Does being over weight impact how much you sweat?

Ashlove5
Ashlove5 Posts: 152 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have gained about 30 pounds during Covid and i have been a really sweaty mess. Like i would walk to the train and start sweating or even in room temperature weather if i move around I’ll start sweating. I don’t want to think it’s so serious but sometimes i sweat a lot especially on humid or hot days. I want to know if me being over weight is having an affect to it. Anyone else can relate ? Let me know if loosing some weight will help reduce the sweating!!

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,892 Member
    Well sure, I've never been a very sweaty person, but I definitely felt a lot warmer when I was heavier. I really couldn't handle hot weather, for example, whereas now (75lbs lighter) I can actually be active in warmer weather.
    So it could be related to your weight. But could be hormonal as well, for women?
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    I don’t know if it does as a scientific matter, but I personally found it harder to carry around the extra weight when I was heavier. So extra exertion = extra sweat. I also tended to be in worse shape, generally speaking, although I know that is by no means universally true and other people on these boards will tell you their experiences of being clinically classified as obese, but being physically fit, competitive athletes. I don’t know whether they sweat less now that they weigh 120 lbs versus when they were heavier, though. My personal experience is that losing weight is helpful all around in terms of feeling better in my body - less sweating yes, but also fewer aches and pains, more energy and endurance, better respiration, healthier vitals, and freer movement and greater vitality all around.
  • gpanda103
    gpanda103 Posts: 189 Member
    I think so. The body is pretty smart. There is this phenomenon called adaptive thermogenesis. Basically, your body will realize that you have excess energy and will make you hotter and more energetic in response to the energy
  • papercut2k
    papercut2k Posts: 83 Member
    There is more surface area that needs to be cooled. Heavier bodies use more energy to move around. There's a thought that overweight generate more body heat.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you carried around 30lbs in a suitcase you would be working harder and sweat more doing routine and exercise movements.

    If gaining 30lbs was the only change then there's a good chance that losing 30lbs will help.

    I definitely sweat less being lighter, or more accurately, my threshold for sweating is a lot higher. I can still boil over if I’m forced indoors to do cardio training indoors but I’m working at a much higher level to get to “has that bike sprung a leak?” level…..
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,638 Member
    I don't sweat observably less at BMI 21 than BMI 30. I've always been a sweat-stupid-lots person.

    However, if I eat extra calories (noticeably above maintenance) I definitely sweat more for a day-ish.

    Carrying more weight is more work, so maybe more sweat.

    Adaptive thermogenesis can also be relevant, but the circumstances are more individual, IMO.
  • WailingDusk
    WailingDusk Posts: 58 Member
    For me this was the case. I sweat less now at 189 pounds than I did at 372 (I smell better too... oddly enough lol)
  • sarah7591
    sarah7591 Posts: 415 Member
    I would think so because basically extra weight (fat?) is just insulation!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    It probably is the extra weight, but I wanted to toss another idea out there for women in perimenopause/menopause - my thermostat is broken. I've yet to have a hot flash; I'm just hot all the time, and at lower temperatures each year. This was not a problem when I controlled the thermostat, but not that I live with my 84 yo mother, who is skinny and cold all the time, I am miserable.

    Last month I was at my primary care physician's office. She is built about like me - around 30 extra pounds. She was wearing a jacket over a sweater and looked comfortable. I was wearing a very thin tank top and was sweating. I took this opportunity to discuss my broken thermostat with her. (The official term is "vasomotor symptoms of menopause.")

    I've started taking Gabapentin at night and recently upped my dose of Cymbalta. 100 mg of Gabapentin helps a little at night. 200 mg would help more, but then I feel like a zombie in the AM. A family member takes 200 mg for night sweats and this does help her tremendously.

    We have started summer weather and the thermostat wars continue. >.<

    I've had many housemates over the years, and other than the alcoholics (and not all the alcoholics) my mother is the worst housemate. She's been Queen of the Castle since 1962 and does not know how to negotiate or compromise. Since I've had many housemates, I'm used to negotiation and was at first surprised by her unilateralism.
  • Walkywalkerson
    Walkywalkerson Posts: 456 Member
    Being overweight in the summer heat is torture!
    If anything it's a massive motivation for me to keep the 50lbs I lost off.
    The sweaty misery of wearing clothes to cover up is motivation too.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    I was definitely sweatier when I was fatter. It got really bad when I became obese and especially noticeable at night. It was one of the many kicks up the bum that helped me on my way to getting healthier.

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