Posted: 6/14/2010 6:00:45 PM EDT
A Drinking Problem (or "How to stay properly hydrated") 
I went hiking the other day (just a short nature walk, really). I took my 3 L Camelbak, and over the course of about 2 hours drank the whole thing. Now, I have a history of getting dehydrated, so I always try to make sure I drink enough, but I know that a person can drink too much water as well, as I've also experienced the results of that. Being fairly thin with a pretty low body fat content, its hard for me to manage my water intake, especially when exerting myself over long periods of time. So my question is, how do I determine what a "normal" rate of water intake is for me, so that I can prepare for longer hikes to make sure I have plenty. I have a Katadyn Hiker, so I can resupply on the trail, but I'd like to be able to figure when I need it and when I can leave it home. Also, what are some good foods and snacks to carry along to maintain my nutrient and mineral levels? I'd like to stay away from drink mixes and powders. Anyone else have any experience with beating the heat? |
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Some people just need more water than others, especially if they are "sweaters" (which I am). If you're not pissing at normal intervals and not pissing somewhat clear, it's a good indication you're not drinking enough. ( Generic rule of thumb). Also headaches and just acting a bit goofy. I just started using those new camelback electrolyte tabs. So far, I'm liking them much better than adding powdered gatorade. Keep your water filter with you all the time. |
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I took a class one time about wilderness medicine. IIRC, the instructor said the human gut can only process about one liter of water per hour, no matter the environment. When your urine is clear, you are getting enough water.
For snacks, I prefer to pre-load with LOTS of fresh fruit. For the trail, I prefer mixed salted nuts, dried fruit, and jerky. There's probably some high-speed, low-drag types that have better solutions. I have heard, but never verified, that Gatorade's website has a ton of useful info on hydration. |
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if you're pee is dark, that's not good.
if you're not peeing, that's bad. if you stop sweating, that's REALLY BAD. reduce your caffeine intake in warm weather. i usually use Emergen-C, but haven't added it ti the Camelbak yet. i\\if you're using Gatorade or whatever, mix it about half normal strength, or perhaps weaker. |
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Quoted:
A Drinking Problem (or "How to stay properly hydrated")
I went hiking the other day (just a short nature walk, really). I took my 3 L Camelbak, and over the course of about 2 hours drank the whole thing. Now, I have a history of getting dehydrated, so I always try to make sure I drink enough, but I know that a person can drink too much water as well, as I've also experienced the results of that. Being fairly thin with a pretty low body fat content, its hard for me to manage my water intake, especially when exerting myself over long periods of time. I recently read something on the Internet about this. If I can find it, I will post a link, but IIRC, the short version on overdrinking is that while it is possible to over drink, it is very hard to actually do so. It is very easy to become dehydrated though. It seems like the traditional suggestions about regular urination and the color of the urine are about as good a way of telling if you are properly hydrated as there is. In fact, IIRC again, the people doing the hydration study could not even come to a conclusion about how to define whether someone was dehydrated or not. It seems like dehydration is actually much more common than previously believed, but often presents no symptoms until it is fairly serious. I gather the study was not paid for by an electrolyte replacement company, so I don't recall any strong push for them in what I read. I think the basic recommendation was to drink lots of water during periods of physical exertion or exposure to dry, heat, or cold conditions. Your tax money at work. |
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Quoted:
A Drinking Problem (or "How to stay properly hydrated")
I went hiking the other day (just a short nature walk, really). I took my 3 L Camelbak, and over the course of about 2 hours drank the whole thing. Now, I have a history of getting dehydrated, so I always try to make sure I drink enough, but I know that a person can drink too much water as well, as I've also experienced the results of that. Being fairly thin with a pretty low body fat content, its hard for me to manage my water intake, especially when exerting myself over long periods of time. So my question is, how do I determine what a "normal" rate of water intake is for me, so that I can prepare for longer hikes to make sure I have plenty. I have a Katadyn Hiker, so I can resupply on the trail, but I'd like to be able to figure when I need it and when I can leave it home. Also, what are some good foods and snacks to carry along to maintain my nutrient and mineral levels? I'd like to stay away from drink mixes and powders. Anyone else have any experience with beating the heat? I used to do mission trips to work on houses with teen agers in the south in july and august......Id drink non stop just about and not go to the bathroom all day because id sweat it out.....I never got a headache so figured Was walking the line pretty good. Now my teenagers on the other hand I had to watch like a hawk. The werent used to being in the heat and working hard. Usually the girls were worse and would come and ask me for an asprin because they had a headache.....Handed them a 1.0 liter bottle of water and a bottle of gator aide, put them in air conditioning and told them they couldnt come back out till they peed. Never lost a teenager because they would listen and do what they were told.....The adults on the other hand thought they new better till they bout hit the ground. Im really fat (working on it) and its amazeing how much water I have to consume to stay hydrated now. As long as im sweating and dont have a headache Im good, If you arent sweating you are in trouble |
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I find in hot weather, I really really need to start well hydrated. I too am a sweater, and once I get 'behind' on my water intake, things go downhill fast. Read this if you haven't already. It gives a look into what happens even when you have enough water that you are not getting in you as quickly as it leaves. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=18&t=636319 |
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Start any activity really well hydrated.
VITAMINS, when you sweat a lot your body looses many trace minerals. When you stop to pump water, drink a quart. I feel better with Gatorade, a lot better, ymmv Quality trail mix, keep your energy up. Dress in thin light colored clothing, air is good. Urine color is the best indicator of hydration levels. You need to sip constantly, not gulp large ammounts. |
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my routine for hikes. wake up coffe shit chug 1 liter of water with my bfast. piss shower piss get dressed make a cold 50/50 electrolyte mix 1 liter check arfcom piss get in truck and head to trail head- stop to pee 1/2 way ( 1 + hour drive) drink 1/2 a gatoraide and 1/2 a liter of h20 on the way. get to trail head - piss suck down 1-2 16oz waters while bsing with the guys. piss hit t rail...walk for 45 minutes- piss..walk some more ,,,drink some more. i try and avg 1/2 liter per mile walked at 2.5 mph. This way i piss about every 45 min to one hour.But it has taken me a few years and twice almost falling out and watching myself very closely to "know" that pace. when it is realllllly nasty hot down here, after awhile it is body core temp issues more than hydration issues imho. |
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Hydration is good, but hydration without electrolyte replacement is not as good. Your body can absorb fluids faster when it contains electrolytes, and the electrolyte replacement can prevent hyponatremia. Ironically enough, too high an electrolyte concentration in the fluids can slow fluid absorption. Gatorade (or similar) is better than water and half-diluted Gatorade (or similar) is better than full strength as far as absorption goes. The problem is that half-strength isn't as palatable which is one reason Gatorade isn't made weaker. Full sugar Koolaid is worse than just plain water, but better than no water, as is the case with sodas.
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I am not about to say the posts about going to see the doc are wrong but one possability is that he is hydrated and not sweating out anywhere near the amount of water he is taking in. If I am slightly dehydrated I don't piss as often. If I am drinking water constantly in decent quantities then I stop to take a leak often. He starts off drinking a liter of water and keeps on going and he does not list the coffee intake quantity but in my experience that varies because I know some people who make weak coffee I can see through to the bottom of my cup and other folks at work make it so strong my cup gets the caffeine shakes. |
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Thanks for the replies, guys. I know about monitoring urine color, etc. Having fallen out a couple of times from dehydration, as well as over-drinking without proper nutrient replenishment, I'm very cautious about my water intake. Is 1 Liter per hour w/ electrolyes a good rate of intake then? I know that I tend to drink more than that, and doing training out in the desert a couple of times I've found myself going through as much as 3 L per hour, and without taking in enough replacement nutrients, I've gotten pretty sick. I guess I'm really just trying to find a good way to pace my intake.
Is there any truth to the Army Standard Training Wisdom (tm) that a person once fallen out as a heat casualty is more susceptible to it in the future? Are there any trail foods you guys recommend for nutrient replacement? Clif bars? Beef jerky? |
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Quoted:
Is there any truth to the Army Standard Training Wisdom (tm) that a person once fallen out as a heat casualty is more susceptible to it in the future? Not really. That is mostly because some people who get it don't learn how to avoid it and will do it again and again. As far as electrolyte replacement, any salty snack is good, and any of the reputable electrolyte mixes you can put in your water will be fine. Start the day hydrated and keep that way because by the time you are thirsty you are already a few liters low. It also can take 2-3 days to get your tissues properly rehydrated and your electrolytes balanced once you get severely dehydrated. |
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definitely once you've heat-stroked you are more susceptible...not sure why, but it's in the literature and seem some guys become "chronic"....
for diet, just balance it out...you'd be surprised how little you can get by on if it has a good combination of fiber, vitamins, minerals... some foods I really like to include in my packs are: - lentils and beans for making soups - premix with freeze-dry veggies and instant soup mix or "vegeta" a vegetable/chicken stock powder. Tons of amino acids - nuts - mainly dried almonds, sometimes peanuts - pasta - whole wheat and regular - rice - not too much - it's very glycemic - dried dates, prunes and raisins - great source of digestible sugars, lots of fiber - powdered milk - TVP, canned chicken/turkey/fish - gatorade -coffee (surpringly high in antioxidants) -fresh fruit if possible, homemade dried if not -fresh veggies if possible, dehydrated if possible - fruit jelly/jam, peanut butter - whole grain breads |
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I was participating in an operation in GUAM 9 years ago. It was March, very hot and humid. We were unloading a ship and working down in the holds. No breeze and very hot. We were constantly drinking water and diluted Gatorade. I was sweating the whole time and had to pee at least once an hour. Color was quite clear. After we finished (17 days) the operation my body took about two days to purge excess water. I had to piss about every 20 minutes. We had a few folks fall out for heat injuries but not too many. Our docs kept people hydrating.
I returned last week from 4 weeks of combat training in Mississippi. Same deal, hot and humid plus battle gear. We constantly stressed hydration. Everyone was required to carry their camelback at all times. We only had 2 of 100 fall out from heat injuries. Once again it took a day or so for my body to purge the left over water. So the rule of thumb as said before is you should urinate once an hour. Your urine should be almost clear. Don't drink strait Gatorade, dilute it. Remember once you feel thirsty you are already behind in water consumption. So hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and don't forget to eat. If you can not carry enough water make sure you have a way to replenish what you use (like a filter). |
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Quoted: +1 get a checkup. sounds like you're diabetic and don't know it yrt. your body tries to piss out the extra sugar. see a doc ASAP. had my exam...im clean fwiw. i was being a smart ass . I drink damn near 1 gallon before my 1 hour drive to the local trail head. If im sucking down electrolytes on the way..i normally have to piss by the time i get there. my point was to constantly drink.... With the heat and humidty down here i would rather piss every 45 minutes with every liter i drank per hour vs not pissing at all and sweating it out. Ive drank over 1 gallon of h20 today. This is the 1st time ive been indoors( lunch break). I just sucked down over 1 liter of h20 with emergen-C mix in it. Ive pissed once today. right now it is a lovely 102.5F with 75% humidty. heat index is around 110f iirc. wind: o mph gust to 6 mph. it was over 76f and 90% humidty at 6 am when i ran 2 miles this AM!! it sucks. |
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Quoted: So... er... how about the other end? Are you "regular"? A full intestine can make it harder to process liquids.Quoted: +1 get a checkup. sounds like you're diabetic and don't know it yrt. your body tries to piss out the extra sugar. see a doc ASAP. had my exam...im clean fwiw. i was being a smart ass . I drink damn near 1 gallon before my 1 hour drive to the local trail head. If im sucking down electrolytes on the way..i normally have to piss by the time i get there. my point was to constantly drink.... With the heat and humidty down here i would rather piss every 45 minutes with every liter i drank per hour vs not pissing at all and sweating it out. Ive drank over 1 gallon of h20 today. This is the 1st time ive been indoors( lunch break). I just sucked down over 1 liter of h20 with emergen-C mix in it. Ive pissed once today. right now it is a lovely 102.5F with 75% humidty. heat index is around 110f iirc. wind: o mph gust to 6 mph. it was over 76f and 90% humidty at 6 am when i ran 2 miles this AM!! it sucks. I have found that my water needs drop a lot if I start my hydration with a glass of juice with salt. Or an easy to digest salty snack with water. A can 3.5 oz of Clamato juice has both sugar and salt. Then after that, water. I feel MUCH better than with straight water. So, now I keep a few cans around. Special bonus, if you have a can, you can dump some in your beer to keep others from stealing it as most folk won't drink a Michelada. |
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Quoted:
I took a class one time about wilderness medicine. IIRC, the instructor said the human gut can only process about one liter of water per hour, no matter the environment. I've never heard this, and have a hard time believing it. One liter in one hour is WAY less than many of us use on extended operations, and wouldn't even come close to replacing what we would need. If our body could only do that, we would be creating a HUGE deficit that would put us down before we got a chance to break or take it easy. Anyone know where we can find out more about this statement? |
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Quoted: Quoted: So... er... how about the other end? Are you "regular"? A full intestine can make it harder to process liquids.Quoted: +1 get a checkup. sounds like you're diabetic and don't know it yrt. your body tries to piss out the extra sugar. see a doc ASAP. had my exam...im clean fwiw. i was being a smart ass . I drink damn near 1 gallon before my 1 hour drive to the local trail head. If im sucking down electrolytes on the way..i normally have to piss by the time i get there. my point was to constantly drink.... With the heat and humidty down here i would rather piss every 45 minutes with every liter i drank per hour vs not pissing at all and sweating it out. Ive drank over 1 gallon of h20 today. This is the 1st time ive been indoors( lunch break). I just sucked down over 1 liter of h20 with emergen-C mix in it. Ive pissed once today. right now it is a lovely 102.5F with 75% humidty. heat index is around 110f iirc. wind: o mph gust to 6 mph. it was over 76f and 90% humidty at 6 am when i ran 2 miles this AM!! it sucks. I have found that my water needs drop a lot if I start my hydration with a glass of juice with salt. Or an easy to digest salty snack with water. A can 3.5 oz of Clamato juice has both sugar and salt. Then after that, water. I feel MUCH better than with straight water. So, now I keep a few cans around. Special bonus, if you have a can, you can dump some in your beer to keep others from stealing it as most folk won't drink a Michelada. yip no issues on the other end so far. Little slow today from being atad dehydrated yesterday from work, but i feel a kifaru jr. poking its head out as i type 
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I took a class one time about wilderness medicine. IIRC, the instructor said the human gut can only process about one liter of water per hour, no matter the environment. I've never heard this, and have a hard time believing it. One liter in one hour is WAY less than many of us use on extended operations, and wouldn't even come close to replacing what we would need. If our body could only do that, we would be creating a HUGE deficit that would put us down before we got a chance to break or take it easy. Anyone know where we can find out more about this statement? From the Wilderness Medical Institute: When exercising, you should be pounding down water on an even more disciplined schedule. Since the human body can only absorb so much water at one time, the rate of ingestion should be matched, as closely as possible, to the rate of absorption. Most of us have been classified for years into a rate-of-absorption range of one-quarter liter per one-quarter hour. Recent research indicated some of us can do better, absorbing as much as one-quarter liter in 10 minutes. That means, for maximum efficiency and well-being, drink about one-quarter liter of water every 10 to 15 minutes during periods of intense exercise. And cool water gets absorbed faster than warm water. In some conditions you will lose water faster than you can replace it. In those conditions, rest breaks, during which fluid is consumed, become important. The entire article |
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I took a class one time about wilderness medicine. IIRC, the instructor said the human gut can only process about one liter of water per hour, no matter the environment. I've never heard this, and have a hard time believing it. One liter in one hour is WAY less than many of us use on extended operations, and wouldn't even come close to replacing what we would need. If our body could only do that, we would be creating a HUGE deficit that would put us down before we got a chance to break or take it easy. Anyone know where we can find out more about this statement? From the Wilderness Medical Institute: When exercising, you should be pounding down water on an even more disciplined schedule. Since the human body can only absorb so much water at one time, the rate of ingestion should be matched, as closely as possible, to the rate of absorption. Most of us have been classified for years into a rate-of-absorption range of one-quarter liter per one-quarter hour. Recent research indicated some of us can do better, absorbing as much as one-quarter liter in 10 minutes. That means, for maximum efficiency and well-being, drink about one-quarter liter of water every 10 to 15 minutes during periods of intense exercise. And cool water gets absorbed faster than warm water. In some conditions you will lose water faster than you can replace it. In those conditions, rest breaks, during which fluid is consumed, become important. The entire article That article is exactly the kind of information I'm looking for. Thanks! Good info! 
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