How your daily water goal is worked out
Sippy does not pick a round number. The suggestion is a published baseline plus a few capped adjustments, and you can see every one of them in Settings.
The baseline
EFSA's adequate intake for water from drinks is about 1.6 L a day for women and 2.0 L for men; roughly another 20% of your water comes from food, which is why the figure is lower than the “2.5 litres” you may have heard. If you would rather not say, Sippy uses 1.8 L.
What moves it
- Activity: “light” takes 100 ml off, “very active” adds 500 ml.
- Hot climate: adds 300 ml.
- Pregnant: adds 300 ml. Breastfeeding: adds 700 ml.
- Weight, if you give it: about 14 ml per kilogram away from a typical weight, capped at 400 ml either way. The popular 35 ml/kg rule overshoots badly for heavier people, so Sippy does not use it.
- The result is kept between 1.2 L and 4 L.
And on the day itself
A hot day or a workout you log raises today's goal only (see the separate guide). The number in Settings stays where it is.
Sources
- EFSA, Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for water (2010).
- US Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Water (2004).
- Maughan et al., Am J Clin Nutr (2016) — on drinks other than water.
- Yamada et al., Science (2022) — on how much water needs vary between people.
FAQ
- Why is my goal lower than the 2.5 litres I have read about?
- Because that figure is total water, food included. Sippy counts what you drink, which EFSA puts at about 80% of the total.
- Does coffee count against the goal?
- No — it counts toward it. Moderate coffee does not dehydrate habitual drinkers (Killer et al., 2014).
- I am on a fluid restriction. Can I still use Sippy?
- Yes, with the number your doctor gave you: set the goal yourself in Settings rather than keeping the suggestion.
Sippy is a reminder and a record of what you drink, not medical advice. Its suggested goal follows published guidance for healthy adults, and the app is for ages 14 and up. If you have heart, kidney or liver disease, low blood sodium, take diuretics, or have been told to limit fluids, ask your doctor before setting a goal.
Drink water, grow cute cats
Sippy nudges you only when you are behind, logs a glass in one tap from the Lock Screen, and grows a cat farm — or a tiny forest — as the goal days add up. Free, no ads, and nothing leaves your iPhone.
Download on the App Store