Does a cold shower really burn calories?

Crochetluvr

Wouldnt do the cold shower but if you drink your water on ice, your body has to burn more calories to warm it up. Cant hurt.

BabeedollB

Burrrr, I'd rather work out and sweat my a** off to burn the calories then to ever even turn the cold water on.. (which I never do)

^^^^this, I never turn my cold water on either!!!

BabeedollB

Your body has to burn calories to get its temperature back up to normal, so it would make sense that it did. But how many does it burn?

0.000000000005 calories per decade.

I don't think you should consider it burned calories, it's in your best interest not to.

Bwhahahahahaha!!!!!!!

ElizabethRoad

I'm sure it burns a few calories. Go ahead and eat an extra almond!

wackyfunster

Not enough to be significant. Your body is great at dealing with cold environments, and will just reduce blood-flow to your skin. You will have better results drinking cold beverages, which is still pretty marginal, but if you drink 40 degree beverages instead of 70 degree, you will burn around 30 calories per liter (in my head calculation, not precise :P), give or take, which can add up. If you are really that desperate to eek out every calorie possible. Definitely will burn more than the shower.

IvoryParchment

Drinking cold liquids is easier to calculate. To calculate the calorie consumption in a cold shower, you would have to know how much warmer the water going over your body became due to you standing in the shower vs. how much it would warm up if you weren't in the shower. But the cold liquid you drink will be completely raised to body temperature before it becomes urine.

To calculate cold liquids, a calorie is the energy needed to raise one gram of water on degree celsius. So a 16 oz glass (500 ml water = 500 grams) of water that is ice cold (between 0-4 degrees celsius) has to be raised to body temperature (37 degrees celsius). That's 18,500 calories!

But here's the bad news. The calories we're talking about are actually "Calories" with a capital C, otherwise known as kilocalories. There are 1000 calories in a Calorie. So you would burn 18 Calories drinking 16 oz of ice water.

drixnot

I've actually been researching this topic quite a bit. From what I've read being cold burns just as many calories as working out... but because working out is already warming you up doing it in a cold environment isn't going to help much... your body already has the furnace on so to speak.

One of the things I'be been reading is a site discussing how many more calories a person needs to consume if they are backpacking in the winter vs. what they need in the summer doing the same activity.... the difference is at least 1000-1500 calories! That is already taking into account a person who is dressed appropriately.

That being said... just jumping into a cold shower isn't recommended either if you aren't used to doing that sort of thing. Just applying an ice pack to the back of your neck and spine is more than enough.

sgthaggard

Cold showers is a technique right out of the anorexics' handbook. True or false, if you are concerned about those extra few calories that you *might* lose by turning down the temperature in the shower, you might want to take a step back and see if you're taking things a bit too far.

Benphi91

You'll burn the same amount of calories whatever the temperature of your shower.

GnochhiGnomes

Your body has to burn calories to get its temperature back up to normal, so it would make sense that it did. But how many does it burn?

So does taking your regular hot showers.

IvoryParchment

No, the effect is real. Most of the calories you consume go to maintaining body temperature, not doing cardio. That's why warm blooded animals need to eat so much more than cold blooded ones.

But the effect is small when you're talking about cold water in a shower where you aren't completely immersed and aren't doing any physical exertion and where "cold" means 65 degrees Farenheit rather than 32 degrees. It's too few calories to be worth logging.

TheRealParisLove

Yes, but you have to induce shivering for it to create any kind of calorie bump. Shivering is a sign that you are burning calories at a pretty quick pace. Cold exposure activates brown fat, which is highly metabolically active. You'd probably have to stay in the cold shower 10-15 minutes to see any difference.

Just a cold rinse of 1-2 minutes isn't going to do much. You'd be better off going outside on a cold day for a jog w/o a jacket on.

melaniecheeks

We had this discussion recently, and it got rather heated (scuse the pun...)

Yes, there is a little research into cold activating the brown fat cells, but no, it's not going to be a significant factor in weight loss.

Having said that, there are a number of other benefits to finishing your shower with a blast of cold - it's great to keep your hair shiny, it closes the pores, and it stops you being all hot and sweaty when you're trying to dry off (or maybe that's just me).

So, it's something that I now do. Though I don't expect it to use many calories.

naufragii

Check out this article, it gives you the whole process of how to do it properly!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/154168-how-to-lose-weight-with-cold-showers/

slkehl

I heard this on Dr Oz! lol

typical

Feisty_Red

MoreBean13

Can I get a thread necromancy gif please?

A cold shower only burns considerable calories if it also involves hot sex.

Momma_Grizz

I live in a deep freeze Winter seven months out of the year ..... if shivering and adjusting body temperature burned enough calories to make a difference, I wouldn't be here. If anything, shivering from the cold only seems to make me want to add to my 'insulation'.

Sarauk2sf

Can I get a thread necromancy gif please?

A cold shower only burns considerable calories if it also involves hot sex.

Here you go:

lovechicagobears

It burns as many calories as sitting on your butt folding towels. Make sure you log both!