The National Academies of Sciences recommends men get about 125 ounces (3.7 liters) and women about 91 ounces (2.7 liters) total from food and drink each day. But that’s total, not just plain water.
If you’re a regular person who eats fruits, veggies, and soups, you’re probably getting 20-30% of that from food. So for a woman, that’s about 64 to 72 ounces of actual water. For a man, about 87 to 100 ounces. But honestly? Don’t whip out a calculator at lunch.
Try this instead: start with half your body weight in ounces. Weigh 160 pounds? Aim for 80 ounces. Then adjust based on if you’re sweating, if it’s 100°F outside, or if you just ate a bag of salty chips that makes you feel like a dried-up sponge.
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When you need to drink more (and when to ease up)
If you exercise, you lose water through sweat. Think of it as your body’s air conditioner—and it runs out of coolant fast. A good rule: drink 8-16 extra ounces for every hour of moderate exercise. That’s like one to two big glasses per workout session.
On the flip side, if you’ve been sitting at a desk all day, you don’t need to drown yourself. Your kidneys will just flush out the excess and make you pee in the middle of a movie. Been there. “Sorry, I have to pause—my bladder is staging a protest.”
Also, don’t chug a liter before bed unless you enjoy waking up at 3 a.m. to waddle to the bathroom like a confused penguin. Sip earlier in the day, taper off in the evening.
