Amazing achievement! Massive well done 
Yep, and after having done a couple more hot rides and longer rides it may just become our new “normal” mix, so much more palatable for me and a lot less salt loss for my husband! It was literally just a couple of teaspoons to the entire canister of mix, but made a huge difference!
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WOOHOO!!! Huge congratulations to you!!! Way to go!!!
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Way to go! You might want to try the “chipmunk” strategy that I use for gravel/longer rides i.e. take a decent sized bite of food and stuff it in the sides of your cheeks, sounds weird but it’s the ONLY way I get myself to eat consistently and constantly on those types of rides. I recommended it to a friend who had bonked BAD on a training ride, and she said it helped her through the latter half of a century MTB race as well 
Sounds weird I know, but give it a try and see what you think.
Another helpful tip is to wash out your mouth with plain water if you can after consuming sugary or crumbly foods, helps avoid palate fatigue with sweet (and potential choking hazards, speaking from experience here)! 
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The chipmunk approach sounds kind of terrible but I can absolutely see what you mean. Especially when it goes up and down all the time it’s really hard to just grab enough food consistently
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Great tips. I did a really hot gravel race last weekend and knew I would struggle to eat enough due to conditions and rough roads so I tried the chipmunk method and it worked so long as I could keep sipping from my camelback to wash it down.
I just saw that Skratch labs are coming out with a high calorie mix (I think 400 cal per serving), has anyone tried it?
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What kind of solid food do you take? I’ve experimented with dates (quite nice but heavy to carry) and gummy bears (also ok but I was less disciplined about eating them regularly).
Have you come across Saltsticks? A friend who did the Rome marathon swears by them for hot weather.
You’re not the first to mention them to me, I find the addition of the salt enough for me, but if my husband continues to have issues in the future with heat that’ll probably be the next thing we try. Thanks!
I’ve been really happy with figs, crackers and those little Babybel cheeses that come in wax (granted when I’ve carried them those are items that I actually stop and get off the bike to chow down on for a couple of minutes) but for those longer rides its a good excuse to also stop, stretch and get off the bike for a little bit!
My SO uses those Saltstick capsules. He takes a couple, separates the capsules, and mixes the powder in with his drink. I think his theory is that they’re balanced already so he doesn’t need to figure out the appropriate parts that he should add to the drink. We’ve found that on really hot days, if he doesn’t do this, he will cramp.
My favorites are these chocolate-hazelnut sandwich cookies that Trader Joe’s sells (US grocery chain… there’s some relation with the Aldi brothers, but I’m not going to dig into the history right now), but I also really like stroopwafels. I’ve also done a homemade thing where I whir dates with nuts in a food processor to make a thick consistency and then flatten it out and cut it into small “bars”. You can add chocolate and/or cocoa, as well as other dried fruit. Different nuts have different consistency–cashews and walnuts tend to be a bit more oily than almonds and pecans, but they all have great flavors. Pretty easy to make. I think there are some commercial versions of this, but really easy to do at home.
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See that’s the thing, my SO doesn’t cramp, he just gets really bonky/tired (and with this last bout of excessive heat I’d say even a little punch drunk at mile 90 of 100)!
It had happened before, but he was only drinking water that time, it’s been fine since sticking to electrolyte mix but I think the addition of sodium to the pre-made Gatorade Essence mix has been working well so far, but as I also said if it doesn’t do the job this weekend (i.e. since we have yet another heat wave on the way here in the Midwest!) we’ll try the Saltstick capsules or the Nuun Salt tablets, we’ve been avoiding adding more salt since he has high blood pressure on both sides of his family but it seems necessary in this instance.
That’s an interesting response to not enough electrolytes! I would have said that’s more of a low blood sugar response than a low electrolyte response, but I guess we all respond differently.
I would say that if this really is a low electrolyte thing and he’s sweating that much, adding salt to his intake only during exercise should really just be replenishing what he’s losing. Does he have high blood pressure already?
Unfortunately yes, on both sides of his family (although as endurance athletes his most recent blood check showed he was in the “normal” range, but our Omron blood pressure cuff at home puts him in the “elevated” status).
N=1 experiences
Menopausal belly fat seems to be reducing by cutting out saturated fat as much as possible and ensuring I include healthy fats.
And reducing processed foods as much as possible / keeping it natural/ home processed as much as possible
Non hormonal support for reducing hot flushes - started taking Femal (UK) active ingredient : PureCyTonin® I have felt a drop in hot flushes, but I have COVID at the moment, so I’m pausing my observations and I have another 3 weeks before it’s said to be effective.
It works as a SSRI and to my surprise my mental health has improved dramatically. Positive thought patterns are starting to replace entrenched OCD patterns. It was a bit sketchy for the first week or 2 as my old patterns changed, but I believed it was changing for the better and stuck with it.
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Not the same as first hand experience, but my wife found it took a couple years post menopause to find the right balance of exercise, rest and diet. There were times of frustration but she persevered and is in a great place mental and physically.
Am sure folks are aware that SSRIs and other antidepressants can alter appetite sensations. For an athlete, it is likely worth keeping a food log for a couple months if starting or changing doses.
Cheers,
Darth
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Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I don’t have feedback about the belly fat comment, but I have been having other GI issues (slower than usual), and I finally started trying Emerita’s products Estriol (for estrogen) and Pro-Gest (for progesterone). I really should talk with my GYN, and I will, but I’m finding a balance of these creams that seems to work for me. Interestingly, what I’ve noticed the most is that I am no longer having massive mood swings. I feel soooooo much more like ME. It’s amazing. I missed me. I just feel so much more clear and positive. GI has improved, but I need to pay attention to the amount of pro-gest I use because that most definitely slows down everything. The only reason I’m using it is because it was the one my GYN had originally recommended, but by itself it didn’t really do much other than slow everything down. Oh, and I had also read that women who still are having cycles should not take estrogen by itself. So this is why I really need to talk with my GYN, but until then… I’m just keeping track and trying out amounts.
Again, N=1, but it’s interesting to share. Thanks. I hope you recover from COVID quickly and feel like yourself again soon!!
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@dhellman
So good to hear about your journey and amazing that you’ve found a way to be yourself again. It reminded me of a story Amber told one podcast about her hormones causing her to feel down for a significant time and that the feeling is different from a none hormonal cause. The only solution is a hormonal/ chemical adjustment.
Hopefully someone on this thread will have knowledge/ experience related to the creams you’re using. I have found if I put magnesium cream on my stomach that speeds up my GI system. Not sure if that would be a helpful thing to put in the mix or not.
On the COVID front. I’m still positive at day 8, but feeling ok. I can’t go back to work in my school until I’ve had 2 negative tests. I’m looking forward to the day I test negative and I can go for an easy ride in the sunshine (it’s actually sunny in the UK this week 
).
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