Climate and weight: tropical fat?
zenovka
Posts: 1 Member
Hey everybody.
For the last 3 years I've maintained what I deem my ideal weight (I was never obese but had an emotional eating issue that I have since overcome). A month ago I moved to the Amazon rainforest, which is hot and humid. I love it here BUT I also noticed I started gaining weight as soon as I arrived. I initially thought I was just retaining fluids, but it's been a month now and I keep myself hydrated so I've ruled that out.
Here I am about as active as back home and eat a much healthier diet. No sugar, bread is a treat we allow ourselves only once a week.
It gets weirder: My boyfriend, who is an athlete, and another colleague who arrived at the same time, are experiencing the same issue.
I did some research and found conflicting information. Some sources say that the metabolism accelerates in hot climates as the body tries to maintain its temperature by sweating and increasing heart rate. Others say the opposite, that heat actually slows the metabolism. I'm at a loss as to why we are piling on pounds :-( any clues as to what could be going on??
Thanks heaps
For the last 3 years I've maintained what I deem my ideal weight (I was never obese but had an emotional eating issue that I have since overcome). A month ago I moved to the Amazon rainforest, which is hot and humid. I love it here BUT I also noticed I started gaining weight as soon as I arrived. I initially thought I was just retaining fluids, but it's been a month now and I keep myself hydrated so I've ruled that out.
Here I am about as active as back home and eat a much healthier diet. No sugar, bread is a treat we allow ourselves only once a week.
It gets weirder: My boyfriend, who is an athlete, and another colleague who arrived at the same time, are experiencing the same issue.
I did some research and found conflicting information. Some sources say that the metabolism accelerates in hot climates as the body tries to maintain its temperature by sweating and increasing heart rate. Others say the opposite, that heat actually slows the metabolism. I'm at a loss as to why we are piling on pounds :-( any clues as to what could be going on??
Thanks heaps
1
Replies
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You'll want to do a more exacting job on gathering data. Don't just "eat healthy." Actually weigh your food and track your calories and exercise. Once you have that data you'll have a better answer or direction to go with your research.11
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^^ Above stated, I have a thyroid condition, and when I go camping without AC for about 2 weeks, despite the fact that I will sometimes actually lose a pound or two of fat, I will put on about 10 lbs worth of scale weight in retained fluids - mostly in my ankles. I can't see the fat loss until a couple weeks after I get back, once the water slowly drains off over 7-10 days.5
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I'd love to blame the weather for my being fat. But I can't. It's the magnetosphere that made me pack on the pounds. I just know it.
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I live in the tropics and I have both gained and lost weight here. I gained weight when I ate more calories than my body burned and I lost weight when I ate less calories than my body burned. Ultimately that is the only way it will happen. So unless you are taking in more calories, you won't be putting on any more fat.
I certainly wouldn't rule out retaining fluids. That is by far the most likely explanation. In a new climate where you sweat a lot more, your body could be holding onto excess water as a defense against dehydration. It may even itself out after time. Or you may just naturally maintain a few pounds heavier (you didn't say how much weight you gained) than you did in your previous climate.
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What was the elevation of where you lived before?
I assume in the Amazon it's almost 0, sea level. I ask this because one fall I stayed in New Mexico, (US) at about 6,000 feet for 6 weeks on a ranch. I lost like 10 lbs without trying at all. Totally unintended. I was from FL, about 100 feet elevation. I think back on this and feel the move up to 6000 ft was definitely part of it as nothing else changed. My metabolism must have sped up at the higher, drier and cooler temp. FL is as the Amazon is: muggy, flat, humid, etc.
So think about elevation and see if it fits?2 -
My first impression is that it's probably your NEAT daily expenditure that slows down. This happens to me here in Italy. When I go to the beach it's hot, sticky, and humid. Any movement has to be forced and I gain unless I'm very careful. Once the weather cools down, I go back to my usual activity and start to lose again. There's a thread on upping your NEAT if you're interested, and Ann explains it much better than I can.5
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Fat is insulation, it's why a lot of animals fatten up for the winter, it's why walruses can stand arctic temperatures. Nature didn't give humans a way to stay extra hot in tropical climates.
Weight gain and loss is about calories. Eating healthy is great for health (and bread isn't unhealthy), but it does nothing for weight loss. Healthy food can taste great, and you can eat more calories than you burn from it. To prove a point, a guy lost 60 pounds eating nothing but McDonald's for a year which most people would consider unhealthy, but he ate fewer calories than he burned.2 -
I've lived in temperate and tropical climates and latitudes and gained and lost weight in both regardless. It's probably just a change in what you're eating - less 'standardized' foods, new foods, more difficult to measure and track everything, and I would guess there's some calories sneaking in where you're not expecting them.4
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You've stated what you aren't eating, but what are you eating? nuts, seeds, coconut, avocado, banana, root veggies, meat, fish? and how much?
4
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