I Never Heard This Part About Losing Weight...

I've seen a zillion articles, documentaries, commercials, etc. regarding weight loss during my lifetime and not a single time was it mentioned / printed that when one loses weight, one can't get warm!

For most of my life I've been overweight and in being so I have always been "hot-blooded".  There are only a few occasions in my life that I've worn a coat! In fact, I had to buy one this winter because I didn't own a coat.  I noticed a slight chill inside me around September. Right now it's 68 degrees inside my house and I'm sitting at this computer wearing 3 shirts, a jacket, 2 pairs of socks, hiking boots, tights, jeans, a hat and until I started typing, lined leather gloves.  The outside temp. is 14 degrees and granted, for this part of NC, that's kind of cold. But still!

Why have I never heard anyone mention the cold factor about losing weight?OR...is it just me? I had a complete physical / blood work in Nov...everything perfect.

I still have 40 lbs. to go! Is anyone else going through this?

Have a fun day all!

There was another post in here recently from a man that was having the same problem.  I too am sitting at my computer with 2 shirts, fleece hoodie, sweat pants, thick socks and fuzzy, warm slippers.  I'd go put on my winter coat but would be afraid that I wouldn't be able to move.  The price to pay-  I'll pay it!

of course having less fat makes us more susceptible to cold; fat is a great insulator.  i find that the more active i am, the easier it is to keep warm (and the more i can eat, which fuels the fire).

oh yeah - i also drink hot water.  some people need lemon in it, but i like it straight up.  makes a world of difference.

I have the same problem when I lose weight, especially my hands and feet.  i try to drink a lot of tea and make sure im not eating too little food.  helps me if i stretch in the mornings (i guess maybe that gets my circulation going better).

Its so true too. Even when I was a normal weight and not heavy I was like a polar bear when it came to cold. Now though, and ever since I lost a lot of weight (and put it back on haha! shows me right for trying to rush things) I get cold SO much more easily.

Hopefully our silly bodies eventually get better at not freezing to death. I went from loving the winter to loving the summer. Brrr!

I was the queen of warm... before, I could sweat in subzero temperatures.. my entire life!  I am shocked, shocked I tell you, at how cold I am!  I do live in Indiana were the AIR temperature (not windchill) is -15  but I am freezing from the inside out.  I have never been so cold as I am since I lost weight (120lbs).  I find this amazing.  When I work out I sweat profousely (anybody else get a thrill out of seeing how far down the collar sweat ring goes?) but as soon as I cool down, I am cold. 

I thought I was going crazy!

Thank you so much for this post!!!

I lost 105 pounds over 2008 and I am freezing all the time now. Every single one of my friends thinks I am being absurd. I was the one that NEVER wore a jacket (I live in California, afterall) but now I am the one who is always asking "is anybody else cold in here?" My fingers are always cold and I end up with an extra blanket wrapped around my feet at night. I've had a complete physical in October and everything is fine. I figured I just lost my insulation.

And yes, jennifer58, I get a kick out of big old sweat rings, too!

Hooray! I'm not imaging this! Thanks for responding to my post! My family and friends look at me as if I need to be locked up when I talk about how cold I am. They think I'm joking, considering my history of always being hot.   

 I'm trying to move around more than usual and I'm going for the warm fluids too. I'm just tickled to death that someone else is freezing besides me. And I mean that in the nicest way!

I've always been cold :(

I freeze the second a workout is over... it isn't a cool down, it is a freeze down...i have to put on a hoody of some sort after a cardio workout no matter the temp...

Well i'm glad that you posted this, now I know to be on the look out.  Thanks

Ever the optimist - does that mean that I'll be able to bear the heat in the summer?  Minus 20 or 30 Celcius is no problem for me - I still haven't even put  the winter liner in my coat!  But when we get up into the high 20s and low 30's in August - I just want to hide in the basement with the fan on!  

Are you folks who are now feeling the winter cold better able to cope with the summer heat?  That would be something to look forward to!

Splittrail, yes, the summer is better.  Without all the fat you just don't get as hot.  However, when the temps get up to the 30s or above, I don't think it matters, its HOT.  Also, I'm used to cold climates so the heat depresses me and makes me wanna hide too.

I'm pretty annoyed with this being cold lark! I wear 6 layers at work (a vest, a juper, a t-shirt or shirt, a cardigan & the my suit jacket over the top, plus tights under my trousers) & I work in a shop with heating.

Most rubbish. I hate being cold!

YES.  As I've lost weight over the years, I've found it harder and harder to stay warm.  I live in a warm weather state.  Cold is about 40 for a few days a year.  Inside my office at work, I keep it a sweat lodge.  People walk in and can't stay because it's so hot.  It's perfect to me.  I get cold when it's under 60 now!  I wouldn't last 10 minutes in any eastern state.

It isn't just the new lack of insulation that makes you feel cold.  Eating fewer calories actually lowers the body's core temperature.

From sciencedaily.com, in an article about caloric restriction and longevity:

This latest study targeted another marker of primary aging. The thyroid gland produces critical hormones that play an indispensable role in cell growth and development as well as in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. T4 is the main product secreted by the cells of the thyroid gland, but most actions of thyroid hormone are initiated by T3. Fontana says T3 controls body temperature, cellular metabolism and to some extent, it also appears to be involved with production of free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage cells. All are important aspects of aging and longevity. In fact, a 2002 study in Science magazine from researchers at the National Institute on Aging observed that men with lower body temperatures tended to live longer those with higher body temperatures.

I've always been a "cold" person. I'm always the one turning up the heater, putting on extra layers, etc. Anything below room remperature requires at least a light jacket.

I've noticed however, that after I work out, I'm able to stay warm for a while. I'll go into the gym with a sweatshirt on, and when I leave, I'm quite warm for the entire drive home with no sweater. Then at home, I "feel" warm, but my skin is really cool to the touch. I usually continue to "feel" warm, despite the feel of my skin for the rest of the day.

So possibly I have some circulation problems and being active helps get the blood moving, thus keeping me warm for longer?

I was so glad to see this subject addressed on this site.  I thought I was going crazy, as I have been freezing for several days now, and couldn't figure out what was going on.  I'm wondering if we will ever be "warm" again. Does anyone know?

Thank you for posting this.

My dad had open-heart surgery last May, to replace his aortic valve, and he was pretty overweight going into it. Having the surgery improved his circulation a lot.

Ever since the surgery, he's felt cold all the time. He stays cold. He was always so warm, his hands and everything, but now he's always cold. We thought it was because of his circulation improvement or because some of the medicines say that it can make you feel cold all the time.

Well, improving his circulation and deciding to eat better and exercise made it a lot easier for him to lose weight. He's probably lost about 50 pounds now. We never thought that losing weight could be the majority of it.

I'll tell him that so he doesn't keep worrying that it's the medicine. =D

At 250lbs I would wear shorts and tshirts outside in the snow (I live in Toronto, Canada) and now at 135lbs I get cold in the summer unless I'm in direct sunlight. I was in the carribbean a few weeks ago and was cold a lot of the time, I had to wear a sweater in the evenings.

Weird. Maybe I'm just an abberation then. I find that if anything, I get hotter when I lose... that is, I radiate more heat. My wife comments that if I get much smaller she's going to make me sleep in the guest bed because I "sweat her out"... no mean feat in a Canadian midwinter.

Yeah, I'm always cold, and my boyfriend thinks I'm crazy. It can be twenty degrees (celcius) and I'll still be cold. I LIVE for summer. Unfortunately I live in Alberta, Canada which means our temperatures range from -30 C in the winter to +35 in the summer and the summer is never long enough!