Water Intake in relation to height?

guinevere96

Okay let me start off that I regret my decisions and I know I should've probably researched a bit before taking on this "challenge"

So I follow a youtube channel that recently completed the "5 gallons of water in 5 days" challenge and I decided I wanted to take that on, I already drink a lot of water but thought it might help me drop some of the water weight ive been retaining this past week from living off ramen and tv dinners, im that cliché college student. So yesterday I did it, I downed a gallon of water throughout the day. Ive drank 3 or 4 cups today, and my kidneys are killing me.

Kidney pain is not something Ive ever experienced so I assume its due to the one factor I changed in my diet this week, obscene amounts of water. So ive immediately cut it back but I just wanted to ask a question, does height effect what your water intake should be? Apparently the youtuber is substantially taller than me, she is like 5'8 and I am 5'1, 5'2 on a good day, so maybe that's why she was fine with a gallon and I am not, but I also weigh quite a bit more than her and I thought the more you weigh the more water you were supposed to drink.

Either way im cutting back down to normal amounts of water and hoping my kidneys stop hurting by the end of the day.

cwolfman13

There's no magical amount of water...you should stay hydrated...if your urine is pail yellow to clear, you are hydrated. I live in the desert at over a mile high and I train a lot...I need more water to stay hydrated than someone living at sea level in a temperate climate who is sedentary.

CoffeeNCardio

What he ^ said. The highest scientific and medical minds have already weighed in on this. Drink when you are thirsty. Have access to water when you're being active. It's that simple. Remember that TOO MUCH water can kill you just as surely as not enough can. Here's a funny video by Adam Ruins Everything all about water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWASUMMQjj8

guinevere96

Thanks you guys! Im going to check out that video soon. I tried to up my water intake because I always struggled with drinking enough as a kid and got dehydrated a lot, now as an adult I drink quite a bit but I thought the 5 day challenge might be good for my body. Surprised at how quickly it effected me and ill read my body a bit better from now own. Knowing your limits is a good thing.

CoffeeNCardio

guinevere96 wrote: »

Thanks you guys! Im going to check out that video soon. I tried to up my water intake because I always struggled with drinking enough as a kid and got dehydrated a lot, now as an adult I drink quite a bit but I thought the 5 day challenge might be good for my body. Surprised at how quickly it effected me and ill read my body a bit better from now own. Knowing your limits is a good thing.

Mostly the video is just funny and simple, cwolf gave you the pertinent info:)

lorrpb

Height doesn't affect it but weight does. The rule of thumb is .5 oz of water per pound. So if you weigh 150 lb, you should drink about 75 ounces (9-10 glasses) of water daily.

guinevere96

lorrpb wrote: »

Height doesn't affect it but weight does. The rule of thumb is .5 oz of water per pound. So if you weigh 150 lb, you should drink about 75 ounces (9-10 glasses) of water daily.

I weigh 237. so that's roughly 15 fluid cups of water, which is only a little under a gallon, which is what I was drinking and my kidneys don't seem to like lol.

Mumu190672

The water intake you get in a day comes from your food, any drinks not only water.
Fruits and vegetables can be rich in water.
Drink what you feel you need.
1 gallon of water a day seems a crazy amount to me.
Depending on the kind of water you drink it can be rich in some minerals that can be harmful in high doses.

macgurlnet

lorrpb wrote: »

Height doesn't affect it but weight does. The rule of thumb is .5 oz of water per pound. So if you weigh 150 lb, you should drink about 75 ounces (9-10 glasses) of water daily.

This is a good guideline but it depends on what else you're eating and drinking.

For me, I'm 115 pounds. This means 75ish ounces of fluid per day, depending on how hot it is, how sedentary I am, and what else I'm eating and drinking.

I usually aim for 24-48 ounces of plain water. Throughout the day, I usually have 1-2 cups of coffee, a diet soda and/or a tea. So there's an additional 8-44 ounces of liquid, which is more than enough in the end.

~Lyssa

elphie754

If you are in pain and you think it is your kidneys, you should really be calling and seeing your doctor.

duddysdad

I am 6'5 and I naturally drink at least a gallon of some sort of liquid a day. My body just needs fluids. I've always been that way. I didn't drink as much while growing, but once I stopped getting taller, I wanted to drink more.