Get cold a lot more frequently

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jrline
jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am down to my weight from when I was a freshman in High School 25 years ago. I get cold much more than when I was overweight. Is this normal or do I need to see my Doctor?

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Replies

  • s_pekz
    s_pekz Posts: 340 Member
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    Generally if you have less body fat you may get colder faster and more frequently. It has to do with insolation
  • Feistycat
    Feistycat Posts: 12,868 Member
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    When I work out hard and diet hard, I get cold, too. Then it's time to wash some dishes or drink some tea. I've never considered seeing a doctor about it.
  • Fruitylicious03
    Fruitylicious03 Posts: 301
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    Since losing my weight I'm getting cold more easily too. Nothing unusual.
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
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    I think it's normal; less body fat
    Try lifting weight regularly
    That seems to have helped me stay warmer
  • ucabucca
    ucabucca Posts: 606 Member
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    It is normal usually If it is extreme and you cut calories and were not getting enough iron in then you might need to check it. When I dropped quickly from being sick a few years ago and was cold during the summer and mentioned it at appointment they noticed a few signs of low iron Not a bad idea for any of us to be taking a multi with iron though
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I'm always cold!
  • Fruitylicious03
    Fruitylicious03 Posts: 301
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    I'm always cold!

    Sometimes I'm cold in the summer too. Especially my feet and hands. I like to sit on them so might be bad blood flow. And I'm also half vampire, as for some reason the doctors always struggle to find my pulse. :smiley: bleh bleh!
  • JeriAnne84
    JeriAnne84 Posts: 543 Member
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    The winter after I got my breast reduction I could NEVER get warm. I'd be sitting at work with my space heater on top of my desk blowing on me. People would make comments and I'd just say "I don't have enough boob to keep me warm anymore".

    And after losing weight over the summer I've been getting colder faster than I did before.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Pretty normal. I wear more layers and drink ginger tea. Working out helps. And sometimes I wear woolen wrist warmers :)
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    It's normal, for a couple of reasons: (1) You have less fat, which as others have mentioned, means less insulation. (2) People who lose a substantial amount of weight burn a little less energy than people at the same weight who haven't lost weight. It's called "adaptive thermogenesis," and probably results from less fidgeting or other semi-conscious moving around, since their bodies have been used to making do with less for quite some time.

    If you're feeling really cold, or shivering, then see a doctor. Otherwise, you'll probably adapt to it. I was a lot colder last autumn than I am now, even though I'm 19 pounds lighter now than I was back then.

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    It's normal, as we have less insulation after weight loss.
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    It's normal. You'll get used to it and adjust. Stay more active and your body will warm you up.

    You'll also start noticing how very obese people turn the air conditioning as cold as they can because they're feeling hot all the time.
  • epido
    epido Posts: 353 Member
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    Right there with you! I am convinced I will never survive this winter because of it. It has definitely become my one thing I don't like about losing all the weight.

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  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
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    Normal. And depending on what you do, not undesirable. For high-output workouts, one "shutdown" mode for the body is heat management - if you get over a certain temperature threshold, your body makes you reduce the intensity.

    Leaner people lose heat faster so they can exercise at high intensity longer.
  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
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    I've lost 60lbs and I'm freezing all the time. Before I lost the weight I was always too hot.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    Lost 101 pounds so far… ALWAYS. COLD. Always. I chalk it up to less insulation! I am dreading this winter!
  • Ashleigh_LP
    Ashleigh_LP Posts: 57 Member
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    I've only lost 40 and I'm flipping freezing in November... Can't wait till January! Haha.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Muscle tissue helps to keep you warm more than fat does. Fat insulates you, but muscle tissue generates heat. If you lose weight, you frequently lose both, hence feeling cold all the time. Loss of lean tissue such as muscle isn't good for health, so my advice is to try to regain some lean mass by working out with weights/strength training, and eating at a small surplus for a while. If you still have fat to lose, you can do a cut cycle after that (i.e. continue working out, but eat a little less than you burn off and ensure you get plenty of protein)

    Doing more exercise and being more active makes you feel warmer and burns of calories.

    I went from being obese to being lean, and I withstand the cold better now than I did when I was obese. Mostly because I have increased my lean mass. I have a high lean mass for my height (this is genetic) and never really felt the cold much anyway. I feel the cold even less now. I can be outside in a t-shirt in weather where everyone else is wearing a coat.

    Don't accept it as inevitable that being lean means feeling the cold more. It's not inevitable. Focus on body composition, not just weight. Muscle tissue is like central heating. Fat is like loft and cavity wall insulation. If you've got less loft and cavity wall insulation, you need to turn the central heating up. And you'll burn more fuel doing so (i.e. burning more calories from food, because this is an analogy for the human body, not advice about how to heat your home)

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