I'm always cold...

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anttismo
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I'm always cold...

Postby anttismo » Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:58 am

Wonder if others here are problems staying warm?

As background, I was once more than double my current weight, and was always warm and sweating. 4 years ago I started losing weight and soon noticed a huge change to feeling cold. Over the last 3 years I've sat around 100kg and have been cold. This winter, for that sake of change, I've been losing weight and ma currently around 94kg. And colder than ever.

It's general feelings of coldness - wear long sleeve shirt and pants unless over 30 degrees and humid, always wear a base long layer on pushie unless 20+, that kind of thing, And terribly cold hands and feet. I always were gloves - MX gloves if 20+, intermediate gloves of various thicknesses as it gets cold, winter gloves at 10, and below 5 it is ski gloves with extra liners. My hands are never warm. Same with feet - woollen merino socks all year round, 2 layers by 10 degree, in winter merino socks + heavy winter sock + mtb shoes + heaviest booties I can find. My feet are never warm.

It bogles my mind to see dudes out on 10 degree winter monring WITHOUT gloves and base layers, or 5 degree monrings with scrawny light gloves on. My hands would stop working within 2 minutes. That's not a joke, even with lots of gloves I often stop being able to brake and shift gears properly, especially on the mtb shifters.

I also lose heat in an instant. I feel warm, stand around for 5 minutes and I'm freezing and seem to take forever to warm up again. My hand and feet seem never to recover, so I don't let them get cold - for example, wear thermal glove liners around the house in winter, especially out in the shed getting bike ready. It's annoying. I'm sitting in 22 degree office right now with thermal fleece on, and fleece vest over the top, and with my permanently cold hands....

I wonder if being so overweight for so long (peak BMI > 60) and having plenty of excess skin to now being very lean has thrown all my systems out - lots of skin + little subcutaneous fat = worst combination possible for losing heat.

anyway, thinking of putting on 20 or 30 kg right now :lol:

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outnabike
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby outnabike » Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:08 am

Does your heart work and is actually pumping? I hate it when the doc shakes his head and says "If you were a horse we'd have shoot to you" :) Just ask the doc for advice.
All I can say is pedal harder and it will happen, got to lift the old energy system out of the doldrums. :)
Hope you find the problem.
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cyclotaur
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby cyclotaur » Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:29 am

I know people who grew up in houses where the hearing was always on full blast and they now have terrible circulation in their hands, feet and limbs and always need to rug up when the temp drops below 20 C.

Maybe something similar ... in your case due to a previous lifetime of large protective layer of insulation.


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silentC
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby silentC » Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:32 am

I'm the opposite. Whilst I do feel the cold if I'm sitting around doing nothing, I overheat easily. Feet out the end of the bed type of person, even in winter. Sometimes I start getting hot for no apparent reason, especially after eating.

When I ride, I usually wear just a sleeveless mesh base with either arm warmers and a short sleeved jersey, or a long sleeved jersey. I rarely ever wear longs and don't own leg warmers. I've got some winter gloves, but only wear them below 7 or 8 degrees. Otherwise fingerless gloves. It's a bit chilly to start but within a km I'm up to operating temperature. I sometimes stick my fingerless gloves in my pocket and take the winter gloves off after half an hour. Zipper on the jersey has to come down usually too.
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outnabike
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby outnabike » Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:34 am

What always gets me with you blokes that answer questions like this is that there is no comparison with where you all live in relation to the OP.
" Oh I ride around in shorts, dunno what's wrong with you, lovely here in Darwin"
The Op lives in Antarctica. :)
What's wrong with even giving a state or capitol city. :)

Any way there are other reasons for the malady it seems....http://voxxi.com/2013/09/20/why-am-i-al ... reatments/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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silentC
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby silentC » Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:54 am

I live on the NSW coast about halfway between the OP and Sydney. As I noted, it gets down below 7 or 8 degrees, and close to 0 some mornings. It was 7.8 this morning but I didn't ride, yesterday it was 5.4 and I did.
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silentC
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby silentC » Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:57 am

There you go, I've added my location :P
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march83
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby march83 » Wed Jul 16, 2014 12:01 pm

I can sympathise. i lost about 10kg 2 winters ago and by summer my weight loss had stalled, i was down to eating 1200-1500cals a day (fastidiously tracked) while i weighed about 85-90kg. this was by no means underweight, but i was relatively skinny. no dexas, but some photo comparisons put me at ~12% bf.

but i was freezing all the time - long pants and jackets at work, never hot through the summer, base layer when out riding even though it was hot out. I was also suffering with some back and nerve issues at the time (bulging disc, horrible sciatica) - no idea if that's relevant.

I assumed the issue was the chronic calorie restriction, but when i upped the calories to try and get over it i was still cold and i was packing on kilograms. the calories in VS calories out numbers didn't make a great deal of sense and i still don't understand what was going on.

anyway, over the course of a few months i put back on a few kgs, had back surgery to fix my neurological issues and ate fairly well. I also had some considerable breaks from work and reduced my stress levels immensely. interestingly, i re-lost that weight and got back to the mid 80s last year with a 1 month block of HIIT and zero stress due to time off work. it was the easiest weight loss ever and i put it down to an almost complete absence of stress - go figure.

so basically, i have no answers for you, but i can only offer that there's a lot that goes on with hormones and the like that doesn't make a great deal of sense :\

edit: out of interest, what's your resting heart rate like? have you had any bloodwork done lately? testosterone, thyroid function, etc?

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casual_cyclist
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby casual_cyclist » Wed Jul 16, 2014 12:47 pm

anttismo wrote:Wonder if others here are problems staying warm?
I do when I don't eat enough. I have unintentionally gone too low in calories and it makes me cold. I have a lot of other side effects too: slow metabolism, lack of energy, no ... drive, disinterest in life... it goes on. When I eat more I warm up, get my energy back, get my ... drive back and generally feel more alive.
anttismo wrote:It's general feelings of coldness - wear long sleeve shirt and pants unless over 30 degrees and humid, always wear a base long layer on pushie unless 20+, that kind of thing, And terribly cold hands and feet. My hands are never warm. Same with feet - woollen merino socks all year round, 2 layers by 10 degree, in winter merino socks + heavy winter sock + mtb shoes + heaviest booties I can find. My feet are never warm.
IMO, that is not normal and I think you should follow it up with a medical professional. It's probably nothing but it is certainly worth checking out. I'm not one to run to the doctor every time I break a fingernail either, so I don't make the recommendation lightly. Mayo has a good little write up:
Although the cause of cold hands can be as simple as being in a cold environment or your body's natural response to maintain its normal temperature, if you have ongoing problems with cold hands, there could be a number of causes. Having cold hands could signal a problem with your blood circulation or the blood vessels in your hands.

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you're concerned about persistently cold hands. Your doctor can check if your cold hands are caused by a problem with your blood circulation or nerves. Treatment is aimed at the underlying cause of your cold hands.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/cold ... m-20050648" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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brawlo
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby brawlo » Wed Jul 16, 2014 3:51 pm

I have lost 25kg over the last few years and have noticed exactly what you are saying. I still have possibly 15-20kg I could lose, but I do carry a decent amount of muscle mass. My wife could testify to me saying that over the winter perhaps I should gain back another 10kg or so just to keep me warm.

Having said that however, I produce a lot of heat when I become active. I've always been a big sweater and that hasn't subsided at all with the weight loss. Once I get the blood circulating in my extremities while on the bike, I'm good for the rest of the ride. It usually takes 5-10min.

My take on the situation is it's like moving somewhere very different climate wise and having it take quite some time to have your body adjust. Think of the fat you used to have acting like you were in a warmer climate for so long, and then you moved. Say from Sydney to Melbourne where you are. It's not a huge difference, but it's very noticeable. I'm guessing your body should adjust after a few years, or at least I hope it does for my own sake!

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby casual_cyclist » Wed Jul 16, 2014 4:09 pm

I'm sweaty today even though it's cold. I rode in to work, had a nice fatty breakfast and a massive carb up for lunch. I had to walk up a big hill to get back to work and by the top I felt really warm. That was 2 hours ago and I'm still sweating!
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anttismo
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby anttismo » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:30 pm

Interesting comments. Personally I don't think I have adapted to the change noticeably. For 3 years I was kind of the same weight and felt cold in winter - around 100kg give or take.

I'm not sure it was calorie restriction either. 4 winters ago I was losing 10kg a month and felt fine, but still 50-80kg overweight. Last 3 winters I've not really been in calorie deficit and have gained 3 or 4 kg each time, that I lose running into spring. Always felt cold during the last 3.

This winter I am in calorie deficit as I've been losing about 1kg a week. I eat say 4000 a day so it is not a small amount, just I burn 5000+.

Re: blood test. Last huge medical - ekg, glucose tolerance, organ function, etc was 2011 and all was spot on. Well, except rest HR which is 27 so pretty low.

Personally I think it is at least partly pure insulation. I am colder than ever and I am very lean these days - arms and legs just muscle, bone and veins. I can also see my ribs which is very wierd for me, especially given the amount of flabby gut and !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! I have as a legacy of being 200+ kg.

Not sure if there is more to it, but I guess I'll talk to doc when I go see him soon :)

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby AKO » Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:54 pm

The boys at work used to call me the Eskimo on night shift during winter. It gets to between 0 and 5 degrees and long king gee work shirt and pants used to be enough to keep me comfortable.

I have lost 20 odd kg's since last winter and I am not coping quite as well this winter. So no, it's not just you.
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby g-boaf » Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:00 am

anttismo wrote:Interesting comments. Personally I don't think I have adapted to the change noticeably. For 3 years I was kind of the same weight and felt cold in winter - around 100kg give or take.

I'm not sure it was calorie restriction either. 4 winters ago I was losing 10kg a month and felt fine, but still 50-80kg overweight. Last 3 winters I've not really been in calorie deficit and have gained 3 or 4 kg each time, that I lose running into spring. Always felt cold during the last 3.

This winter I am in calorie deficit as I've been losing about 1kg a week. I eat say 4000 a day so it is not a small amount, just I burn 5000+.

Re: blood test. Last huge medical - ekg, glucose tolerance, organ function, etc was 2011 and all was spot on. Well, except rest HR which is 27 so pretty low.

Personally I think it is at least partly pure insulation. I am colder than ever and I am very lean these days - arms and legs just muscle, bone and veins. I can also see my ribs which is very wierd for me, especially given the amount of flabby gut and !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! I have as a legacy of being 200+ kg.

Not sure if there is more to it, but I guess I'll talk to doc when I go see him soon :)
I think this is pretty normal. I feel the cold as well. When you are lean, that's the way it is. Just have to dress really warm. Last weekend I went out on the Sunday with thermal pants, thermal long sleeve jersey, wind-breaker over that and a jacket over the top of the wind-breaker and winter gloves. If I don't do that I absolutely freeze - to the point where I don't warm up properly.

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby ball bearing » Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:30 am

Took off before sunrise this morning - @6 degrees wearing wool baselayer and a polyester one over that topped with a Castelli Espresso, bib tights, winter gloves and neoprene overshoes with a head warmer under my helmet and I still felt cold. Usually I would be very toasty wearing all that but there must have been relatively high humidity or my body temperature regulator was still asleep. I'm still warming up.

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby Sweeper59 » Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:33 am

Improving your fitness has far more benefits than just losing weight and feeling better. Regular vigorous exercise puts stress on your body which (generally) re-builds stronger and more resilient to the increased activity. This often results in improvement to your lung capacity, oxygen absorption, release of wastes etc. However, the improvement to your blood flow is very interesting. Regular exercise not only improves the operation of your heart, but also improves the efficiency of your blood circulation by increasing the size and number of arteries and capilliaries throughout your body.

So, in simple terms, it could be that you have lost much of the insulating layer (fat) that you once had, but you now have more capilliaries close to your skin, and more efficient temperature receptors than you previously had. Suer, you may feel the cold a little more these days, but I reckon it's sign that your body is more efficient and receptive these days.
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby rpmspinman » Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:06 pm

I too feel the cold way more than other people I know. Perhaps its my asian heritage. Coming from Thailand where its humid 99 times out of 100, I can feel even a 1deg temperature drop. When I ride, I check the weather. Even at 12-15deg, I tend to rug up with thermal bib tights, LS base layer, roubaix LS jersey, booties and a beanie. Yeah after about 1/2 hour of riding fairly hard I warm up, but 10mins after I stop the wind and cold goes straight through me. I point it down to genetics. Some of the people I ride with think its overkill but if I feel the cold, I feel the cold. Nothing I can do about it.

I was 92kg at my heaviest (only 165cm tall) and now as steady and maintainable 75-77kg.
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby lobstermash » Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:17 pm

Food intake has the biggest impact on whether or not I feel cold. Especially carb intake.
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby Duck! » Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:20 pm

I suspect genetics has at least some influence. My parents, sister and I are all quite fit, and very lean (mum describes dad's build as being like a toothpick with the wood scraped off :P ). Dad and my sister feel the cold quite badly, while mum & I are very much the opposite (located SE Melbourne, like the OP BTW).

Sure I'll feel it a bit if I'm not doing anything, but if I'm at all active it doesn't take much to warm me up. On the bike I'm always in shorts - I don't own any kind of long cycling pants at all - and short sleeves if it's any more than 10 deg. If it's sub-10 I'll chuck a long-sleeved top on. For commuting it's just t-shirt & shorts, + long-sleeved t-shirt if it's sub-10. don't bother with the "proper" kit 'cos it's a short commute. I'm on my feet at work all day, and in a job where there's no dress code beyond common decency, so the gear I commute in is what I'm in all day. Boss has the heater on in this weather, so I'm back to short t-shirt by lunchtime most days. :-) And I don't think I've ever got above 65kg (62-63 is normal).
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby yugyug » Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:07 pm

Well it seems we are all pretty different in terms of how we handle heat and cold. No problem for me when I'm out on the bike, cos I'll wear what little I need and warm up quickly. What's hard is dealing with those people that do feel the cold - I argue with my wife daily about running the heater full ball when I'm in a tshirt and my 2 year old is just in a nappy (seems he's like me) while my wife is wearing sweaters and gloves. Living in Japan over several winters was like a nightmare for me - shopping malls, bars and restaurants have the heat turned up so high I felt like passing out while most of the locals are shivering lol

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby Constantheadwind » Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:53 pm

As we age we feel the cold more so. Hence the exodus up north to warmer climes for the retirees.

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby Ross » Sat Jul 19, 2014 2:10 pm

anttismo wrote: It bogles my mind to see dudes out on 10 degree winter monring WITHOUT gloves and base layers, or 5 degree monrings with scrawny light gloves on.
I regularly see guys riding around in shorts when the temps are in the minuses. A guy who rides with my group on Sundays rode last week with just summer s/s jersey and short knicks, no gloves and the temp was -4.3 degrees! :shock:

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby Andrew09 » Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:48 am

P.S. It's winter.

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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby casual_cyclist » Mon Jul 21, 2014 12:31 pm

Andrew09 wrote:P.S. It's winter.
That's when we notice it the most. I put on a baselayer, thermal bib longs, winter long sleeved jersey, warm socks, gloves and a skull cap and shiver along for the first half of my ride until I warm up. Meanwhile there are guys riding with shorts, short sleeved jersey and half finger gloves. I don't know how they do it.
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Re: I'm always cold...

Postby rpmspinman » Mon Jul 21, 2014 12:46 pm

casual_cyclist wrote:
Andrew09 wrote:P.S. It's winter.
That's when we notice it the most. I put on a baselayer, thermal bib longs, winter long sleeved jersey, warm socks, gloves and a skull cap and shiver along for the first half of my ride until I warm up. Meanwhile there are guys riding with shorts, short sleeved jersey and half finger gloves. I don't know how they do it.
It boggles the mind. I too don't understand it either.

I went out yesterday on a sunny yet brisk 12-14deg day. LS base layer, SS jersey over the top, bib knicks with 2XU leggings over the top, and still felt cold. Yet I saw numerous riders in SS jerseys and shorts only and thought WOW, how do they cope?

Maybe I need to Belgian up or something.....
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