OK I'll admit it. I just don't like Water. I can force it down - and I do - but I don't like it. I KNOW it's better than anything else.

BUT - if I'm mostly trying to avoid dehydration does it really matter if I drink plain, unadulterated water vs. decaf iced tea or hot herbal tea or a clear ready-to-drink Protein drink? I know many people drink Crystal Light, but I don't tolerate aspertame so for me it's pretty much what I've listed. Sometimes I do mix 1/2 sugar-free lemonade (sweetened with Splenda) with my decaf iced tea.

Are there studies/science that prove water is all that much better?

I don't do aspartame either, but I've found a Crystal Light that is sweetened with Stevia... Called Crystal Light Pure. Have found fruit punch and lemonade so far and they're very tasty !

Oh, and have hit my first dreaded stall...

Caffeine is a Diuretic. That is why they want us to stay away from it. It could add to dehydration..

I agree to avoid the caffeine. Other than that- my nutritionist says that half should be water and the other half can be the fluids that you listed. Hopes this helps.

I couldn't do Water in the hospital. I had broth and peppermint (which is decaf) tea and they were fine with this. I still drink tea mostly (decaf always) instead of water. I just don't like the stuff and my doc is just fine with this.

My son had dehydration issues all the time as a baby due to a rare condition he has. At ten months a doctor (one of the best in his field in the country) suggested I give him six ounces of diet soda a day and he'd never be in hospital for dehydration again (he just weighed a few lbs so that was enough). He was quite right. The issue is you need liquids, and while water is a liquid, so was soda in his case. Between that and formula (he didn't take much) he stayed out of hospital from that point on for dehydration. Tea is fine As long as it's decaf.

I'm 9 weeks out and don't like water either, but can't tolerate crystal light or Propel Zero - not sure if the problem is aspartame or the citric acid. The Crystal Light with stevia sounds promising though... I add an ounce of "no added sugar" apple juice to my water and a bit of ice. I'm doing okay with having a half caf (caffeine was fine for me starting at 8 weeks). I might have to give the sugar free lemonade a try. Is there a brand you use/prefer, Getting There?

I'm 9 weeks out and don't like Water either, but can't tolerate crystal light or Propel Zero - not sure if the problem is aspartame or the citric acid. The Crystal Light with stevia sounds promising though... I add an ounce of "no added sugar" apple juice to my water and a bit of ice. I'm doing okay with having a half caf (caffeine was fine for me starting at 8 weeks). I might have to give the sugar free lemonade a try. Is there a brand you use/prefer, Getting There?

I actually squeeze fresh lemons and add water & Splenda.

I just found a new natural sweetner that I really like, Nectresse (made by the makers of Splenda). It's made from Monk fruit. It's granular like sugar and doesn't have the aftertaste (to me) that Stevia and some other sweetners have.

Oh and I almost always drink decaf. On a rare occassion I might have a 1/2 caf/1/2 decaf coffee as a morning treat. But 99% of the time, it's decaf.

I really like MIO, there are several flavors and you can make it as strong as you like, the Wal-Mart brand is good also and cheaper!!

Ok if you have a herbalife distributor near you look for their mango aloe. I know it sounds disgusting but it's great in water, a little goes a long way.