Do you count it as water?

245

Replies

  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I count it. How many mls constitutes a cup though? Our ounces are different to yours here in the UK so an fl oz reply would just baffle me!

    according to an online calculator I used, 8oz is equal to 236ml...the average drinking glass is 16oz (472ml)...therefor 64oz equals roughly 1900ml
  • tsymyn
    tsymyn Posts: 1
    I'm sure many people will discount this, but Coke has enough research to show that soda also hydrates that the FDA lets them claim it. Personally, I count soda but not coffee, just to force me to drink a little more "straight" water. I drink a 12 oz Coke Zero over ice and count it as 8 oz of water. It could probably count as 16 oz since I typically drink about half or more of the ice from it melting.
  • ashmarie484
    ashmarie484 Posts: 296 Member
    Don't count it because it dehydrates.


    The whole caffeine dehydrates you is a myth. If it were true a lot of people would be dead. Imagine all the people that only drink soda or whatever. Heres an article from the Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    Heh.

    If your pee is quite light in color and relatively odorless, you're getting enough water. Keep doing what you're doing.

    If your pee is dark and smells, you're not getting enough water. Drink some more, regardless of how much you're currently drinking.

    Don't overthink :P

    agree with this. Well this works as a good indicator unless you take vitamins that can change your urine color.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Heh.

    If your pee is quite light in color and relatively odorless, you're getting enough water. Keep doing what you're doing.

    If your pee is dark and smells, you're not getting enough water. Drink some more, regardless of how much you're currently drinking.

    Don't overthink :P

    Also, if your pee is really dark (like golden-brown) and you're drinking a lot of water, you're getting too much water and have thrown off your electrolyte balance and need to drink something like Gatorade. It generally takes quite a bit of water, but it can and does happen (as in, clear pee, then drinking like another gallon of water).
  • TheWinman
    TheWinman Posts: 684 Member
    Don't count it because it dehydrates.

    That is debatable!
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    Yes, it counts as water. Turning water into coffee does nothing except flavor the water and add a little caffeine. The body extracts most of the water it needs from food. It can certainly extract it from coffee, soda and tea.

    Also, the whole 64 oz. a day thing is a myth anyway.

    tell that to the 14mm kidney stone I had last year. I was drinking almost 64 oz a day, had pale urine, yet still managed to be dehydrated. This is according to my urologist. I now need to drink 128oz a day to keep from developing stones.
  • LifeOnMars_
    LifeOnMars_ Posts: 720 Member
    I count water as water, tea as tea, pop as pop... etc.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
    Caffeine, sugar and alcohol all dehydrate you so if it contains any of these ingredients, I do not count it as water.


    So I couldn't count my glass of water I drink before my shot of tequila? NO WAY....

    And I have to back out that cup of water that I had while eating a startburst.....CRAP!
  • grimm1974
    grimm1974 Posts: 337 Member
    Sugar only really comes into play for people with diabetes. Caffeine dehydration is not backed up by any solid research.
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
    Beer: essentially water & vegetables. I usually just log it as a salad.
  • coderchris
    coderchris Posts: 79 Member
    I do not count it, I have found that if I do not drink the water I need I have a harder time working out. Coffee and tea will make you get rid of water. So I would say don't count it.
  • MrsORourke
    MrsORourke Posts: 315 Member
    Beer: essentially water & vegetables. I usually just log it as a salad.

    Noted! I can't belive I haven't been logging it like that!
  • nessa786
    nessa786 Posts: 107 Member
    I do not count it, but i do count vitamin water.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Coffee and tea will make you get rid of water.

    Myth
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661
  • Jess5825
    Jess5825 Posts: 228
    I don't drink coffee, but it has caffeine and my trainer told me when I drink soda which also has caffeine you should actually drink more water, since caffeine can act as a diuretic.
  • dogacreek
    dogacreek Posts: 289 Member
    I only count plain jane water as water. I don't count coffee or water with crystal light or MIO additives. Sure I have to drink more to get my total ounces in for the day, but I only benefit from that.
  • lolcatftw
    lolcatftw Posts: 36
    Yes, yes and yes. Hell, even low alcohol beers result in net hydration. Having said that, beware when people feed you BS, as the warning at the bottom of all threads clearly indicate:

    Posts by members, moderators and admins should not be considered medical advice and no guarantee is made against accuracy.

    Please consult a licensed physician before listening to random poster's mysticism, opinion and hearsay. Even mine. At the very least, consult Pubmed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) and search for yourself among peer-reviewed scientific literature. For non-science people simply skip to the conclusions sections of the articles.

    Here's a relatively recent article, for instance:
    The Effect of Caffeinated, Non-Caffeinated, Caloric and Non-Caloric Beverages on Hydration
    http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.short
    "Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study."

    Be well.
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
    Beer: essentially water & vegetables. I usually just log it as a salad.

    Noted! I can't belive I haven't been logging it like that!

    I might open a can of salad or two this evening!
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    tell that to the 14mm kidney stone I had last year. I was drinking almost 64 oz a day, had pale urine, yet still managed to be dehydrated. This is according to my urologist. I now need to drink 128oz a day to keep from developing stones.

    Then you obviously have a medical condition that requires you to drink a certain amount of water. This doesn't hold true for the general population. There is no set amount of required water for most people. You should drink if you're thirsty.
  • snoozen29
    snoozen29 Posts: 33
    I have heard that for every cup of coffee, that it actually deprives your body of 2 glasses of water! I still drink my coffee, but drink more water to make up for it.
  • sunnyday789
    sunnyday789 Posts: 309 Member
    You can count it or not. As you can see, people hold different views on this. However, your body counts it as water.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    I have heard that for every cup of coffee, that it actually deprives your body of 2 glasses of water! I still drink my coffee, but drink more water to make up for it.

    I mostly drink half-caff coffee and sugar-free green tea, rarely just straight up water. Both of these have some caffeine. If what you heard was true people would be falling over dead in the street, me included. There's no science to support the idea that coffee, tea and soda aren't used by the body as water, that I'm aware of.
  • grimm1974
    grimm1974 Posts: 337 Member
    I have heard that for every cup of coffee, that it actually deprives your body of 2 glasses of water! I still drink my coffee, but drink more water to make up for it.

    Yeah, you hear it a lot, but it is always from people just repeating what other people say. However, everything it comes from every highly regarded medical association I've seen disputes that.
  • Lil_MiSsSunshiNe
    Lil_MiSsSunshiNe Posts: 167
    Don't count it because it dehydrates.

    ^^^^^^ this.
  • Lil_MiSsSunshiNe
    Lil_MiSsSunshiNe Posts: 167
    I count water as water, tea as tea, pop as pop... etc.


    ^^^^^ this... I mean when I make my pancakes it says just add water. Do does that mean I can count that water as well??? SMH.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Don't count it because it dehydrates.

    No, it doesn't. Even if you drink the whole pot.
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    I have heard that for every cup of coffee, that it actually deprives your body of 2 glasses of water! I still drink my coffee, but drink more water to make up for it.

    This is simply not true. Caffeine is a diuretic, and as such should be avoided, but the amount of liquid in coffee outweighs that diuretic effect. It's amazing the amount of misinformation that gets repeated/modified with each time a question gets asked.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I count water as water, tea as tea, pop as pop... etc.


    ^^^^^ this... I mean when I make my pancakes it says just add water. Do does that mean I can count that water as well??? SMH.

    If you really wanted to know how much water you consume in a day, then yes you should. You should count the water in all foods and liquids, including those in there naturally.
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
    I count water as water, tea as tea, pop as pop... etc.


    ^^^^^ this... I mean when I make my pancakes it says just add water. Do does that mean I can count that water as well??? SMH.

    Well, some of the water cooks off when you make the pancakes, but otherwise, actually, yes. We get water from the foods we eat, not just pure water in a glass. Fruits and vegetables are mostly water and yes they absolutely count.

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