New and need some clarification on the water drinking!

bapcarrier
bapcarrier Posts: 211 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there anything that can replace some of the 8 glasses of water per day? I'm wondering about coffee, lemonade...? I thinking 6, 8 oz glasses of water and maybe something else. I drink 8 oz of skim milk most days and also coffee.

Replies

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Some people will tell you that you can only drink plain, boring water. I say you can drink anything liquidy (that is obviously for drinking, not eating) and count it towards your intake, and if you notice that you are feeling just fine then cool. if you drink 20 cups but half of that is milk and juice and tea and you feel dehydrated still, then don't log those things.
  • ThePhoenixIsRising
    ThePhoenixIsRising Posts: 781 Member
    Soup counts in my book!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    ThePhoenixIsRising wrote: »
    Soup counts in my book!
    I've never counted soup, but I also like making thick soups lol. But if I drank straight broth I'd probably count it.

  • EmmaFitzwilliam
    EmmaFitzwilliam Posts: 482 Member
    As noted above, drinking more beverage may suffice for your purposes.

    My experience is that the micronutrients in additives seems to impact absorption and retention. I feel like my body retains water more if I drink water with additives (fruit juice (2 oz. in 12 oz. water), or drink tea.

    Your mileage may vary.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited October 2014
    There is a lot of disagreement on this subject.

    IMO, water is water. Tea is tea. Coffee is coffee, milk is milk and beer is beer.

    If you want to count coffee, beer, milk, a carrot or whatever else as water, be my guest. :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I count coffee as water, but additionally usually drink in excess of 14 glasses of water on top of that.
  • bapcarrier
    bapcarrier Posts: 211 Member
    Kalikel, Please notice I didn't say I was going to count anything but water, just asked, but I guess you couldn't resist a little sarcasm... Thanks anyway for your reply to a new member just starting this journey. Thanks to everyone else for their input.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    I don't think she was trying to be sarcastic at all, unless my radar is off tonight. I did notice she was the only one with a different opinion though :)

    I'm in the water is water boat, but I would suggest drinking more than 8 glasses. Or, at least, not limiting yourself to 8 glasses. It's a good starting point, though. Good luck!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Your body doesn't care if it gets its hydration from soup, water, tea, watermelon, milk or whatever. I see no reason to count water glasses unless normal signals of thirst are a problem for you. Most authorities say the same now. But I know some people like counting and it helps them drink more. The 'rules' are totally up to you, for that!
  • Tornadoes_R_Fun
    Tornadoes_R_Fun Posts: 41
    that 8 glasses of water thing is a myth. just drink when you are thirsty.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    bapcarrier wrote: »
    Is there anything that can replace some of the 8 glasses of water per day? I'm wondering about coffee, lemonade...? I thinking 6, 8 oz glasses of water and maybe something else. I drink 8 oz of skim milk most days and also coffee.

    It all counts. Anything liquid you drink is "fluid." It doesn't need to be pure water no matter what anyone tells you. Here's a link that explains where the myth came from:

    theweek.com/article/index/248725/where-did-the-8-glasses-of-water-a-day-myth-come-from

    Short version:

    The original recommendation was 2.5 L of fluids, not water, and that includes the fluid in everything you eat or drink.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Tornadoes_R_Fun wrote: »
    that 8 glasses of water thing is a myth. just drink when you are thirsty.
    Problem is I can easily not notice that I'm thirsty for an entire day. This week I had a few days of drinking maybe 1 cup of water only, no other liquids outside of food.

  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    The water requirement is for hydration purposes. I count coffee, tea, sparkling water, flavor-enhanced water, club soda as water. I think my body is smart enough to recognize H20, no matter how I try to hide it by steeping it in coffee grounds, tea leaves, hide it with a squirt of flavoring or a blast of carbonated air.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Here we go again!

    You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

    http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/


    As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

    di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
    adj.
    Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
    n.
    A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

    Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited October 2014
    bapcarrier wrote: »
    Kalikel, Please notice I didn't say I was going to count anything but water, just asked, but I guess you couldn't resist a little sarcasm... Thanks anyway for your reply to a new member just starting this journey. Thanks to everyone else for their input.
    I was not being sarcastic. I was stating my opinion that water is water. I do not think that means everyone must think/do the same thing, so what other people do doesn't affect or bother me. If other people want to count water from other food and beverage sources, that's cool with me.

    Please re-read the post with a friendly, "live and let live" tone instead of a sarcastic one and I think you'll have a better sense of what I meant. :)

    I am sorry if you felt attacked. It was not my intention.
  • sydneydeb
    sydneydeb Posts: 93 Member
    Is it the taste of the water you don't like or the amount? If it's taste try adding a slice of fresh lemon or lime or some mint leaves. A friend of mine drinks soda or mineral water (she likes the bubbles). I love water and carry a bottle of it everywhere.
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 275 Member
    I have heard differing opinions of this. I've heard that one can count 50% of what you drink in the form of coffee or tea as water. Since it often acts as a diuretic instead of completely being absorbed they don't want to give you credit for all of it, but it seems plausible to count half of it. In my opinion, coffee is water run through coffee beans and tea is water soaked in tea leaves and would still count as water. But then maybe not, since you also have water in milk, alcohol, sodas and lots of other things. When I'm counting water, I log the water and if I have 4 cups of coffee or tea, I will count 2 cups as a water. But that's just my opinion.
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    FOR ME...
    I count water and unsweetened tea as water intake. That's because the teas I drink don't have calories, and obviously water doesn't either. But if I'm going to sweeten the tea, I won't count it because now it has calories and it's no longer zero calories like water. Any other drink won't be counted as water intake by me either. That's my opinion. :flowerforyou:
  • SbetaK
    SbetaK Posts: 400 Member
    Also remember that water is helpful to make you feel more full! A lot of people find that a big glass of water before their meals helps them feel full faster and eat less. If you don't like the taste of the water where you live, try getting a water bottle that filters chemicals through the intake straw, such as the Camelbak water bottles. I carry mine everywhere.
  • shaun603
    shaun603 Posts: 75
    Tornadoes_R_Fun wrote: »
    that 8 glasses of water thing is a myth. just drink when you are thirsty.

    No?
  • romachel1978
    romachel1978 Posts: 36 Member
    For me, I find that I don't want to waste any of my calories, sugars, fats.. on drinks so I stick to plain water. This journey is going to be different for everyone of us. It's a matter of tweaking all the information you will get and figuring out what will work best for you :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Fluids are fluids and it does not need to be plain water. You also do not need 8 glasses a day - some people need more, some less, depending on individual circumstances.


    Myths and Facts About Hydration Requirements: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/821181

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