I can't get warm...is this normal?

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  • I'm at my desk in the office right now, shivering. I cannot stay warm. Has this happened to anyone else after they started a weight-loss plan?

    I started trying out smaller portions/healthier foods about two weeks ago and have lost almost seven pounds, but I am cold all the time. I have had problems for this before (I have chronically low blood pressure and am actually on high blood pressure medication for an irregular heartbeat), but usually not to this extent. Sometimes I will be cold for hours, especially my feet, hands, and nose. I just went to the restroom five minutes ago, and my lips are blue. I scraped off some of the nail polish, and same goes for the nail beds - blue.

    I know y'all aren't doctors, but has this happened to you? Any recommendations? I have a blanket in my office now, but I don't really drink hot beverages. Herbal tea occasionally, but anything caffeinated is a no-no because it makes the heart angry...
  • 7 pounds should not chill you to blue lips.

    I would call my doctor - when my lips and nails turn blue, it means that my asthma is doing something evil, and I am not getting enough oxygen. I would be cold then to.

    Take care of yourself, honey!
  • I get colder than I used to, had to put a space heater in my office and have blankets everywhere in the house, but my lips and nails don't turn blue either... I even stood outside in line to vote for 4.5 hours in 35 degrees, and no blue lips. Freezing feet, though.

    I don't know what the blue is a symptom of, but definitely would check with the doctor. My mom has odd blood pressure, and when her lips are blue it usually results in different meds.
  • I know exactly how you feel, I use to be the same way. I had been on a low calorie diet for at around 1200 calories and getting little excercise and noticed that my hands were always like ice. I was also on a medication that was meant to stabilize my heart beat for mytrovalve prolapse. It turns out that one of my medications was working in overtime and at times my pulse was around 45, which is dangerously low especially since it had probably been like that for months. You may need to start monitoring your heart rate, too. But since getting out of school for the holidays, I've significantly uped my calorie intake to 1600-1800 and am excercising an hour a day and now I am burning up. Hope my experience helps and congratulations on your loss, I know every pound is hard.
  • janal i know exactly how you are feeling. Im not sure what exactly your blood pressure is but i have extremely low blood pressure as well. I have to eat more salt that the average person and my Dr. actually put me on a pill that raises my blood pressure a bit and it helps with being so cold. Also if your work attire allows is wearing warm boots to work and long johns under your clothes. I buy those hand warmers as well and when the cold gets too our of control just pop one open
  • I am sitting here freezing. My arms are entirely covered in goosebump, my nail beds are blue and some of my fingertips are numb. It's supposed to be in the 80s today, for crying out loud. For some reason, the thermostat says the inside temp is 66. Still not *that* low for crying out loud. I just turned on the heat on a day that's supposed to be in the 80s .
  • Well, I get cold if the inside temp drops below 72... I used to always be too warm because of my very own internal layer of blubber. Now I have to add layers of clothing to stay warm.

    Janal, it sounds kind of extreme--be sure to check with your doc to make sure it's OK. 7 pounds shouldn't make that big a difference.

    Jay
  • While I'm sitting here with blue nail beds too, I have lost almost 50 lbs. not 7. I agree with others that 7 lbs. does seem like it would cause the classic "cold" syndrome many people experience after weight loss.

    However, our bodies need a certain number of calories everyday for basic metabolic function or they don't work right, and that number of calories is not the same for everyone. Are you sure you are getting ENOUGH calories? If not, that would likely account for your body's inability to regulate its internal thermostat correctly.

    If you tweak your eating and it keeps up, I'd go see my doctor.
  • I'm cold all the time; I shiver until my teeth chatter. Why? Well, I've lost a great deal of weight, I don't drink my water like I should and I no longer have blubber to keep me warm.

    Suggestions: Call your doctor since you have an irregular heart beat just for safety sake. Increase your water to help with circulation. How many calories (carbs) are you doing; might need to increase those a bit? What will help now: Get something call "Lava Buns" You heat the pad in the microwave and then you put it in an insulated pocket and you sit on it; best thing since sliced bread. I found them in the sport area of a department store. I heat it two minutes on both sides and the heat lasts between four and six hours. Get some of those hand warmers that last anywhere from seven to ten hours and keep them in you pockets. If you are allowed a warm drink at your desk, drink something hot. Wear layers.

    I'm so sorry for you. This is the worst thing about my weight loss. I wear leggins, undershirt, overshirt and fleece! I almost always wear a turtle-neck undershirt.

    Hope some of these things will help.
  • I asked the same question about a month ago, you may want to scroll back the pages of this forum to find it - there was a ton of replies.
    The general concensus is yes, it is more likely to feel cold all the time after a weight loss. However, most ladies were talking about a much bigger weight loss than just 7 lbs, so make sure to speak to your doctor to rule out potential other issues.
    Personally, I have always had a hard time staying warm in winter, and I practically live in 3 layers on a permanent basis. It was a lot worse at the beginning of this winter at which time I had lost some 37 lbs or so. Since then, my body has adjusted a wee bit and also the heating at work improved, so I am no longer freezing to death but very often you would still find me in two layers (with long sleeves) while my male colleagues run around in short-sleeved T's the entire winter.
  • Yeah, we did just talk about this, didn't we?

    And yup, I'm always cold too. As soon as it in the 50's outside, I'm wearing gloves and a hat.

    And I've gathered up a HUGE collections of cardigans and sweaters to wear OVER my regular sweater and shirts.

    Brrrrr.........
  • Do you smoke? smoking makes all those area cold... not too sure about the lips though.
  • I've always been one to get cold easy. I work at home and now that it's cold I can sneak in a bath to warm up. I take a bath before bed too so I can sleep better and warm up. When I was a kid I was one of the first ones in when other kids enjoyed the snow. I should be in Calif instead of some cold snowy state! I was into horses and I'd wear those super thin silk jammies under my clothes, you could try that, they do help and don't add thickness either! And scarfs are "in" aren't they, heck I see movie starts wearing them in pictures in the summer - because they add vertical lines and are "slimming"... So you can look slimmer and stay warmer! And be like a movie star! Since I came from a line of Swedes I wear wool socks and clogs this time of year... can't stand cold feet.
  • Quote: I take a bath before bed too so I can sleep better and warm up.
    Me too sometimes It seems to be the only sure fire way to get comfy warm.

    I tried running my fingers under hot water this morning, didn't work too well. My arms still had goosebumps, and my body was going to keep constricting those fingers until my *body* was warm. That's why only my tub works sometimes.
  • I am cold but just wear more clothes than normal. My fingers and toes basically stay cold right now. The other night I pulled my sofa directly in front of the fire and slept there. Best sleep I have had all winter.