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Stomach Pains while Diving? Help!

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Aerwyna

Well-Known Member
Dec 12, 2015
58
9
48
So here is My situation.
I wake Up at 7:00 am, Dive planned at 9:00 before I do anything I drink a liter of Water then Get Ready.
On My way to the dive Sight I like To eat A banana or Some Medjool Dates because there So quick to Digest.
I've Heard for Years now about how to not eat before a Dive But I just cannot Do that. I end Up really Weak and My hunger pains Are the worst, feels like Someone Is stabbing my Gut.
Even With Eating Something Small and Light Before My dives, about 30 mins Later I start to feel Weak, You know the feeling like When You've haven't Ate and feel Fatigued.
And If I push Through(I always do) About 45mins Later The Cramping and Mild Nausea Sets in.
Before When I'd eat enough to hold Me over My dive Times where Significantly Shorter and I Don't feel as Comfortable in the water.
I want to know Has anybody struggled with this kind of problem, Any advice would be great.
So if there is no remedy for what I'm Going Through Then I'll Just have to put up with it and That's Fine.

Little Back story:
23 male
Intermediate Freediver
6'6 160lb
I stay Hydrated.
Very Active Running,bike, Gym Etc.
Healthy Diet/Sleep is Fine.
Important To note, I was Diagnosed with Inflammatory bowel disease Years ago but I have kept it under control with little to No symptoms.
 
I don't know the answer to your situation, but when I dive I eat either nothing or just a banana an hour before. I can go for a couple of hours on just that. For longer sessions I may use those energy gels if I feel I need it. And I sip water often during the workout, but just sips, not a lot at one time.
 
I don't know the answer to your situation, but when I dive I eat either nothing or just a banana an hour before. I can go for a couple of hours on just that. For longer sessions I may use those energy gels if I feel I need it. And I sip water often during the workout, but just sips, not a lot at one time.
I thought about the cliff Gels For energy. Might Give Them A Go.
 
I've used gatorade energy chews and some other "tube" of gel which I can't remember the name. But when I run out of energy I can feel it and if I don't do any thing I almost start shaking. But taking these gels restores my energy and I feel good again after a short rest.
 
Just saw your stats 6'6 and 160 lbs - you must have very low body fat, not a lot of spare storage there! Do you get cold easily, shivering burns tons of energy?
 
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Just saw your stats 6'6 and 160 lbs - you must have very low body fat, not a lot of spare storage there! Do you get cold easily, shivering burns tons of energy?
I Don't get cold easy, I use to but I guess I built up a tolerance with cold showers every morning.
 
So I'm 21, (I do think that age has something to do with it.. as well as general activity level) and I also cannot dive without eating.. similar to you I get extremely hungry and weak if I dive on an empty stomach.

In my opinion, feeling strong and comfortable outweighs the energy spent on digestion. I recently spent 3 weeks in dahab doing PBs almost everyday eating an assortment of chocolate pastries, pancakes, hash browns, and omelets for breakfast less than 1.5hrs before getting in the water.

This is not a popular option but I think that we're told so often not to eat before diving that it has created a correlation between eating and decreased performance, which I think is just mental, like a placebo effect.

I would say, don't put up with hunger pains and just eat a nice breakfast. Once you get over breaking the "don't eat rule" you'll feel much better in the water.
 
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It may well be that you need to eat something for breakfast, I always eat breakfast, whatever i'm doing, for me its especially important if i'm diving or swimming. I have musesli with added oats and dried fruit for breakfast, wait for two hours and i'm good to go! From your description I would imagine that your metabolism is fast, you are particular about what you eat and you have very minimal body fat, i have a feeling that you just need some slow release energy over your dive time, quick release energy is useful but if your using it up fast you run the risk of troughs and peaks which seems to be happening to you. One adaption to repeated exposure to cold water can be a build up of fat just under the skin which can help with keeping warm, even with this though, being warm blooded means that we require large amounts of energy just to keep warm. Basically I have just taken too may words to say what Toufiq said! :D
 
I've also found that when I swim laps, even without doing any freedive practice, I still must have an empty stomach - having undigested food in my stomach just doesn't feel good - it feels heavy and bloated. I think maybe being horizontal has something to do with it.
 
I always eat normally, just not heavy meals before diving. I'd feel bad/nauseous drinking 1 L of water and eating high carb/sweet food on an empty stomach.. Bring some energy bars and water in your float and grab some when you feel the need
 
....the day before is very important. its not really healthy to eat big portions of food late night. and some people having trouble
sleeping with a full belly. but i always try to fill all my bodystorage with carbs as good as i can the day before diving.
usually with the number one food for most longdistance sport....pasta. big portion for diner, and a small one for after-diner.
for the morning....try drinking something else instead water alone.
i love my black-tea with some milk and sugar together with a light piece of marble cake or some soft cookies(without grains),mhhh....
shortly after a thick banana milk shake or a smoothy mixed out of low-acid fruits and veggie of choice.
soft cooked porridge(also with a banana) will also do for me, much better then all those muesli stuff..takes too long to digest
and when coughing or choking appears, those nuts and grains will climb back up and stick in your throat.
and of course : chocolate ! pure, without nuts and stuff.
dark chocolate even better. real easy on your stomach.
while diving i take my first short food-break after 2-3hours. its a chocolate bar and a coke(tin of course).
small sips of water all the time.
after 2-3hours again i usually start eating anything ....salted almonds, cheese-sandwich, chips,chocolate again,etc,etc,....
but thats my diet on a boat-spearfishing day. usually long and extremly exhausting days.
everyone is different. but since you having some problems you should try out other options.
you do need the energy that is generated trough your diet, but you cant strain your digestive system too much because
it will affect your diving....or your diving will affect your digestive system..hehe....
keep trying until you find out what works for you.
good luck....and appetite....
 
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If you're worried about digestion you can get food in a shake form that is somewhat easier for your body to digest. Stuff like Endura Optimser is designed specifically for this purpose (for athletes who need the energy but can't afford to waste energy on digestion). I used to have it in a drink bottle for bike rides/races over 3 hours.
It would be a suitable pre-dive meal.
I usually just have a Quest bar - but a shake along those lines probably has a better profile for you. Whole foods are typically better for most things, but in this case you probably need something specialised.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for all the great advise guys. I've got a lot of things to try out.
 
I am a "full stomach" person. I have to eat a massive meal just so I won't throw up on a boat. I eat "big" 30min-1hr before any water activity and it is not uncommon to see me gnawing on a sandwich or something as I board any water craft. If I eat enough then my stomach is totally at peace with itself for a long time. I lose a little energy to digestion in the first hour or two, but if I go on an empty stomach or haven't eaten enough then I feel tight and sick. I have yet to ever experience stomach cramps in the water with food in me belly, but can certainly say my stomach is very hard to deal with if I have not fed it enough before an activity. My favorite dive morning meal (and I am not alone) is a big jar of overnight oats. 1c oats, spoonful of coconut, chia, flax, pnut butter, molasses, dried fruit, sunflower seeds... whatever is in the cupboard and fill it over the oats with soymilk or whatever you want. I can jump in the water immediately after that and feel fine. I also do like many people and have a stock of energy gels and bars with me while I am out. Just drink water with those or they will keel you over in abdominal pain. I happily have a snack out on my floatie if I have been out for a time and go right back down again!
 
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On top of your diet and what you eat before hand, do you think the stomach pains could be from not stretching your diaphragm and intercostal muscles? Do you have a stretching routine before you dive?
 
On top of your diet and what you eat before hand, do you think the stomach pains could be from not stretching your diaphragm and intercostal muscles? Do you have a stretching routine before you dive?
Basic stretches nothing too advance
 
If we skip a meal our body goes in ketosis where it uses our fat storage and converts it to glycogen for energy. This is why we can go for quite a while without a meal. If you're 160 pounds and 6'6 high than there is almost no fat storage. Your body can't use stored fat as energy ecause you have hardly any fat. Might be your extremely low body fat why your feel weak without a meal
 
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