Hydration throughout the day - how much water do you drink?

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spartacus
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Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:53 pm

by spartacus

So my girlfriend - who knows more about training than I do - thinks I have a hydration problem. She says you’re supposed to drink about 1oz of water per lb of body weight, so something like 5-6 liters a day. I don’t drink that much, especially on days I don’t ride. I do often feel tired in the morning or throughout the day but I guess I considered it normal. Am I just being dumb and I need to drink more water? I don’t usually feel thirsty.

What do you guys think about the day to day water consumption situation?

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djbowen99
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by djbowen99

I aim for a gallon a day

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

I probably drink 6 or 7 liters per day. I have a 1.5L double lined stainless bottle I keep filling throughout the day. Tossing a few ice cubes in it makes it refreshing every time I go to take a drink.

I was reading about Phil Gaimon's diet and the first thing his nutritionist has him do in the morning is drink down a full liter of water.

If you wake up tired maybe you have sleep apnea or something?
Last edited by AJS914 on Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

c60rider
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by c60rider

I drink upwards of 4 litres as a standard before any kind of exercise so on a bike riding day I can be getting through 6 litres plus. There's so much conflicting and contradictory stuff out there. The traditional way to monitor fluid was to look at the colour of your pee but then some places suggest darker just means your body is retaining more and lighter means it's getting rid of more it does nothing to say how hydrated you are. But then they don't go on to tell you how much you should drink. If you currently might be dehydrated it's a good idea just to start drinking more but being consistent with it. I've read in more than a few places at least 500ml should be consumed first thing after getting up maybe even a litre. For me I've worked out it's 1.3 litres I consume within 30 mins of getting up and going to work.

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

Depends totally on temperature and body size. In the winter you can eaily get away with 2 liters including what's in your food even with light exercise. A fair rule of thumb with mild exrecise and max temps of 25c would be about 4 liters including food. Summer could get much, much higher with intensive exercise, but largely your body will tell you.

mattr
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by mattr

spartacus wrote:
Wed Oct 31, 2018 7:22 pm
I don’t usually feel thirsty.
You probably aren't then.
The recommendadtion (8 glasses/1mlpercalorie/1ozperlb) is meant to include liquid in food as well.
So unless you only eat dried food, you need less than that.

I tend to have one of those large camelback eddy bottles and will probably drink 1-1.5 fills a day, plus maybe a couple of cups of tea and maybe a coke. So about 2-2.5 litres. Maybe add a couple of half litre bottles if i train.
Then i'll eat pasta (~60% water), rice (~70% water), potatoes (lots of water), bolognaise (quite wet), curry (quite soggy as well), apples (yeah, there's some water in there i guess).

So really. As long as you don't spend your entire day eating dry biscuits and nothing else, you're probably getting enough water with a couple of litres or so to drink then food intake.

spartacus
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by spartacus

Thanks for the replies, I’ll try drinking water when I get up in the morning and see how that goes as a start, then at least start keeping track of intake throughout the day.

Bigger Gear
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Location: Wet coast, Canada

by Bigger Gear

There is more to consider here than just hydration. Timing of water intake off the bike is important as well. Drinking a large amount right after eating is a bad habit to get into, as the water effectively dilutes the stomach acid and gastric secretions which can impair the digestion and absorption. Stomach emptying rates are generally 1-2 hours so for sure after eating a large meal it is a good idea to never chase with a lot of water in the first hour after. I've been going through the GI ringer for the last 18 months and I've learned a few new things along the way.

The morning drink before eating is good, but should be done about 30 min before eating. This will actually aid digestion.

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onemanpeloton
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by onemanpeloton

In my experience (based on what I've read and what I've tested myself) drinking in small amounts consistently throughout the day is a much better approach than just necking 2 litres of water in one go. If you sweat during a normal day, and especially on a riding day, try adding some electrolytes to your water so that you're getting back the minerals as well as the water. It makes it taste better too!
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