Coke Zero as Water?

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AliseIrvine
AliseIrvine Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, this is a serious question. Can I count my daily can of Coke Zero towards my water? I used to go to Weight Watchers and I remember that at that time diet pops counted towards your daily eight. I am just curious if this is still the case. And, please no sermons on how diet coke isn’t the best for you, that you should try and drink more waters…and trust me I feel like I am water logged half the time….I just like to have a Coke Zero with my lunch and I don’t see the harm. If I were drinking a 24-pack a week, maybe, but I honestly think a can is fine.

Thanks for any input! And happy hump day, y’all!
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Replies

  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    No problems here with Coke Zero, though soda is not my beverage of choice.

    If you're getting 6-7 other glasses of actual water, then counting a Coke Zero as a water isn't going to hurt anything. The "8-glass" recommendation doesn't take into account that you are already getting some water from the food you eat. I'd count the can of Coke Zero as one glass and make sure you are getting at least 6-7 of plain water, and call it good.
  • Hodar
    Hodar Posts: 338 Member
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    No. And here is why.
    Soda - Diet Coke, regular coke - whatever ... is carbonated. This is CO2 that is a toxin, a waste gas, is added to the water. This makes the soda taste 'good', but the CO2 also messes with your Seratonin/Insulin.

    http://www.inquisitr.com/206123/high-co2-levels-are-making-people-fat-says-new-study/
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2114995/CO2-atmosphere-making-fatter-Researcher-says-increasing-size-gas-levels-up.html
    http://gizmodo.com/5893164/is-co2-making-you-fat

    And there are tons more.

    Personally, I believe the Global Warming hoax is, well - it's a demonstrated to be a hoax. The sun's output has cycles, and our temperature on earth fluctuates very much in synch with the Sun's output. No big surprise there, right?

    But, when you drink CO2 - you are taking CO2 into your body - much is released as a belch; but some is absorbed into your blood stream along with the sugar and caffeine. The CO2 has been demonstrated to increase appetite across numberous species, in substancial sample sizes, and these animals have all increased their voluntary caloric consumption in correlation to the CO2 levels they are subject to. Short version - CO2 makes you hungry.

    I drink water, and the weight is coming off - plus there are some side effects that are surpringly pleasant. Kidney Stones - it's best to flush them when they are itty-bitty than large. My heels and elbows aren't as dry and rough. I feel good after about a month of doing this - I was drinking a LOT of soda. Now, I might have a can or two a month. They are a treat.

    But, mostly I find that I am not as hungry all the time. CO2 increases your appetite - that's why you find it sold at so many resturnts - people who drink soda want to eat more food.
  • krawl78
    krawl78 Posts: 113 Member
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    I agree with the first commenter however, you are taking in unnecessary sodium which in turns increases your water retention, and scale weight. I wouldn't recommend soda of any type if you are watching your sodium.

    If it's the sweet carbonated beverage you enjoy I would recommend looking at a beverage that doesn't have sodium. Unfortunately I'm not in the US so I can't make a recommendation, but here in Canada we have several beverages like this. For example: http://reviews.presidentschoice.ca/6584/F6143/reviews.htm

    Good luck!
  • jdploki70
    jdploki70 Posts: 343
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    The point of water is to hydrate your body. Coke zero, as well as any number of other drinks, contains caffeine, which is a diuretic, which forces your body to create more waste liquid, i.e. urine. So by drinking coke zero as a substitute to water, you may be reducing the amount of water your body is getting from the actual water you drink. Coffee is the same principle.

    Not to be overly anecdotal, but I've known many a person who refused to drink water, just plain water, who ended up in the hospital with severe dehydration to the point where they were placed on IV to rehydrate the body.
  • jagwab
    jagwab Posts: 93
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    I say enjoy your soda at lunch but still drink your 8 glasses of water a day.
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    This.... although I drink diet coke 2-3 times a month, I know it is bad for me. Don't count it in your water though, and even have an extra glass or two of water to help make up for the bad side effects of soda.

    I say enjoy your soda at lunch but still drink your 8 glasses of water a day.
  • mellymassacre
    mellymassacre Posts: 15 Member
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    caffine dehydrates your body so i would say no. im drinking pepsi max though.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    the biggest ingredient in any soda is H2O and it's H2O you want for hydration.
  • Hodar
    Hodar Posts: 338 Member
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    the biggest ingredient in any soda is H2O and it's H2O you want for hydration.
    The biggest ingredient in Sea Water is H2O and it's H2o you want for hydration - sounds silly, doesn't it?.

    Drinking a diuretic with water will mean you will flush out more water than you take in. This isn't healthy, is it?
  • SirBen81
    SirBen81 Posts: 396 Member
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    Just go with caffeine free diet Coke. It has no caffeine, so it's not a diuretic. You can count it as 99% water because that's what it is.

    I've been drinking it as water for over 5 years. No problem, never had a cavity.
  • gseburn
    gseburn Posts: 456 Member
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    "Caffeine Free Diet Coke" Ewwww - why bother? :-)
  • SirBen81
    SirBen81 Posts: 396 Member
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    I like it
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
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    Here's some advice: don't count your water. Watch your body cues for signs of dehydration. To paraphrase Jeff Foxworthy's bit from the 90's:

    If your urine has an orange tint to it, you might be dehydrated.
    If your skin is perpetually dry, you might be dehydrated.
    If your mouth feels like you've just chewed a wad of cotton, you might be dehydrated.
    If you're only peeing a couple of times a day, you might be dehydrated.
    If you notice that you're retaining a lot of water, you might be dehydrated.
    If you're getting a lot of headaches, you might be dehydrated.

    Some people need 8 cups of water a day. Some people need less. Some people need more. And some days you'll need more than others. You can get hydration from other beverages, it's just not as efficient as plain water. Case in point: I used to know a man who literally never drank anything but Coke. Full sugar, full caffeine. He's not dead yet. He drinks it by the case. Now, he's not the healthiest person, but he's not shriveled up into a human raisin either. If you're having one soda per day, it's fine. But listen to your body cues, and look at the color of your urine. If it's almost clear, just a little yellow, then you're hydrated. If not, you need to drink more.
  • Stefini525
    Stefini525 Posts: 9
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    I am not a big pop drinker, but I see no problem with one a day. I don't think you should count it as water. Also, from one short stint with weight watchers, I thought they were only okay with the clear pops like Sprite. That was probably 12 years ago, so I am sure they have made changes since then.

    I think if you are at a point where the diet coke interferes with your dieting, them maybe think about cutting it out or decreasing to only once or twice a week.
  • sunnyday789
    sunnyday789 Posts: 309 Member
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    The point of water is to hydrate your body. Coke zero, as well as any number of other drinks, contains caffeine, which is a diuretic, which forces your body to create more waste liquid, i.e. urine. So by drinking coke zero as a substitute to water, you may be reducing the amount of water your body is getting from the actual water you drink. Coffee is the same principle.

    Not to be overly anecdotal, but I've known many a person who refused to drink water, just plain water, who ended up in the hospital with severe dehydration to the point where they were placed on IV to rehydrate the body.

    Studies have shown that the diuretic effect of caffeine is minimal espeically in those who consume caffeine regularly.

    Many people do not drink "plain" water and do not suffer from dehydration.

    Another poster had mentioned the sodium in diet pop; I don't know how that myth ever got started. Certainly not by anyone who has read a label on a pop can. It's usally less that 50mg. A case a day would be less than 25% of max daily reommended.
  • Shollin243
    Shollin243 Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm looking at the back of my diet Pepsi bottle and the sodium content is 35mg or 1% of a 2000 calorie diet. The bottle even says very low sodium.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Drinking a diuretic with water will mean you will flush out more water than you take in

    rather depends how effective the diuretic is.

    When they put people in controlled conditions and feed one lot water and the other lot diet soda they can't tell the difference in hydration status. They can't actually agree what to measure to indicate hydration either, but that's a minor issue.

    Same happens with caffeinated drinks. Practically all water, provides hydration.

    Water's a diuretic, by the way ;-)
  • Shollin243
    Shollin243 Posts: 30 Member
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    I drink nothing but diet pop and I have never succumb to dehydration
  • _Tara_R
    _Tara_R Posts: 688 Member
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    "Caffeine Free Diet Coke" Ewwww - why bother? :-)


    Caffeine free diet coke is awesome!!
  • jallen1955
    jallen1955 Posts: 121
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    No. Coke zero is chemicals.

    You may not count it as water.

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