You'll get different answers depending on who you ask, but I know count all beverages as water, yes even milk, and caffeinated beverages.
My rationale comes from what the kidney specialist told my mother when she was hospitalized for water intoxication (rare, but yes it can happen to relatively healthy people. Her low sodium diet, tendency towards low sodium blood levels, and her blood pressure medication contributed to her susceptibility, and I have those same tendencies). Mom got sick because she was following her WW leaders advice to not count coffee, and in fact to drink an extra 8 - 12 oz of water for every cup of coffee she was drinking. In total, she was drinking just under or just over a gallon of water per day.
The kidney specialist told us that all water counts toward your daily requirements, even that in food and caffeinated beverages. He pointed out that some people only drink coffee, and if coffee caused a water deficit like the myth says, these people would soon die of dehydration (they don't).
The caffeine in caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and colas does have a mild diuretic effect, but it doesn't provide a water deficit (unless maybe you ate dry grounds), and with regular consumption loses even this effect. 8 oz of coffee is nearly equivalent, but not quite to 8 oz of water.
Water intoxication is not something you generally have to worry about, but neither is what is in your water besides water (even if you make coffee, Crystal Light, or soup with it).
My leaders have always said that any beverage that doesn't have sugar or caffeine can be counted as a water. Remember, though, that you must drink ACTUAL water for half our your daily water intake on WW. The other half can be other beverages.
You can use the crystal lite for half of you daily water intake. So if your goal is 6 cups of water you can count the crystal lite for 3 cups of that and then drink regular plain ol' water for the other 3 cups and this would meet your requirments for the day. If plain water is hard for you to drink (as it was for me because I hated plain water) try using a straw. I've found that when I drink my plain water with a straw I tend to drink more water, faster, without even realizing it.
Even as a WW member, after Mom was hospitalized for the water intoxication, I figured that kidney specialist trumped WW leader. So when he said there was nothing magical about plain water, and I could drink my water any way I wanted, with anything in it I wanted, I stopped worrying about whether my water was plain or caffeinated. Some days I drink all of my water in pure water form (always iced, I love it cold), some days I drink it in nearly all caffeinated form (I have fibromyalgia, and during a flare, caffeine is the only thing that clears my head and provides the boost I need to the effectiveness of my pain meds).
I have my little box of sugar free cranberry apple drink mix (they are much like crystal lite only walmart makes these.) Here's the nutrition facts:
Serving Size: 1/2 pack (2g) makes 8 fl oz
Calories - 0
Total Fat - 0
Sodium - 70mg
Carbs - 0
Sugars - 0
Vitamin C - 100%
I have a hard time drinking a lot of water because the taste is just boring. I went to my WW online etools and the packets are 0 points and some of the WW members there drink flavored water all day. I would think since you are only gaining a small bit of sodium and lots of vitamin C then I would count it as your entire water serving for the day.
Another tip to help not use as many packets in a day is to only use 1/4 of a packet (mine make 16 fl oz so I'd only use enough to make 4 fl oz) and it flavors the water and reduces the amount of sodium in one sitting.
WW says half your water has to be plain pure water. Those counting coffee and milk, etc. are way off track. Your body has to process it to get to the water.
With all due respect, I think kidney researchers and specialists know more about how water is metabolized by the body than WW International.
My mother was hospitalized and now has permanent kidney damage because she followed her WW leader's advice and not only didn't count the coffee she was drinking as water, but added extra water to "compensate" for it's diuretic effect. The kidney specialist told us that the body has absolutely no problem using the water in foods and beverages, and in fact, doesn't treat water any differently if it has some particulate matter in it. In fact, no one drinks "plain water." It all has particulate matter in it unless you're drinking distilled water (which tastes awful, because it has nothing in it). It made sense to me, but even so, I didn't just accept his opinion as fact, I did my research. I sought the opinion and research of those who would know, kidney specialists and researchers.
I'm not asking anyone to just believe me because I say so. Do your own research, ask the experts and ask them to explain the science behind their answer. Or believe what you want to believe, but don't call it science. If you drink caffeinated beverages, or other beverages you've been told dont "count," especially if you are on blood pressure medications (even a small dose) or tend toward low electrolytes for any reason, please talk to your doctor before drinking more than 3 quarts of liquid (from any source).
I backing up Kaplods on this one. Water intoxication is not a good thing. I've talked to another person that had this same problem. I've been counting my Crystal Light water and my Diet Pepsi (no caffeine) as part of my water. I also have fibromyalgia, and I know what you mean about the caffeine helping you sometimes. Michelle, I've also used only partial packs also to cut down on the sodium.
WW guidelines are guidelines. When it comes to a person's health, the doctors know best.
I am backing Kaploids on this one too. Doc does know best. Not WW.
I HATE water, so all I drink is diet soda (caffeine free), tea and coffee.
I guess I should be dead by now from NO water!
I have to say, I bought into all of the diet myths before Mom was hospitalized. When I taught community college early education health classes (geared toward day care teachers) I even taught some of them. I still regret teaching my students that water intoxication was virtually impossible except among marathon athletes, the mentally ill, and people trying to dilute their urine in order to pass urine drug tests by drinking gallons of water.
Some of the water myths are harmless, but some are very dangerous. If you're drinking 8 - 10 glasses of tap or bottled water instead of other beverages, you're not doing yourself any harm, but if you are drinking it on top of other beverages, it is possible to be drinking too much water and not even know it. The myth that you should drink 1/2 oz per lb of body weight is probably harmless if you're of average weight, but could be dangerous if you're extremely overweight.
I do get on my soap box about this, because my mother nearly died, and now has permanently lost 40 - 50% of her kidney function because she bought into these myths. I'm biased, and I admit this, so I don't ask anyone to take my word for it, but to do your own homework.
I like this article, because it sums up, and disputes the most common water myths, but don't take one article's word for it either, do your own digging.
I don't know if any of us were trying to say which is best. We were just stating what the plan says. Certainly if you HATE water and it is water or nothing, you should drink the crystal light instead.
Personally, I don't count milk. I will count decaf drinks, but I just don't drink any caffeinated drinks. So when I drink crystal light, tea, or coffee I count it. I still get 32 oz of normal water a day though. But I like water so I don't mind.
water with flavoring counting as water serving?
