Cold Showers for Weight Loss

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Replies

  • kellyskitties
    kellyskitties Posts: 475 Member
    Eskimos do come in round shapes just like the rest of us - especially many now have the same diet as us.

    I must be burning loads of extra calories/activating my brown fat - my heater is on the fritz and it's COLD lately. Maybe I won't fix it - maybe this will be beneficial. HAHAHA. nope. my arthritis begs to differ. But until it's fixed - I guess I get some benefit eh?
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    strong first post.


    what a stupid idea.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Cold showers seem a little silly, but there is something to cold weather and the conversion of white fat to brown fat.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/shivering-activates-brown-fat/

    Better off taking a brisk walk in the cold weather. I did that today for an hour and thoroughly enjoyed it.
    http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(13)00247-7
    Cold Exposure Promotes Atherosclerotic Plaque Growth and Instability via UCP1-Dependent Lipolysis
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
    Cold showers seem a little silly, but there is something to cold weather and the conversion of white fat to brown fat.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/shivering-activates-brown-fat/

    Better off taking a brisk walk in the cold weather. I did that today for an hour and thoroughly enjoyed it.
    http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(13)00247-7
    Cold Exposure Promotes Atherosclerotic Plaque Growth and Instability via UCP1-Dependent Lipolysis

    Who cares, the rats still live longer...

    http://jap.physiology.org/content/61/5/1656.short :P
    The cold exposure appeared to protect against neoplasia, particularly sarcomas; only 24% of the necropsied cold-exposed rats had malignancies compared with 57% for the controls. The results of this study provide no support for the concept that increased energy expenditure decreases longevity.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    You all can talk as much crap as you want but I'll tell you one thing, I've never seen an obese eskimo.

    Inuit or First Nations, and clearly you've not seen many.

    Yes that would be the proper names and I would say that 60% of the ones I have seen or talked to are rather on the large size in the wrong places. The ones I knew also didnt take showers very often cold or hot. :smile:
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    So... You burn calories shivering, or what?
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    no cold showers for me because shrinkage.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    no cold showers for me because shrinkage.

    Definitely Shrinkage.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    You all can talk as much crap as you want but I'll tell you one thing, I've never seen an obese eskimo.

    happy-forest_zpsc5962378.gif

    :drinker:
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    This sounds almost as dumb as walking outside without a jacket to shiver and burn more calories.

    LOL I remember that thread.
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
    So... You burn calories shivering, or what?

    I think she's confused that the temperature and duration of a cold shower is going to have some kind of added effect of stimulating metabolism (as in, activating brown fat)

    The study director of the shivering-related white to brown fat, said setting your thermostat to 68 is good enough. Of course, if you do nothing but sit on your backside eating chips in front of the television... it's probably not going to do you much good.

    As for the study posted by someone else about cardiovascular risks to cold weather, that was a very specific study involving genetic knock-out mice... hardly applicable to an average otherwise healthy person who needs to lose a few pounds. If you have high risk of atherosclerosis in your family... maybe, but that's certainly not everyone.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Cold showers seem a little silly, but there is something to cold weather and the conversion of white fat to brown fat.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/shivering-activates-brown-fat/

    Better off taking a brisk walk in the cold weather. I did that today for an hour and thoroughly enjoyed it.
    http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(13)00247-7
    Cold Exposure Promotes Atherosclerotic Plaque Growth and Instability via UCP1-Dependent Lipolysis

    Who cares, the rats still live longer...

    http://jap.physiology.org/content/61/5/1656.short :P
    The cold exposure appeared to protect against neoplasia, particularly sarcomas; only 24% of the necropsied cold-exposed rats had malignancies compared with 57% for the controls. The results of this study provide no support for the concept that increased energy expenditure decreases longevity.
    But they spent a total of 104 solid days being cold in order to extend their life by an average of 45 days. So the control rats lived 923 good days and 0 bad, while the cold rats lived 864 good days and 104 bad.:bigsmile:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I just took my first one and OMG the cold shower was terrifying!!! But as you near the end your body starts to get used to the temperature. Doctors have said it increases weight loss and helps build muscle because the temperature increases your glucose intake. Pretty neat but not too bad. I think I'll take them for a month and see what happens.
    Any doctor who says this should not be practicing medicine. No offense intended, but that's plain old silly.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    This sounds almost as dumb as walking outside without a jacket to shiver and burn more calories.

    LOL I remember that thread.
    It's like the rule 34 of MFP: if some dumb weight loss idea exists, there are at least a dozen threads about it.
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
    But they spent a total of 104 solid days being cold in order to extend their life by an average of 45 days. So the control rats lived 923 good days and 0 bad, while the cold rats lived 864 good days and 104 bad.:bigsmile:

    I suppose we have different opinions of "bad" ... I'd rather have sun and 36 F, than sun and 104 F. Maybe I'm just "cold acclimated" :D
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    I'm losing weight great and I take nice hot showers.
  • Lettee4
    Lettee4 Posts: 81 Member
    whaaatever. take cold showers if you wish but it sure isnt going to affect your weight loss.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    All my weight gain was from pregnancy, so perhaps this cold shower idea has some merit. :laugh:
  • cindyellis9404
    cindyellis9404 Posts: 24 Member
    The cold does help you lose weight but you won't find me doing it it seems like something fighters would do to drop a weight class
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I just took my first one and OMG the cold shower was terrifying!!! But as you near the end your body starts to get used to the temperature. Doctors have said it increases weight loss and helps build muscle because the temperature increases your glucose intake. Pretty neat but not too bad. I think I'll take them for a month and see what happens.

    Can that month be June or July instead of THE DEAD OF WINTER. You are gonna drive mama's and grandma's across the world crazy with that ish. I bet you're gonna go out in the rain with your hair wet next? And what else walk on the cold ground with no shoes on?

    gc5.gif?w=610

    ETA: ^that dangling participle brought to you by...I miss jof. Where jof? MFP y u no jof?
  • Hauntinglyfit
    Hauntinglyfit Posts: 5,537 Member
    I shall make my boyfriend read this thread next time he complains about having to take a cold shower again.

    Thanks OP!
  • beedee201
    beedee201 Posts: 10
    Oh no!! I would much rather spend an extra 5 minutes on the elliptical than burn a couple calories this way!
  • xDawnsgrace
    xDawnsgrace Posts: 436
    i'll stick with my very hot showers, thank you
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    That sounds horrible!

    Oh man...yeah...wow

    I'll stick to hot baths and stay in a size 16 I guess haha
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I just took my first one and OMG the cold shower was terrifying!!! But as you near the end your body starts to get used to the temperature. Doctors have said it increases weight loss and helps build muscle because the temperature increases your glucose intake. Pretty neat but not too bad. I think I'll take them for a month and see what happens.

    Can that month be June or July instead of THE DEAD OF WINTER. You are gonna drive mama's and grandma's across the world crazy with that ish. I bet you're gonna go out in the rain with your hair wet next? And what else walk on the cold ground with no shoes on?

    gc5.gif?w=610

    ETA: ^that dangling participle brought to you by...I miss jof. Where jof? MFP y u no jof?
    Dangling participles will get you photobanned.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • beautyisvanity
    beautyisvanity Posts: 3
    lol its just an idea I heard it might be a myth but if you dont want to try it nobodys forcing you to. I just wanted to share some info I happened to stumble upon. I thought a few others might be interested. I guess not lol. It might be another one of those theories that doesnt work but it wont kill me to take a cold shower every now and then so no I dont feel stupid.
  • beautyisvanity
    beautyisvanity Posts: 3
    and I'm not confused. I know about the white/brown fat that is what I am referring to and it does help you get more of the brown fat to help burn the white fat by starting with a hot shower and ending with a cold one. I never thought this thread would cause so much controversy. No one is forcing any of you to ditch your hot showers and opt for cold ones.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I only wash my hair in cold to keep my color. I live In mn...I can tell you cold does jack for metabolism...those doctors are quacks
    I live in MN too so I'm cold all the time! Does nothing for my weight loss!!
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    I don't know if anyone has already mentioned it, but eating disordered people might also take cold showers just for the purpose of "burning calories".
    I'd rather not eat a snack or exercise 10 minutes more than taking a cold shower to burn X calories. You probably burn more by just sleeping. And you won't get a cold in the meantime.

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