Do you count coffee towards you daily fluid intake?

If I didn't count coffee, i wouldn't get any fluid at all, pretty much. You count all liquids. Caffiene is not the diuretic  it's made out to be. If you drink it regularly, it does not have diuretic effect.  Here's what Snopes page on water:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

As WLS surgery patients, adequate fluid intake is different, but my NUT and doctor both said the idea you shouldn't count coffee and tea is  bunk.

Another article availble via pubmed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20693584


and here's what the Mayo Clinic has to say:

 

Caffeine: Is it dehydrating or not?

I've been seeing ads that say cola and coffee drinks hydrate you as well as water does. Is this true?

Answer

from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

It is true. Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.

Still, caffeinated drinks can make you jittery, sleepless or anxious. Water is probably your best bet to stay hydrated. It's calorie-free, caffeine-free, inexpensive and readily available.

 

My doctor told me that I can only count decaf coffee toward the liquid intake. If you take regular coffee however, you need to make it up because it is a diuretic (I think that's the word). Basically if you drink 20 oz of regular coffee then add 40 oz of water on top of the regular 8 servings that you are supposed to have.
It took me awhile to get used to decaf so I "splurge" by buying a Peet's coffe bag or Starbucks bag so I still feel like I am drinking something that won't make me feel like I am missing out.

Caffeine is not a diuretic unless in very large amounts (google it, the diuretic effect has long ago been debunked), so yes- I count it.