Before gaining weight, I was never cold. After gaining and then losing, I'm always FREEZING.

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brittanystebbins95
brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
edited August 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this. Is there a correlation between weightloss and feeling cold? Not body fat percentage and feeling cold, but the act of losing weight.

Before I gained weight in the first place, I was never cold. I was always outside in shorts and a tshirt in 40 degree F weather, and never complained. I was about the weight that I am now.
Then I gained 50ish pounds. And now after losing it, and maintaining, I am always, always freezing. Even in 70 degree F weather, I'm chilly.

Does losing weight change something in our bodies about how we handle the cold?

To clarify better:

I started at about 150 lbs. I was always warm, never liked sweatshirts, did absolutely fine in the cold. Enjoyed it, even.

Gained 50+ lbs. I was about 204-207 lbs. And I was always warm.

Then I lost those 50+ lbs. Currently I am sitting at about 148. And I am ALWAYS cold.

Even before I had lost all the weight, when I was maybe at 170-180 lbs but on my way down there, I was getting cold all the time.
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Replies

  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    I can say my experience is exactly the same as yours. Ive been wearing a sweater in 69 - 70 degree weather for a week. :/
    I don't get it.
  • MohsenSALAH
    MohsenSALAH Posts: 182 Member
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    Fats has thermal insulation, the heat that out bodies produce get trapped inside and doesn't reach the skin
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
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    MohsenSALAH wrote: »
    Fats has thermal insulation, the heat that out bodies produce get trapped inside and doesn't reach the skin

    I understand that.

    My point is that before I ever gained weight, I was at almost the EXACT body fat percentage that I am now. And I was never cold. I always ran hot, actually.
    After gaining and losing 50 lbs, I'm relentlessly cold.
    Why would I be cold now, with the SAME body fat percentage, when I used to always complain of being too hot?
    I'm wondering if there's some biological component that changes during weight loss that might affect body temperature, not related to body fat.
  • MohsenSALAH
    MohsenSALAH Posts: 182 Member
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    Thyroid function plays huge role in body temperature also, if its more active u will have higher metabolism thus feeling hot and the opposite happens when thyroid function is less
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
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    MohsenSALAH wrote: »
    Thyroid function plays huge role in body temperature also, if its more active u will have higher metabolism thus feeling hot and the opposite happens when thyroid function is less

    But you would think that by putting on more muscle mass, my metabolism would be higher? So then I should be feeling hot? But I'm cold. I lift weights almost daily. I guess I'm just confused.
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
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    gallicinvasion wrote: »
    I feel like I experienced the same, but I always thought it was because I never noticed when I was perpetually cold back before I gained weight, because I had no point of comparison.

    I hadn't thought about the not having a point of comparison.
  • jiujitsudad15118
    jiujitsudad15118 Posts: 462 Member
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    I cant add much to this discussion but I HATE being cold...if that helps :)
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Adaptive thermogenesis as the end result of caloric deficits

    Even after I'm no longer in a calorie deficit, though?
  • jiujitsudad15118
    jiujitsudad15118 Posts: 462 Member
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    such big words!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Data would be if you knew your bf% before you gained weight and if you know your bf% now.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    edited August 2019
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Adaptive thermogenesis as the end result of caloric deficits

    Does that eventually moderate after a stretch of time in maintenance? (Asking for a friend who is constantly wearing sweaters at work and has a space heater under her desk in August :tongue: )
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    brittanystebbins95 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Adaptive thermogenesis as the end result of caloric deficits

    Even after I'm no longer in a calorie deficit, though?

    Potentially, yes. I lost around 30 pounds when I was about 20 y/o and was constantly cold when maintaining, for quite a while. Lost about 50 pounds at age 59-60, and am not cold in maintenance at all.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    I've been in maintenance for a while, I hope I get temperature regulated before this winter sets in, its strange seeing people in short shorts, sandles an me wearing socks and sweaters already. :D
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 1,994 Member
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    I've always been extra hot blooded and sweat all the time. Since losing 60 lbs so far, I have noticed I can handle heat a lot better now...but Spicy food still makes me sweat!
  • poisonesse
    poisonesse Posts: 529 Member
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    I'm a bad one to chime in here... before, I lived in NJ, and moved down to FL 23 years ago. I gained more weight down here, lost it, and yes, I feel the cold much more now. BUT... I blame it on the heat of FL and my acclimating to it. My body is now used to heat, so even the slightest variations came make me feel cold. I used to hear it referred to as "thin blood", as in, the heat thins it so that you feel cold more. THAT makes little sense, but acclimating? Yeah, that's what it is in my case.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    There are medical conditions that can cause people to be cold when they shouldn't be. Consult your doctor.

    Meanwhile, bundle up, drink hot beverages, and eat hot foods.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Adaptive thermogenesis as the end result of caloric deficits

    Does that eventually moderate after a stretch of time in maintenance? (Asking for a friend who is constantly wearing sweaters at work and has a space heater under her desk in August :tongue: )

    Has your friend tried a very gradual upward maintenance calorie creep, with sound nutrition, while keeping up exercise activity and trying to push NEAT? No guarantees, but . . . . ;)

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