Looking for advice & input.... I hit a bit of a wall lately & have come to the conclusion that I may not be hydrating enough. A few weeks back I went through a week long period where I was having trouble sleeping, elevated heart-rate,etc... I kind of thought it might be over-training, but after doing some research on the subject, I have came to the concluson that it was likely dehydration.

My question is this - I have a fairly heavy Diet Pepsi habit. I realize that DP is a diuretic, but how much could that be contributing to my hydration problem? I have been trying HARD the last week or so to drink more water & less DP. Does the DP still counteract the benefits of the water I'm drinking? Should I be able to keep my beloved DP (within reason) as long as I'm adding more water to my daily regimen? I know that there are a lot of roadies that are big coffee drinkers - I can think of one that has even won the TDF, so I know that caffiene is not some forbidden substance or anything. Up until last week I was a guy that basically got all his water from Fruit, DP & the bottle(s) that I would bring with me while riding. I'm embarrassed to admit that up until this year, it was DP in the water bottle as well (but no more). I have realized that since I have ramped up my riding to 300+ miles a week, I need to pay closer attention to nutrition,etc... just finished the Chris Carmichael book & it even opened my eyes more to some of these issues. I kept waiting for Chris to get to the part that preached about excess caffiene,but he never really went there. Any ideas, opinions or input appreciated.

Dude, how do you find the TIME to ride 300+ miles a week?! Holy Cow!

I commute - 30 Miles RT to my office every day. I usually stretch that to 40 or 50 if the weathers nice. I try & do one longer ride (At least 50) on the weekends. It would be impossible for me to do those kind of miles without that commute to work. No wife or kids & an understanding GF that would never judge how I spend my time doesn't hurt either.....

I have no wife, kids or girlfriend and I still can't manage 300 miles a week.

Ever consider CAFFENE FREE DP?

Jesus, get over your Pepsi craving or forget cycling. Caffeine is overrated. Its short term crap, Long term energy is what your after.

Thanks for the input, but I have a feeling that a certain 6-Time TDF winner might disagree about Caffiene being over-rated....

I believe the diuretic effect of caffeine in coffee is offset by the water in it. In other words, no hydration or dehydration. So you must still drink as much as ever on top of the coffee. Diet soda has less caffeine and more water so it's also not going to dehydrate you unless you do not drink as much water as you would normally need in addition to the soda.

Caffeine is a performance enhancing drug. Helps burn fat, too. A pretty safe and beneficial drug if used in moderation.

Its still overrated, Lance will take better supplements than caffiene to replenish his ATP over & over when hes riding.