How much is "to much" hydration?

stormer94 said:

I put in a good hard 45 mile ride today, temperature in the 90's, no cloud cover, little to now wind.

I'm worried that I may not be hydrating properly. What got me interested in this was keeping track of my weight right before and right after a ride. As an example here is how today went.

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Started the day at exactly 180 pounds.
Had a large bananna and a power bar for breakfast, along with about 6 ounces of cytomax to wash it down. 20-30 minutes later I'm riding.
2.5 hour ride, hills, flats, I did a little of everything. In the course of that ride I had the following

2-24oz bottles of cytomax
1-32oz gatorade

Back at home I finished up with an ice cold 12oz water (it was fabulous), and a 20oz protein shake with 2 servings of muscle tech "nitro tech" and 2 egg whites for additional protein, and half a power bar. (and hit the shower).

-----------

I stepped on the scale before I took the shower and BAMMO, still 180 pounds right on the money.

Is that the goal? Feel refreshed after a ride and weigh the same? I mean "in theory". Seriously, that was a lot of fluids, but the weight shows it to be about right. Is this what we should be looking for?

Ideally you should be drinking as much water as you can. personally i drink about 2 gallons a day but on the days that i ride for a long time i up it a little bit. I,m not sure if your weight should fluxuate, but as i said before dirink plenty of water all day.

stormer94 said:

I put in a good hard 45 mile ride today, temperature in the 90's, no cloud cover, little to now wind.

I'm worried that I may not be hydrating properly. What got me interested in this was keeping track of my weight right before and right after a ride. As an example here is how today went.

-----------
Started the day at exactly 180 pounds.
Had a large bananna and a power bar for breakfast, along with about 6 ounces of cytomax to wash it down. 20-30 minutes later I'm riding.
2.5 hour ride, hills, flats, I did a little of everything. In the course of that ride I had the following

2-24oz bottles of cytomax
1-32oz gatorade

Back at home I finished up with an ice cold 12oz water (it was fabulous), and a 20oz protein shake with 2 servings of muscle tech "nitro tech" and 2 egg whites for additional protein, and half a power bar. (and hit the shower).

-----------

I stepped on the scale before I took the shower and BAMMO, still 180 pounds right on the money.

you need to reweigh yourself when you get in, prior to eating and after towelling dry. differences in weight should be made up with 1.5 x's the difference.

drinking water post exercise, may not be the best idea as it will promote dieresis, the post exercise drink should contain electrolytes (including sodium), assuming you're not hypertensive or any other similar condition, as this will promote retention of the fluid.

it would appear that your protein intake is excessive and isn't required. post exercise, after an intensive session, you should take in 1.5 g of carbohydrate per kg body mass, and ~ 10 to 20 g of protein (if you want some protein, as it doesn't appear to make any extra benefit to recovery on top of the carbs, which are the most important).

ric

ricstern said:

you need to reweigh yourself when you get in, prior to eating and after towelling dry. differences in weight should be made up with 1.5 x's the difference.

I'm guessing, had I just come in and dried off, I would have been about 1.5 to 2 pounds light. So what does that mean I should be doing on the bike? I only have so much room for water on the bike... :p What about eating food? I didn't eat anything while on the road.

Quoted post said:

drinking water post exercise, may not be the best idea as it will promote dieresis, the post exercise drink should contain electrolytes (including sodium), assuming you're not hypertensive or any other similar condition, as this will promote retention of the fluid.

What is a good post excercise drink? I realize that is likely a loaded question. I have some stuff from GU and Cytomax avaialble, Gatorade? Powerade? unsure where sweet sports drinks cross the line and are only adding sugars I don't need.

Quoted post said:

it would appear that your protein intake is excessive and isn't required. post exercise, after an intensive session, you should take in 1.5 g of carbohydrate per kg body mass, and ~ 10 to 20 g of protein (if you want some protein, as it doesn't appear to make any extra benefit to recovery on top of the carbs, which are the most important).

ric

I worry that I'm burning to much muscle, should I be? For a while I was getting "little sissy girl arms", I started lifting weights more (over the last 9 months) and adding protein intake. Right now, I am very happy with the look of my upper body (well, that's not entirely accurate, I'm not overly happy with the "SERIOUS" farmers tan I've developed through cycling)... heheh. Wear that sunscreen!!!

stormer94 said:

I'm guessing, had I just come in and dried off, I would have been about 1.5 to 2 pounds light. So what does that mean I should be doing on the bike? I only have so much room for water on the bike... :p What about eating food? I didn't eat anything while on the road.

it means you're not drinking enough on the bike, the idea is to return home and weigh the same (in practice this may not be possible).

you can calculate your fluid loss, by subtracting your after ride mass from pre ride mass, and adding in your fluid intake, e.g.,

pre ride = 80 kg

post ride = 79 kg

fluid intake during ride = 1.5 L

total ride time = 3 hrs

80 - 79 = 1 + 1.5 = 2.5 L total fluid loss

fluid loss/hr = 2.5 / 3 = 833 mL/hr

current fluid intake (in this example) = 500 mL/hr, needs to be increased to 833 mL/hr

you may have to stop and purchase some drinks. Food intake won't really alter fluid requirements.

Quoted post said:

What is a good post excercise drink? I realize that is likely a loaded question. I have some stuff from GU and Cytomax avaialble, Gatorade? Powerade? unsure where sweet sports drinks cross the line and are only adding sugars I don't need.

it's the sugars (carbohydrates) that are vitally important. you need 1.0 to 1.5 g of carb per kg body mass after exercise. the drink (if you go that route) should have sodium in. GU and Cytomax aren't available in the UK, so i have no idea about them. Gatorade is good, it has carbs and electrolytes. a small amount of protein maybe fine (~ 15 g)

Quoted post said:

I worry that I'm burning to much muscle, should I be? For a while I was getting "little sissy girl arms", I started lifting weights more (over the last 9 months) and adding protein intake. Right now, I am very happy with the look of my upper body (well, that's not entirely accurate, I'm not overly happy with the "SERIOUS" farmers tan I've developed through cycling)... heheh. Wear that sunscreen!!!

i guess it depends whether you're interested in looking a certain way or being good at the bike.

ric

Quoted post said:

it's the sugars (carbohydrates) that are vitally important. you need 1.0 to 1.5 g of carb per kg body mass after exercise.

I can't help but think there should be some kind of "qualifier" added on to that statement. If I only exercise for 15 minutes should I take in that many carbs? Conversely, if it's 4-5 hours in the saddle, is it enough? Just how quality a food am I looking for? Should a guy just throw down 2 Snickers candy bars and call it good? What about a donut? Are we looking for things that are at the top of the Glycemic index? Or more slowly digested and converted like Apples or a bananna?

When should a person eat on a ride? On a 2 hour ride, is it necessary to have actual food?

Quoted post said:

i guess it depends whether you're interested in looking a certain way or being good at the bike.

ric

Without selling myself short, I know I'm no Indurain.... However, I think I'm doing alright. I feel it's possible to have a well balanced lean muscular body and be able to cycle at a level that is "reasonably" competitive in my area of the country. The trick is learning how to make the most of what I have and improving weak areas in diet and training that are physically hurting my body, rather than helping. Things like dehydration, etc. That's where kind folks like you come in to play. I appreciate your taking the time to help.
🙂

stormer94 said:

I can't help but think there should be some kind of "qualifier" added on to that statement. If I only exercise for 15 minutes should I take in that many carbs? Conversely, if it's 4-5 hours in the saddle, is it enough? Just how quality a food am I looking for? Should a guy just throw down 2 Snickers candy bars and call it good? What about a donut? Are we looking for things that are at the top of the Glycemic index? Or more slowly digested and converted like Apples or a bananna?

sorry, that was meant for the session you had done. basically, any intense, or long session. obviously if you do an easy spin, this wouldn't be warranted.

Donuts etc have lots of fat to them and aren't just carbs. same with chocolate

Quoted post said:

When should a person eat on a ride? On a 2 hour ride, is it necessary to have actual food?

i guess this is a personal choice. sometimes i eat on such a ride and sometimes i take in my carbs just in the form of fluids.

ric

I usually try to get very hydrated before I ride so that I don't have to drink for quite a long time after I begin my ride. I'll put away at least 48 oz (about 1.5 liters), and sometimes 2 liters before I leave. Then I don't feel like I need to drink until about 30 - 40 miles into my ride. It's usually not hot here though.

Doing it this way I can get by with taking only about 2 liters for a long ride, unless it gets pretty warm outside.

gntlmn said:

I usually try to get very hydrated before I ride so that I don't have to drink for quite a long time after I begin my ride. I'll put away at least 48 oz (about 1.5 liters), and sometimes 2 liters before I leave. Then I don't feel like I need to drink until about 30 - 40 miles into my ride. It's usually not hot here though.

Doing it this way I can get by with taking only about 2 liters for a long ride, unless it gets pretty warm outside.

obviously, it's not working though, as you're coming home ~ 1 kg lighter than when you went out. You need to drink during riding

ric

Drinking too much water can be very dangerous, especially without taking in other nutrients.

Do a search on "hyponatraemia".

Mild cases of hyperhydration can cause dizzyness, blurred vision, and a feeling of being drunk, and more serious cases can cause coma and even death.

Why don't people listen to their bodies?
If you feel thirsty then drink and don't be obsessive about weights and volumes.

fearby said:

Why don't people listen to their bodies?
If you feel thirsty then drink and don't be obsessive about weights and volumes.

because, by the time you feel thirsty, you're well on the way to being dehydrated

ric

ricstern said:

because, by the time you feel thirsty, you're well on the way to being dehydrated

ric

That is if you leave it too late - usually a steady intake to keep thirst at bay is what we do.

fearby said:

That is if you leave it too late - usually a steady intake to keep thirst at bay is what we do.

isn't that at odds with your above comment (drink when you feel thirsty)? which is too late then...

ric

I see what you are saying but saying "drink when you are thirsty" does not exclude regular liquid intake whilst cycling.The two are not mutually exclusive.

fearby said:

I see what you are saying but saying "drink when you are thirsty" does not exclude regular liquid intake whilst cycling.The two are not mutually exclusive.

but it does (at least to me, and others who have contacted me today about it) infer that you should wait till you are thirsty. at least that's how more than several people have interpreted it.

ric

ricstern said:

but it does (at least to me, and others who have contacted me today about it) infer that you should wait till you are thirsty. at least that's how more than several people have interpreted it.

ric

This is going nowhere I'm sure you'll agree.

fearby said:

Why don't people listen to their bodies?
If you feel thirsty then drink and don't be obsessive about weights and volumes.

I think we are willing to listen to our bodies, but as for me, and being new to "getting the most from my body", I have no idea what I'm listening for. That's the real problem. I have to learn what to listen for and ask good questions.

Some days I feel as though I ride like Indurain, some days I feel like my grandmother.... I'm still trying to figure out how to make all days feel more "Indurainish".... <--- I just made up a word... 😄

stormer94 said:

I think we are willing to listen to our bodies, but as for me, and being new to "getting the most from my body", I have no idea what I'm listening for. That's the real problem. I have to learn what to listen for and ask good questions.

start drinking after say 15-mins of your ride. i then take a swig every 5-mins (assuming it's safe to do so)

ric

ricstern said:

Donuts etc have lots of fat to them and aren't just carbs. same with chocolate

i guess this is a personal choice. sometimes i eat on such a ride and sometimes i take in my carbs just in the form of fluids.

ric

So then we should be looking for items to eat or drink (right after excercise) that are high on the glycemic index and less Fructose based, and more Dextrose and Maltodextrose (excuse the spelling). Does that sound about right?

Here is the information on the products I use: I go between the Cytomax and the GU20. The Cytomax is sweeter, and the GU20 I find to be "saltier" or something, and less satisfying to drink, but I don't necessarily know how either effect my performance specifically.

I read that Cytomax is supposed to help buffer lactic acid better, I'm guessing that has something to do with the potassium, but am guessing on that one.

Cytomax, 16oz serving:
calories: 100
carbs: 20g
protein: 0g
sodium: 80mg
potassium: 150mg

GU20, 16oz serving:
calories: 100
carbs: 26g
protein: 0g
sodium: 240mg
potassium: 40mg

My post ride and excercise drink looks like this: and I usually have one of these every day.
nitrotech, 16oz drink (with 2 servings of product and 2 egg whites)
calories: 220
carbs: 10g
protein: 54g
sodium: 120mg
potassium: 600mg
+ lots of other vitamins, etc.

Thanks for looking,
-Bob