Initial few days: feeling... hot at night, is this weird?

akf2000
akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm wondering if this is just me but both times I have embarked on MFP (this time around just to undo lockdown weight) in the first few days I feel what I can only describe as feeling hot at night for no good reason.

Now it's not hot-hot, I'm not sweating, the heat seems to be localised internally :smile: I even checked the radiators, which were off.

It's tempting to think 'oh i'm BURNING cals!' but I can't remember reading other examples on these forums.

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    I have never experienced this. Interesting....
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    I've been calorie counting for nearly 6 years (50-some pound weight loss in 2015-16, maintenance at healthy weight since). FWIW, personally I'm more likely to feel hot when I eat above maintenance calories, not when in a deficit. (I'm not suggesting you're unknowingly eating above maintenance, I'm just saying my n=1 experience differs.)

    Keep in mind that you're *always* burning *calories* (when alive), gain or lose.

    Could this be an individual subjective response to burning relatively more stored body fat than before? Maybe. Dunno.

    I'd observe that we burn fairly few calories per minute while asleep or resting, but a higher percentage of those calories are typically fueled by fat, compared to when we're active.
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    I know this might be a fairly stupid question, but: what’s the weather like? It is springtime in my corner of the world, temperatures vary wildly and sunny days start heating up my home.

    The only times I’ve personally experienced the internal night hotness you describe is sometimes after a long sauna session (I’m Finnish) and when I was very early in my pregnancy, when blood circulation suddenly increased around my pelvis and abdomen to support the pregnancy. Judging by your profile picture this is an unlikely cause, but can you think of something else you’ve been doing differently that could cause increased blood circulation? Sauna, heavy exercise, even heavier-than-usual evening meals?
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
    hipari wrote: »
    I know this might be a fairly stupid question, but: what’s the weather like? It is springtime in my corner of the world, temperatures vary wildly and sunny days start heating up my home.

    The only times I’ve personally experienced the internal night hotness you describe is sometimes after a long sauna session (I’m Finnish) and when I was very early in my pregnancy, when blood circulation suddenly increased around my pelvis and abdomen to support the pregnancy. Judging by your profile picture this is an unlikely cause, but can you think of something else you’ve been doing differently that could cause increased blood circulation? Sauna, heavy exercise, even heavier-than-usual evening meals?

    thanks, everyon,e for the replies It's just turned spring but still chilly in the UK. I go for a 3hr walk every early evening (at a brisk pace) which gets the blood flowing and I have never experience what I mentioned.

    It really does seem tied into the first few days of calorie control. I hadn't even attributed it to blood flow so that's something I've learned today and will think about. It's not a concern or anything, just a bit of local oddity.
  • Poobah1972
    Poobah1972 Posts: 943 Member
    edited March 2021
    Are you by chance trying to follow a low carb or keto style way of eating? Not that feeling hot at night is a specific symptom I have experience in the past.... Although I have experienced excess energy, and difficulty sleeping at night... One of which may translate to heat? (In other words, possibly a mild symptom of the ketoflu?)

    Just a thought?
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
    Poobah1972 wrote: »
    Are you by chance trying to follow a low carb or keto style way of eating? Not that feeling hot at night is a specific symptom I have experience in the past.... Although I have experienced excess energy, and difficulty sleeping at night... One of which may translate to heat? (In other words, possibly a mild symptom of the ketoflu?)

    Just a thought?

    hi! that is very interesting... I did Atkins way, way back when it was fashionable and now that I think about it, there are some similarities now to how I felt then. I'm not consciously keto/low carb this time but I have definitely cut out a lot of carbs with no snacking. You're right, that heat can also be expressed as excess energy, it's another way of looking at it. Very very interesting! I'm going to look up ketoflu now.

  • Rainworth_Massive
    Rainworth_Massive Posts: 11 Member
    Ooh, maybe you're turning into a menopausal woman!!

    I have a similar experience, when I am in calorie deficit and exercise in the evening it's like my body is trying to cool down all at once when I go to bed... although in my case it may actually be menopause.... hmmm...

    Maybe switch your walk to earlier in the day if time allows, perhaps one day at the weekend, and see if that makes any difference?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Rainworth_Massive wrote: »
    Ooh, maybe you're turning into a menopausal woman!!

    I have a similar experience, when I am in calorie deficit and exercise in the evening it's like my body is trying to cool down all at once when I go to bed... although in my case it may actually be menopause.... hmmm...

    Maybe switch your walk to earlier in the day if time allows, perhaps one day at the weekend, and see if that makes any difference?

    I wasn't going to bring this up but since you have ;)

    Yes, I am perimenopausal and my thermostat is broken - I just run hot all the time.
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
    Rainworth_Massive wrote: »
    Ooh, maybe you're turning into a menopausal woman!!

    I have a similar experience, when I am in calorie deficit and exercise in the evening it's like my body is trying to cool down all at once when I go to bed... although in my case it may actually be menopause.... hmmm...

    Maybe switch your walk to earlier in the day if time allows, perhaps one day at the weekend, and see if that makes any difference?

    LOOOOOOOOL my wife is pre-menopausal so maybe i'm suffering from smypathetic-menopause
  • Poobah1972
    Poobah1972 Posts: 943 Member
    Ahah.. I'm in the same boat, and when she's cuddled up against me, sympathetic or not it feels like there is a blast furnace strapped to my back. :smiley:
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited March 2021
    Poobah1972 wrote: »
    Ahah.. I'm in the same boat, and when she's cuddled up against me, sympathetic or not it feels like there is a blast furnace strapped to my back. :smiley:

    Rolling ROFL's. :D

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