But is it water??

daronkeel
daronkeel Posts: 6 Member
edited April 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
Logging water intake is important to make sure you are getting the amount you need daily. I’ve logged this on and off for years and found I was much more successful logging, especially when my goal is 1 gallon per day.
The question I’ve always had, but never really asked……if you put a pre-workout powder in a bottle of water, log the pre-workout powder for calories, etc, is the bottle of water counted / logged as water intake?
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  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    The amount of water you need daily has been found to be much less than some health gurus advise, and yes, drinks other than water, drinks with protein powder in, and even soups are used by your body as fluid intake. Once you are adequately hydrated there are no benefits to drinking additional water. And in fact, it’s far more common to die of excess water intake by messing up your sodium balance than from dehydration.

    A friend of mine who worked outside all day was in a serious health crisis from drinking water and failing to replenish his electrolytes.

    I have tried to be one of those people carrying around a huge water jug all day and it was miserable. I imagine you can get accustomed to it but I am not sure why you would to unless it was necessary. I had to revisit drinking ahead of my thirst earlier in the year when my health took a temporary nosedive and I was instructed to do so by my doctor. I found it unpleasant.
  • TinaLeigh67
    TinaLeigh67 Posts: 669 Member
    edited June 2021
    The amount of water you need daily has been found to be much less than some health gurus advise, and yes, drinks other than water, drinks with protein powder in, and even soups are used by your body as fluid intake. Once you are adequately hydrated there are no benefits to drinking additional water. And in fact, it’s far more common to die of excess water intake by messing up your sodium balance than from dehydration.

    Just out of curiosity, how do you know you are adequately hydrated? I have always wondered. I normally reach for my water when I feel thirsty, I don't force myself to drink it, but I'm not certain how to tell if I'm adequately hydrated. Is your thirst a sign you aren't? Urine color? I never can quite get it clear, but I do drink a bit of coffee and tea throughout the day and not certain if that prevents it. I don't want to sound ignorant, but I just might be in this case.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,907 Member
    langstontl wrote: »
    The amount of water you need daily has been found to be much less than some health gurus advise, and yes, drinks other than water, drinks with protein powder in, and even soups are used by your body as fluid intake. Once you are adequately hydrated there are no benefits to drinking additional water. And in fact, it’s far more common to die of excess water intake by messing up your sodium balance than from dehydration.

    Just out of curiosity, how do you know you are adequately hydrated? I have always wondered. I normally reach for my water when I feel thirsty, I don't force myself to drink it, but I'm not certain how to tell if I'm adequately hydrated. Is your thirst a sign you aren't? Urine color? I never can quite get it clear, but I do drink a bit of coffee and tea throughout the day and not certain if that prevents it. I don't want to sound ignorant, but I just might be in this case.

    The rule of thumb is urine will be straw colored - not clear...clear would be over-hydration.


    Most people are going to naturally drink enough, plus you'll get moisture from many foods like fruit and vegetable.
  • TinaLeigh67
    TinaLeigh67 Posts: 669 Member
    @cmriverside Thank you. Good to know. Straw color I achieve, lol, plus I eat plenty of veggies and some fruit. I believe I do well in the hydration area now knowing this information. Plus now I know not to worry about striving for that clear urine.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,907 Member
    langstontl wrote: »
    @cmriverside Thank you. Good to know. Straw color I achieve, lol, plus I eat plenty of veggies and some fruit. I believe I do well in the hydration area now knowing this information. Plus now I know not to worry about striving for that clear urine.

    The other thing about urine color is it is affected by what you eat/drink (like you said, coffee, tea, and also vitamin supplements.) I take a multi-vitamin three times a week and my urine is that lovely day-glow yellow afterwards.


    I know. TMI.
  • TinaLeigh67
    TinaLeigh67 Posts: 669 Member
    @cmriverside I totally get it! Can I ask why you only take the multi-vitamin three times a week instead of every day?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    langstontl wrote: »
    The amount of water you need daily has been found to be much less than some health gurus advise, and yes, drinks other than water, drinks with protein powder in, and even soups are used by your body as fluid intake. Once you are adequately hydrated there are no benefits to drinking additional water. And in fact, it’s far more common to die of excess water intake by messing up your sodium balance than from dehydration.

    Just out of curiosity, how do you know you are adequately hydrated? I have always wondered. I normally reach for my water when I feel thirsty, I don't force myself to drink it, but I'm not certain how to tell if I'm adequately hydrated. Is your thirst a sign you aren't? Urine color? I never can quite get it clear, but I do drink a bit of coffee and tea throughout the day and not certain if that prevents it. I don't want to sound ignorant, but I just might be in this case.


    For most people in ordinary life worrying about whether you are adequately hydrated is uneccesary.

    If you are trekking through the desert, make sure you take water and drink regularly.

    If you are living everyday life just drink when you feel like it

  • TinaLeigh67
    TinaLeigh67 Posts: 669 Member
    langstontl wrote: »
    @cmriverside I totally get it! Can I ask why you only take the multi-vitamin three times a week instead of every day?

    Because I don't even think I need it!

    Multivitamins are pretty high dose on some things I definitely don't need - I eat really well. It's more just an insurance policy, and who wants vitamin-y smelling yellow pee every day?

    I haven't taken a multi-vitamin in years. I take a few specific vitamins but have also felt that diet was good enough not to need one. It might be a good idea to maybe take it a couple times a week. That is why I love these forums. You can glean quite a bit of good information from them. Thank you for responding :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    daronkeel wrote: »
    Logging water intake is important to make sure you are getting the amount you need daily. I’ve logged this on and off for years and found I was much more successful logging, especially when my goal is 1 gallon per day.
    The question I’ve always had, but never really asked……if you put a pre-workout powder in a bottle of water, log the pre-workout powder for calories, etc, is the bottle of water counted / logged as water intake?

    Keeping yourself hydrated is what is important. There is no universally magical amount of water or other fluids to drink. All fluids add to hydration. You can tell if you are properly hydrated by the color and consistency of your urine.

    As mentioned, vitamins can alter the color of your urine, but generally that will be kind of a neon color vs being dehydrated would be dark yellow to even almost brown (very dehydrated) and cloudy. If you're properly hydrated, your urine will be straw colored and not thick or cloudy.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Logging water intake is important to make sure you are getting the amount you need daily.
    Not for me, I don't find it difficult to keep myself adequately hydrated without counting my intake.
    My hydration needs are hugely variable day to day and a fixed amount would be too little some days and too much on others.
    On days with multi-hour hot or humid bike rides I will be conscious of frequency and colour of urination but generally my thirst reflex works fine.

    I’ve logged this on and off for years and found I was much more successful logging, especially when my goal is 1 gallon per day.
    Why a gallon? Wondering if you need to log your intake to reach this goal whether it's because you don't actually need that much?

    The question I’ve always had, but never really asked……if you put a pre-workout powder in a bottle of water, log the pre-workout powder for calories, etc, is the bottle of water counted / logged as water intake?
    Yes if you feel the need to track water intake. There's a persistent myth that even small amounts of caffeine negate water intake - dosage matters and it has to be a very high amount of caffeine in a small amount of water for a drink not to be net hydrator.
    Most drinks and even foods contribute towards your hydration.

  • daronkeel
    daronkeel Posts: 6 Member
    You ask “why a gallon”? Because I live in south Texas where there is heat & high humidity and I am a distance runner, therefore I set a goal of a gallon / day in the summer.
  • daronkeel
    daronkeel Posts: 6 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Logging water intake is important to make sure you are getting the amount you need daily.
    Not for me, I don't find it difficult to keep myself adequately hydrated without counting my intake.
    My hydration needs are hugely variable day to day and a fixed amount would be too little some days and too much on others.
    On days with multi-hour hot or humid bike rides I will be conscious of frequency and colour of urination but generally my thirst reflex works fine.

    I’ve logged this on and off for years and found I was much more successful logging, especially when my goal is 1 gallon per day.
    Why a gallon? Wondering if you need to log your intake to reach this goal whether it's because you don't actually need that much?

    The question I’ve always had, but never really asked……if you put a pre-workout powder in a bottle of water, log the pre-workout powder for calories, etc, is the bottle of water counted / logged as water intake?
    Yes if you feel the need to track water intake. There's a persistent myth that even small amounts of caffeine negate water intake - dosage matters and it has to be a very high amount of caffeine in a small amount of water for a drink not to be net hydrator.
    Most drinks and even foods contribute towards your hydration.

    You ask “why a gallon”? Because I live in south Texas where there is heat & high humidity and I am a distance runner, therefore I set a goal of a gallon / day in the summer.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    edited June 2021
    Why not more than a gallon on an extra hot long run day?

    If you don't set a goal, do you ever go for a run and forget to drink and re-hydrate?

    If you eat 2 lbs of watermelon (I did that two days ago), do you still drink a gallon that day?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    daronkeel wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Logging water intake is important to make sure you are getting the amount you need daily.
    Not for me, I don't find it difficult to keep myself adequately hydrated without counting my intake.
    My hydration needs are hugely variable day to day and a fixed amount would be too little some days and too much on others.
    On days with multi-hour hot or humid bike rides I will be conscious of frequency and colour of urination but generally my thirst reflex works fine.

    I’ve logged this on and off for years and found I was much more successful logging, especially when my goal is 1 gallon per day.
    Why a gallon? Wondering if you need to log your intake to reach this goal whether it's because you don't actually need that much?

    The question I’ve always had, but never really asked……if you put a pre-workout powder in a bottle of water, log the pre-workout powder for calories, etc, is the bottle of water counted / logged as water intake?
    Yes if you feel the need to track water intake. There's a persistent myth that even small amounts of caffeine negate water intake - dosage matters and it has to be a very high amount of caffeine in a small amount of water for a drink not to be net hydrator.
    Most drinks and even foods contribute towards your hydration.

    You ask “why a gallon”? Because I live in south Texas where there is heat & high humidity and I am a distance runner, therefore I set a goal of a gallon / day in the summer.

    There's many days with long summer rides when I need more than a gallon.
    There's many days when I don't.

    Which I why I don't set a fixed goal because needs aren't fixed.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,366 Member
    langstontl wrote: »
    The amount of water you need daily has been found to be much less than some health gurus advise, and yes, drinks other than water, drinks with protein powder in, and even soups are used by your body as fluid intake. Once you are adequately hydrated there are no benefits to drinking additional water. And in fact, it’s far more common to die of excess water intake by messing up your sodium balance than from dehydration.

    Just out of curiosity, how do you know you are adequately hydrated? I have always wondered. I normally reach for my water when I feel thirsty, I don't force myself to drink it, but I'm not certain how to tell if I'm adequately hydrated. Is your thirst a sign you aren't? Urine color? I never can quite get it clear, but I do drink a bit of coffee and tea throughout the day and not certain if that prevents it. I don't want to sound ignorant, but I just might be in this case.

    The rule of thumb is urine will be straw colored - not clear...clear would be over-hydration.


    Most people are going to naturally drink enough, plus you'll get moisture from many foods like fruit and vegetable.

    Uh oh. Mine is usually clear (in the toilet bowl, obviously diluted) by mid-morning and for the rest of the day until after supper, when I take my multi and the C makes it yellow.

    I found out earlier this year (GI issues) how awful dehydration looks. My fluid intake was good, I needed electrolyte replacement.