Anyone else really cold?

13

Replies

  • Aust1967
    Aust1967 Posts: 68 Member
    Aust1967 wrote: »
    I have lost 50 lbs. over the past year and a half - and now I am freezing all the time (not just my hands and feet, but my entire body). This is brand new - I don't have a history of being cold at all. I went to the doctor today just to make sure it isn't due to a thyroid issue and/or low iron. He thinks that the coldness might be related to another issue I have been experiencing - my lips and eyes have started swelling overnight (in the morning it looks like I got collagen injections in my sleep) - and, I have been having night sweats (which I chalked up to peri-menopause so wasn't concerned about). They drew blood and he's going to have lots of tests run to see what is going on. I might not hear until next week - I'm anxious to see what the verdict is.

    Please post what your doc says if they figure it out. I've been having the same -- night sweats, puffy eyes When I get up in the morning, and being cold all the time.

    The nurse called me yesterday morning - all of the tests they ran came back "normal". She was done when she told me that and was ready to hang up. I said "Ok, so what can I do about my issues?". She was surprised and asked me what my issues were. I told her about the swelling of my eyes and lips and also being cold all the time. She said she would ask the doctor. She called back tonight - the doctor wanted to make sure I was taking a multi-vitamin because maybe I am lacking somewhere. She said "take something like One-a-Day for Women". I informed her that I do take a multi everyday - I take the Target store brand that is equivalent to Centrum Silver. She said "good, keep taking it". She said that the doctor wants to consult with someone else on my case (I have a "case"?) and she would call me back in a couple of days. So, I don't know anything yet. :(

    I've started taking Benadryl every four hours thinking that maybe the swelling and itchiness is from allergies. My eyelids are swollen, dry and extremely itchy. And when they water it burns my skin. Ugh. Will post again when I hear something.
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
    I'm always cold including the summer, it's a rare occasion I can sit back in shorts & T-Shirt on a hot enough summer's day. All I know, I could either be fat and comfortable or thin and freezing, I'll have to pick thin, unfortunately some ppl just can't have it both ways.
  • anname9203
    anname9203 Posts: 49 Member
    I am freezing all the time. I am sure it has to do with losing 60 pounds. But in my case, I was also found to be anemic. I am currently taking iron supplement while working on the underlying issue causing the anemia and although still cold all the time, not nearly as cold as I was while anemic and not taking iron. If you have been thoroughly checked out by the doc and everything is ok it could be just due to weight loss but if you haven't had a doctor visit recently I'd recommend getting checked out just to make sure nothing is wrong.
  • auntchellebelle
    auntchellebelle Posts: 127 Member
    Anemia? I am anemic and I am always cold!
  • auntchellebelle
    auntchellebelle Posts: 127 Member
    Also, do you notice white bruises on your fingernails?
  • Lennonluv2
    Lennonluv2 Posts: 956 Member
    thyroid issue possibly, I have hypothyroidism and am frequently cold.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    I've always been like this, even though I have meds for my thyroid and have gotten my iron levels back up. I have started wearing undershirts to provide an extra layer.
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
    My sister has long complained that her fingers are always cold and discolored in the winter. I thought, just get thicker gloves. And now that I'm about the same weight as she is, I truly do understand. Never hand my hands been so cold in winter. And they've never been discolored before now :/ I've finally found a drawback to losing weight!
  • FluffyNoMore26
    FluffyNoMore26 Posts: 92 Member
    Sounds normal.

    More alcohol and more activity will make you warmer.

    Adding a humidifier might decrease sweat cooling.

    I like your style!!!

  • Azulsky
    Azulsky Posts: 2 Member
    For me that is due to thyroid issues presenting themselves after losing weight.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    Sounds normal.

    More alcohol and more activity will make you warmer.

    Adding a humidifier might decrease sweat cooling.

    Should you drink the alcohol while doing your activity? ;)

  • sabianhunter
    sabianhunter Posts: 17 Member
    I've lost 30 lbs and I started freezing somewhere about 15 lbs down... Seriously all last spring and summer I froze to death.
  • butterbear1980
    butterbear1980 Posts: 234 Member
    What is your basal temp (when first waking up)? If it's low read Eat for Heat by Matt Stone.
  • ecclesse
    ecclesse Posts: 42 Member
    Before losing the weight, I was always warm. Now being 100 lbs lighter, my hands are always freezing. I have added several layers just to be comfortable. I have even bought a thin pair of gloves to wear at the office. I bought a pair that was close to my skin tone to reduce the number of comments about wearing them.

    ps. All my blood tests have come back good to go.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    Have you lost a lot of weight recently? When we're less fluffy it's natural to get cold more easily. You don't have a lot of body fat. But if you are concerned about it and think you might have an issue you could check in with your doctor to see what he/she thinks. Hopefully it's nothing and you just need to bundle up next to a fire/ heater. :)

    I am at 215 down from 250 and yes I now need a coat more often. When large and abusing carbs I often dashed to the car and house without a coat because of all of the glucose I was burning.

  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    edited January 2015
    I was cold when skinny/underweight. I was also cold when overweight bordering into obese.

    Make a diary? Or take mental notes when you get very cold and in which context. For me, I sometimes get shivering cold by eating "wrong" foods or when I'm emotionally upset. It's defense mechanism.

    My tips for reheating.

    Quickfix: 10 pushups or 20 flapjacks or any other physical activity that you prefer. 7 min workout? Housework like scrubbing floors, wash windows or move heavy things is a more boring but very productive trick;)

    Drink some warm broth, lack of salt could be why you're cold, especially if you're working out a lot and forget to replenish electrolytes. Salt is not an enemy.

    Wear a beanie or scarf on head, cover neck, even inside.

    For bonemarrow cold attacks:
    Exercise or go for a brisk walk 30 mins.
    Run hot water in tub and go into while it fills. That way you can tolerate REALLY hot water.
    Take a long hot shower.
    Go to the gym if they have sauna.
    Wear wool/silk thermal underwear, lie down under covers with hot water bottle or electric blanket/mattress.
    Any combo of the tips above.

    Being cold sucks, but there's no need to suffer more than necessary:)

    Edit: A bit more complex is to try promote the brown fat in body. Babies have a lot of brown fat to insulate. But brown fat only likes cold temperatures. So counterintuitively, spending time outdoors when cold could be an investment in feeling less cold in the longer run.
    http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2014/07/17/lets-cool-it-in-the-bedroom/?_r=0&referrer=


  • samthepanda
    samthepanda Posts: 569 Member
    Me too - most of my time freezing! Hubby gets a bit fed up of it as I am often cold and cannot tolerate sudden changes in temp. I had 4 episodes of hypothermia last year, 2 needing medical attention - its no fun! I have gloves EVERYWHERE, there is a silver blanket in the drawer of my work desk. Once I get cold takes me ages to warm up and I am often shaky. My kids love swimming, and I did a sprint tri last year but swimming training was a nightmare - I'm not a good swimmer and took lessons but was usually shivering even with thermal rash vest on!
    I've had tests before - nothing showed up. I know its worse when I'm tired, and I do tend to get anxious which doesn't help either. I just try to be prepared - doesn't always work
  • belimawr
    belimawr Posts: 1,155 Member
    kyta32 wrote: »
    Feeling cold after weight loss is common. I'm enjoying it

    I figured that was my problem as well.

    I always enjoyed the cold, never really felt cold. Heck, my coworkers used to admire my winter tan. Last year I was able to comfortably shovel snow on a 10 degree F windy day (wind chill below 0) in a T-shirt. Now on a 45 degree day I'm chilly.

    Can't say I'm enjoying this, I hope it gets at least a little better. ;)
  • samthepanda
    samthepanda Posts: 569 Member
    I'm on year 4 as skinnier person and sad to say it hasn't improved!
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member
    Sounds normal.

    More alcohol and more activity will make you warmer.

    Adding a humidifier might decrease sweat cooling.

    Should you drink the alcohol while doing your activity? ;)

    If you're careful not to spill it.

    I'm cold all the time too - this winter has been an eye-opener. On the plus side though, I don't get sweaty and gross in the summer the way I used to!
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
    UmmSqueaky wrote: »
    My sister has long complained that her fingers are always cold and discolored in the winter. I thought, just get thicker gloves. And now that I'm about the same weight as she is, I truly do understand. Never hand my hands been so cold in winter. And they've never been discolored before now :/ I've finally found a drawback to losing weight!

    Same thing happens to me, I'm outdoors a lot in a garage, until I can work no longer, my fingers and sometimes feet, begin to go so cold and thumb until I can't feel them anymore, but just have to go inside and soak them in warm water, then after a few minutes I'm back outside again with pins and needles of course.
  • Rose6300
    Rose6300 Posts: 232 Member
    I am cold all the time. This winter's been unseasonably warm in New England, but I have to wear tights under my pants to keep warm, even in the house. I'm pretty sure it's the weight loss, as all my blood work is normal. The tights are just replacing the layer of fat I lost. :smiley:
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    Re swollen dry itchy eyes - check into Sjogren's Syndrome
    - excessively cold discoloured hands & feet - check Reynaud's syndrome (my brother & niece both had/have this. http://www.hyperhidrosis-usa.com/raynauds.html

    - Also, I have fibromyalgia (diagnosed by MD & Rheumie) and my core temperature actually drops during & after exercise. It's one of the possible problems with FM and it does suck because exercise normally warms someone up, but not me.
    - Just because your thyroid is in the 'normal' range is it your normal, or possibly too low for you personally. Make sure they have done full panels, not just the quick check stuff.
  • Ulwaz
    Ulwaz Posts: 380 Member
    im always cold ;c
  • leanne0627
    leanne0627 Posts: 109 Member
    are you all eating enough? Having a slightly lower body temperature can be caused by a lack of food. Anorexics tend to have body temperatures around 96 to 97 degrees but even to a lesser scale if you have been low calorie for awhile it can cause a lower temp. You can take your temperature and if its a few degrees less than normal then that could be why. If your temp is normal then maybe its just the weight loss and not having all that fat to keep warm? not sure, but I know I used to always be cold when I lived in florida lol no idea how its possible there but id wear sweaters in the summer! But I ate like crap and was anemic now that I have that fixed im fine.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Metabolism is, quite literally - heat.

    And if like most dieters that aren't being careful, you are losing upwards of 20% of your weight as muscle mass, then you have less means of producing easy heat.

    Also, in those types of extreme diets, one of the ways the body adapts is by lowering what you burn daily, by slowing down higher level functions of metabolism - like producing heat.

    This is usually discovered as a nice extra when someone takes a diet break during the winter, and body is willing to produce more heat. Since that takes energy, usually discovered they can still lose a bit even though eating more. And be warm most of the time.

    Just another reason outside the already commented medical reasons and loss of insulation. But many notice it when they still have plenty to go.
  • CeddysMum
    CeddysMum Posts: 101 Member
    Provided there are no health issues causing it, I'd consider it normal after losing a lot of weight. Last winter (it's summer here, Down Under) I was Freezing all the time after having lost much of my "blubber".
  • pocketrocket42
    pocketrocket42 Posts: 13 Member
    I'm always cold too, but I'm just one of those people who's always cold. I was like this even before I lost weight.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    leanne0627 wrote: »
    are you all eating enough? Having a slightly lower body temperature can be caused by a lack of food. Anorexics tend to have body temperatures around 96 to 97 degrees but even to a lesser scale if you have been low calorie for awhile it can cause a lower temp. You can take your temperature and if its a few degrees less than normal then that could be why. If your temp is normal then maybe its just the weight loss and not having all that fat to keep warm? not sure, but I know I used to always be cold when I lived in florida lol no idea how its possible there but id wear sweaters in the summer! But I ate like crap and was anemic now that I have that fixed im fine.
    Given that my weight has been stable give or take a max of 5 pounds for years, I don't think not enough food would be the issue. I blame it on not naturally having much body fat.
  • kyta32
    kyta32 Posts: 670 Member
    Also, do you notice white bruises on your fingernails?

    I get white spots in the pink of my fingernails when I have a zinc deficiency. I wouldn't call them bruises, though...
    http://www.newhealthguide.org/White-Spots-On-Nails.html
    http://www.md-health.com/White-Spots-On-Nails.html
    You may want to talk to a Dr. about this...
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