Need a Gatorade replacment

CD228

Amateur
I just PCSed out west and the post is hotter and more humid than I am used to. I also started doing 2 a day workouts to lose weight/ build muscle. I've been drinking a lot of water and two 20 oz Gatorades a day. I still wind up peeing brown after the afternoon session. I want something that will help me hydrate without flushing electrolytes but without the carbs, sugars and the other issues associated with Gatorade. Any recommendations? Thanks
 

pointblank4445

Established
I use Propel electrolyte packets. I've heard good things about Liquid I.V. as well.

Didn't that Liquid IV stuff get marked as snake oil years ago...or am I thinking of a different product? Came in a little packet of about 4-5 2oz plastic vials...

ETA: Disregard..."Oral IV" is what I was thinking of.
 

Ccorden

Newbie
Powerade zero works well. No carbs or sugar. Used it for intermittent fasting and keto while working out pretty rigorously and it keeps me hydrated. How much sodium are you getting per day?
 

BooneGA

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
WARLORD
I am a big fan of Drip Drop packets, then pedialyte packets then the pre-mixed pedialyte.

Except they don't taste like syrup. Drip Drop is 100% my go to when available. If not I fall back on ORS by the Jianas Brothers. Doesn't have the same flavor but really helps after workouts/runs in the S. Florida heat.

Rick
 
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David Mayeur

Regular Member
Drip Drop is good to go. I learned about it at a pistol class a few years ago. A few packs in your range bag are a good idea.

I prefer the Berry flavor over lemon. Lemon doesn't taste "off," I just don't care much for lemons. If you walk into a Walgreens, it will be near Pedialyte in the section for babies and toddler things. I have not been able to find it at CVS.

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CD228

Amateur
Powerade zero works well. No carbs or sugar. Used it for intermittent fasting and keto while working out pretty rigorously and it keeps me hydrated. How much sodium are you getting per day?
I recent switched to a higher protein diet, so, my sodium is pretty high, I don’t have a mg count though.
 

CD228

Amateur
I was able to find Mom's blessing and Pedialyte locally. The Mom's blessing flavorless had the lowest sugar and carbs, only 15 calories. I'll keep looking for Drip Drop and the others. I used to get the Nunn tablets at the PX at my old post, but they were discontinued at some point.
 

DPaul

Newbie
Awesome answers in here! I haven't had Drip Drop before and now I really want to look into it. I used to grab the Camelbak tabs from the PX in lieu of Pedialyte, they worked well and the lemon line was great. Looking back on it, I don't think that was a very cost-effective option, but it worked.

When I was in Texas, I found it really hard to sip lots of water over time instead of chugging it... I feel like that was the majority of my dehydration problem there.
 

chasnojm

Regular Member
To expand on my short post. *I am an end user, not a medical professional.* Basically you need three things for an Oral Rehydration Solution: Potassium, Carbohydrates and Sodium (along with water). You are replacing body like fluids that you are losing through sweat. I'd use Drip Drops nutritional facts (for 1 stick IE 2 servings): 660mg sodium, 370mg potassium, 18g carbs (14g sugar). It also includes (of your recommended daily intake) 80% of Vitamin C, 10 Magnesium and 20% zinc.

Drip Drop claims to be as effective as an IV. (Being that an ORS and an IV have no difference in efficacy (per 2003 study)). It also claims that the osmolarity is lower than pediatric drinks, normal saline IV and sports drinks allowing it to be absorbed faster.

I personally use it almost exclusively for my hydration needs as well as post hangovers.
 

krax

Regular Member
I like Drip Drop and ORS for either recovering out of the dehydration hole or maintaining in hot/humid environments. I keep an ORS packet handy in my murse at all times as insurance.

If I've been eating and need electrolytes, Nuun tablets are great. If I need carbs also, but can't have a meal (for a workout or other exertion) I'm really liking SOFLETE's Endure powder right now.

For day-to-day stuff, the best thing I've found (for me) is to get my sodium with my meals and carry a Hydroflask bottle of ice water everywhere I go and continuously refill it throughout the day.
 

Blitzer613

Amateur
When I was in Texas, I found it really hard to sip lots of water over time instead of chugging it... I feel like that was the majority of my dehydration problem there.

DPaul, check out the Contigo Ashland water bottles. They’re a surprisingly easy solution to water intake.
3b7a86e36ef36d7ce5c64a7b0e43b0d1.jpg
They have a unique straw design. We found these 5+ years ago and they have made a huge difference in our water intake. The spout has a wide opening and it just form fits to your mouth and you can take big sips with minor effort. We had been drinking from cups or glasses with smaller straws before that and we noticed that by drinking out of the Ashland bottles we’d drain 20oz in a few minutes rather than 30 minutes. Now I keep a 32oz on hand and I’m able to drink through it 4-6 times a day. I take it to classes because it makes it so easy to hydrate and then take a Stanley 2 gallon water cooler jug to refill. Additionally, the top/straw portion will fit Hydroflask and Simple Modern stainless steel (wide mouth) tumblers. That is the one I keep around with the Ashland top. It is not a perfect seal though so it’s will leak a few drops if it turns over in the car. The one in the picture is on a 32oz Simple Modern SS tumbler (basically a less expensive hydro flask). I started typing this while getting out of bed and I’ve drained over half of it in under 10 sips. Still, it’s something you have to feel for yourself. To be impressed with the speed at which you can drink vs small straws or gulps or sipping from a cup edge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DPaul

Newbie
DPaul, check out the Contigo Ashland water bottles. They’re a surprisingly easy solution to water intake.
3b7a86e36ef36d7ce5c64a7b0e43b0d1.jpg
They have a unique straw design. We found these 5+ years ago and they have made a huge difference in our water intake. The spout has a wide opening and it just form fits to your mouth and you can take big sips with minor effort. We had been drinking from cups or glasses with smaller straws before that and we noticed that by drinking out of the Ashland bottles we’d drain 20oz in a few minutes rather than 30 minutes. Now I keep a 32oz on hand and I’m able to drink through it 4-6 times a day. I take it to classes because it makes it so easy to hydrate and then take a Stanley 2 gallon water cooler jug to refill. Additionally, the top/straw portion will fit Hydroflask and Simple Modern stainless steel (wide mouth) tumblers. That is the one I keep around with the Ashland top. It is not a perfect seal though so it’s will leak a few drops if it turns over in the car. The one in the picture is on a 32oz Simple Modern SS tumbler (basically a less expensive hydro flask). I started typing this while getting out of bed and I’ve drained over half of it in under 10 sips. Still, it’s something you have to feel for yourself. To be impressed with the speed at which you can drink vs small straws or gulps or sipping from a cup edge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll definitely check those out! I had one of the narrow spout camelbac bottles of a similar design a few years ago, these seem to fix all the annoying issues I had with that (just from looking at the one picture)!
 
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