Constantly cold....need warmth

feathertouch
feathertouch Posts: 156 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys

Not too sure where I should of posted this topic but I think it'll be okay here. Anyway the thing is for the past few months I have been constantly cold, I feel the cold more than others and it annoys me. I'm wearing my big jumpers and others are wearing lets say lighter clothing. I asked my mum and dad about it and they blamed it on me being a vegetarian......personally I think this is a silly link they have created. Any advice on why I'm so cold all the time, what's making me cold (noooooot just the weather :P) and what I can do to help me or make me warmer (wearing more layers will work but the marshmallow look isn't just quite in yet :P)

Please and thanks :)
Hope everyone is well :)

Replies

  • moreORless50
    moreORless50 Posts: 261 Member
    i took a peek at your food diary and wow no wonder your so cold most days you are so below your daily target for cals and sometimes your barely getting half of your daily needs, if you dont give your body enough fuel it cant spare any to keep you warmer, going so very low on cals is going to make you ill you really need to have more
  • its_betty
    its_betty Posts: 104 Member
    I'm not a doctor, but pretty sure that anemia can cause you to feel cold. If this coincides with the the timing of your vegetarianism, it could be the cause. Consider taking a vitamin with iron in it.

    Thyroid issues (hypothyroid) can also be a cause. Worth talking to your doctor.

    Edited to say: I didn't look at your diary, but of course you need to enough to fuel your body.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    It's not a silly link at all. Most of the iron in people's diets come from meat sources. Change to being vegetarian and you eliminate the meat factor. Lack of iron in a person's diet can cause them to feel cold more easily than people with normal iron levels.

    Might be worth it to have a doctor run some blood tests to check your vitamin and mineral levels to see if there's anything that you should be supplementing your new vegetarian diet choice with.
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
    I ate 1200 cal a day for many months and lost 40kg. I was constantly cold and no amount of warm clothing could warm me up. I also got painful chilblains which I'd never experienced before. I was like that until I put on some weight.
  • feathertouch
    feathertouch Posts: 156 Member
    Okie dokes...Yeah I kinda did suspect the iron to maybe be the issue, thanks for helping me out. I will buy a wee supplement tomorrow and see my doctor about it while also increasing food intake and good iron veggies :)
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    Dark leafy greens are high in iron, spinach/kale/collards.
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    Those are really low calorie counts, and I think that is why you are cold all the time. It looks like you might be entering eating disorder territory.
  • moreORless50
    moreORless50 Posts: 261 Member
    Those are really low calorie counts, and I think that is why you are cold all the time. It looks like you might be entering eating disorder territory.

    agreed
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/477122-feeling-cold-from-not-eating-many-calories/
  • 3lilangels
    3lilangels Posts: 120 Member
    your iron level could be low and have thyroid checked out......;)
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    You are starving yourself... under 1000 cals most days, one day as low as 364 calories. You are cold because your body is trying to hold on to every bit of energy it has.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I'm a meatatarian and I eat roughly 2000 calories/day to lose weight. I'm freezing every evening... sometimes I'm so cold I need a shower to warm up. My husband bought me an electric blanket and it's the best thing in the world.

    When I was severely overweight I was hot all the time (sweaty ick!) and then I lost 60 lbs. I was cold all the time... even when I increased my caloric intake to well over 2000/day on maintenance. Still cold. All the time. Once I gained some weight with my pregnancy, hot again.

    Now that I've lost it again... yep. Cold again. Thyroid is fine. Iron is fine. Some people are just colder than others. It's not necessary to shame OP for eating very little. It could be related to that, but it could also be that even if she ate over 2000/day as I do, she'd still be freezing.
  • KS_4691
    KS_4691 Posts: 228 Member
    You need to eat more. Particularly more protein and fat. While I'm not a fan of vegetarianism (I'm Paleo so lots of meat), there ARE "smart" ways to eat a vegetarian diet. You shouldn't be getting the majority of your calories from processed carbohydrates, as you are currently doing. Go see a nutritionist or check out some boards on MFP. I'm sure there is a lot of information. There is definitely a link between your diet and your coldness.
  • minkakross
    minkakross Posts: 687 Member
    I would have started by asking how much weight have you lost... after my first 20 I was cold all the time too but it was because I was not as well insulated, nothing to do with vitamin deficiency.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Hey guys

    Not too sure where I should of posted this topic but I think it'll be okay here. Anyway the thing is for the past few months I have been constantly cold, I feel the cold more than others and it annoys me. I'm wearing my big jumpers and others are wearing lets say lighter clothing. I asked my mum and dad about it and they blamed it on me being a vegetarian......personally I think this is a silly link they have created. Any advice on why I'm so cold all the time, what's making me cold (noooooot just the weather :P) and what I can do to help me or make me warmer (wearing more layers will work but the marshmallow look isn't just quite in yet :P)

    Please and thanks :)
    Hope everyone is well :)

    Have your iron checked. When I was a vegetarian I became pretty severely anemic. It started off as feeling cold all the time, but then I felt short of breath when I exercised, my hair started falling out, I felt dizzy and had heart palpitations.

    After feeling rotten for a long time and seeing a number of doctors, the anemia was diagnosed. I tried supplementation for a while (both oral and injected), but I eventually went back to eating meat. For whatever reason, my body didn't absorb iron from any non-heme source.
  • gogonunubean
    gogonunubean Posts: 160 Member
    You need to eat more. I have had a look at your diary and you are most certainly eating at dangerous levels. Your 'cheat day' is 1000 cals and most days are 400-800 calories.

    Your body is struggling to function at these levels which is why it can't regulate temperature. My suggestion is to relook at your goals and nutrition and come up with a healthier plan. It seems that you are aiming for under your 1200 goal (which is low to start with) and getting down on yourself for coming close. This might be something you want some help with - either to learn the basics of better nutrition or to help you feel better about your eating.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
    267 calories for an entire day? 587? 302 calories for a day? Please show your food diary to your doctor.

    Edited to add: Duh. I was looking at your calories remaining. It isn't as bad as it looked but it's still not good at all. Please show it to your doctor.

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