Water consumption

[chqshaitan]

Hi Guys,

I have been commuting for a couple of weeks now on a hybrid, and while its short (7.5 miles each way), I give it 100% throughout the ride, but I dont stop for water. Takes me between 35 and 45 mins to complete.


When I get to work I drink about half a litre of water shortly after getting showered, and during the day, I probably have upwards of 5-6 litres a day.

I am also doing the 5:2 fast diet(although i have added an extra fast day in the week: mon, wed and friday = Fast, rest of the week, eat as normal).

the main reason I have mentioned is that during the lfew days of back to back commuting my right kidney is a bit sore, nothing major but i notice it.

I am also a big lad(but muscular) and weight in at 22 stone or so.

I appreciate that some peps are going to see a doctor (which i will if it doesnt improve during the next few days), but does anyone have any suggestions?

Up my water intake?

drink during the ride?

Take a day off in between commuting and travel in the car?

Take an easier pace?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Are you sure it's your kidney and not your lower back muscle? Hybrids are upright, when I started riding an upright bike again it did take a few weeks for my muscles to adapt. And even now if I push hard up long climbs seated I still feel them at the top.

 

[fossyant]

That's quite alot of liquids anyway.

Always worth carrying water on the bike. In the morning use it to hydrate yourself - take a sip on the go or at traffic lights.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I had a similar thing when I first started commuting, it did pass once I got my food intake in control.

 

[chqshaitan]

Are you sure it's your kidney and not your lower back muscle? Hybrids are upright, when I started riding an upright bike again it did take a few weeks for my muscles to adapt. And even now if I push hard up long climbs seated I still feel them at the top.

Yea, could be, as there are some short but steep hills on my commute, and I stay in the saddle so i can give my legs a better workout than standing up.

 

[vickster]

5-6 litres a day! You must pee every 15 minutes! Isn't 2-3 litres the usual advice (more in summer and of course we are all different)? I can't imagine you need more fluids when cycling 15 miles a day in cool conditions. If I cycle an hour, I barely drink anything

Is the diet showing big dividends?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

I go thru that just in tea vickster, on a ride I sweat so much, I need to drink loads or get dehydrated. He's a bigger fella than me so it doesn't sound too much.

 

[chqshaitan]

Only just started on the diet, so early days yet, but my clothes do feel a bit looser than normal, so it must be working. I have not weighed myself in the last 3-4 weeks(before i started to commute) but will do so on friday night, so it will be interesting to see.

It can take me a few hours after getting into work and drinking a litre or two before i need to go

In hindsight 5-6 litres is probably an exaggeration. I would probably go with something like 2-3 in work, and maybe another 1 or so at home.

When i get into work , my layer 1 clothes are sopping, might as well have just taken them out of the shower :P Also I perspire bucket fulls. I hope i loose a few stone and get much fitter or the summer (which most cyclists prefer) is going to be hell lol.

 

[Trevrev]

That is a lot of water!
Drinking too much water is as bad as not drinking enough. Possibly worse.

 

[chqshaitan]

Are you sure it's your kidney and not your lower back muscle? Hybrids are upright, when I started riding an upright bike again it did take a few weeks for my muscles to adapt. And even now if I push hard up long climbs seated I still feel them at the top.

I suspect that you are correct bud. As soon as i got on the bike last night to travel home i felt a twinge in my back, and the same this morning, so that gives me comfort in that its nothing to worry about

 

[Ningishzidda]

The body converts 1 g of CHO into 1 g of H2O.
1 g of CHO contains 4 calories.

A 600 calorie bike ride produces 150 cm3 of water. This is all you need to replace over and above your BMR.

 

[Ningishzidda]

If one drinks too much on a bike ride, the bladder gets filled and the pressure inside it pushes back up towards the kidneys. This is painful.

 

[Rob3rt]

I think you should obsess less over how much water you are drinking!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Would not worry about how much water you are drinking. Is the pain at the front or the back? I know you say right kidney, but the first thing I thought was stitch... probably not.
I am another one here who drinks a lot, and sweats most of it. It is not uncommon for me to consume 630ml in an hour (that the size of my water bottle). I also force myself to drink more on the morning commute because I am usually more in need of it in the morning than the afternoon/evening.
Today was 2 coffees, glass of orange juice & 1 green tea before college. 500ml between commute & college plus coffee between classes, 500ml on way home and 2 green teas so far. Its only 3ish now. I would expect to have another +5 green teas and several glasses of water yet before bed and that does not count the 200ml of brazilnut milk on my cereal this morning. That is normal for me, not helped by some of my medication. I don't pee all the time, but I do sweat something chronic, always have done.

 

[chqshaitan]

The body converts 1 g of CHO into 1 g of H2O.
1 g of CHO contains 4 calories.

A 600 calorie bike ride produces 150 cm3 of water. This is all you need to replace over and above your BMR.

Surely thats a generalisation? as everyones body is different in mass, efficiency etc, also ambient temperate would be a factor.

I think you should obsess less over how much water you are drinking!

I aint obsessing bud, I raised it to see if me drinking not enough water(ie struggling kidneys) was my issue, looks like its not.

Would not worry about how much water you are drinking. Is the pain at the front or the back? I know you say right kidney, but the first thing I thought was stitch... probably not.
I am another one here who drinks a lot, and sweats most of it. It is not uncommon for me to consume 630ml in an hour (that the size of my water bottle). I also force myself to drink more on the morning commute because I am usually more in need of it in the morning than the afternoon/evening.
Today was 2 coffees, glass of orange juice & 1 green tea before college. 500ml between commute & college plus coffee between classes, 500ml on way home and 2 green teas so far. Its only 3ish now. I would expect to have another +5 green teas and several glasses of water yet before bed and that does not count the 200ml of brazilnut milk on my cereal this morning. That is normal for me, not helped by some of my medication. I don't pee all the time, but I do sweat something chronic, always have done.

I sweat like a biatch, always have done, even when i was a 10 stone whipper snapper (when i was a kid!). The pain is at the back, but I am pretty sure now that its definitely a muscle as i can feel it twinge when I first get on my mike, but then it warms up and all is fine.