Can I count coffee as part of my daily water?

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BothMRS
BothMRS Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Sooo... this may seem like a dumb question... but I have a problem getting 8 cups of water down a day. Do you ever count the water that was used to brew your coffee as part of that... or is your daily water completely separate? I just don't want to be counting the 2 cups of coffee I drank this morning if I shouldn't be... I mean, I'd love to, haha... but thinking it probably doesn't count. Thanks :)
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  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
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    If the coffee isn't decaf, I wouldn't count it towards daily water. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate. So you drink a cup of coffee and you lose water... I try to drink an extra glass of water for every cup of coffee I drink.
  • californiagramma
    californiagramma Posts: 15
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    Weight Wathers say you can count coffee but I think it is a good idea to have a few glasses of water, it helps to curb hunger.Sometimes when I feel hungry I drink a glass of weter and it helps
  • cherfurr
    cherfurr Posts: 38
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    I drink decaf and count half of what I drink toward water. I also load up on water the rest of the day!
  • farmgirl88
    farmgirl88 Posts: 91 Member
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    I would say, don't count it! There are arguments on both sides of the issue... some say water is water, others say the caffeine dehyrdates you so it's actually negative water intake... but who really knows. The best thing for you is to try to drink 8 glasses of straight up water each day.

    I have troubles drinking my water, too, but as silly as it is, having a water bottle has made a difference in how much water I drink. I have a Camelbak bottle (not a backpack) and when I drink my water out of it, I drink at least 2 or 3 bottles a day... which is 48-72 oz!
  • dreamc08
    dreamc08 Posts: 74 Member
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    I've been wondering the same thing about unsweet tea. I usually do not count it in with my water intake, but have been curious if others do... I usually drink enough water anyway, just wondering.
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
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    My dietician told me I could count anything with no calories and no caffeine as water. So no on the coffee by her rules.
  • FoamyRiver
    FoamyRiver Posts: 276 Member
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    I count everything that is calorie and caffeine free towards my daily water intake. But I do try to get in at least 32oz of just plain water every day too.
  • BothMRS
    BothMRS Posts: 8
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    Ok, thanks so much for the info! I figured I shouldn't be counting it :)

    I tend to be able to drink more water if I have a cold water bottle next to me all day too... thanks farmgirl! :happy:

    I also tend to drink more water if I squeeze a little lemon juice in it too... to give it some flavor. That's ok, right???
  • 2hdesign
    2hdesign Posts: 153
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    I'm with farmgirl. A water bottle makes a HUGE difference for me (nalgene or just otherwise) and I drink way more water then out of a glass. I know it sounds silly, but it works for me.

    Oh and if I drink coffee or tea, I have extra water...
  • WhiteStar2351
    WhiteStar2351 Posts: 87
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    The diuretic effects of caffeine are MASSIVELY exaggerated unfortunately and have become somewhat of a prolific urban myth. The water content in a cup of black coffee far exceeds the water lost as a result of the caffeine. However - I would still NOT count it towards your water goal as caffeine is an addictive drug like any other and too much of it isn't good for your body. A cup of coffee contains around 100-120mg of caffeine with the RDA for an adult being a maximum of 300mg a day. If people drank 8 coffees a day instead of water it would be a scary world!

    Note of interest - the whole '8 glasses' or '2 litres' a day is also another urban myth. Water requirements vary greatly depending on genetics and lifestyle but the recommended guidelines are actually 1ml for every 1cal eaten, plus 1 litre for every 1 hour of exercise you do.

    Therefore if you eat 2000 calories a day and exercise for 1 hour, you should be drinking 3 litres!
  • changingmadelaine
    changingmadelaine Posts: 8
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    I wouldn't count it. Coffee doesn't hydrate you. Many people count tea as part of their water intake but coffee and tea are both diuretics, and therefore cause you to lose water. It's always good to get more liquids of any kind though :)
  • wpij25
    wpij25 Posts: 161
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    No. In fact they count negatively toward your daily water intake. Why? These liquids are all dehydrators. The exceptions are decaffeinated coffee and decaffeinated tea, particularly herbal tea - these do count towards your daily intake of water, if they are made with pure water. However keep in mind that decaf coffee still has tannic acid in it which you should not ingest large amounts of. Anything containing caffeine, which includes most soda, coffee and tea, dehydrates you. Sodas and juices also contain high quantities of sugar, which is also a dehydrator. When sugar is being digested, it draws water from your tissues to dilute it so it can be absorbed into your blood stream, leaving your tissues dehydrated. Sugar, and anything with sugar in it, also causes your blood sugar to spike, leading to excessive release of insulin powerful hormone that makes you fat, tired, and sluggish. Sugar, in all forms, should be avoided. Note also, that your daily intake of water, should be "pure" water, meaning distilled, filtered, spring, or bottled water. Tap water should be used as a last resort only, given its toxic levels of chlorine, herbicide and pesticide. Drink a minimum of 8-10, 8-ounce glasses of pure water per day.

    Hope I helped. :smile:
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
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    Caffeinated coffee is a diuretic and you end up losing fluids, but probably no where near as much as you take in in the cup of coffee itself, especially if it's very liquidy coffee (ie, not espresso).

    So yes, you can certainly count it toward your water intake, but by how much, I don't know. I tend to treat a cup of coffee as half a cup of water.

    Like others have noted, this doesn't mean you can drink 8 cups of coffee a day, but don't get hung up on the numbers - all these things are guidelines and vary dramatically by person, time of year, climate, altitude, how much exercise you do, water content of food and lots of other things.

    Something to think about: dolphins are mammals, but don't drink at all - I mean where would they get fresh water? They get all the water they need from food.
  • BothMRS
    BothMRS Posts: 8
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    The diuretic effects of caffeine are MASSIVELY exaggerated unfortunately and have become somewhat of a prolific urban myth. The water content in a cup of black coffee far exceeds the water lost as a result of the caffeine. However - I would still NOT count it towards your water goal as caffeine is an addictive drug like any other and too much of it isn't good for your body. A cup of coffee contains around 100-120mg of caffeine with the RDA for an adult being a maximum of 300mg a day. If people drank 8 coffees a day instead of water it would be a scary world!

    Note of interest - the whole '8 glasses' or '2 litres' a day is also another urban myth. Water requirements vary greatly depending on genetics and lifestyle but the recommended guidelines are actually 1ml for every 1cal eaten, plus 1 litre for every 1 hour of exercise you do.

    Therefore if you eat 2000 calories a day and exercise for 1 hour, you should be drinking 3 litres!

    Thank you so much!

    I'm trying for only 1,000 calories a day right now... yes, I'm under doctor observation... and I've had two coffee mugs full of coffee today... which is like 6 cups! If I'm reading this correctly... that's quite a bit of water I need to get in on top of this today, right?
  • barberella
    barberella Posts: 199
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    I start the day with an iced coffee, but I don't count it either. Once I get to work, i still have coffee, but have the water bottle next to it. I start to see that I barely touch the coffee and tend to drink the water more. Maybe that helps to get the water down. IDK..I can't seem to get 8 glasses of water in a day. I usually get about 6, but it's certainly better than the latter.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    You ought to get atleast 8 cups of (just) water in a day.
  • flipnsexy
    flipnsexy Posts: 37
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    I have troubles drinking my water, too, but as silly as it is, having a water bottle has made a difference in how much water I drink. I have a Camelbak bottle (not a backpack) and when I drink my water out of it, I drink at least 2 or 3 bottles a day... which is 48-72 oz!

    I always had troubles drinking even a few glasses a day but since I got a water bottle (Same idea as the bamelbak bottle) that holds 3 cups of water, I find it easier. I drink at least 4-5 bottles a day which equals out to being 12-15 cups of water a day which I never thought I could do. Don't know why it makes a difference but it helps.
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
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    why 8 cups of water a day?
    another urban myth as the majority of our water needs are met by the foods we eat. as with all things listern to your body it tells you what it needs.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    When I am thirsty, my body tells me to drink. What is a better option than water? 8 cups is easy as hell to drink a day.

    But you are right, urban myth, drink chocolate milk
  • BothMRS
    BothMRS Posts: 8
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    Ok... I just dumped the rest of my coffee down the drain! It's amazing as I was logging the calories from my creamer (I'm in LOVE with CM Italian Sweet Cream... but 70 calories/1tbsp, holy crap!) I thought... umm, I'd rather eat these calories! Now gonna down some water with lemon juice :happy:

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