A Pound of cure: The lowdown on liquids

Tonight at weight loss church we discussed the role of liquids in the diet. I think we all had a pretty clear grasp of that concept on Super Bowl Sunday! The new momentum plan, however, differs from the former guidelines in that research has found 6-8 oz. glasses of any/all liquids is what our bodies require to carry out daily function and processing needed for life. It is no longer required to be just water...however, water continues to be the beverage of choice, for so many reasons, including the fact that there are no calories or points in water. This is not the case with some of the liquids we listed and found the points values for. Some of the examples:
Cappuccinos and lattes can have anywhere from 1-8 points depending on the type of milk used, the syrups used, if they are sugar-free and/or fat free, etc.
Light beers are 2 points and regular beer is 3. One ounce of hard liquor for most drinks is 3 points-THEN add the points for the mixer on top of that!
Diet soft drinks are generally 0 points or 1 at most but the "real" thing can run you 3 or more points for basically no food value!
Milk is 2 points for non-fat(8oz), 3 for 2%, and 4 points for whole milk.
We even found out that coffee-normally 0 points-actually has .5 points for a cup. So if you are a person who drinks a lot of coffee(like me), you might be racking up some unaccounted for points there...hmmm, naw! Denial sets in. The list went on and on but you can think of beverages on your own and look them up in a WW book or calorie counter. You may be surprised!
We debunked the old notion that water fills you up and makes you eat less and feel fuller-false! If you drink water with your meal, however, it will have that effect and we discussed the fact that many times we eat something when actually we are thirsty instead of hungry. We also talked about the benefits of water. Water helps us flush waste products from our bodies, gives us fluid for bodily functions such as digestion and sweating, helps with the complexion, helps with constipation(TMI?), is good for metabolizing vitamins and minerals within the body, helps regulate temperature and keeps our blood volume stable. I am very close to my 10% goal but still fighting my way through this plateau. I lost .4 lbs this week. Still a loss I tell myself! Next week the booklet we get at WW is all about plateaus. More on that then. I also get 4 sessions with a trainer included in my gym membership at Family Fitness. I'm having my initial consultation on Saturday so I'm hoping for some practical suggestions to get moving again. This coming week is the first week in a long time when I haven't had some big eating "event" so maybe I can get ahead...stay tuned!