How I Lost 5 Pounds in an Hour (Sweat Test)

Performing long endurance training days in New Orleans' summer heat can be brutal. The heat and humidity will get you; probably more than once! I sweat excessively and during my 2013 Ironman Florida training, I dehydrated often near the end of many 5 to 6 hour training rides when heat indexes were in the mid-90's or higher (degree F). During the 2013 training, I increased my water intake and intake of SaltSticks (electrolytes) as temperatures and humidity rose. Even then, I still struggled to totally figure it all out before race day. 

Recently during three consecutive weekends, I started dehydrating much earlier than last year and, oddly, bonking at or shortly after the 3-hour mark during my long bike rides. My 2014 Ironman training plan is significantly harder than last year so the nutrition and hydration plan I previously used was far from adequate. I was sweating significantly more and burning far more calories due to the increased effort. Plus, August and September are the two hottest months here in New Orleans. This August has not been particularly friendly to me! :)

I was talking to a friend and fellow triathlete, Andre, who mentioned I should do a sweat test to see if I am drinking enough during my rides and runs. I will discuss how to perform a sweat test but first I wanted to elaborate on my test results!

Ironman Nutrition for a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) Triathlete

(see my post on the re-engineered plan I used for 2014 Ironman Florida)

When I started eating low carb high fat (LCHF), I was avoiding sugars and grains as if my life depended on it. I trained and raced all of 2013 trying not to use sugars. Prior to switching to LCHF, I was using the typical sugary stuff that was not much different from what most people use. For me, the sugary stuff was always too sweet on long training days except when I used a custom formula from Infinit Nutrition. With the custom formula, you can dial up calories, add/reduce this or that, but the best part was you can set the flavor down to near nothing!

So, what the heck was I supposed to do for nutrition if I could not use sugars and trying to avoid products with wheat and dairy?