is black coffee considered water?

pkthv1
pkthv1 Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I drink a lot of coffee. I have a hard time getting in water. Is it ok to count black coffee or tea as a water ?
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Replies

  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    In terms of hydration, yes, just make sure you include any caloric additions to the food log side of things.
  • 23crizzle
    23crizzle Posts: 16 Member
    I only count plain water as water. I wouldn't count coffee or tea unless it is decaf. Even then, I personally wouldn't count it though I know some people do. My dietitian tells me for every cup of coffee or tea (with caffeine) I drink to drink two cups of water to counteract since caffeine is a diuretic.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Not in my world. Coffee is coffee and water is water. I make soup and other foods with water, but I don't count it as drinking water. :tongue:

    I do look at coffee, tea and other drinks as part of my overall fluid intake during the day, but I only log plain water as water. And I feel much better if I get my 8 or so cups, even if I'm also drinking coffee or iced tea during the day. Overall, I go by urine color - it should be pale yellow. If it's darker, I need more water, if it's clear, I can back off.
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
    I personally don't count it as water. But my coffee doesn't have any calories, so I don't log it anyway. I do log the creamer I use though. I only log water as water.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    I would say no. The reason we are encouraged to drink 8 glasses of water a day is to make sure that we are hydrated. Caffeinated coffee actually does the opposite - it dehydrates you, so I don't think it counts, sorry!
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    Coffee is water that has bits of coffee bean in it. It hydrates you just like water.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    I would say no. The reason we are encouraged to drink 8 glasses of water a day is to make sure that we are hydrated. Caffeinated coffee actually does the opposite - it dehydrates you, so I don't think it counts, sorry!

    Myth.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    In my world liquid is liquid no matter the color and counts as water. Count the calories of course...
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    I count coffee and tea as water but I do drink more than 8 8oz glasses a day, which I figure counteracts any diuretic effects. I know I'm well hydrated, anyway.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I only count water that came from the top of Mt. Olympus and was strained through a Greek god's loin cloth.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    I personally don't count it as water. But my coffee doesn't have any calories, so I don't log it anyway. I do log the creamer I use though. I only log water as water.

    What type of coffee do you drink? I drink a lot of coffee and I didn't know there was a zero calorie option!
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    I only count plain water as water. I wouldn't count coffee or tea unless it is decaf. Even then, I personally wouldn't count it though I know some people do. My dietitian tells me for every cup of coffee or tea (with caffeine) I drink to drink two cups of water to counteract since caffeine is a diuretic.

    Then your dietician needs to read up on the diruetic effects of coffee because she's WAY off.
    I would say no. The reason we are encouraged to drink 8 glasses of water a day is to make sure that we are hydrated. Caffeinated coffee actually does the opposite - it dehydrates you, so I don't think it counts, sorry!

    Again, it doesn't dehydrate you like you think it does. This is a fast holding myth that many people still steadfastly believe but the science does not support it.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754

    Educate yourselves, people, before you try to educate others.
  • Tmatthias63
    Tmatthias63 Posts: 11
    No, coffee is listed as a diuretic which forces water out of your system so drinking coffee for your water intake is a bad idea

    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-coffee-a-diuretic.html
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    I personally don't count it as water. But my coffee doesn't have any calories, so I don't log it anyway. I do log the creamer I use though. I only log water as water.

    Coffee has calories, just like everything else does. It may be negligible to you, but someone who drinks a lot of coffee, well, it could add up quickly.

    ETA: And no, I don't count it as water. Why stop there? Count your tea, diet soda, and gatorade as water. They all hydrate you, after all...
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,463 Member
    You need a certain amount of FLUID. Coffee can count towards it, as can a lot of other things.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/mfp-101-water-water-everywhere-609347
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I personally don't count it as water. But my coffee doesn't have any calories, so I don't log it anyway. I do log the creamer I use though. I only log water as water.

    Coffee has calories, just like everything else does. It may be negligible to you, but someone who drinks a lot of coffee, well, it could add up quickly.

    Tell me, how many calories does black coffee have? How quickly will those black coffee calories add up?
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    No, coffee is listed as a diuretic which forces water out of your system so drinking coffee for your water intake is a bad idea

    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-coffee-a-diuretic.html

    I'll counter your blog with a peer reviewed scientific paper.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754

    ETA: And now I've read your blog post, not even it supports your claim.
  • sassyjazz92
    sassyjazz92 Posts: 2 Member
    Coffee slows down your metabolism. Drinking early in the morning do now help you on your fitness journey.
    Since your body is over 90% water you need water, not including in your drinks. Don't forget that the calories in coffee counts toward your daily intake.
  • Technolero
    Technolero Posts: 90
    Starbucks says their 16 ounce bold coffee has 5 calories, so that is fairly negligible...
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    I only count plain water as water. I wouldn't count coffee or tea unless it is decaf. Even then, I personally wouldn't count it though I know some people do. My dietitian tells me for every cup of coffee or tea (with caffeine) I drink to drink two cups of water to counteract since caffeine is a diuretic.

    i read that even tho its a diuretic, it doesn't actually dehydrate you. not sure how that could be true though.
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    Coffee slows down your metabolism. Drinking early in the morning do now help you on your fitness journey.
    Since your body is over 90% water you need water, not including in your drinks. Don't forget that the calories in coffee counts toward your daily intake.

    What? It slows down your metabolism? Where did you get this information? If anything, the caffeine give a slight and temporary boost to the metabolism.
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    I only count plain water as water. I wouldn't count coffee or tea unless it is decaf. Even then, I personally wouldn't count it though I know some people do. My dietitian tells me for every cup of coffee or tea (with caffeine) I drink to drink two cups of water to counteract since caffeine is a diuretic.

    i read that even tho its a diuretic, it doesn't actually dehydrate you. not sure how that could be true though.

    Think of it this way.

    You drink 8oz of strong black coffee. The diuretic effect of the caffeine causes your body to release .25 oz of water. You're still up 7.75 oz and thus 7.75 oz more hydrated.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I only count water that came from the top of Mt. Olympus and was strained through a Greek god's loin cloth.

    ^^ This

    But I only log it if it's either a full moon or a half moon, or if's the final day of the solstice.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Coffee slows down your metabolism. Drinking early in the morning do now help you on your fitness journey.
    Since your body is over 90% water you need water, not including in your drinks. Don't forget that the calories in coffee counts toward your daily intake.

    Are you a jelly fish?

    Most humans are made up of around 65%.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    I'll counter your blog with a peer reviewed scientific paper.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754

    ETA: And now I've read your blog post, not even it supports your claim.

    The available literature suggests that acute ingestion of caffeine in large doses (at least 250-300 mg, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 cups of tea) results in a short-term stimulation of urine output in individuals who have been deprived of caffeine for a period of days or weeks. A profound tolerance to the diuretic and other effects of caffeine develops, however, and the actions are much diminished in individuals who regularly consume tea or coffee. Doses of caffeine equivalent to the amount normally found in standard servings of tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks appear to have no diuretic action.

    evidently its not really a diuretic if you typically drink coffee. it appears that it would not be crazy to log it as water. but id still encourage you to get your 8 cups or whatever is recommend from actual water on top of whatever coffee you drink. the more the better really. so long as you don't drink so much that your brain swells and you die of course
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member

    Think of it this way.

    You drink 8oz of strong black coffee. The diuretic effect of the caffeine causes your body to release .25 oz of water. You're still up 7.75 oz and thus 7.75 oz more hydrated.

    that makes a lot of sense too
  • bciloveme2014
    bciloveme2014 Posts: 213 Member
    I drink at least 6 cups of decaf coffee, but I also make sure I drink at least 64 oz of room temperature water on days that I don't workout, when I workout I drink around 112oz. room temperature water. ( if the water is cold, I cannot drink that much water)
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
    Absolutely! especially if you sprinkle some raspberry keytones on top! :)

    No seriously OP. This is a hot topic. If you search "what counts as water" you will find pages and pages of opinions on the matter.
  • rebalee8
    rebalee8 Posts: 161 Member
    If it were considered water, we'd call it water.

    If you want to log it as part of your water intake... it's really up to you.

    Some people do. Some people don't.

    I personally do. I also log unsweetened tea as water intake.

    That said. I pretty much do it as a lark because I like the happy face I get on my Fitbit Dashboard when I reach the goal (I'm all about the happy faces) as the whole "we need 8 glasses of water a day" thing is basically bunk. Very few of us are dehydrated on a daily basis as we absorb water from what we eat and drink.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/eight-glasses-water-per-day/
  • Etherlily1
    Etherlily1 Posts: 974 Member
    Caffeine does not slow metabolism it provides a slight increase and can provide a performance boost to a workout, but has no benefits for weight-loss. If taken to extreme and mixed with other drinks, namely alcohol, it can become lethal. It does have a diuretic effect, but it is counterbalanced with water taken in from the tea and coffee making up for the more frequent trips to the restroom. It can have some negative GI consequences and result in the temporary appearance of an anxiety disorder if intoxication levels are reached (DSM - 5). That all said, it doesn't exactly count as water. You are getting some benefit from it, but I wouldn't say it's enough to consider it water. Water is water. Tea is tea. One is made with water, the other is water.

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