Water Intake Calculator

What factors can affect my fluid intake?

There are many areas that can affect your hydration day to day. You will see that this water intake calculator takes into account several different factors before giving your daily fluid result. The list below will give you a few other factors that can cause and increase or decrease to your daily fluid intake.

• Age
• Height
• Environment
• Activity Level
• Illness

How often should I hydrate?

If the water intake calculator says that you should aim for 3.5L a day, don’t consume this all in one go. Aim to consume your water throughout the day having a few sips at a time. If you consume too much water in one go, it will just leave the body in your urine as a waste product. Alternatively, if you over-hydrate you put yourself at risk of death; this is due to the excess fluid diluting your blood and flushing out the sodium that performs a vital role within the cells. However, remember you can flavour your water to make it more interesting.

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How to use the water intake calculator

The water intake calculator may seem complicated when you first look at it. However, if you follow the simple instructions the process will give you your ideal water intake per day.

• First off decide whether you want to input your data in metric or imperial (standard) measurements. Our preference is to input the details in metric.
• Enter your age. This is a range of ages so no need to be shy about your actual age.
• Add your gender. For simplicity we have restricted this to birth gender. So, at this time it only shows male or female.
• Enter your height. If you selected metric you enter your height in cm’s. Likewise, if you selected standard (imperial) you enter your height in inches. For example, if you are 6ft tall you would enter 183cm in metric or 72 inches in standard.
• Your weight should be added next. If you are working in metric please enteryour weight in KG’s, if entering your details in standard then enter your weight in ‘lbs’. For example, if you were to weigh 10 stone, you would enter 63.5kg and 140lbs. You might find our weight convertor calculator useful at this stage
• Next select the time of year. During the winter period you naturally require less water intake than during the warmer summer months. This is mainly due to not losing body liquids through sweat.
• Finally pick your activity level. Remember to include all gym and work activity. Should you walk or cycle to work, this should be noted as you can easily become dehydrated if you fail to include when selecting your activity level.

How to calculate how much water I should be drinking

A frequent question we hear is ‘how to calculate how much water I should be drinking’. This isn’t as obvious as it might first appear. Did you know that you require less hydrating liquids during the winter than summer? Also being honest about how active you are, gives a real insight to the level of hydration required. The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends that people should drink 8 to 10 glasses of fluid a day. But, how big is the glass or cup? Given, your daily water intake during winter is approximately 3.1ltr this equates to approximately 8 to 10 x 330ml glasses.

We understand that some people find water challenging to drink but, there is good news. Not only can you hydrate with water but, low-fat milk, sugar-free soft drinks plus tea and coffee, all count. Your allowance of 3.1ltrs during winter is the base line and it is suggested you drink more if you can.

How best to stay hydrated without drinking too many calories

As previously mentioned, using our water intake calculator will give you your recommended daily fluid intake. This isn’t restricted to water though and can include tea, coffee and suger free drinks. Here are some useful tips to help you manage your water or fluid intake

• Your recommended fluid intake is the minimum suggested per day. However, you can include drinks like tea and coffee.
• On the flip side of the previous remark – limit the amount of caffeine taken. Drink low caffeine products where possible and do not add sugar to your hot drinks, as this increase your calorie intake. Use our helpful calculator to calculate your calories allowance.
• Beware, that many squash drinks that need dilution are now double or more in strength. Read the instructions on the products label and over dilute, where possible, to reduce your sugar intake when drinking these fluids.
• Other liquids that are high in sugar, can be fruit juices and smoothies. Try to limit your intake of these to a maximum 150ml per day.
• Adults, when drinking milk, should choose lower fat options, such as semi-skimmed milk. Alternatively plant based drinks are ok as long as they are unsweetened.
• Try to swap sugary drinks for diet , sugar free or no added suger alternatives if available.
• Finally drink regularly throught the day to remain hydrated at all times.
• On the MUST AVOID list – Do not drink liquids that are high in sugar. They are also hugh in calories and can not only increase you weight through hidden calories but they can damage your teeth too. If you are pregnant consult your health advisor and do not drink more than 200mg of caffeine per day. Your risk of miscarriage or your babies birth weight being low are increased if you drink too much caffeine.