Do you get cold more easily now you've lost weight?

Linnaea27
Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm working on losing about 10 pounds and am about halfway there. I've been accustomed to being a little pudgy, especially in winter, for years now, and I finally decided to get as fit as I'd really like to be. Anyway, now that I'm at 112 instead of 118, I'm usually freezing!! I wonder if this is because of eating at a calorie deficit, or because I have less fat for insulation?

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Replies

  • thesimsisters
    thesimsisters Posts: 73 Member
    I was originally 250, so when I got down about 180 is when I really noticed that I'm cold all the time. I thought it would line out over time, but it never did. It's just me now, I'm cold all the time and hate winter now. But on the flipside, summer heat does not bother me much at all now lol!

    (And yes, I've had my thyroid checked etc, which you might want to consider if you have not)
  • topazora
    topazora Posts: 82 Member
    I've always been cold, I think it has more to do with my blood pressure than it does with the amount of fat I have.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
    I definitely do.
    I only lost about 40 pounds but that equals wearing a sweater next to coworkers in short sleeve shirts.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    The calorie deficit itself is probably a more likely culprit than the weight loss of 5 lbs. Try eating at a smaller deficit.
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
    I'm freezing right now. I've always hated winter especially January. I could use some sunny 90 degree days right about now!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I lost 70lbs and you do notice a difference sometimes. It's nowhere near as often as I used to be too hot and sweaty though! Never going back!
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I'm glad to hear that it's not just me! The perpetually thin people I know (my mom, my fiance, and one of my ex-bfs) get cold a lot more easily than I ever used to, to the point that none of them enjoy swimming very much because they get so cold so quickly.

    I'm annoyed that I'm becoming this way too. I do still have several pounds to go before I'm where I want and need to be!
  • fitphoenix22
    fitphoenix22 Posts: 37
    YES! I just said this exact thing to my husband last night! I was bundled up under 3 blankets on the couch thinking "why can I never warm up unless I'm working out?!"
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
    I also find I get cold easier, especially during the harsh Canadian winter. The first year lost the majority of my weight I was absolutely freezing! I had to buy the warmest bulky coat I could find. It has been two years and I still find I am much colder than when I was big but it is not nearly as awful as that first year. The best thing is the heat doesn't bother me now. I used to sweat so bad I couldn't wear makeup at all but now I barely break a sweat unles I am exercising. :wink:
  • Slaintegrl
    Slaintegrl Posts: 239 Member
    I'm always cold! I'm the one in the office wearing a long sleeved sweater in August, and three layers of clothes in February. Part of that may be due to my being borderline anemic and with low iron. But even at my highest weight, I was still always cold so can't say that it's the weight loss that has done it.
  • player30
    player30 Posts: 65 Member
    As one who is always cold (and fat), I find in the wintertime a full bladder makes me colder and in summertime a full bladder makes me hotter. Since you are probably drinking more water, try peeing before your bladder gets full.

    My theory(no science behind it) is that holding all that liquid in the core of the body takes heat away from the rest of the body to keep it core temp in winter. And in summer, holding the additional heat in your body makes it harder for the body to cool off.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    The best thing is the heat doesn't bother me now. I used to sweat so bad I couldn't wear makeup at all but now I barely break a sweat unles I am exercising. :wink:

    That sounds great! I have for years always been too hot even at not-too-hot temperatures-- maybe my new skinny self will not have that problem? I find it's a lot easier to remedy being cold than it is to remedy being hot so I guess I'd rather be cold. . . .
  • alexdavidwilliams
    alexdavidwilliams Posts: 10 Member
    I do! I've lost 79lb so far and I always find my hands and feet are esp. cold! :sad:
  • musicboxes
    musicboxes Posts: 133 Member
    Yes.
  • Blokeypoo
    Blokeypoo Posts: 274 Member
    Yep! I've lost 28lbs and never felt the cold so much!
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
    I'm currently at my desk wearing a sweater and wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot water.....so YES! :smile:
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I'm currently at my desk wearing a sweater and wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot water.....so YES! :smile:

    I know what you mean-- I'm sitting at my desk drinking hot coffee wearing my winter jacket over a sweater! And impatiently waiting for lunchtime to roll around so I can go eat!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    something to consider would be your iron. a lot of dieters become iron deficient and anemic as a result of trying to eat "healthier". being cold all of the time is a key symptom of iron deficiency.

    i would also advise checking your blood pressure...if you have low blood pressure, this can cause you to be cold all of the time.

    Having less fat would also make a difference...but I would think there would be far more impact here if you were going from obese or very overweight to being a healthy BF% and weight. I lost 40 Lbs and feel like I'm just normal now in RE to my body temp regulation...whereas when I was fat I was always hot...I tend to now be cold when everyone else is cold and hot when everyone else is hot.
  • Mzcotton78
    Mzcotton78 Posts: 11
    When I first start a good fat burning diet I get cold really easily. I'm going to venture out on a limb and go AGAINST the grain and say it's NOT a sign of your metabolism slowing like people say. I think it is a sign of just the reverse. Why? Well, first of all on the diet I'm currently on, I'm losing almost half a pound a day. I know that will slow down soon, but that's normally how I lose when I first start. If I'm losing that much a day, I doubt it's a sign of a "slowed metabolism". I think it's actually because your metabolism is revved up! Well, when your metabolism is firing high your base body tempature is higher... when your base body tempature is higher you actually feel cold. Don't believe me? What happens when you have a fever? Anybody hear of something called "the chills"? I'm not sure why everyone jumps on the bandwagon that it's a sign of a slowed down metabolism when this happens. Your rule of thumb should be, 'Am I losing weight?" and "Do I feel energy?" If both of these answers are "yes"... it's highly unlikely that you've dieted yourself into a slow metabolism. (Cause neither would be happening in that case)

    My two cents.....
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,227 Member
    It's not your metabolism or anything else, it's as simple as fat being an insulator and you have less. There's a reason whales have a huge layer of blubber - it keeps them warm in cold oceans. Animals will gain fat for winter, not just to store energy, but also to conserve heat.

    I call it "losing my layer of protective blubber". The first winter I had lost a significant amount of weight, I was so cold all the time I used to go park the car in whatever sunlight there was and just sit in it and read. Even on cold days, it would warm up, greenhouse style. It was the only place I was warm.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I do feel cold when I am fasting...
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    After my first attempt to lose weight where I got all the way down to 70kg (granted my starting point was 78 at the time), I noticed I got really cold in the winter. But worse, I put all that weight back on and then surplus, and I STILL feel cold in the winter!

    But then my blood pressure is also so low as to be in the double digits for the top number....
  • BlueButterfly94
    BlueButterfly94 Posts: 303 Member
    When I was at around 125lbs, I'm thinking that was PERFECT for me, I never noticed the cold this much. I'm super cold all the time now...
  • Mzcotton78
    Mzcotton78 Posts: 11
    I doubt in the beginning it's the "insulation lost". I've only restarted my diet 3 days ago and I'm freezing. I'm pretty sure 3 days of weight loss isn't enough insulation loss/fat loss to be attributed to the same science as whale blubber. I still think the theory of a revved up metabolism making you feel slightly colder holds water. Now if I'm reporting 20+ pounds of fat lost maybe that would make sense.

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