DaveNadler

In my experience 2-2.5 hours is my limit without some kind of electolyte in 70+ F weather. If I drink only water I start to cramp. I use powder gatorade. At the beginning of each season I have a learning curve to both get my body used to riding and to discover what works for me as far as hydration and nutrition. I find that my body does not react exactly the same year after year. I think the bottom line is you need to test what works for you and then listen to your body and make adjustments as necessary.

Dav

CastIron

Life expectancy was quite a bit shorter as well. Minor glitch, I know.

pedex

people have gotten softer and turned into whiny little cubicle drones too that freak at the first sign of an actual sweat, what are the leading causes of death these days? heart disease, lung disease, weight related illnesses etc etc .......something along those lines

Stv

+1
I use the recipe right off the Rice Krispy box, only I substitute half the 6 cup Krispy requirement with (3 to 4 cups) of mixed dried fruit and nuts.

Fluids: Use Gator-Ade from powder form only on very long rides. Otherwise, mix real fruit juice @ 20% concentration with filtered water.

CastIron

Correct.
My point was correllation has little to do with cause/effect relationships.

rm -rf

Since the search isn't working: Here's a recipe I got from BF.
This is a close equivalent to gatorade, except gatorade has more sodium and less potassium.

1/2 to 5/8 cup sugar
3/4 tsp of light salt ( it's part sodium and part potassium)
1 pack natural lemon kool-aid (the small pack without sugar)

Mix and divide into 4 ziplocks. One ziplock for a large water bottle.
about 100-120 calories per bottle.

I like to take an extra one along and mix when I refill the bottle.

toshi

+1... I'm cheap so I use juice (grape is my fave) frozen from concentrate. I mix it with water at about a 50/50 ratio. Some of the multiberry juices have a large amount of potassium, check the labels. Plenty of supplemental carbs too.

The Octopus 

dr_cantalope's post may be one of the best I've seen on BF in quite a while. Nothing to add, other than thanks for the great information!

GP

I buy Hydralyte in little packages at the local running store. It seems to work OK but I dilute it 50% and only use it on >50 mi. rides.

Kuma

+1. Very helpful.

Skaog

Good Info in that post Dr.Cantalope

Cliff bars are for sure the way to go.

edzo

teaspoon of salt in a large water bottle is all you need. tastes like crap.


this on top of any food you need vs distance and effort.




everything else you can do pre ride or post ride

Dinstee

I've grown fond of a tablet called Nuun. Where I'm riding (midsouth U.S.) it's hot and extremely humid ALOT. Carbs I choose to injest via a gel or bar.

Active Ingredients Level (mg)
Sodium (carbonates)
175.0
Potassium (bicarbonate) 50.0
Calcium (carbonate) 12.5
Magnesium (sulfate) 12.5
Vitamin C 37.5
Vitamin B2 500mcg
Other Ingredients: Citric acid, sorbitol, sodium carbonate, natural flavors, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, polyethylene glycol, magnesium sulfate, sodium benzoate, calcium carbonate, acesulfame potassium, riboflavin-5-phosphate.

DocRay

or, for you Dune fans, a Fremen skin suit.

backinthesaddle

Dr. Cantalope, somewhat off topic, but what's your protein shake? I'm a vegetarian, and for the first time I've been investigating protein supplements, curious what you've found?

Dellphinus

On 50-60 mile rides, drinking a bottle of G'ade and water every two hours (one or two gulps every 15 minutes, alternating between G'ade and water) I was still cramping late in the ride or soon after. Did a little research and found that G'ade is a little light on the sodium. I started adding 3/8 tsp table salt to each bottle, and no more cramps. I also eat a Cliff bar, bananna or cup or so of trail mix every hour. (Wally World has Cliff Bars for $0.96 each). I tend to be a heavy sweater, and sweat a lot of salt too, so ymmv. I also started carrying a small bottle of salt tablets (Walgreens, Thermotabs) in case I run out of G'ade and have to just drink water.

Machka 

One of the least expensive yet most effective ways to replenish your electrolytes is this:

Eat Potato Chips.

No ... I'm NOT kidding!! On an 80 mile ride (as mentioned earlier in this thread) one small bag of potato chips will do the trick just fine. They are LOADED with sodium and potassium.

No ... I'm NOT advocating eating bags of potato chips all the time, or even frequently on a ride. Like I just said ... one small bag on a long(ish) ride will do the trick.


Another excellent choice is salted almonds. You get your protein, sodium, and potassium all together. Add dried apricots for a bit more sodium and potassium, and carbs, and your electrolyte situation will be just fine. Look up their nutritional content on the internet if you're in doubt!!


Most energy bars and energy drinks just don't do it for me.

dr_cantalope

First off, thanks for the vote of confidence about my post, I'm all misty-eyed and stuff. No on to more masculine things, like riding around in skin tight spandex shorts...

As I mentioned in a previous post on this thread, I am not a doctor but nutrition/healthy living is very important to me and I try keep up to date on what's new. Also, I've found physiology, especially in terms of how it relates to cycling not only interesting, but helpful to my riding. This past December I finished up a chemotherapy regimen after a particularly nasty battle with an agressive cancer (not that other cancers aren't particularly nasty, but I'm living proof that those odds on living aren't always correct). After spending the winter in the gym trying to get my resting heartrate down (back in January, when I would wake up my HR would be over 100 and closer to 110), I decided that as the weather got nicer I'd buy a bike and pedal outdoors instead of inside. All it took was one ride and I was hooked. I've been riding seriously since March and now ride the the "A" riders of my bike club. While I'm new to cycling, the aspects of how to fuel one's body are somewhat of my specialty.

I think the most important thing to remember about eating/hydrating and fueling your body in general is that it's not just WHAT you eat, but WHEN you eat it.

Currently I use Naturemax, which is a somewhat obscure brand that I found at my local heath food store. The Kashi brand also makes a great protein shake (can't remember the exact name of the shake however). For me, the key to protein shakes is their ingredients. Reading the back of some of these "natural" shake mixes looks like a chemistry textbook, but in reality it's just the chemical names for vitamins. Many of the brands you might find at a GNC or the like, contain artificial things, and the source of the protein is questionable. If you're looking into a protein shake, I'd go ask someone at the health food store, they are generally very knowledgeable, and make sure you specify that you want a vegetarian shake.

As for WHEN (the other component) I use a protein shake. It is with 1.5 hours of exertion where I used my muscles (i.e. hill climbing, intervals or general weight lifting, pretty much anything where you feel the burn). After Cardio workouts I don't use the protein shakes. Proteins are the building blocks of cells, and when you exercise your muscles through strenuous activity, you literally rip the muscle fibers and destry cells. As a result, your body makes new fibers, but makes them stronger (which is how you gain muscle). So, having that supplemental protein in your system after working out, pretty much assures that as your body tries to repair the cells you destroyed, it will have the material to do so. Assuming you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian (eats milk and eggs) a diet rich in non-fat dairy is important. Also, start liking tofu. In general, my usage of protein shakes is NOT part of my regular diet, but jut as a supplement on my hill climbing/interval/hamer-fest club ride days.

If any of you guys are interested let me know and I'll start a new thread with some more of my thoughs on cycling related diets in general.

Alasdair

Snack Happy!