Do you count tea and coffee as part of your water intake?

I do not, I track it separately because (at least according to mfp) my chai tea has about 5 calories per bag.

If you feel thirsty you are already more dehydrated than you should allow yourself to become. The best thing to do is drink fluids throughout the day and never feel thirsty again.(in a perfect world) Basically taking little sips and small glasses throughout instead of going two hours then chugging four cups at once.

Even nutritionist disagree over the whole tea and coffee as water argument. If you drink a variety of beverages throughout the day you will be fine. It's not really worth worrying about unless you are putting a lot of calories into it (cream/sugar)

Water content in food can affect you obviously you will feel less inclined to drink after eating a chicken breast (60% water) than something dry like toast or crackers but that's kind of common sense.

TNunraveler wrote: »

Logging simply motivates me to drink more water. There's something about clicking that water glass icon.

This! I don't even need to track my water intake because it's such a habit for me that I drink roughly the same amount everyday but I still like to log it because there is just something satisfying about watching the little cup icon overflow.

I might eat more protein if there was a little chicken to color in during the day.

I never track my water intake. I can tell when I'm getting dehydrated and just drink more fluids. The problem with all your fluids being tea or soda or the like is that those contain other things your body might have trouble with. I mean, soda alone is a big source of calories and sugar you might not be aware of. Once I start tracking, I was surprised by how many of my calories I was drinking. So I swapped out for unsweet tea and G2, and that made no difference to my hydration levels, just my calorie levels. Really, any water-based beverage will hydrate you, just keep an eye on what else it does.

Tedebearduff wrote: »

cocates wrote: »

I have never counted (or considered) it part of my water intake. I read a post that suggested you could count it.

Please let me know why or why you don't count it. And yes, I've read the links on the myth of tea and coffee dehydrating and therefore shouldn't be counted.

It's like everything people want to do as little as possible while counting as much as possible. What you should be doing is drinking 3 liters of water IMO, I really don't understand why this is so hard... 8 x 8 ounces of water is 1.9 liters that's a 1.5 liter bottle and another glass.... it's really not that hard to do.

Because, at least for me, that's getting into micromanagement territory. The more I have to measure and track, the less I'll actually do it. This is because I am lazy and I have other things I would rather do with my time. I know that it's not the best outlook for this site, but you know what? I does work for me, and that's what matters. If a more rigid tracking method works for you, go for it! If it doesn't, but what you're doing helps and is healthy, then don't worry about it.

moomooz16 wrote: »

If you feel thirsty you are already more dehydrated than you should allow yourself to become.

This used to be dogma, but recent research by Tim Noakes and others has called it into question. This blog post by Alex Hutchinson sets out some of the issues. Even ordinary marathoners should drink only when thirsty, though elite marathoners have a food and hydration plan that they follow.

If you have a medical condition that requires unusual hydration or makes you insensitive to thirst, then follow your doctor's advice. Otherwise, it's fine to drink only when you're thirsty. Personally, I follow that advice, unless I'm having a night on the town; in that case I'll alternate alcoholic drinks with water, since alcohol (unlike caffeine) is a significant diuretic.

I don't count coffee as water, but I do count tea because it is an herb..

I log coffee and tea as coffee and tea, and only log water as water. Even black tea and coffee get logged in my diary because I like to track the potassium, and even though I might not be counting it as water, I can see it in there as my overall fluid intake for the day.

Some people count is as water, some don't - do what works for you. Personally, I feel and function much better with my 7-10 cups of water per day, no matter how much coffee and tea I've had along with it.

People are trying to make this more complicated than it really is. Water, by itself, is the best way to hydrate your body. I have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, and then the rest of the day, I only have water with meals or in between when I'm thirsty. Drinking pop or juice makes me feel gross, so I cut it out from my diet entirely. I feel the best when I only drink water, so that's what I do, and I never track it.

sheepotato wrote: »

TNunraveler wrote: »

Logging simply motivates me to drink more water. There's something about clicking that water glass icon.

This! I don't even need to track my water intake because it's such a habit for me that I drink roughly the same amount everyday but I still like to log it because there is just something satisfying about watching the little cup icon overflow.

I might eat more protein if there was a little chicken to color in during the day.

Lol I'd like that chicken too.