water

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jmarief1939
jmarief1939 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can a person count decaf coffee as water intake to equal 8 glasses a day?

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  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    I count everything I drink (that doesnt contain alcohol) in my water intake. Others will tell you only count water.

    I struggle to drink enough plain old water during the winter months to not count the other stuff - and I believe that my body is clever enough to hydrate itself with coffee, diet coke, fruit juice etc.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    Yep you sure can.
  • mscheftg
    mscheftg Posts: 485 Member
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    This is a hot topic. I've usually said that anything other than water is not good. However, I've started drinking hot tea and count a cup of it as water intake. However, I add NOTHING to my hot tea.
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    The NHS guidelines say that any drink that isn't alcoholic - including juice and milk - can be included in your daily water intake.
  • freesia83
    freesia83 Posts: 50 Member
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    The nurse told me as long as it's liquid, dilutes, tea, coffee and not alcohol, it counts towards your 8 a day.
  • aelphabawest
    aelphabawest Posts: 173 Member
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    See Web MD. Personally, while you could, I wouldn't do it myself. I always feel better when I'm having at least the 64 oz of water a day - better and fuller. Tea (without sugar) is also a good alternative if you don't like the taste of water. Coffee to me always feels like a zero sum game - even if it's not technically dehydrating me, the pee doesn't end up the right color if I rely too much on non-water drinks.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12376390
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Sure why not?
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    Do you make your coffee with water? ;)
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
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    MarziPanda95 wrote: »
    The NHS guidelines say that any drink that isn't alcoholic - including juice and milk - can be included in your daily water intake.

    This. Your body knows fluid. HOWEVER, some drinks are diuretics, I think coffee is but don't know about de-caf, and some drinks like colas, just aren't good for you. So, some water, some of something else is a good choice.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    Some more indepth info here

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/821181
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    dasher602014 wrote: »
    MarziPanda95 wrote: »
    The NHS guidelines say that any drink that isn't alcoholic - including juice and milk - can be included in your daily water intake.

    This. Your body knows fluid. HOWEVER, some drinks are diuretics, I think coffee is but don't know about de-caf, and some drinks like colas, just aren't good for you. So, some water, some of something else is a good choice.

    Why is a cola not good for me?
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
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    non alcoholic bevs are water. However I do not count just because I want to make sure I get lots of the clean, pure water in my diet. Bevs with Alcohol do not count as alcohol is a major diuretic. If i drink a beer and always drink a water after and don;t count it. But I digress
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    The diuretic effect of coffee is not enough to offset it's hydrating qualities. Article.

    If your goal is weight loss you want to avoid juices, fancy coffees with sugar syrups/creams and sugar pops which can quickly add to your calorie counts. But they are still fluid and still count towards your fluid intake for the day.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    You can count whatever you like with your water glass. I do suggest if you add anything with calories, to log those calories in your food diary.
  • Always_Smiling_D
    Always_Smiling_D Posts: 118 Member
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    Water is water, and everything else is everything else. Can you be getting hydrated by the other beverages, of course, but most of the time the other beverages contain calories attached to it - those you should count in your diary. The color of your pee will def. let you know if what you are drinking is enough to keep you hydrated and is flushing your system accordingly.
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    Diuretics do not dehydrate you. They increase the frequency of urination but do not increase the quantity of urine that you put out. There are plenty of people out there that drink nothing but coffee and they are not peeing out more than they are putting in.

    You can count diuretics like coffee and tea towards your water intake goal for the day. You can also count the water you put into your soup and the milk you pour onto your cereal. Some people even calculate the water in their veggies and count that.

    I count whatever i pour into a glass and drink.

    I also drink lots of soda and count that. There is nothing wrong with drinking soda as long as it fits into your goals for the day.
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
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    You don't have to have 8 glasses of water per day.

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