Need hydration advice

[ace]

Mimi, my camelbak is always water mixed with GU2O these days (electrolyte replacement). The day I lost the 12 lbs was before I figured out that I needed to drink more and add electrolytes.

[Kitsune06]

Here's where I chime in and say- for a long ride in the heat, gatorade or gu2O or whatever goes in a water bottle on the frame, and straight water into your camelbak. Or Elete or Nuun. I seriously think one of the best recent changes in hydration/replenishment that has come about is combining fluid intake and electrolyte intake, and leaving carb intake separate. Typically carb intake from cytomax, gatorade, etc etc, can upset the stomach during periods of high activity, when the body needs water. Nuun and elete are sugar/carb free (nuun is sweetened with sorbitol, elete is just seawater with potassium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, and sulfate) and also won't grow things in a camelbak bladder. (so gross to clean).
For carbs I hit my hammer flask. *shrug* it's been a good system so far. I haven't bonked yet, and the salty, brackish flavor of elete in the water disappears as one needs electrolytes, making it taste like straight water and seeming to buffer it, too... I don't get as 'urpy' drinking that as I do straight water. It might be worth a try.

[Running Mommy]

You might want to look into INFINIT. They do custom blends on their drinks to match your needs. Personally I need WAY more sodium in my drinks than most people when it's hot out. And in Phoenix... Well, it's ALWAYS hot!!
I had a lot of problems getting my hydration down and had similar things happen until I found them.
And if you have any questions they have great customer service. I had a chance to talk to the Rep at IMAZ and he was telling me that believe it or not his clientele is largely women. I guess we have unique needs??
Anyway, I'm not usually one to push a product, but I def. think this is worth a look.
Good luck!
http://www.infinitnutrition.us/

[KSH]

Well, I'm not sure if someone mentioned this or not... but...

I know for me, sometimes my headaches DO NOT COME FROM DEHYDRATION.

For example, this past Sat. I rode in 80 degree heat (nothing for Texas), for 40 miles with lots of hills.

Before the ride, from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM I ate 800 caloires. During the ride from 11:00 AM to 2:30/3:00 PM I ate 8 cookies and 1/2 of a bananna. I paid for it later.

I drank plenty of water during the ride, along with Gatoraide. I knew I was fine, because I was peeing. When I don't pee, I know I haven't taken enough water/etc. in.

I had a horrible headache later on, and the only way I got it to kind of go away was by eating.

You didn't mention what you eat on a ride. Are you eating enough calories?

[SadieKate]

Here's where I chime in and say- for a long ride in the heat, gatorade or gu2O or whatever goes in a water bottle on the frame, and straight water into your camelbak. Or Elete or Nuun. I seriously think one of the best recent changes in hydration/replenishment that has come about is combining fluid intake and electrolyte intake, and leaving carb intake separate. Typically carb intake from cytomax, gatorade, etc etc, can upset the stomach during periods of high activity, when the body needs water. Nuun and elete are sugar/carb free (nuun is sweetened with sorbitol, elete is just seawater with potassium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, and sulfate) and also won't grow things in a camelbak bladder. (so gross to clean).
For carbs I hit my hammer flask. *shrug* it's been a good system so far. I haven't bonked yet, and the salty, brackish flavor of elete in the water disappears as one needs electrolytes, making it taste like straight water and seeming to buffer it, too... I don't get as 'urpy' drinking that as I do straight water. It might be worth a try.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this. Folks need to know that the system will only digest a certain number of calories per hour and overloading it will slow down the absorption of water. In times of really hot weather, e-Caps or Elete can give you the extra electrolytes without piling on calories.

[Eden]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this. Folks need to know that the system will only digest a certain number of calories per hour and overloading it will slow down the absorption of water. In times of really hot weather, e-Caps or Elete can give you the extra electrolytes without piling on calories.

From what I've read most people can only digest 250-400 cals per hour. If you properly mix your cytomax (or most sports drinks) a bottle is around 150 -200 cals/bottle (depending on the size of your bottles), so you would want to experiment, but probably not exceed 1.5 to 2 bottles/hour (though I must say I could never consume that much without feeling bloaty.....). If you are using gels or bars you want to have some non-carb drink (water or water with electrolytes) to wash it down, especially with gels since you really need some water for them to work properly.

[ace]

This is a lot of stuff to think about. I think I'll try the elete next ride, combined with significantly more food during the ride, and see if that does the trick. Now I just gotta figure out what I can eat without feeling like I'm gonna puke.....

[Jenn]

Mimi, my camelbak is always water mixed with GU2O these days (electrolyte replacement). The day I lost the 12 lbs was before I figured out that I needed to drink more and add electrolytes.

AHA, so a Camelback isn't "FRED",....YES, I am going to start wearing mine then!

[Kitsune06]

Depends, Jenn. Some people think they are "freddish" and some think the big mtb packs are "freddish" while the little road ones aren't... I dunno. I think the whole "fred" or "not fred" preoccupation is too middle-school for real riders.

[mimitabby]

Camelbak is SAFER. that's why i like it.
and it's a great place to put off some of the clothing i take off as the day gets warmer.

[Jenn]

Depends, Jenn. Some people think they are "freddish" and some think the big mtb packs are "freddish" while the little road ones aren't... I dunno. I think the whole "fred" or "not fred" preoccupation is too middle-school for real riders.

Oh I do to, sorry my sarcasim gets the best of me sometimes, I don't care what I look like just as long as I'm comfortable (well, within reason)
We have like 4 camelbacks, but they are all desert cami since everytime DH was deployed they issue him one, it would go GREAT with my pink jersey!
We are going to HAVE to wear them, because DH got a headache that lasted for 3 days and he looked horrible when he got home.

[CyclaSutra]

This varies so much, person to person, temperature to temp, length of ride, etc.

But what I do for a long training ride is carry two bottles of Cytomax in my cage, mixed pretty strong, and then carry a camelbak of water on top of that. My little road Camel holds 70 oz, my bigger one 110. If I'm riding all day, I'll stop halfway and fill up again.

I try to drink when I'm thirsty, and if I'm climbing a lot that will be more often. But about 20-24 ounces per hour of fluids (a biggish cage bottle) is right for me. On the lesser side if it's cool, on the greater side if it's hot.

I may try those Polar bottles this summer when it gets really hot, but Wyoming is hardly ever really hot (jinx!). I also did try swallowing those E-caps electrolyte replacement at a Hammer event last summer, and they seemed to work well, but I'd rather drink my salt so I can taste it.

On an organized ride, where there are fuel stops, I'll just do one bottle of Cytomax and one of water, because I'll be stopping to get more within two hours. No bulky Camel on supported rides! Everything fits in the pockets. Even Twinkies, heh heh.

[ace]

Great advice, thanks everyone! I actually have some elete, but have never tried it. I probably should. See, when I'm riding, I really don't like eating. Drinking my calories is a lot easier.

I just did something that scared me. I looked at the body fat analysis I had done last year (I got tanked), and they worked up my caloric analysis for various activities. Based on that, I am burning 760 calories per hour if I'm biking 12-13.9 mph. So for three hours or so of riding, I burn 2300ish calories. Combining breakfast, my GU2O, and the GU I ate during the ride, I only took in 700 calories. Maybe just eating more will fix this.....I had no clue I was eating at such a deficit, because I don't get very hungry, and I don't feel tired. Just the headache.

[DarcyInOregon]

I just did something that scared me. I looked at the body fat analysis I had done last year (I got tanked), and they worked up my caloric analysis for various activities. Based on that, I am burning 760 calories per hour if I'm biking 12-13.9 mph. So for three hours or so of riding, I burn 2300ish calories. Combining breakfast, my GU2O, and the GU I ate during the ride, I only took in 700 calories. Maybe just eating more will fix this.....I had no clue I was eating at such a deficit, because I don't get very hungry, and I don't feel tired. Just the headache.

Ace, I hope you are doing solo rides to train and figure this kind of thing out, and not just doing weekend group rides. All of the cycling literature will tell you that a cyclist needs around 300 calories an hour, give or take, on top of the fluids. When you get out and bike, it is more than just pedaling the miles. You need to figure out how many calories an hour is best for you, and the calorie amount is different for shorter rides than it is for longer rides. You also need to figure out what to eat, because everyone is different, and what is perfect for one cyclist may not be perfect for you. And of course you need to figure out how much to drink and what to drink.

Yesterday Suzie and I did a metric century, 62 miles, into a strong wind, with some hills. We burned about 2800 calories, which is an estimate from our heart rate monitors. Going into the ride, we both knew that we would burn a lot of calories because we both cycle solo throughout the week, and it is something we think about all the time on our training rides. Eating breakfast and drinking before the ride, drinking right before the ride, eating and drinking during the ride, then eating and drinking after the ride - it is all critically important.

One thing to watch out for is that cycling for some of us reduces our appetite. But you have to think about how to fuel your body to be an effective cyclist, and you eat and drink because it needs to be done. You don't think, "Oh goody I don't feel hungry and I am not eating and so maybe I will lose some weight." It doesn't work like that at all. It is critically important to eat and drink at the right times, in the right amounts, and the right stuff.

Darcy