Cold but haven't lost that much

ShaleSelkies

I've heard of people feeling cold on losing weight but so far I've only lost around 21lbs now but all the same I've noticed a significant increase in how cold I've been feeling? I could manage fine before with just a shirt and a sweater and heck even wearing a skirt at freezing (which I only know because of old school uniform requirements) but lately I've had to be wearing a tank top, a shirt, a sweater, and a coat with a hat and gloves just to stop myself from shivering while going outside.

Is this still normal? Or could something else weight loss related be causing it or should I just chalk it up to other things/actually look into this as a potential issue.

scrapbookingtm

While I am losing weight, I am colder than usual. When I am eating at maintenance, it goes away.

bbell1985

It happens. Everyone is different, but it is common for body temperature to decrease in a deficit or after some fat is lost.

I'm not sure there are any nutritional factors at play here. Maybe someone can post on that if so.

I'm freaking freezing all the time. And even more so in a deficit. I sat in front of a space heater in my bedroom in sweats, a fleece robe, winter hat, and slippers on Saturday.

Barbs2222

Me too, cold. When I was at my thinnest, 18 years ago before babies, I had to wear long underwear everyday during winter. Everyone was fine with the temperature in the office. Now I'm using it as a motivational tool to get up and jog in place for 2 minuets every 15 minuets during the day. The jogging warms me right up.

ChristopherLimoges

Increasing the number of times you eat per day while staying within your boundaries may help you and others feeling the same effect. Each time you consume a meal or snack, your body will be awoken out of its passive-active idle state and begin to make its attempt at processing whatever you're consuming. This process heats up your body just a little bit. This notion isn't as felt while Juicing. Losing weight causes our bodies to drop more of our fatty tissue, lower the insulation side effect of having increased weight. If a fluctuation of coldness and warmth is felt while still having six or more meals per day with respective amounts of fiber and solids incorporated in your diet, your body could be having trouble adjusting initially(which should pass) or generally. A step back and review of how you feel after eating what food product should be performed.

Coldness will sometimes continue and even progress in diet applicants due to blood clots and bodily reactions, some including cholesterol. If you're unsure of what is what you should try to see a professional.

PAV8888

While it may not be a thing for everyone, there is definitely a thing for many of us which is called adaptive thermogenesis.

And a component of that is reduced body core temperature.

Large deficits, long periods at a deficit, loss of weight without subsequent substantial regain, all can lead to varying degrees of adaptation.

Basically you become metabolically as thrifty as you can be. A great adaptation that can save you money on food, or help you survive the next famine!

Perhaps less useful when you're the one artificially inducing the famine for your own reasons!

This is over and above the expected RMR/BMR change corresponding to the loss of fat and lean mass due to your weight reduction.

FoxyMars25

I lost 65 pounds back in 2012/2013 and have gained about 20 back (but back in track now) and ever since I lost that weight, I am freezing all of the time, even with the weight I gained back. At work, I have to have a blanket wrapped around me and gloves on and my coworkers think I am crazy because they are either fine or too hot.

MelodyMomof2

I have been colder this Winter than I have in as long as I remember. I assumed it's because I'm down 90 pounds and don't have the "insulation" that I had before. I never thought about the deficit being an issue.

PAV8888

From my list of interesting stuff I kept when I was first starting out...
(sorry if it is a bit of an overload for a simple question)

Metabolic and Behavioural Compensations in Response to Caloric Restriction: Implications for the Maintenance of Weight Loss (2009)
Calorie Restriction results in a metabolic adaptation and behavioural adaption beyond what is expected by just a reduction in body mass. Low calorie diets=greater effect.

Effect of calorie restriction on resting metabolic rate and spontaneous physical activity (2007)
Body weight is defended in non-obese participants during modest caloric restriction, evidenced by metabolic adaptation of RMR and reduced energy expenditure through physical activity

Effect of calorie restriction on the free-living physical activity levels of non-obese humans: results of three randomized trials. (2011)
Decrease in calories burned during activity beyond what is accounted for by less steps, decrease in sub-conscious upper body or fidgeting movements, and an increase in muscle efficiency.

Weight loss, weight maintenance, and adaptive thermogenesis (2013)
Weight loss results in adaptive thermogenesis, and there is no indication for a change in adaptive thermogenesis up to 1 y, when weight loss is maintained.

Metabolic Slowing with Massive Weight Loss despite Preservation of Fat-Free Mass (2012)

Sustained depression of the resting metabolic rate after massive weight loss. (1989)
‘A sustained decrement in RMR accompanied weight loss and persisted for greater than or equal to 8 wk despite increased caloric consumption and body weight stabilization’

Influence of changes in body composition and adaptive thermogenesis on the difference between measured and predicted weight loss in obese women (2009)
Effects on weight and metabolic rate of obese women of a 3.4 MJ (800 kcal) diet. (1989)There was an adaptive reduction of about 6% in RMR in week 1.” After eating at maintenance for the reduced weight for a while the RMR returned to normal as expected per LBM.


Weight loss and change in resting metabolic rate (1990)
the decline in RMR tended to be greater than could be accounted for by loss of FatFreeMass

Adaptive thermogenesis can make a difference in the ability of obese individuals to lose body weight. (2013)
demonstrating that an adaptive decrease in thermogenesis can have a major role in the occurrence of resistance to further lose fat in weight-reduced obese individuals”

A weight reduction program preserves fat-free mass but not metabolic rate in obese adolescents. (2004)

A weight reduction program combining moderate energy restriction and physical training in severely obese adolescents resulted in great BodyWeight and FatMass losses and improvement of cardiovascular fitness but did not prevent the decline in EnergyExpenditure even after adjustment for FatFreeMass

Resting energy expenditure in reduced-obese subjects in the National Weight Control Registry. (1999)
These results show that in at least some reduced-obese individuals there does not seem to be a permanent obligatory reduction in RMR beyond the expected reduction for a reduced lean mass

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-11-7.pdf

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1

My take on it? is it enough to stop weight loss if you eat even less and exercise even more? NO. Is it enough to make life and further weight loss much harder and weight regain easier? ... quite possibly. Best to do everything possible to avoid... thus... lose while eating as much as possible and preserving as much lean mass as possible. Go with conservative deficits (no more than 20% of TDEE (25% while obese), aim for no more than 0.07% of bodyweight loss per week or less... etc. Am I right? Wrong? Who knows Individual differences and past dieting history also factor in!