in other units:
    The appropriate daily water intake for a sedentary man is 3.07565 liters.
    The appropriate daily water intake for a sedentary man is 0.8125 gallons.
    The appropriate daily water intake for a sedentary man is 3,075.64707 cubic centimeters.

    Each of those three statements sounds utterly absurd. And yet . . .
  • goldenguymsw
    goldenguymsw Posts: 191 Member
    Instead of questioning the validity of my information (which is research based from well respected sources) I would say...do it...drink the amount that I have mentioned....and I guarantee you....you will always want to continue drinking that much water...I feel 20 years younger and everything is better about my health and athletic performance...I have virtually no muscle soreness too...even after an 8 mile mountain trail run...and this is coming from a guy that has had three major knee injuries and two major knee surgeries including reconstructive knee surgery...not only are my muscles not sore...neither are my knees...whats absurd is arguing against my point without trying it for yourself and seeing the results for yourself....
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member

    I'm very glad you posted this and saved me the trouble of digging it up. Quoting so hopefully more people read it. There is so much false information when it comes to hydration
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    The information I gave you about water is not a myth at all but research based ... information that comes from health and fitness research from UNC that is used as a basis for the coursework for the National Academy of Sports Mediciine... through which I am a certified personal trainer... I live by it and tell everyone I know... and everyone that follows through with staying properly hydrated has enjoyed the same benefits as me including better skin and complexion, more energy, better focus, improved circulation resulting in improved EVERYTHING including muscle and athletic performance... among other things.... Sedentary women need 9 cups ...active women need 10-18 cups.... sedentary men need 13 cups... active men need 14 - 24 cups. The positive results will speak for themselves when you are properly hydrated... this is not just from a book but also from personal experience from me, all my fitness friends, and my personal training clients... hope this helps!

    I stand corrected. I am willing to admit when I wrong. :blushing:

    According to the Mayo Clinic
    "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. "

    The 8 glasses is for the average person, but not everyone is average. (actually it is a little less then recommended)
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    whats absurd is arguing against my point without trying it for yourself and seeing the results for yourself....

    I am not questioning validity or arguing points. It's not a debate; I told you that you were wrong and why. You've made your case and I've made mine. :flowerforyou:
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    I'll sometimes count it if I have a glass of almond milk (even though I still count the calories too) but not usually. The most helpful thing that I've found is my drinking water app. It was free on my droid. You just put in how many glasses you're aiming for a day with a start and stop time (I start mine with my wake up alarm and end it 1 hour before bed) and it gives you reminders throughout the day when you should have a glass. It's helped keep me on track a lot more with drinking enough water.