Ok, the topic is a bit of a troll, but in all seriousness this is about electrolytes and the fact that after so many years of doing this stuff, and with a lot of background in science I should really really know better - So I'll confess my own sillyness as a warning to the rest of you.

You may recall in another thread I stated smugly:



Ya know it's entirely true. I've never taken electorolyte supplements with me backapcking, I have lots of snacks that
provide it. Of course, it would be wise for me to listen to
myself sometimes and think it through...

I'm a little different lately. I've been on weight watchers since march. Lost a lot of weight, feeling good. However, I have never thought of it as a "low salt" diet. (I actually don't think of it as much of a diet even, it's just I eat different stuff and watch how much I do eat..)

Of course I'm really eating lots of veggies and stuff and almost no processed crap like I used to semi-frequently. Stupidly, I didn't think of this at all...

Now, rewind a week and a half, recall I posted my pics from my trip up to Limestone Lakes. It was hot on the way up. I felt bad. I was drinking lots. I made it in but felt beat, ate, had salty snacks, felt better once I was eating "backpacking food" (when I'm backpacking I'm totally "off the wagon") and had a great rest of the trip. I didn't think too much about it. Just assumed I was tired and had a bad first day.

I then had a hard week working outside. Felling trees as a volunteer in hot weather. then building a garage in 40C. Here I wasn't eating "backpacking food". but I was probably drinking 8 litres of water a day. Now I was eating some salt but it occurs to me probably not enough. I felt very out of sorts for quite a while. By monday I was sore but also felt worn out and beat with a stick. Finally I broke down and ate a whole bunch of *salty* stuff - chips, sasuage, olives, etc. all of a sudden the floodgates broke, I slept right, and felt
100% better.

So, while I've had no formal diagnosis, so part of this may be my own speculation, let it serve as word of warning to those of you who change your eating habits. I've never had major issues in the heat as long as I eat and pound the water back. Now all of a sudden I do - and of course (duh!) it's because of *what* I am eating is different. while not consiously attempting to have a "low salt" diet - practically I am eating a lot less of it. This seems to have made a big
difference in how I react to the heat and drinking lots of water in it.

I'll be looking to make sure I'm eating the right stuff and/or using an electrolyte supplement from now on when I'm
doing heavy work in hot weather....

Mea Culpa..