Counting coffee as water consumption?

misslilylou
misslilylou Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey, just a quick question.. How many of you count coffee as your water consumption on MFP? I have a Keurig and the first thing I do every morning is brew myself a 10 oz cup of coffee. I always wonder if I can count that towards my water consumption. I'd like to hear back if you do OR don't, and the reason for it. Thanks in advance!
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Replies

  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    No, I don't count coffee or any other beverage that contains caffeine or sugar.
  • Lanie42
    Lanie42 Posts: 10
    I don't - I actually only count water in my water consumption. I have a bad relationship with water. I hate drinking it so want to make sure when I am logging water, it is only water as I am working on my goal of 5 glasses a day and I like to see when I have done that :)
  • coconutbuNZ
    coconutbuNZ Posts: 578 Member
    Yes I do count my coffees and teas because it is basically just flavoured water.
  • doorki
    doorki Posts: 2,576 Member
    coffee dehydrates.
  • coconutbuNZ
    coconutbuNZ Posts: 578 Member
    coffee dehydrates.

    Yes it does, hence the reason why I always have a glass of water before or after that coffee and I limit my coffees to 2 a day. I love the stuff!
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
    I only count water as water, and I only count the water I drink, not stuff that I may add to my foods during cooking. Caffeinated drinks don't count towards you water count I believe. I love water anyway, its all I drink :)
  • mabear74
    mabear74 Posts: 248
    I only count actual water.......
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    Coffee does not dehydrate - that is a myth.

    Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    Caffeinated drinks do hydrate you.

    Source: http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.long

    Key excerpt:

    "This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study."
  • Wouga
    Wouga Posts: 145 Member
    The caffeine found in coffee makes it a less then stellar candidate to be considered for a water "substitute" as caffeine can potentially dehydrate you. I found a short article about it to better explain...

    http://www.health.arizona.edu/health_topics/nutrition/general/caffeine.htm
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    coffee dehydrates.

    Yes it does, hence the reason why I always have a glass of water before or after that coffee and I limit my coffees to 2 a day. I love the stuff!

    No, it doesn't. See above post.
  • bm7777
    bm7777 Posts: 1 Member
    Weight watchers allows you to count one can of diet soda as one cup of water although, I am not sure about coffee.
  • coconutbuNZ
    coconutbuNZ Posts: 578 Member
    coffee dehydrates.

    Yes it does, hence the reason why I always have a glass of water before or after that coffee and I limit my coffees to 2 a day. I love the stuff!

    No, it doesn't. See above post.

    Oops my bad. Do you really think the body knows the difference between water and coffee? Apart from any sugar content, fluid is fluid.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    coffee dehydrates.

    so if I drink 200 ml of coffee, of which 199ml is water, does this effect extend beyond the water in the coffee and if so by how much ?

    I drink very little water as water, but masses as coffee. By your reckoning I'm dead already.
  • Dragonfly7701
    Dragonfly7701 Posts: 45
    coffee dehydrates.

    Yes coffee dehaydrates and my cardiologist told me to minimize it's consumption specially before my workouts. So no it's shouldn't count.
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    More links disproving the "coffee dehydrates you" myth:

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm
    http://www.foodinsight.org/Press-Release/Detail.aspx?topic=Health_Hints_Beverages_Containing_Caffeine_Offer_Hydration
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661
    http://www.beverageinstitute.org/en_us/pages/expert-laying-the-caffeine-dehydration-myth-to-rest.html
    http://www.themedguru.com/node/44180
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-should-i-consume-caffeine-before-my-workout/#axzz1sbqhVSx3

    Seriously, just Google it.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I think the bottled water industry beat you to it long ago with the propaganda, so you're pushing water (or coffee) up hill with a comb.

    Everyone walks round like GIs in Gulf War I with bottles of water nowadays, in the 70s I was working hard manual labour without a thought to such practices. LOL.
  • sezhep
    sezhep Posts: 57
    I count it, because otherwise I would only drink 1 cup a day.. and even that would be the squash I drink in the gym! I'm so bad at drinking.. anymore than a pint and I can't stop peeing all day. Alcohol on the other hand... :embarassed:
  • saustin201
    saustin201 Posts: 270 Member
    I count it as water.
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    I never drink plain water except on the very rare occasion when I am working out in the sun on a very hot day. Get all my liquids from coffee, tea, the odd glass of juice and the food I eat. At age 61 I haven't dried up and died yet.:tongue:

    Edited to add: I love my coffee and generally drink at least 5 cups of coffee a day.
  • katgirl985
    katgirl985 Posts: 212 Member
    Coffee does not dehydrate - that is a myth.

    Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    Caffeinated drinks do hydrate you.

    Source: http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.long

    Key excerpt:

    "This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study."

    THANK YOU for posting this, I was about to go find the same thing!

    In short, YES caffeine DOES dehydrate to a very small extent, but the amount of hydration you get from coffee/tea greatly exceeds the amount of dehydration the caffeine might cause.

    So to answer your question: I log iced tea (as long as it has no sweetener, including artificial stuff!) and BLACK coffee as water, yes.
  • misslilylou
    misslilylou Posts: 71 Member
    Thanks for the feedback so far. I read through the Mayo Clinic article that was posted and it said that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you drink 5-7 cups of coffee a DAY, which I don't do. I have one, MAYBE two cups in the morning and none after that. I stick with water and milk after that. So, I'm inclined to believe that my morning coffee is not going to dehydrate me, therefore I will probably count it towards my water consumption. Some days I don't drink enough water, especially on days when I work, because Target won't let you have water with you at your lane (boo) and so I'd like to think my morning coffee is part of my daily water consumption!
  • Musikelektronik
    Musikelektronik Posts: 739 Member
    Oh Lord, here we go again ...

    tumblr_kz0zm13TVG1qzc8rmo1_250.gif
  • cimonroe
    cimonroe Posts: 36
    depends on how much coffee you drink
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    coffee dehydrates.

    so if I drink 200 ml of coffee, of which 199ml is water, does this effect extend beyond the water in the coffee and if so by how much ?

    I drink very little water as water, but masses as coffee. By your reckoning I'm dead already.

    ^^I only ever drink water during my workouts and only really becuse I am worried about knocking my latter over!

    The dehyradating effectect of coffee is minescule - and far outweighed by the actual water (or milk) in coffee.
  • AmberJslimsAWAY
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,339 Member
    Water:

    1.A colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms
  • SirBen81
    SirBen81 Posts: 396 Member
    Seeing as how coffee is 99.99% water...yeah, I'd count it.
  • laurieagain09
    laurieagain09 Posts: 183 Member
    I wish I could count coffee as water. But for me, coffee is a total diuretic. I swear I pee out five times as much as I drink. :(
  • twistygirl
    twistygirl Posts: 517 Member
    I do BC the main ingredient in my coffee is water and I pee it out so water it is. I also include my Crystal light as water.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Coffee does not dehydrate - that is a myth.

    Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    Caffeinated drinks do hydrate you.

    Source: http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.long

    Key excerpt:

    "This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study."

    THANK YOU for posting this, I was about to go find the same thing!

    In short, YES caffeine DOES dehydrate to a very small extent, but the amount of hydration you get from coffee/tea greatly exceeds the amount of dehydration the caffeine might cause.

    So to answer your question: I log iced tea (as long as it has no sweetener, including artificial stuff!) and BLACK coffee as water, yes.

    Totally agree - except for the fact that milk can count towards your fluid intake.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    I think the bottled water industry beat you to it long ago with the propaganda, so you're pushing water (or coffee) up hill with a comb.

    Everyone walks round like GIs in Gulf War I with bottles of water nowadays, in the 70s I was working hard manual labour without a thought to such practices. LOL.

    Im convinced the obligatory bottle of evian everyone seems to be clutching at desperately no matter where you go these days is a fashion accessory, nothing more.

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