DietPower Help
How the WaterMinder Works
As you log your foods every day, the WaterMinder compares the amount of water you consume (in both food and drink) with the number of calories your body burns. If the ratio of water to calories falls below a certain value, Diet Power gives you an alert. The alert tells how many ounces of water will put you back on track.
The default ratio is normally 0.030 fl oz of water per calorie of "background" metabolism plus 0.035 fl oz per calorie burned in exercise. When you exercise in temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, however, the exercise allotment is 1.5 times as high; and at temperatures over 90 degrees it is 2.0 times as high. (See Exercise Log.) The default may not be adequate for you, however. See the caution below.
The alerts appear only when you click OK to close the Food and Exercise logs or when you click User > Exit from Diet Power to close the entire program.
Besides watching for alerts, you can check the WaterMinder anytime by looking at the Data Panel in your Food Log or by clicking a button or a menu choice on your Home Screen. You can also turn the WaterMinder off. (The default is On.) See the instructions below.
A Few Cautionary Notes
The
WaterMinder is no substitute for using your
own judgment or the judgment of experts in regulating your water consumption.
Especially if you engage in heavy labor or spend a large part of the day
in environments warmer than room temperature, the default settings may
be too low. Conversely, drinking too much
water can be dangerous under certain conditions. (Read "How Much
to Drink" in Water.) For
best advice, ask your doctor.
When using the WaterMinder,
you should occasionally check the "%PDA" figure for water in
your Nutrient History. The "ounces
behind" or "ounces ahead" will often disagree with the
%PDA, because the two are calculated in unrelated ways. If the Nutrient
History consistently says you're
averaging less than 100% of your Personal Daily Allowance, use the Miscellaneous Options dialog to raise
your WaterMinder settings.
Most nutrition labels don't report water content¾even for beverages. Whenever you add a beverage to the Food Dictionary, it's wise to estimate its water content instead of leaving the Water field blank. Otherwise, your WaterMinder will get a mistaken notion of your water intake every time you log the beverage. About 11.5 fluid ounces of water in a 12-fluid-ounce serving is a fair estimate, since most beverages are 93% to 99% water. (To estimate more accurately, compare the nutrient profile of a similar beverage that's already in the dictionary.)
To get advice from the WaterMinder:
Click the WaterMinder button on your Home Screen:
or
Open the Food Menu (by clicking the word Food) and choose "WaterMinder."
or
Do nothing -- the WaterMinder will automatically alert you when it thinks you need more water.
To turn the WaterMinder on or off:
From your Home Screen:
Open the Options Menu (by clicking the word Options) and choose "Miscellaneous
Options."
Under "WaterMinder," check or uncheck the "Remind
me" box.
Click the OK button.
To change the WaterMinder's trigger point:*
From your Home Screen:
Open the Options Menu (by clicking
the word Options) and choose "Miscellaneous Options."
In the "ounces per calorie" boxes under "WaterMinder,"
type new numbers over the old.
Click the OK button.
¾¾¾¾¾¾¾
* |
Changing the WaterMinder's trigger point does not change your Personal Daily Allowance (PDA) of water¾the two numbers are independent. |
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Last Modified: 7/2/07