Lose More Calories When Cold??

I've always attributed my ability to eat whatever I want without
gaining weight to, among other things, personally enjoying cold
weather, such that I walk around outside in fifty degree weather
wearing shorts and a tee shirt!

My thinking is that the cold makes my body burn calories to keep
itself warm...but I've recently started wondering, hey, doesn't the
cold also signal to the body to try to accumulate as much fat as
possible -- since it expects to be continually cold?? (Kinda like
what is said to happen when the body perceives it's in a calorie-
deficit.)

So which is it...does the body burn more calories when cold, or does
being continually cold promote greater fat retention, or both, or
neither??

On Fri, 18 May 2007, Prisoner at War wrote:

>
> I've always attributed my ability to eat whatever I want without
> gaining weight to, among other things, personally enjoying cold
> weather, such that I walk around outside in fifty degree weather
> wearing shorts and a tee shirt!
>
> My thinking is that the cold makes my body burn calories to keep
> itself warm...but I've recently started wondering, hey, doesn't the
> cold also signal to the body to try to accumulate as much fat as
> possible -- since it expects to be continually cold?? (Kinda like
> what is said to happen when the body perceives it's in a calorie-
> deficit.)
>
> So which is it...does the body burn more calories when cold, or does
> being continually cold promote greater fat retention, or both, or
> neither??
>
>

Chemical thermodynamics says the body must burn more calories when exposed
to colder conditions. Extreme cold conditions cause the body to burn a
huge number of calories to keep warm. I don't believe fat retention has
anything to do with cold weather; that would show a psychological relation
between tissue catabolism and anabolism.

That's my 2 cents (-:

--
Sir Jackery

In article <1179489834.442733.280110@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups .com>,
Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_war@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>I've always attributed my ability to eat whatever I want without
>gaining weight to, among other things, personally enjoying cold
>weather, such that I walk around outside in fifty degree weather
>wearing shorts and a tee shirt!

You may have a higher metabolic rate than most people. This can
be associated with hyperthyroidism, which can have undesirable
consequences further down the line. Get your thyroid tested some
time just in case.

>My thinking is that the cold makes my body burn calories to keep
>itself warm...but I've recently started wondering, hey, doesn't the
>cold also signal to the body to try to accumulate as much fat as
>possible -- since it expects to be continually cold?? (Kinda like
>what is said to happen when the body perceives it's in a calorie-
>deficit.)

Dunno. Good question. I doubt there's a good answer.

>So which is it...does the body burn more calories when cold, or does
>being continually cold promote greater fat retention, or both, or
>neither??

AFAIK, you don't burn more calories in the cold unless you start
shivering, or are motivated to be more active (e.g. moving around
stamping your feet, walking/running faster, working harder, etc)
to keep warm.

In general, seasonal adaptation to cold in animals is triggered by day
length, which causes mammals to fatten up, grow thicker coats, etc.
Some people develop carbohydrate cravings and put on weight in the fall
especially if exposed to natural day lengths.

On a shorter term basis, subjective cold tolerance can be improved by
continuous cold exposure, i.e. if you keep the thermostat way down, the
cold outdoors won't bother you as much as if you keep it cranked up.
Someone did a study once that showed that sleeping in cold air (with
enough blankets to be comfortable) had a rapid and remarkable effect on
subjective cold tolerance.

On 18 May 2007 05:03:54 -0700, Prisoner at War wrote:

> I've always attributed my ability to eat whatever I want without
> gaining weight to, among other things, personally enjoying cold
> weather, such that I walk around outside in fifty degree weather
> wearing shorts and a tee shirt!
>
> My thinking is that the cold makes my body burn calories to keep
> itself warm...but I've recently started wondering, hey, doesn't the
> cold also signal to the body to try to accumulate as much fat as
> possible -- since it expects to be continually cold?? (Kinda like
> what is said to happen when the body perceives it's in a calorie-
> deficit.)
>
> So which is it...does the body burn more calories when cold, or does
> being continually cold promote greater fat retention, or both, or
> neither??


My husband is obese... and is very tolerant of cold weather. Anyone
willing to go out and shovel snow in what is -50F conditions (includes
wind chill factor) is cold tolerant in my book!

The funny part is, I am from SE Texas... 90F/90% humidity, and am
therefore NOT especially cold tolerant, even though I also am obese.
When I moved to the Bay Area, CA, I was often cold at first, but I got
used to it.

However, after moving to North Dakota, one gets acclimated fairly
quickly to some rather extreme cold conditions. When you are used to
going around in -29F to 0F days in the regular ND winter, when it
occasionally gets to a nice toasty 30F, you will go out and chip ice
in a T-shirt, no problem! Been there, done that!

Anyway, I didn't magically become thin up there, though the winters
were long and cold!

--
Cynthia
262/243/152

On May 18, 7:03 am, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I've always attributed my ability to eat whatever I want without
> gaining weight to, among other things, personally enjoying cold
> weather, such that I walk around outside in fifty degree weather
> wearing shorts and a tee shirt!
>
> My thinking is that the cold makes my body burn calories to keep
> itself warm...but I've recently started wondering, hey, doesn't the
> cold also signal to the body to try to accumulate as much fat as
> possible -- since it expects to be continually cold?? (Kinda like
> what is said to happen when the body perceives it's in a calorie-
> deficit.)
>
> So which is it...does the body burn more calories when cold, or does
> being continually cold promote greater fat retention, or both, or
> neither??

The answer is that you burn more calories in cold weather. Also,
drinking cold calorie-free drinks gives you negative calories, (as
many as 11 negative calories per 8 oz), just to warm up your insides
from the cold drink. That doesn't include the hyperactivity from the
caffeine that adds more negative calories.

This is less controversial than say negative calories from the "low-
calorie" foods like lettuce, raddishes and lettuce, which, as complex
carbs with very low calorie, require the body to expend MORE energy
than is in the food just to try and digest it.

Then you have fiber. Fiber is by definition NOT digestible. Therefore,
even though it is a carb, unlike cows, goats, deer, etc., we cannot
break it down, so the potential calories cannot be realized.

The solution to all our weight problems therefore is to eat lots and
lots of cold celery because it is cold, fibrous, and a complex carb.
Be sure to wash it down with lots of Diet Coke or espresso, just to
make sure.....better stay close to a bathroom though. dkw

Unless you're cold enough to be shivering, you ain't burning much more
calories... and if you're cold enough to be shivering, to make it worth
weight loss, you're risking hypothermia... ain't nothing to laugh about.

I'm Canadian.. and believe me... there aren't much more skinny people up
there than there are down here!

The Inuits will eat a very fatty diet to "keep warm"... cause the fat help
them keep warm.. but I don't think the body "retain fat" significantly
without dietary help.. if so, they wouldn't have to eat more before winter
comes..

Will~
"Prisoner at War" <prisoner_at_war@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1179489834.442733.280110@p77g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
>
> I've always attributed my ability to eat whatever I want without
> gaining weight to, among other things, personally enjoying cold
> weather, such that I walk around outside in fifty degree weather
> wearing shorts and a tee shirt!
>
> My thinking is that the cold makes my body burn calories to keep
> itself warm...but I've recently started wondering, hey, doesn't the
> cold also signal to the body to try to accumulate as much fat as
> possible -- since it expects to be continually cold?? (Kinda like
> what is said to happen when the body perceives it's in a calorie-
> deficit.)
>
> So which is it...does the body burn more calories when cold, or does
> being continually cold promote greater fat retention, or both, or
> neither??
>

<dkw12002@yahoo.com> wrote
> The solution to all our weight problems therefore is to eat lots and
> lots of cold celery because it is cold, fibrous, and a complex carb.
> Be sure to wash it down with lots of Diet Coke or espresso, just to
> make sure.....better stay close to a bathroom though. dkw


:-D

Actually, a bowl of Fiber One doused with icey cold cherry coke zero
would probably be quite good....

XXXXXXgizzieXXXXXX
(223/170/120)

On May 20, 12:23 pm, "XXXXgizzieXXXX" <xxgizzi...@comcast.net> wrote:
> <dkw12...@yahoo.com> wrote
>
> > The solution to all our weight problems therefore is to eat lots and
> > lots of cold celery because it is cold, fibrous, and a complex carb.
> > Be sure to wash it down with lots of Diet Coke or espresso, just to
> > make sure.....better stay close to a bathroom though. dkw
>
> :-D
>
> Actually, a bowl of Fiber One doused with icey cold cherry coke zero
> would probably be quite good....
>
> XXXXXXgizzieXXXXXX
> (223/170/120)

Eeewwwww! What a combination. I do like both, but not together. dkw

<dkw12002@yahoo.com> wrote

>> Actually, a bowl of Fiber One doused with icey cold cherry coke zero
>> would probably be quite good....
XXXXXXXgizzieXXXXXXXX

> Eeewwwww! What a combination. I do like both, but not together. dkw

I mix some wierd things together. I made a magic bullet a few weeks ago
with green tea, strawberries and flax seed. It looked like mud and tasted
like.....mud. I do not recomend it.

Now, brown rice and mandarin oranges?? THAT is good (and was dinner
tonight)


--
XXXXXXgizzieXXXXXX
************************************************** ************************
We all get heavier as we get older because there is a lot more
information in our heads. So I'm not fat, I'm just really intelligent
and my head couldn't hold any more, so it started filling up the
rest of me.
************************************************** *************************

On May 19, 9:55 pm, "Willow Herself"
<willowki...@somethingkikeseamountains.net> wrote:
> Unless you're cold enough to be shivering, you ain't burning much more
> calories... and if you're cold enough to be shivering, to make it worth
> weight loss, you're risking hypothermia... ain't nothing to laugh about.

Hmm, I was not aware it took outright shivering to make a difference;
good point, if that's a fact!

> I'm Canadian.. and believe me... there aren't much more skinny people up
> there than there are down here!
>
> The Inuits will eat a very fatty diet to "keep warm"... cause the fat help
> them keep warm.. but I don't think the body "retain fat" significantly
> without dietary help.. if so, they wouldn't have to eat more before winter
> comes..

Ah, I wasn't aware of that, either. Very interesting lifetstyles up
there!

So there's really no way to lose fat other than to actually diet and/
or exercise. Oh well!

> Will~

Heh, well, that's one way to lose weight: weird foods!

On May 19, 5:37 pm, Cynthia P <nos...@dontwannit.net> wrote:
>
>
> My husband is obese... and is very tolerant of cold weather. Anyone
> willing to go out and shovel snow in what is -50F conditions (includes
> wind chill factor) is cold tolerant in my book!

Actually, I enjoy shoveling snow myself. And it makes you very hot,
so it actually doesn't feel cold out by comparison!

> The funny part is, I am from SE Texas... 90F/90% humidity, and am
> therefore NOT especially cold tolerant, even though I also am obese.
> When I moved to the Bay Area, CA, I was often cold at first, but I got
> used to it.
>
> However, after moving to North Dakota, one gets acclimated fairly
> quickly to some rather extreme cold conditions. When you are used to
> going around in -29F to 0F days in the regular ND winter, when it
> occasionally gets to a nice toasty 30F, you will go out and chip ice
> in a T-shirt, no problem! Been there, done that!
>
> Anyway, I didn't magically become thin up there, though the winters
> were long and cold!

Hmmm. I guess it's just all in my head, then!

> --
> Cynthia
> 262/243/152