What do you count as "Water"?

k8tmama
k8tmama Posts: 58
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
I am curious about what you all count as your water each day. I've been counting water, water to which I add something like Emergen-C, as well as zero-calorie sports drinks like Powerade. I know there is a lot of debate about whether to even drink diet soda (I will admit to loving diet sprite), but I wonder whether anyone tends to count non-caffeinated diet soda as part of their water for the day. Or, if people add something like Crystal Light and count it.

Consider it something of a poll. I have a lot of trouble fitting in my 8 glasses or more a day, and I'm wondering what you guys do.

Thanks!

Replies

  • Cristy_AZ
    Cristy_AZ Posts: 986
    I only count water as water, I drink tea and coffee, both with caffeine, so I log them separate. The only other thing I drink is an occasional vitamin water which I log separate too, even the zero calorie ones. I've seen other people say they count any non caffeinated drink (like Crystal light etc) as water.
  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
    only log water as water! soda and other non water drinks have other stuff in them that should be logged separately.
    An idea to help you drink your water... try adding freshly squeezed lemon or lime. I had 1/2 lemon to my 32 oz bottle every now and then. Taste great.
  • gbhayes
    gbhayes Posts: 2 Member
    Yes on the crystal light because you mix them with water. No on things like Powerade Zero and Vitamin Water Zaro even though they have zero calories. I've been trying to avoid any drink that's not water. I will occasionally have something else but log it seperately. I used to drink soda all the time but now water is all i need with the occasional crystal light packet if i want some flavor.
  • JD92
    JD92 Posts: 253 Member
    I fill a large glass with water, then add some concentrated orange juice for flavor. It's still all water, with just a lil bit extra! And goes down much easier too.
  • GlynisH
    GlynisH Posts: 69 Member
    I'm not sure if you can count crystal light as water. It has caffeine in it. Caffeine dehydrates you, kind of canceling out the water you added it to. I would love to count crystal light as water! But I don't because I feel that that is cheating.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I log anything that has caffeine, sugar, or artificial sweeteners separate from water.

    But I log my unsweetened no-caffeine herb tea as water.

    I have a 24 oz bottle that I put an herb tea bag in at breakfast. I refill the bottle four times throughout the day, but keep the same teabag. Yes, it gets weaker as the day goes on, but it's got a little flavor to it even on the 4th refill (and our water on campus tastes very chloriney- even after a pass through the Brita filter)
  • MsFitnFabulous
    MsFitnFabulous Posts: 432 Member
    I say anything you add is not water. Nor anything with added artificial colors and/or flavors. Straight h2o
  • xitsx0xbrix
    xitsx0xbrix Posts: 5 Member
    I count the 20 oz bottle or venti iced starbucks cup I mix my crystal light packs into as part of my water intake, but if I drink a lifewater or something along those lines, I don't usually count it unless I come up wicked short on water... But since I've stopped drinking soda, it's water or nada.
  • ropedancer
    ropedancer Posts: 115
    I only count water as water, but I don't drink much besides that.
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
    Anything with an artificial sweetener or caffeine in it I do not count as water. I tend to keep a big glass of ice water on my desk all day, constantly refilling it.
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    i only count water as water as well - anything else - even if it has 0 calories, usually has other stuff that I track like sodium, etc.
  • Cristy_AZ
    Cristy_AZ Posts: 986
    I'm not sure if you can count crystal light as water. It has caffeine in it. Caffeine dehydrates you, kind of canceling out the water you added it to. I would love to count crystal light as water! But I don't because I feel that that is cheating.
    Does all Crystal light have caffeine? I don't drink it but thought it was just flavor and sweetener. (I stay away from both, so never tried it) Just curious, a lot of my coworkers drink it as water, and you are right caffeine dehydrates you!
  • Cheechos
    Cheechos Posts: 293
    Flavored water and water with vitamins in it is considered water to me and I will add it to my daily intake.

    Energy drinks, coffee, tea, diet soft drinks, juice, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, etc. are logged but not put towards my water count, although everything you drink does contain certain amounts of water in it.
  • rc630
    rc630 Posts: 310 Member
    Just wondering, why would decaf tea not count as water? Assuming there isn't anything else in it, just tea...
  • GlynisH
    GlynisH Posts: 69 Member
    I'm not sure if you can count crystal light as water. It has caffeine in it. Caffeine dehydrates you, kind of canceling out the water you added it to. I would love to count crystal light as water! But I don't because I feel that that is cheating.
    Does all Crystal light have caffeine? I don't drink it but thought it was just flavor and sweetener. (I stay away from both, so never tried it) Just curious, a lot of my coworkers drink it as water, and you are right caffeine dehydrates you!



    I don't know if all of it has caffeine. All the ones that I have tried do. I just looked it up on wiki. It said the FOCUS and ENERGY varieties of crystal light have caffeine. About the other flavors, I'd read the label.
  • rharris86dc
    rharris86dc Posts: 635 Member
    I only count plain water in my "water glass." I gave up soda in January, which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I keep 2 water bottles in my refridgerator, one must be in there and filled at all times. (Sometimes I cheap and use my boyfriend's, but he's only here on the weekends so he'll never know!) So one bottle is 16 oz, so I know I can log 2 cups, the other is a larger Gatorade sport-type bottle, which holds 3 cups I can log. I try to drink one full bottle of each per day, but usually end up with my 8 cups somehow.

    I feel like I should try this Crystal Light stuff, it sounds pretty good.
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    I just count my water. I haven't had anything else except a glass of red wine last Friday night. lol! I now crave water!! I love it.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I only log pure, plain, water in my water consumed for the day. Anything else (if I actually drink anything else, which is rare), gets put in the regular log.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Just wondering, why would decaf tea not count as water? Assuming there isn't anything else in it, just tea...

    I brew Lipton decaf black tea into my icea tea and each bag has 20mg of potassium. So, I log it since it's not just nothing.
  • JHoersten2
    JHoersten2 Posts: 44 Member
    If it's nutrition label has zero's across the board, log it as water. If it has vitamins, sodium, sugars, etc etc, log it so you can keep track of that stuff.

    If anything, having it not count as "water" will get you into the habit of drinking said "water"
  • Staceslim
    Staceslim Posts: 100 Member
    I am diabetic so have found that the Crystal Light give me something 'else' to drink other than water but I just looked on the box & it says 10 calories for one packet so I would say that it should be logged different. I didn't realize that but now I will make sure to log my Crystal Light water separate from my plain water.:flowerforyou:
  • k8tmama
    k8tmama Posts: 58
    Thanks for the feedback, all!
  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
    Just wondering, why would decaf tea not count as water? Assuming there isn't anything else in it, just tea...

    even "decaf" coffee and tea have some amounts of caffiene. Believe it if you want to or not... but it is true. Herbal tea is the only thing that doesnt have caffiene in it and could be counted toward your water goal, but also logged separate.

    I heard the "rule" before that if you add anything to your water other than herbal tea you should only count half the amount of water you actually have.
  • Shirley61
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
    My bad I have been logging my coffee and green tea as water. I guess I will only log water as water.
    Thanks for this thread, I was doing it all wrong.
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