Out of shape or out of steam?

[miamfiats]

I am a newcomer to the hiking world, but have been regularly walking (not hiking) 3 – 5 miles a day for over a year. When I go on hikes (10+ miles) after the 7th mile or so I start felling sick. Sick to my stomach, I get extremely tired, feel slightly light headed and just want to stop. I have to stop and start walking several times over the next 2 hrs. Then as quickly as symptoms start they stop and I feel 100% again.

Just wondering if this is common and what others have does to avoid this happening. Thanks for the help

~miaimfats

[take-a-knee]

No, it is not common, see a doctor. Get your blood sugar tested.

[Slo-go'en]

It almost sounds like altitude sickness, but your in NJ? I'd see a doctor.

[Old Grouse]

I agree with Take-A-Knee. See a doctor to have your blood sugar tested.

[bloodmountainman]

are you keeping yourself hydrated enough? :confused:

[Time To Fly 97]

This sounds like electrolytes or dehydration to me. I am totally in shape, non-diabetic and used to get this sometimes when I'd hike for several hours. Now I take a multi-vitamin and drink a full Nalgene of water before I hike and bring gatorade to sip along the way. Gatorade replenishes electrolytes as well as hydrates. Never had this since.

Happy hiking!

TTF

[Skyline]

Has happened to me under these conditions:

1) Famished. I need to stop and eat a snack.

2) Bloated. Too much water and/or food causes me to have breathing problems, which instigate the other symptoms you describe.

3) Dehydrated. The most likely cause (for me). I need to drink enough water to feel less thirsty, but not so much to get into condition #2.

All three of these are capable of being addressed by being aware and taking steps to avoid hiking in these conditions.

Also, you might want to take potassium tablets if you are sweating out a lot of salt.

Anything more might require medical tests. Blood sugar is one place to start.

[Homer&Marje]

I'd say get the blood sugar tested first, if that comes back negative for diabetes I'd take advice given already, keep hydrated, I sweat a LOT! On sunday we did a 17 mile hike and I drank 100 oz of water, ate 1 ramen, 2 bananas, 4 chewy granola bars, 2 hersheys almonds, and a half of a pb&j. 7 1/2 hours of walking and I was starving and thirsty when I got home. That's how much a hike can zap out of you. Also take into consideration elevation change while hiking. So many people underestimate what elevation change does to your calorie output, For every 1000 ft of elevation change up or down you should calculate an extra mile into that calorie output, I walked 17 miles with aprox. 6000 ft of elevation change over that 17 miles, so my calorie output was more like I walked 23 miles on flat ground. All these things, combined with the possibility of Diabetes or another blood disorder whether it be blood pressure problems etc... could really zap you on a 10 + miler, even in the first few miles.

[ H ] ydration + [ C ] alories
a a
p m
p p
y e
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[Homer&Marje]

Happy Camper

Damn word wrap

[dessertrat]

I would say that you are just bonking. Lack of blood sugar, and if you are not an experienced endurance exerciser, your body is unable to metabolize fat fast enough to get the energy into your bloodstream to sustain your level of activity. Slow down, eat some sugar, and you should regain your momentum. If you have a "medical" blood sugar problem, it seems as though you should notice it long before a few hours into the hike.

[ChinMusic]

I would say that you are just bonking. Lack of blood sugar, and if you are not an experienced endurance exerciser, your body is unable to metabolize fat fast enough to get the energy into your bloodstream to sustain your level of activity. Slow down, eat some sugar, and you should regain your momentum. If you have a "medical" blood sugar problem, it seems as though you should notice it long before a few hours into the hike.
I think dessertrat is dead-on.

Been there, done that. It sounds to me that your body simply ran low on glycogen. Simple walking will not get you to this state as your body can keep up. But serious hiking/backpacking is a different animal.

Different folks "hit the wall" at different times based on fitness level. If you are working hard and not eating enough along the way, you WILL "hit the wall". You don't have to be a marathon runner for this to happen.

In the past I have felt exactly as you posted. I now try to eat more even if I don't feel like eating. Welcome to the Bonk.

[ZZXF]

Usually when this happens to me, it's in the extreme Georgia heat. NJ can get pretty bad too, since it looks like that's where you are. I find that when temperatures rise above a certain point, I stop feeling hungry and have difficulty choking solid food down. So I usually bring energy gels instead. One of those when I start to bonk, and I feel much better. I've also had similar problems at high altitude -- can't get myself to eat, etc. -- but I imagine you're hiking on the east coast, so that shouldn't be the issue here.

[Plodderman]

Yea that is a bummer because usually that is when your mind is pretty clear and you start to see things and notice things not seen before. By the time you get the feeling it is hard to hydrate yourself so maybe a little more water about and hour before you start with a power bar or the old faithful snickers bar.

[Marta]

One way to check yourself for dehydration is the C & C rule--is your urine clean and copious? By the 7th mile, have you had to stop to pee? If not, you might want to increase your drinking, of both water and electrolyte replacement liquids. If you are driving an hour or more to get to the trailhead, it's especially easy to start the hike a liter or two down on fluids.

I usually hike by the clock. I stop and eat every two hours, whether I'm hungry or not. If I'm hungry, it means I should have stopped sooner.

It's pretty much what everyone else has been saying--eat and drink often.

And, if you haven't had a physical recently, you probably ought to get yourself checked out.

[Tennessee Viking]

Sounds like your carb/protein levels are out of whack. If you eat a high carb diet, you will draw more energy from that. When your hike or excercise, and you blood sugar drops, you will feel like crap. Next time you got hiking, take along some trail mix, jerky, or peanut butter crackers. To keep you energy up. Take lots of water or powerade/gatorade. You also want to look into getting some Emergen-C and Potassium Chloride supplements for electrolytes.

Since you are new to hiking, you body will take some adjusting as you hike.

[Cabin Fever]

I totally agree with all of the above comments. As a multi-bonker, I know how it feels when you push your body the limits. Forcing yourself to eat and drinking slowly are the best remedies for me. When I start to feel woozy, it has to be nap time preceded by some food and drink to let my body recover.

[Wise Old Owl]

Good thread... I was blaming my new blood pressure perscription meds.

[take-a-knee]

Sounds like your carb/protein levels are out of whack. If you eat a high carb diet, you will draw more energy from that. When your hike or excercise, and you blood sugar drops, you will feel like crap. Next time you got hiking, take along some trail mix, jerky, or peanut butter crackers. To keep you energy up. Take lots of water or powerade/gatorade. You also want to look into getting some Emergen-C and Potassium Chloride supplements for electrolytes.

Since you are new to hiking, you body will take some adjusting as you hike.

Avoid a high carb diet EXCEPT when you are hiking. When you are depleting the glycogen (carbs) in large muscles, the carbs you consume go directly back to replace that glycogen. When you aren't exercising hard it is likely to get stored as fat. None of the foods you suggested are high carb, as such they are good choices to go along with an energy drink.

[modiyooch]

When I hike, I constantly eat. That's the beauty of the sport.

[JaxHiker]

Have you guys tried the Elixir tablets from Camelback? Seems to be a nice way to get your electrolytes back without gumming up your bladder.

[Wülfgang]

I realize this thread is ancient but I thought I'd bump it for anyone else who has this problem.

I too have experienced this--to an extreme degree--under the following conditions:

1. Exhaustion. Too much physical exertion beyond my capability.
2. High altitude +exertion. Above 10,000 ft or so, if I am pushing too hard I will become nauseated, weak, panicky, and sweaty.
3. Not enough food or water. Backpacking can be demanding, and you cant skate by on meager calories and fluids while exerting yourself for hours at a time.

The etiology of these symptoms is most likely low blood glucose, combined with metabolic fatigue, lactic acid buildup, and even hypoxia at higher altitudes. Dehydration or under-hydration will exacerbate all of the above.

It's not a "Diabetes" issue; not all that pertains to blood glucose is diabetes. Unless someone is using insulin to lower blood glucose, these symptoms are most likely reactive hypoglycemia.

I've found that by pacing myself, hydrating copiously, and keeping calories coming in every 2-3 hours, this can mostly be avoided. If you feel sick, stop and rest, eat. Dont try to tackle 20 mile days when your biggest day ever was 12.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Hehe, I just read through this thread without realizing it was ancient, but I did notice who the embers were that were posting and was excited for a moment that so many of the older members (meaning join date) were posting again.

Regarding dehydration and electrolytes, for the last couple of years I've been adding some mortons lite salt to my drinks on hot days. Lite salt is a mix of table salt and a potassium salt so it provides a better mix of electrolytes (or so the internet has told me.) I usually add a quarter teaspoon to a quart of water and drink mix and do this once or twice a day.

[CamelMan]

If you bonk, you'll know it, because it'll be almost impossible to continue until you get some sugar in you. The two times I've hit the true bonk, I was lightheaded, dizzy, cold, weak and hypotensive and had to sit down immediately and eat a lot of dried fruit. But it was never just hiking, there was some jogging, and in one case a depletion of glycogen over the course of a few days because I was unwisely limiting my starch and sugar consumption while keeping up my exercise.

Just feeling weak or slightly out of it isn't bonking, but is a great reason to eat or rest, and while you're at it, re-evaluate that low-carb diet that's not filling your glycogen stores enough to keep you going.

[OCDave]

Hope miamfiats got to a medical professional. That constellation of symptoms suggest a problem with his pump to me.

[squeezebox]

Nothing wrong with looking at your BP meds. Call your doc and the nurse will look it up for side effects.

[tiptoe]

Elf said it first, but I was going to mention salt in addition to all the other good suggestions. I don't normally salt my food much, but when hiking I carry a tiny vial of salt. I take a pinch or two if I'm feeling a bit dizzy, and it helps almost instantly.

I've also noticed that when I hit the wall, I don't feel hungry or thirsty, just exhausted. But when I eat, drink, and rest a bit, I can continue without problems. Now, as others have said, I snack and drink at least every hour or two.

[shawnlakenorman]

I like the ask a doctor answers. But. Yes being a nurse. Vitals Hydration. Blood sugar. And habits.

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