Nutritionist and sport drink mix question

I met with the sports nutritionist at my health club yesterday (it is a hospital based facility). I've been wondering if my recent issues with hypoglycemia was related, in part, to a need to tweak my diet. In the end she added 300 more calories to my daily budget and increased carbs. She said I wasn't getting quite enough calories or carbs to really support my level of exercise/activities (though enough protein and fat).

This nutritionist was much better than the one I met with last year. She understands the needs of both diabetes and intensive exercise/endurance activities. My current diet does not leave me hungry, so it will be something of a challenge to add 300 of the right kind of calories to my diet, but it will be worth it.

On a related topic, someone said that she used a mix for her water that provides protein as well as electrolytes and carbs. What is the name of the mix? I will search the archives a little more when I get home tonight. I am currently using Gu Electrolyte Brew, it doesn't taste too bad and gives me what I need without being a sugar bomb, but if I could mix a little protein in there that would be good.

Are you thinking of Perpetuem?

http://www.hammernutrition.com/produ...-energy-drinks

One dose of that would fulfill the uptick in calories you need & it has the carb/electrolyte/protein combo you were looking for.

I train with it every week. Huge fan. The caffe' latte flavor is great mixed as a paste or sports drink.

Hth!

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Originally Posted by Urlea

Are you thinking of Perpetuem?

http://www.hammernutrition.com/produ...-energy-drinks

One dose of that would fulfill the uptick in calories you need & it has the carb/electrolyte/protein combo you were looking for.

I train with it every week. Huge fan. The caffe' latte flavor is great mixed as a paste or sports drink.

Hth!

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I have tried to find the post but haven't been successful - it may be from a dream :) Someone DID mention Cytomax, and it looks interesting - but no protein. Perpetuem sounds interesting, but does it have as strong a flavor as it sounds like? I am hoping to find something with as mild a flavor as possible - and I am not a fan of coffee.... I do drink it, but I don't really care for the flavor without things like chocolate and half/half to mask the taste :rolleyes: So I don't really get coffee these days :D

I did look at the Hammersmith site, and noted they have another formulation called Steady Endurance, something like that. Obviously research is needed.

Sustained by Hammer has no flavor at all. I like the Orange/Vanilla Perpetuem - it's a very mild, sweet flavor, but not overpowering in any way. They both have protein.

I'm a huge fan of Infinit nutrition drinks. You can make a custom blend with exactly how much protein, flavor, carbs, electrolytes and even caffeine that you want.

You can get Perpetuem unflavored, just have to buy the 16 servings packet. I haven't tried it as like I said I'm a big fan of the Latte flavor. I never drink straight coffee either, it's too strong for me so I get a mocha or something along those lines, I would say that the caffe latte is more like that then coffee it's not bitter at all.

Haven't tried the Sustained Energy yet.

Hope you find what you are looking for though!

Perpetuem takes some getting used to IMO. If you like soy milk you'll like Perpetuem - it has a pronounced soy flavor. It's not at all sweet.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Perpetuem takes some getting used to IMO. If you like soy milk you'll like Perpetuem - it has a pronounced soy flavor. It's not at all sweet.

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Thanks for the note, I don't care for the taste of soy milk at all so will check out Sustained Energy. It sounds like it would fit the bill, and it is unflavored - Pedal Wrench confirmed that - thanks! The less flavor, the more I will be inclined to drink it - when I get thirsty flavored drinks just do not taste good to me.

The Gu Electrolyte Brew isn't bad, and I am going to try Cytomax since I can get a small amount - but of course neither of these have protein. I don't think the protein is really necessary for spinning class, but when I can get out on the road and start building some mileage on Stella I want to have this nutrition thing worked out.

Thanks for the ideas and tips, they are greatly appreciated!

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On a related topic, someone said that she used a mix for her water that provides protein as well as electrolytes and carbs.

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I think this might have been my post, and I was indeed talking about Perpetuem. However AFAIK it does *not* include electrolytes...the 3rd component is lipids. (Incidentally, if you decide to try it, be aware that you need to either drink it the same day you prepare it, or else refrigerate it if you mix it in advance - the lipid content means it will go rancid if you just leave it out. I learned this the hard way!)

At first I was bummed that they didn't include electrolytes in the mix, but it makes sense now - when I'm doing long training rides in colder weather I don't want/need the electrolytes though I do need the carbs. If I drink electrolyte-heavy stuff when I'm not actually sweating much, it just makes me have to pee. :( For riding in hotter weather I'll take along some endurolyte capsules and then I'm all set.

I've been happy enough with Perpetuem that I haven't tried Sustained Energy yet...but here's some comparison info from Hammer's website:

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Comparing Sustained Energy and Perpetuem
•Sustained Energy is neutrally (a.k.a. "plain") flavored. Perpetuem is available in three options: an orange-vanilla "Dreamsicle" flavor, a caffeinated caffe latte flavor (12.5 mg of caffeine per scoop), and in an unflavored/plain version.
•Perpetuem contains lyso-lecithin fat, whereas Sustained Energy does not.
•Perpetuem contains tribasic sodium phosphate, which is a tremendous lactic acid buffer. Sustained Energy does not contain this nutrient.
•Both fuels contain l-carnosine (an antioxidant that also buffers lactic acid), l-carnitine (to promote fatty acid utilization), and chromium polynicotinate (to stabilize blood sugar levels).
Bottom line: With Sustained Energy and Perpetuem, you have two great long distance fuel choices. When exercise goes beyond about two hours, you can use either product as your primary or sole fuel, in any combination with each other or any other Hammer Nutrition fuel.

That said, we have noted that Sustained Energy may be the ideal fuel choice when endurance exercise intensity is at a higher level (approximately 70-85% MHR), whereas Perpetuem may be a more attractive choice the longer the athlete goes and when exercise intensity is at a more aerobic pace (under 70% MHR). Additionally, over the years we have noted that Sustained Energy may be the ideal choice for very lean athletes (the "high metabolizer/hyper-metabolic" types), while Perpetuem - with its added healthy fat component - may be the ideal choice for athletes with a naturally higher body fat percentage. The rationale for this suggestion is that athletes with a higher body fat percentage have a greater volume of calories available from body fat stores, which the lyso-lecithin component of Perpetuem may effectively assist in accessing for use as energy.

Again though, because the applications for Sustained Energy and Perpetuem are identical, either fuel can be used as the primary-to-sole fuel during prolonged bouts of exercise. Test each product in your long-duration workouts, under a variety of conditions, to find which product works best for you!

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Hm....guess I'll stick with Perpetuem based on that "naturally higher body fat percentage" that I have. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by malaholic

Hm....guess I'll stick with Perpetuem based on that "naturally higher body fat percentage" that I have. :rolleyes:

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Thanks for the good information, I had already been on their site, but the comparison is good. I strongly dislike the flavor of soy milk though...and someone has noted that it does have that taste. I guess that what I need to do is to contact them and see if I can talk them out of two samples :)

P.S. I have that same naturally higher body fat percentage - though my trainer is trying his best to change that :rolleyes:

I should add that Sustained needs something else added to it - it's really bland on its own. I mixed it with Gu2O powder for electrolytes, sweetness and flavor.

And, can't stress this enough - Sustained and Perpetuem have very limited "shelf" life. Once mixed, you have about 2-3 hours to drink it before it starts to get "skunky." The both are soy-based, but never noticed a strong soy taste from them. However, the flavors might overpower that.

I like the Infinit because I can get electrolytes and protein in amounts I control - less in the winter, more in summer.

I mix Sustained Energy with an electrolyte powder (Power bar's endurance to be exact). 2 scoops of each per bottle is a good 1 1/2 hour worth of liquid nutrition for me. I generally start with 2 bottles of this "brew", then switch one bottle to water later on down the line. I generally don't eat a lot of food and this does great for long rides. (And I mean long. :) ).

Look into Infinit Nutrition. You can make up your own sports drink. You get to decide the amount of electrolytes, the composition of the carbs - fast vs slow metabolizing, whether or not you want protein, and the amount of flavor. They make it very easy to set up your mix and, if needed, they will discuss it with you by phone. I've used it for a couple of years and swear by it.
www.infinitnutrition.us.

Oops, I missed that someone else already mentioned this. It's worth saying again IMHO.

I'm still looking for a drink mix that has non-dairy non-soy protein (can't really stomach "real food" on a long run). :( Why are hemp and rice protein powders so grainy? May try to add some to my "gel" next time, anyhow.

Catrin,
Be careful with adding sports drinks to your workouts. If you are doing anything under an hour and a half- an electrolyte packet is all you need(emergen c is great). Otherwise, you will just be replacing the calories you just burned off.

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Originally Posted by roadie gal

Look into Infinit Nutrition. You can make up your own sports drink. .... They make it very easy to set up your mix and, if needed, they will discuss it with you by phone. I've used it for a couple of years and swear by it.
www.infinitnutrition.us.

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I will look into this, thanks to both of you who have mentioned it!

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Originally Posted by ehirsch83

Catrin,
Be careful with adding sports drinks to your workouts. If you are doing anything under an hour and a half- an electrolyte packet is all you need(emergen c is great). Otherwise, you will just be replacing the calories you just burned off.

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I've no choice but to do this - both doctors and nutritionist has strongly advised me to do this. I have a major hypoglycemia problem and my workouts are very intensive - I burn far more calories than are in the sports drinks... I must admit I feel MUCH better since starting to adding things to my water - and I eat properly.

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

I mix Sustained Energy with an electrolyte powder (Power bar's endurance to be exact). 2 scoops of each per bottle is a good 1 1/2 hour worth of liquid nutrition for me. I generally start with 2 bottles of this "brew", then switch one bottle to water later on down the line. I generally don't eat a lot of food and this does great for long rides. (And I mean long. :) ).

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Thanks for your experience - I must admit that I find Sustained Energy interesting - and IMO the blander the better - when working out intensively I find that the less flavor in my water the better. I have always been like that. What doesn't seem very sweet to me when I am not working out suddenly becomes overly sweet when sweat is pouring off of my body... I have send an email to Hammer Nutrition to find out if I can get a sample of both of their "fuels" so I can taste them before purchasing.

Infinit is interesting as well, I think that I will just call them after I do some more research and discuss my needs with them

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Thanks for your experience - I must admit that I find Sustained Energy interesting - and IMO the blander the better - when working out intensively I find that the less flavor in my water the better. I have always been like that. What doesn't seem very sweet to me when I am not working out suddenly becomes overly sweet when sweat is pouring off of my body... I have send an email to Hammer Nutrition to find out if I can get a sample of both of their "fuels" so I can taste them before purchasing.

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Just remember as many have mentioned, SE doesn't have electrolytes and you need those. So add either some regular drink mix or use electrolyte capsules.

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

Just remember as many have mentioned, SE doesn't have electrolytes and you need those. So add either some regular drink mix or use electrolyte capsules.

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I will certainly do this. I am waiting to talk to the Infinit folks about their product. I just have to do some research, and probably email my nutritionist, to determine the best balance of carbs/protein/other things to fit my needs. I am trying the Cytomax for spinning, I want to compare it with the Gu Electrolyte Brew.

If I am just having a light session, or just a training session with no extra work then am going to stick with water.

I greatly appreciate everyone's input on this - it is greatly appreciated. I had noted on Hammer Nutrition's site the information about the "shelf-life" of the two fuels once mixed, but it helped hearing from those who use it that it really has such a short life-span before it starts "turning".

Eventually I will have to decide how best to carry this with me for long rides as I will, probably, be alone for most of them. It would be nice to meet a riding companion, but I won't stay home because of it :) My bike only has room for one bottle holder, there really is no room for another on down or seat tubes. If nothing else I can take a small backpack or something like that. That is a few months away though, so am not overly concerned about it right now (though it is in the back of my mind).

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I'm still looking for a drink mix that has non-dairy non-soy protein (can't really stomach "real food" on a long run). :( Why are hemp and rice protein powders so grainy? May try to add some to my "gel" next time, anyhow.

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Have you tried Pea Protein? I get mine from Vitamin shoppe. It's made by Olympia labs.

Right now I haven't tried any protein supplements during a run. It's only recently I've been running long enough to feel like I need any.

I was just looking at this line that my natural food store started carrying but I'll be danged if I can remember the brand name. :p It looked like really high quality stuff anyway, a mix of chia and hemp and some other proteins.

I've used Perpetuem on long rides, just because they never give you enough protein at the snack stops, but I really don't like to use that much soy, especially unfermented isolated soy protein. Anyway, unlike running, I don't ride hard enough to mess with my digestion, it's just that over 50 miles or so, I need protein. I've been known to scarf an egg salad sandwich when a hot, hilly century went by a convenient store (and finished strong, despite all the ribbing I got for the sandwich ;))

I have been using Gu Electrolyte Brew as an experiment - while I certainly felt better at the end of my spinning classes/intensive workouts my blood sugar spiked pretty high and the taste of the stuff is just too strong.

So.... while still trying to reach a living person at Infinit, I picked up some Cytomax that someone mentioned earlier in this thread. Much, much lighter taste, lower number of carbs as the Gu Brew (22 vs 25), my blood sugar didn't spike near as high. Looking at the ingredients it appears that the carbs are perhaps from different sources.

Interesting experiment, am looking forward to see how the Infinit works out later in the season. I see no need to add protein to my spinning/weight lifting sessions at this time.

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Originally Posted by Urlea

Are you thinking of Perpetuem?

http://www.hammernutrition.com/produ...-energy-drinks

One dose of that would fulfill the uptick in calories you need & it has the carb/electrolyte/protein combo you were looking for.

I train with it every week. Huge fan. The caffe' latte flavor is great mixed as a paste or sports drink.

Hth!

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I drink this every time I ride! I love love love it!!!

You can also buy individual packets of this, I believe, to just test them out. Can't you?