Optimal Hydration Level?

[AtariKid]

I have a new scale that tells me my hydration level. not sure how accurate they are, but mine says im 51%

is there an optimal % for hydration? especially while low carbing or just in general??

[Haunch]

Interesting question, and one I've never seen an answer to. It may vary too much by body composition for there to be a true benchmark. I'm sure you'll get several people telling you to get your 8 x 8 ounces, or 1/2 body weight in ounces, or 6 x ((your age ÷ the number of letters in your middle name) - days since the last full moon), or whatever.

Seriously...since your body is roughly 60% water or more, I'm not sure how that thing is calibrated to deliver a usable hydration percentage.

[Haunch]

I did a little searching and found the following:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PROPERLY HYDRATED?

Clean pure water is essential to the health of every cell in your body. In the presence of fresh water, the body is able to effectively breathe, digest, eliminate and perspire. Even our glandular activities rely on the presence of water. However, an amazingly small minority of all Americans drink sufficient amounts of water! And even if you are drinking enough water, it may still be difficult to avoid dehydration.

It is very difficult to achieve a state of optimum hydration if you carry too much body fat. A fat cell can only hold up to 15% water, whereas a healthy muscle cell can hold up to 72%; the more fat you carry, the less space you have for storing water. Therefore, losing muscle over time contributes towards an overall state of dehydration. You can drink all the water in the world, but unless you have somewhere to put it, it will go right through you.

Ideal hydration percentage (intracellular water) is >65% for men and >60% for women. Most people carrying excess body fat (28-38%) come in around 52-55%. Even if these people drink gallons of water a day, they will remain dehydrated. The focus should then turn to increasing lean body mass (muscle), and decreasing fat mass. This is done through dietary changes and the addition a of muscle-building fitness program.

I found that last part, about remaining dehydrated if you are overweight, to be particularly interesting.

So, in light of that and some of the other things I read, the scale may be measuring total body hydration (as opposed to measuring hydration above some 'critical' threshold), in which case, it would appear you are about 14% below optimum hydration, but will improve as you lose body fat.

[KristenT]

[Peskie]

The instructions that came with mine says between 40 and 60 is right.

I always average between 45-47

[luvmeeluvmenot]

I too have one of these type of scales. I think its a biggest loser scale...anyways, my hydration level was 39%.

[Houston Heather]

Other posters have commented that they always show "dehydrated" while low carbing, because most of the numbers assume higher levels. A carb gram attracts 4 water grams to it... so if you're eating a couple hundred carb grams a day you would show "better" hydration.

The best advice I ever got - make sure your urine is clear to light yellow. If it is dark yellow, drink more fluids.

[Leo41]

I use the urine 'test' as well. I never count or measure, but I drink extra if my urine is warning me of dehydration. Usually I do fine without any attention to liquids because I tend to drink hot tea or water throughout the day.