Logging Water

Eve53 · November 2011

Just a quick question, I'm sure it's been asked before. But, do things like tea count as water? I rarely drink anything other than water and coffee (which I don't count) but once in a while I'll buy a Diet tea, usually when I need a new bottle for my water, hehe. I can't bring myself to buy bottled water, I think it's silly. Does something like Green Tea count as water though?

dls06 · November 2011

Yes. But if you drink caffine it does act as a diaretic.So you will need to drink a little more. Maybe decaf?:drinker:

HMonsterX · November 2011

Yes. But if you drink caffine it does act as a diaretic.So you will need to drink a little more. Maybe decaf?:drinker:

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 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

Wynterbourne · November 2011

Depends on who you ask. I was on WW many, many years ago and they would let you count half of beverages like coffee, tea and diet soda. So if you drank a 12 oz can of diet soda WW would allow that to be counted as 6 oz of water.

dawngroper · November 2011

I think Wynterbourne is correct its all in who you ask. I try to make it separate from my other beverages.

HMonsterX · November 2011

Depends on who you ask. I was on WW many, many years ago and they would let you count half of beverages like coffee, tea and diet soda. So if you drank a 12 oz can of diet soda WW would allow that to be counted as 6 oz of water.

But your body counts it as 11oz. Unless you're a regular caffeine consumer, in which case it may well be 12oz.

WifenMom · November 2011

They say other beverages "count" but there's nothing like good clean clear water to flush out your kidneys.
The program I'm on says to drink 12 eight oz glasses of water / day (tea and coffee count).
I don't count coffee or tea in the mix and believe it or not once you get past days 1 and 2 of drinking ALL that water - it becomes second nature and you actually crave the water and that's all you drink (I still have to have my coffee :-)

Wynterbourne · November 2011

Depends on who you ask. I was on WW many, many years ago and they would let you count half of beverages like coffee, tea and diet soda. So if you drank a 12 oz can of diet soda WW would allow that to be counted as 6 oz of water.

But your body counts it as 11oz. Unless you're a regular caffeine consumer, in which case it may well be 12oz.

I didn't say this was the rule. All I stated was this was what Weight Watchers used to use as a guideline. And I also stated everyone has a different opinion on this. I AM of the school that other things can count as water other than just plain water, but I am in no way qualified to say whether your body treats it all like water or just some of it.

Eve53 · November 2011

Ok great! I am pretty good about getting my 8 glasses on most days, but I want to up it to 10-12 glasses a day. And that might be hard because I do on occasion drink other things (coffee, tea...) Also, while we're on the subject, I take caffeine pills. One a day, in the morning because I can't drink coffee in the morning, it upsets my stomach if I drink it too early in the day. Will that have any effect on my water intake and so on?

Logging Water

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