Crystal Light - Same as Water?

nekosimba
nekosimba Posts: 239 Member
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I have a silly question...I have the crystal light packets that you put into water bottles for a little extra flavor. I only put halves in because I find them too strong if I put full ones in.

My question is, is drinking crystal light the same as drinking water? I know there are a 5 calories in the packets I have (Crystal Light Singles Tea Blends)...but does it flush out the body like water does? I only have one packet a day, the rest I drink just plain water.

I've completely cut out pop (and also sweet tea and lemonade :( my favorites), and have one glass of juice just at breakfast. (I noticed I was drinking a lot of my calories).

Just curious!

Replies

  • maysflower
    maysflower Posts: 180
    I think it is the same a water, just with a little more flavor! If it helps you to drink your daily water intake, then I say DRINK UP!
  • aochoa123
    aochoa123 Posts: 299 Member
    I count it as water and then add the packs to my diary to keep track of the calories. I used to use them all the time but now I have grown to love the taste of plain water.
  • navyw1fe
    navyw1fe Posts: 313 Member
    I add the mio liquid to the water i drink because i cant stand just plain water..also i dont think mio has calories! fruit punch is my fav!
  • tigersmoondiva
    tigersmoondiva Posts: 93 Member
    It depends on who you talk to - but I use it "as water."
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
    i am kinda a stickler i count plain water as water and thats it
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Count it as water, but if you are using the ones with sweetener in them beware. All artificial sweeteners can stunt weight loss. That said, Crystal Light does have some versions that have no sweetener in them. I beleive they are called PURE.
  • mdagenb
    mdagenb Posts: 49 Member
    I think you might get a lot of different answers to this question. Yes, it is very few calories, however it does have other products in it, which makes it not as good as water. Some people think its "bad" for you because it has unnatural sugars in it (similar to Diet products). I took a massage therapy course and they were adamant about only drinking water, if you drink anything else, you still need to drink your 64ounces on top of theat (they actually tell you to take your body weight in pds, cut it in half, and drink that many ounces, thats a lot of water!).

    What I try to do is drink most of my water first, like 6 out of the 8. And then, during the middle of the day when I need that extra flavor, ill drink a crystal light thing, and then make sure that I finish my water by the end of the day. Im not sure if I answerd your question but I hope I at least helped a little bit :-)
  • CrystalFlury
    CrystalFlury Posts: 400 Member
    I think it is the same a water, just with a little more flavor! If it helps you to drink your daily water intake, then I say DRINK UP!

    I agree! I drink Crystal Lite as well but I make the big pitchers and those are 0 calories. I get bored with just plain water so it's nice to have something that tricks me into thinking I'm drinking a sweet drink.
  • PJS323
    PJS323 Posts: 115
    From what I have learned, and this is just for me- Crystal light is not good for you. Anything that is artifical or created in a lab is detrimental to your diet. If you are using it as a way to keep away from soda, go for it. But over time you will want to get away from it as well. After research, and doing it, I've learned that artifical sweeteners work against your sugar cravings. I gave up sweetened yogurts, crystal light, and most diet foods. Hope I don't sound too preachy :(
  • Michelle9939
    Michelle9939 Posts: 291
    I count it as my water intake when I add flavor mix. I also add the calories in my food tracker.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I dilute it by half, too, and yes, I count it as water.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    I vote for it counting as water. :)
  • Michelle9939
    Michelle9939 Posts: 291
    I forgot to add that I only add the drink mix in maybe 1 bottle of water a day. The rest is plain water.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    My GF, Debbie, runs a weight loss clinic here in SoCal. Their rule of thumb is that any calorie free beverage counts as water.

    And as we all know, we need about 8 cups of water a day ====> from all sources <==== so, if you're drinking 8 cups a day, you might just be pissing off your kidneys. :-)

    http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/283/5/R993.full
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    1 packet a day is very moderate - I wouldn't worry about it.

    If you're a tea drinker (like me) you might like Lipton's Red Goji Raspberry (green tea). I use it to make iced tea - it doesn't need sweetner at all - yummy!
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
    Everyone has a different opinion on this. My nutritionist told me to count crystal light, mio, any sugar free beverage, ( NOT SODA) and teas as water intake.
  • nekosimba
    nekosimba Posts: 239 Member
    1 packet a day is very moderate - I wouldn't worry about it.

    If you're a tea drinker (like me) you might like Lipton's Red Goji Raspberry (green tea). I use it to make iced tea - it doesn't need sweetner at all - yummy!

    Oooh! I'm going to have to try that! I love tea. My boyfriend makes sweetened ice tea which has a lot of sugar in it (it's so tasty tho). I will have to try that instead. I also love hot tea, especially chai.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    I agree with what NiciS & mdagenb said.
    Personally I only count water as water, and I artificial stuff like that tends to make me sick, but if 1 out of 7 glasses has half a packet of crystal lite it's not as big of a deal. Just count the crystal lite in your diary. My other thought is if you are only drinking 1 a day you probably don't need it. :drinker:
  • banjjo
    banjjo Posts: 89
    I find I drink more water if I add crystal light or products like it, to my water. I am too picky I guess because I don't care for the taste of water. At night though, before bed, I make sure I drink about 4 cups of regular water, but other than that, I always add the low cal sweeteners. I really think it's better for us if we don't though.
  • nekosimba
    nekosimba Posts: 239 Member
    It probably is better if we don't add anything to our water, but I think it's better than drinking pop or sugary drinks.
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