Could standing in the cold make you hungrier?

29_adjacent
29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
So I was locked out of my office this morning for about 1.5 hours and had to stand in the cold whilst waiting for the locksmith. It was very cold and as well as being stood up I was moving about a bit to try and keep myself warm.

I also seem to be more hungry than usual today, despite eating the same volume of food as I usually do.

Could this be because the standing and moving about when I would normally be sat at my nice warm desk has burned more calories and subsequently made me more hungry? Or is it just a coincidence?

Just curious really... Can hunger be increased by burning more calories? Is this a stupid question?

Replies

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Yes, hunger can be increased by burning more calories. Calories also provide warmth.

    But, it's pretty natural to be hungrier on some days than others, so it could be the cold or coincidence. Hard to say which.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Standing in the cold, especially if you are shivering, burns more calories.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Yes, the body needs more calories when it's cold.

    But the difference is pretty marginal. A few extra calories per hour, if that. Unless you're so cold that you're approaching dangerous levels of cold, in which case medical intervention would be necessary.

    I agree, it's probably just hunger fluctuation. Don't binge-eat. Just warm yourself up -- a hot shower or soak in the tub, followed by warm clothing. Drink hot tea.
  • Noxyrat
    Noxyrat Posts: 5 Member
    I never really thought about it before, but now that I think of it, it happens to me too. And person above me is right, I've been drinking lots of tea since my super forgot about the whole heat thing. Ginger tea feels extra warm.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    According to the American Counsel on Exercise, you can burn about 400 calories per hour by shivering http://www.livestrong.com/article/317620-how-many-calories-are-burned-by-being-cold/. I read another article that indicated that if you are just cold by not shivering, it is something between 30 and 100 calories per hour. That's hardly "marginal".
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    I don't get what you wouldn't sit in your car or a shop nearby instead of standing in the cold
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    I don't get what you wouldn't sit in your car or a shop nearby instead of standing in the cold

    Why? I spend a good deal of time outdoors in the winter. I quite like the cold, as long as it's not extreme and as long as I'm properly dressed for it. Walking, skiing, skating, snowshoeing... Winter is fun!

    Winter doesn't necessarily mean you have to hibernate indoors. As long as it's just comfortably cold, no harm in standing in it.

    (The heat, on the other hand, sends me scurrying indoors towards the nearest air conditioner.)
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    According to the American Counsel on Exercise, you can burn about 400 calories per hour by shivering http://www.livestrong.com/article/317620-how-many-calories-are-burned-by-being-cold/. I read another article that indicated that if you are just cold by not shivering, it is something between 30 and 100 calories per hour. That's hardly "marginal".

    Livestrong isn't a reliable source on pretty much anything.
    And they didn't provide their source so it's not even something you can independently verify.

    I'd like to see this other article. This sounds along the lines of people who want to log their bedroom activities. That's also a marginal calorie burn.

    30 calories for 1 hours of shivering is marginal. Especially since most people aren't going to stand in the cold for an hour (or more) and shiver on a regular basis. For most people, they spend probably 10minutes doing it which turns out to be 5 calories. So a stick of gum.
  • 29_adjacent
    29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    I don't get what you wouldn't sit in your car or a shop nearby instead of standing in the cold

    I don't have a car and I had to wait for the locksmith - the first 30 mins were trying to find a locksmith, then 45 mins for him to arrive and another 15 for him to get the door open. Everyone else did go to someone's house who lives nearby but as it's part of my job to deal with these sorts of things I really had to stay.

    It wasn't that bad to be intolerable (otherwise I would've just gone home!) but it was pretty cold and I was moving about a bit to keep warm(er).

  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    603reader wrote: »
    I don't get what you wouldn't sit in your car or a shop nearby instead of standing in the cold

    Why? I spend a good deal of time outdoors in the winter. I quite like the cold, as long as it's not extreme and as long as I'm properly dressed for it. Walking, skiing, skating, snowshoeing... Winter is fun!

    Winter doesn't necessarily mean you have to hibernate indoors. As long as it's just comfortably cold, no harm in standing in it.

    (The heat, on the other hand, sends me scurrying indoors towards the nearest air conditioner.)

    Right, thats one thing.
    I run outside and ski. But I'm properly dressed and not standing about shivering.
    You're comparing apples to oranges.

    My point was to the OP who was stuck waiting for someone into her building. I don't know about you but I don't wear a real coat into work - I don't like them. If I'm stuck waiting for someone like the OP was, I'd sit in my car or a local shop.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    So, yes, over long periods of time, people who live in cold climates generally require more calories just to maintain. People who live in extreme cold and spend a good deal of time outdoors (e.g. the far north) often need a LOT more calories.

    Like 603reader said, though, an hour and a half of standing outdoors and shivering won't have burned enough calories to really make a difference in your day.

    I know that, personally, I usually feel ravenous after coming in from 6-7 hours of skiing. My instinct is to eat ALL THE FOOD -- and heavy, dense food, too. I don't give into my instinct anymore, though. I have a bowl of hot soup or a cup of tea, and then eat a normal dinner. I take a hot shower. Usually the hunger feeling disappears pretty damn quick.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    I don't know about you but I don't wear a real coat into work - I don't like them. If I'm stuck waiting for someone like the OP was, I'd sit in my car or a local shop.

    Ah, well, in that case, I'd probably do the same as you.

    I always wear a real coat in the winter. I live in Montreal. I use public transit and walk to get around. A real coat is a necessity.

    OP, were you dressed okay for the cold?
  • 29_adjacent
    29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
    edited January 2015
    segacs wrote: »
    OP, were you dressed okay for the cold?

    Oh yeah I had a proper winter coat, hat, scarf, gloves and winter boots on but by the end my fingers and toes especially were feeling pretty darn cold!

    I'm not worried about eating extra to make up for it though - I'm sure the additional calories I burnt weren't that significant - but I was just curious if this could've increased my hunger.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    So, purely as an academic question, then?

    Answer: Yes, there's a difference. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11934673
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    According to the American Counsel on Exercise, you can burn about 400 calories per hour by shivering http://www.livestrong.com/article/317620-how-many-calories-are-burned-by-being-cold/. I read another article that indicated that if you are just cold by not shivering, it is something between 30 and 100 calories per hour. That's hardly "marginal".

    Livestrong isn't a reliable source on pretty much anything.
    And they didn't provide their source so it's not even something you can independently verify.

    I'd like to see this other article. This sounds along the lines of people who want to log their bedroom activities. That's also a marginal calorie burn.

    30 calories for 1 hours of shivering is marginal. Especially since most people aren't going to stand in the cold for an hour (or more) and shiver on a regular basis. For most people, they spend probably 10minutes doing it which turns out to be 5 calories. So a stick of gum.

    I don't recall where the other article was. I just remember it because the researchers were looking at the effect of a reduced thermostat rather than being in the cold.

    But here is an article from National Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140211-shivering-cold-exercise-brown-fat-white-fat-irisin-metabolism-weight-loss/. They actually make it sound even more significant than what the previous article did.


  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    603reader wrote: »
    I don't get what you wouldn't sit in your car or a shop nearby instead of standing in the cold

    Why? I spend a good deal of time outdoors in the winter. I quite like the cold, as long as it's not extreme and as long as I'm properly dressed for it. Walking, skiing, skating, snowshoeing... Winter is fun!

    Winter doesn't necessarily mean you have to hibernate indoors. As long as it's just comfortably cold, no harm in standing in it.

    (The heat, on the other hand, sends me scurrying indoors towards the nearest air conditioner.)

    Right, thats one thing.
    I run outside and ski. But I'm properly dressed and not standing about shivering.
    You're comparing apples to oranges.

    My point was to the OP who was stuck waiting for someone into her building. I don't know about you but I don't wear a real coat into work - I don't like them. If I'm stuck waiting for someone like the OP was, I'd sit in my car or a local shop.

    You know sometimes you can be dressed as warm as you possibly can be, but when it's -27C (-16.5F) and you are standing around waiting for someone to come unlock a door (like the OP) of standing around waiting for a bus (like I was in that temperature), you ARE STILL GOING TO SHIVER AND BE COLD! Winter weather can penetrate what you are wearing, and when you have to stand around you get cold. It took me a long time to warm up that night after I got home.


    Shivering burns calories???? Never really new that. I guess I was burning calories on those days that I didn't go to the gym as it was way to cold to walk the 10 minutes to get there! (I have no car)

  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    OP, were you dressed okay for the cold?

    Oh yeah I had a proper winter coat, hat, scarf, gloves and winter boots on but by the end my fingers and toes especially were feeling pretty darn cold!

    Fully understand that feeling!! I can be dressed as warm as I can, but it's the fingertips and toes that get cold first. Especially my fingers. I've warm two pairs of gloves and when I take them off when I get inside, my fingers are red.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    angf0679 wrote: »
    603reader wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    603reader wrote: »
    I don't get what you wouldn't sit in your car or a shop nearby instead of standing in the cold

    Why? I spend a good deal of time outdoors in the winter. I quite like the cold, as long as it's not extreme and as long as I'm properly dressed for it. Walking, skiing, skating, snowshoeing... Winter is fun!

    Winter doesn't necessarily mean you have to hibernate indoors. As long as it's just comfortably cold, no harm in standing in it.

    (The heat, on the other hand, sends me scurrying indoors towards the nearest air conditioner.)

    Right, thats one thing.
    I run outside and ski. But I'm properly dressed and not standing about shivering.
    You're comparing apples to oranges.

    My point was to the OP who was stuck waiting for someone into her building. I don't know about you but I don't wear a real coat into work - I don't like them. If I'm stuck waiting for someone like the OP was, I'd sit in my car or a local shop.

    You know sometimes you can be dressed as warm as you possibly can be, but when it's -27C (-16.5F) and you are standing around waiting for someone to come unlock a door (like the OP) of standing around waiting for a bus (like I was in that temperature), you ARE STILL GOING TO SHIVER AND BE COLD! Winter weather can penetrate what you are wearing, and when you have to stand around you get cold. It took me a long time to warm up that night after I got home.


    Shivering burns calories???? Never really new that. I guess I was burning calories on those days that I didn't go to the gym as it was way to cold to walk the 10 minutes to get there! (I have no car)

    I don't get why you needed to yell in the middle of a sentence.
    At negative degrees it's a no-brainer that unless you're in an Artic hazmat suit or something, you're gonna be cold. I'm not that dense. I live in northern New England, I'm very well aware about very cold temperatures.

    Everything you do burns calories. Most of it is very insignificant however.

  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited January 2015
    Could standing in the cold make you hungrier?

    Sure ... but so could standing on your head, right?
    <boggle>
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    According to the American Counsel on Exercise, you can burn about 400 calories per hour by shivering http://www.livestrong.com/article/317620-how-many-calories-are-burned-by-being-cold/. I read another article that indicated that if you are just cold by not shivering, it is something between 30 and 100 calories per hour. That's hardly "marginal".

    Hmmm. So I burn about 301 (according to the MFP database) raking leaves, but this shivering seems more efficient. Gonna move up north and burn 700/hour doing yardwork.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Hmmm. So I burn about 301 (according to the MFP database) raking leaves, but this shivering seems more efficient. Gonna move up north and burn 700/hour doing yardwork.

    Here up north, yardwork is otherwise known as "shoveling snow".
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    Hmmm. So I burn about 301 (according to the MFP database) raking leaves, but this shivering seems more efficient. Gonna move up north and burn 700/hour doing yardwork.

    Here up north, yardwork is otherwise known as "shoveling snow".

    I am going to be so thin, y'all watch
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    I am going to be so thin, y'all watch

    Also suggest replacing "y'all" with "eh".

    B7gzNLpIUAE_Xz4.jpg:large
  • Ooci
    Ooci Posts: 247 Member
    I think this is another reason I feel extremely hungry most of the time ( as gone into in the plateau thread)
    My house is around 13 degrees C, through winter. Less if it dips to round freezing. It's very old, completely isolated, and on a hilltop with the winds whistling by. It's gorgeous in summer but in winter we wear hats and coats and furry boots inside. The building is listed, and really beautiful, there's no way I'd alter it to make it energy efficient.
    I've lost weight every previous winter with no changes to the diet.
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