Ingame food & water: what do you eat/drink?

[Jimski]

Hello all !
During a game, it's easy to get dehydrated and suffer from headache.
It's also easy to prepare sandwiches that you'll really not feel like eating once you're on the field.
What do you drink and eat to stay in a top shape during a 6-8 hours game? especially towards the end.
how do you crush the headache and make it a complete pleasure to play for the whole duration even if you're not in top shape in general?
Is it better to eat all the time little things, or to stop for a meal at midtime?
I have noticed that a thermos of coffee really helps me a lot.Is that a headache factor?

I know you have to drink water and gatorade, fine; but how much of it, how often, and with what body weight?
thank you for your answers, I'm really interested to learn as much as possible about that, from real airsoft experiences.

[Boyso]

At yesterday's game, I ate a pack of Jerky and a granola bar and I've been fine. However, when I got back home I was dehydrated.

So I'll subb to this thread so it won't happen anymore :P

[surebet]

For the real hot situations (like Rawdon or other difficult situations) I drink until I sweat again. It's a crude rule of thumb, but I never had a heat stroke if I followed it.

I basically just remind myself to drink even though I don't feel I need it. By the time you're really thirsty in a Rawdon like environment, it's too late.

For food, jerky, small amount of candy, anything that delivers protein and sugar fast.

[Danke]

I have a camelback with only water in it. I know there are some drinks you can mix in there but I keep it pure water.

In game I'll have sport beans jelly beans, Clif shot blocks (margarita for the sodium), and Clif shot gels (chocolate or vanilla). All small enough to tuck in a pocket or in the camelback carrier. All meant to be eaten during vigorous activity, easy to carry, chew, and digest.

For the drive home I'll have a fresh bottle of water in the truck to keep hydrated, and then when home I'll have more water, this time with Nuun hydration tablets in cold water.

[Barbie]

oooh yay!!!! i can share my experience... When i started , i was always sick... I get heatstokes very easily, and tried many combinations.... I even got water intoxicated once, oh yeah, it happens.... So here is what i do now, and i've been heatstroke free ever since...
I try not to drink the night before, but that's pretty much a big fail, so that one, i kinda let go...
On the drive there, i always stop at tim's and get a giant coffee and a yogurt... Why the yogurt you say??? To keep me from having to dig a hole and go #2 in a game... It works... Never had to...
I fill up my back pack with 1l water and a big bottle of gatorade... Just the gatorade is too sweet, and the water by itself is not good for me, so i mix it up... Always have some more water too, cause, well, it does get empty... But only water once cause me to have water intoxication... how did that happen??? I dont usually drink much water, and that day had about 6l... My body was not used to it, so it reacted weirdly... Confusion, dizziness... weird feeling, but since i added the gatorade, i am doing pretty well...
I eat jerky, dry fruits and nuts... Lots of it...
And now, i have those electrolytes stuff i buy in outdoor shops... Jizz in a pack, is how i call it... Its fast, weird tasting but keeps you there...
Last summer, since the water incident, i did not have one single stroke... It took me about 3yrs to get it right... But its a matter of finding the good combo... and the camelback is awesome, cause its always there.... so i drink more than if i had to open a bottle everytime... Hope this helps everyone...

[L473ncy]

Originally Posted by Barbie

I even got water intoxicated once, oh yeah, it happens....

That's actually a pretty serious condition when your electrolytes get too diluted to work properly. Apparently it's a big problem with marathon runners. An easy trick is to add a packet of table salt to water and give it to your casualty, not ideal but it does the trick in a pinch especially in emergency situations in the field.

What I do is get some Sport Drink mix + water (Gatorade or Powerade mix or w/e but really diluted), straight water, and Irn Bru.

As for food. Cornish Pasties are always awesome and you can hold it by the edge and not get the main part dirty from your hands being dirty (supposedly that's why they were invented according to legend/my Brit friends).

[Grudge]

I keep my camelback filled with straight water, but I bring a couple of the sports drinks to take between games. Trail mix and beef jerky are usually in a pocket. Then I'll keep a couple of fruitbars and granola bars in my car!

I've also found that I pop a 5 hour energy before the first game and I'm good to go for hours. I don't like the energy drinks too much sugar and I crash after an hour or so.

[Funker-Tactical]

By the time your thirsty your already dehydrated this for for every day life not just exercise/ activity. North Americans are notoritously bad for this we live our lives in a slightly dehydrated state which isn't soo good. Drinking coffee helps your headache because your addicted tongue caffeine it's actually a diuretic so it's putting you into worse dehydration then if you drank nothing at all. Your best bet If time permits would be eating small amounts through out unfortunately your probably busy in fire fights etc. So if you can take the time to eat a small meal that isn't too greasy or with Alot of processed sugar would hold you over until the gam ends. water or watered down gaterade a bottle of gaterade is too concentrated and should be mixed 50/50. Eating a foods with a combination of simple and complex carbohydrates and proteins is very good. trail mix is a very good example of this. As well are cereal bars and snacks o the sort fresh or dried fruit has natural sugars to give you energy as well. There are lots of things you can eat. It's just choosing the right ones

[Funker-Tactical]

To those of you that claimed to have had heat stroke it was probobly just Heat exhaustion or dehydration heat stroke is a decreased level of consciousness, Hot skin that isn't sweating any more, shortness of breath low blood pressure and an increased body core temperature. Heat stroke I a medical emergency and you probably would have ended up in an ambulance with an I.V. Because you couldn't drink on your own

[Slow]

Camelbak that contains 3L of water(always on me). Sometime i will add a teaspoon or two of Gatorade powered in it.
Jerky(Eatin on break time)
Tactical Bar(Granola and/or Energy Bar)

[Ozone06]

I use a US issue 100 oz camel back that usually keeps me hydrated through out the day. If it's hot out I stash a 30 count case of water in my trunk just in case for me and any One else who might be in need

For food I'm usually packing some nuts and dried fruit in an easy access pouch. Cause a fat man can't be too far away from food. You never know I might lose some weight and that would just be wrong!

For long games like op rhino or teh zombiez game I'm going to try IMPs or MREs and use the heater bags to try my hand at some combat coffee. "Cause coffee is the fucking life blood of my fucking job!"

[Funker-Tactical]

Imp and mre = death

[tygr701]

camelback and some gatorade in a separate bottle does the trick. I usually will chuck some granola bars in the bag as well. Protein bars work too.

[m102404]

3L+ for a full day game...as many snackies as I can get to.

The key (for me at least) is "little and often". At least a sip/mouthful of water every 15-30min...or every chance you get. At least something to eat (and Jerky doesn't count) every 30-hour.

Sipping fluids and snacking when you don't feel the need is far better than chugging a gatoraid and wolfing down a meal when you're thirsty and hungry.

Your body needs time to process stuff into nutrients and get it to the organs that need it (your brain will complain first). You can't force it to go faster (you can train though which helps your body adjust to strenuous exercise and processing nutrients).

[Jimski]

thanks to all for the answers!