Now I've seen this occasionally brought up here, but don't remember actually seeing a whole discussion on it.
Anyway, to give a little background my husband just loves the air conditioning! Which is fine by me, I used to live in Wisconsin/IL so I've been used to the cold, but have lived in the desert for a few years now. But in the past week or so, I've felt extra cold. I'll completely huddle up under the blanket at night while he's pushing the covers away, and will complain about the cold at the slightest shift allowing outside air to reach my skin. I'll often turn up thermostat while he's off at work and he'll complain about the house feeling hot when he gets home. And the other day as I left for the store, I stepped outside and smiled because I just loved the way it felt outside, so nice and warm. And when I get to the car the thermometer said it was 100°!
Uh . . . woah! So what is this exactly, a sign that my metabolism is changing? I'm used to being so freakin' hot all the time and had a lot of difficulty adapting to a climate where it rarely rains and has lots of severe summer heat. I'd sometimes feel like I was dying before it had even hit 80°! I haven't really thought of this until now, but I don't know my current average body temperature. I just know that in the past my average has been on the low side (97.4°) and I'm wondering if it's possible it has any significance when it comes to me having weight issues all of my adult life. Warm weather has always made me feel like a lazy slug, making me extra tired and extremely irritable. But for the first time in recent memory, I'm actually enjoying the heat!
For a little more background, I've been on my current plan for 12 weeks now, eating mostly veggies, fruits, healthy fats (nuts, olive oil), lean meats, and watching my portions. I avoid most simple carbs. I started lifting 10 lb. dumbbells and doing squats every other day a few weeks back, and have been walking several times a week. Since starting this plan I've lost over 13 pounds. I've lost significant amounts of weight in the past but don't ever recall feeling cold like this. I don't mind as long as making progress, and maybe it'll make this an easier summer anyway, but does anyone have any insight on all this?
Last edited by Elladorine; 05-21-2012 at 12:54 AM.
Not sure why this is happening, but it's happening to me, too. I'm so cold right now. I can't get warm. I'd like to hear what others have to say about this.
I literally just put on a cardigan. I was very warm all the time for as long as I can remember, until the past few months. Now I am cold in winter, cold in spring, and I suspect I will be cold this summer. 35 lbs down and lost insulation are the easiest explanation. I used to hat summer for smaller clothes and unbearable temps but I welcome it this year! Good luck getting your temperature balance under control.
Yep - it's crazy how cold I am all the time now. I tend to agree with the others that say it's a combination of less padding and lower metabolism, although I have no scientific proof of either.
I'm always freezing when eating at a calorie deficit and I've heard many other people reporting the same phenomenon. I think it's because our metabolic rates go down (just slightly, not drastically) when we eat less. I don't think it has much to do do with having less padding, because the always-cold feeling usually goes away when people -- now at their thinnest -- bump up their calories to maintenance levels.
It's exactly what happened to me this time around: I remained cold during the first 3 months of maintenance, after which my internal thermostat quickly bounced back to normal.
Don't worry about it. Feeling cold is common and expected when dieting.
F.
Last edited by freelancemomma; 05-21-2012 at 02:28 PM.
Same thing here. Last year, I started to think I was getting hot flashes because I would get all hot if the temp felt like it went up one degree.
Now I feel colder all the time. In fact, I haven't had to increase the air conditioning as it's started to get hotter out. I can wear blazers at work all day long without getting overheated like I normally would do.
It's just really weird because, like I said before, I've lost significant amounts of weight in the past but have never experienced being cold like this. And once again I'm not complaining, as it might make the desert summer a lot easier this year when we hit 120°.
While I don't doubt the extra "insulation" is an issue that's almost always made me feel overheated, I am guessing my recent experience has more to do with my metabolism as this is quite a sudden change for only a 13 pound loss (only about 5% of my current body weight). I've often said that "wearing" all this excess fat is like wearing several layers of leather coats that can't be taken off. I'm still wearing a lot of "coats" so it's kind of weird that I've been so cold.
Losing weight can often make us effectively hypothyroid, which is why feeling very chilled in sustained fat burning is common. It definitely gets better in cycles of maintenance than in deficit, but is a common and documented phenomenon. There are other side effects that go with this, too, but the cold us the most obvious.
I thought i was alone! Im always so cold now, I used to be so hot all the time. Even sitting outside, some days i'm cold and my family thinks i'm crazy!
My theory was that less fat + lower blood pressure.
I was cold all winter, and it hasn't gotten any better yet. And I KNOW it's me, because my mom and I used to run at the same temperature. Last month we were shopping, in and out of stores on a shady sidewalk, and it was about 80 degrees out. She was melting, I was fine.
I bought a couple cardigans over the winter, and I'm STILL wearing them part of the day every day at work.
I hope this means I'll enjoy the outside more this summer.
I've been in maintaince for almost 3 years and I'm still freezing, (or at least cool)most of the time. I do have to admit though, a few weeks ago I had a major week-long binge and I was literally sweating just doing my basic chores. First time I have actually "sweat" in a couple years. I finally came to my senses and began my regular healthy eating and dropping the weight off and now I'm freezing again.
I think more than anything, when we are heavy we are constantly fueling our body. We eat a lot and are constantly adding logs to the fire even though the fire is perfectly fine the way it was designed. The more logs, the bigger the fire, the less logs the smaller the fire. We cool down when we are not contantly stoking the fire.... We
So Cold!!! What Does It Mean?
But in the past week or so, I've felt extra cold. I'll completely huddle up under the blanket at night while he's pushing the covers away, and will complain about the cold at the slightest shift allowing outside air to reach my skin. I'll often turn up thermostat while he's off at work and he'll complain about the house feeling hot when he gets home. And the other day as I left for the store, I stepped outside and smiled because I just loved the way it felt outside, so nice and warm. And when I get to the car the thermometer said it was 100°! 
So what is this exactly, a sign that my metabolism is changing? I'm used to being so freakin' hot all the time and had a lot of difficulty adapting to a climate where it rarely rains and has lots of severe summer heat. I'd sometimes feel like I was dying before it had even hit 80°! I haven't really thought of this until now, but I don't know my current average body temperature. I just know that in the past my average has been on the low side (97.4°) and I'm wondering if it's possible it has any significance when it comes to me having weight issues all of my adult life. Warm weather has always made me feel like a lazy slug, making me extra tired and extremely irritable. But for the first time in recent memory, I'm actually enjoying the heat!
Still colder than when I was heavy, but not all that much.
