Biking/Hydration

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burnsgene42
burnsgene42 Posts: 102 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm riding about three long (for me) rides a week. 35-45 mi. North Fla. Some hills, Temp 75-85F. I start of with breakfast of whole grain cereal/ground peanuts and dried fruit about 400 cal.
On a typical 4hr. ride I use up about 80oz of fluid (water and a little Coffee maybe a half of a So.Beach. go bar.). I weigh just before I leave(Tanita scale) Accurate. When I get home I weigh again ( no bathroom break) and find I usually weigh about a pound less than when I started.
Is this about right to you guys?
Seems like I'm using up a LOT of water during the ride. Yes I do sweat "like a horse". I use a 70 oz. camelback and usually run out of water just before home. I am watching calories and losing about a lb. a week which I what I'm trying to do.
Sometimes I feel a little weak after the ride but after eating I bounce back in an hour or so.
I am a 71 year old male and weigh about 175 lb.
ANY Ideas and Suggestions welcome.
Thanks.

Replies

  • mullaneywt
    mullaneywt Posts: 28 Member
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    Not exactly sure what the question is here, but I usually take 1-3 liters of water with me while alpine skiing and can finish that in a day (in the cold) plus usually a Gatorade or something like that. Biking for a few hours (2-3) in similar conditions, though a somewhat shorter ride, I can go through about 30-60oz of water.

    I did a 30 mile ride this past weekend in about 3 hours total time with moderate hills for my ability. I weighed myself in the morning, and then again after riding and eating lunch (small sub with chips) and had a difference of over 3 lbs "loss" so yes, I would expect you will weigh less after exercise then before. I commonly see a drop of 1 to 1.5 lbs after working out, depending on length of time, temperature, etc. Of course that's water weight and whatnot, not fat, etc.

    In terms of staying hydrated, something that can become a big problem not only in the heat but also in winter activities especially in the midwest/rockies, the general indicator is if you have to use the bathroom somewhat frequently and things are coming out mostly clear. If it's highly colored or you're not needing to go (or only once or twice a day), you should probably be taking in more water.
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    That seems normal to me. I often weigh a little less after a run or bike ride, just from sweating I guess. The main thing I try to remember is to rehydrate afterwards! And I agree with the previous poster - keeping tabs on your hydration via pee color is pretty handy :)
  • burnsgene42
    burnsgene42 Posts: 102 Member
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    Thanks . My question is just . does this much water loss sound about right ?
    So far it sounds about right compared to you guys.
    This is the first time I've kept accurate records and it simply seemed like a LOT of water. Just doesn't seem like I used to use this much water back when I really worked for a living.
    Thanks for the input.:smile:
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Seems reasonable given FL conditions. If you're down a pound, you could probably stand to drink another 10-20oz on the ride ("a pint's a pound"). Camelbak has a number of 100oz bladders, or you could go old school and put a frozen water bottle on a cage for later in the ride. Going through that much fluid, I'd recommend either bringing along some electrolyte gel or mixing some electrolytes into your water (I'm old school and just run gatorade mixed at 50% of label strength, but there are fancier alternatives).
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    ...Just doesn't seem like I used to use this much water back when I really worked for a living....

    The deceptive thing about biking is that you're generating your own breeze, so your sweat evaporates way faster than if you're just working on the ground. Easy to get dehydrated and not even know it until you get muscle cramps (or worse) in the middle of a long ride.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I think it sounds fine.

    But ditto the electrolytes. Either a drink mix in your water (but then you'd have to wash your hydration bladder), or some gels, or tablets. It might help with the weakness you are feeling.

    Also nice job! 4 hour rides at 71 is super awesome.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
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    I bike about 75-90 minutes on non-lifting days, and I drink a liter at least while on my rides, and a whole lot when I get back. Stay hydrated, even if you think you don't need it.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    The recommended intake for cycling is:

    If riding for 1 hour: drink 16oz of water.

    If riding for 1-2 hours, drink 16oz or waster and 16oz of sport drink (Gatorade) per hour.

    If riding for 2+ hours, drink 16oz of water and 16oz of sport drink per hour, and supplement with energy food (gels work), eating ever 15 or 30 minutes.

    If riding for a very long, start with eating REAL food (sandwiches, fruit, etc), and slowly shift to softer, easier to digest/eat foods.

    If you're drinking 70oz of fluid over 4 hours, you're not drinking nearly enough.

    If you've lost 1 lb ofwater, you've lost 15 oz of water from your body. That is a large amount of water and isn't good for you at all.

    As you lose water from your body, your body's efficiency decreases. If you lose 2% of your bodyweight in water, your performance will drop by 5%. Lose 5% of your bodyweight in water, and it will drop by 30% and you're getting into big trouble.

    1 lb for you is about a half of a percent, doesn't sound like much, but it's still a quarter of the way to when your body will really start to take notice.

    I'm going to suggest keep using your camelbak for drinking the water - putting sports drink in there really sucks. Put three or four bottle cages on your bike (seat mounted bottle cages if you can) and get some insulated bottles to help keep the Gatorade cool. Use those ones for the Gatorade empty one over every hour, taking drinks from your camelback as well.

    Drink up and feed your body well. Enjoy cycling and keep up the long rides!
  • ABcando
    ABcando Posts: 3
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    Sounds like you are doing pretty good I am only 54. This gives Me hope of continuning to ride for a lot longer . I usally ride 4 times a week 1 hour streatch during week days during lunch, when weather or work load permits, and 1 long ride on the week end usally 3-4 hrs .
    My 1 hour trips it is not unusual to consume a quart of water by the time I get back to work. On my week end ride ,yes ,80 oz and more is the ticket to keep going during the heat here in South Louisiana . I usally stop over for a gator aid or coconut water toward the end as I can feel my muscles starting to cramp, depending on how hard I push . The only timeI feel really bad is when I have over done it and start to over heat.(not enough fluids ) Then a short break and fluids puts me back at it untill I return home for a meal .
    I never considired weighing my self before or after I usally only weigh once a week .
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
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    I have one word for you, my friend: Carborocket. Google it. You're welcome.
  • burnsgene42
    burnsgene42 Posts: 102 Member
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    Thanks Everyone for the info. Going to try to take in a little more water and food on rides.:drinker:
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Everyone is different. Chivalryder's advice is a good baseline, but you need to listen to your body and figure out what works. The sports drink industry would like us all to believe that we need to drink constantly while exercising, but in fact, individual needs vary quite a bit. Moreover, some studies of elite athletes have shown that the highest performers are often the most dehydrated at the end of a race. Elden Nelson, a long-distance mountain bike racer (who blogs at FatCyclist.com), drinks 4 24-oz. bottles of water during the Leadville 100 mile mountain bike race, which takes him over 8 hours of hard riding. Of course he eats a lot of food, which contains water.

    Personally, on a 4-hour ride at a moderate pace (which for me is 13-15 mph), I'll usually drink 2 or 3 24-oz. bottles, unless it's particularly hot or cold, and eat about 500 calories worth of food. If I'm exercising harder, I'll drink more. At this year's D2R2 (Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnée), I did a 125 km (78-mile) ride, mostly on dirt, with 7,400 feet of climbing, and drank 6 bottles of water (2 of which had one scoop of Gatorade powder). Usually after my rides, I weigh 2-4 lb. less than when I started.

    Also, keep in mind that as you burn stored muscle glycogen, you are going to release the water that was bound with the glycogen in storage. Let's say you burn 800 calories from your glycogen stores: that's 200 grams of glycogen, which will have been stored with 600-800 grams of water. So you could weigh a kilogram less (2.2 lb.) without getting in the least bit dehydrated. You won't replace that water except as you replace glycogen, so it's important to drink enough water after a long ride, not just during it.
  • burnsgene42
    burnsgene42 Posts: 102 Member
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    OK , being a hardheaded and low tech old guy I started doctoring the water with some apple juice, sea salt, vinegar and a little ginger. I'm using an old Switchel recipe . After a couple of rides I find I'm not losing any weight . Even gained a little on one. I am trying to eat a bigger breakfast before heading out and eat something during the ride. Time will tell.
    Thanks everyone.

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