Cold Weather & Bodyfat?

Does exposure to cold weather cause changes in the hormonal system(leptin, thyroid, ect.) that would encourage the accumulation of bodyfat? It seems logical.

Interesting question. I think that might be possibile, like our bodies our naturally preparing for the winter causing us to put on a little extra fat…afterall we are animals.

Well exercising in cold weather is GREAT for burning bodyfat. Plenty of studies to back it up too. So doing cardio or even better yet, something high-intensity like intervals or sprints in the cold (after a good warmup and stretching of course) is great at burning fat while preserving muscle. Studies show that not only does this burn more bodyfat, but it also preserves muscle VERY WELL. I was well aware of this “phenomenon” about 12 yrs ago. In college I usually cut bodyfat from 7% to 4% every winter just by doing sprints twice a week late at night in the cold. But that was college… :frowning:

[quote]RipStone wrote:
Interesting question. I think that might be possibile, like our bodies our naturally preparing for the winter causing us to put on a little extra fat…afterall we are animals. [/quote] People get fat for THREE reasons in the winter. ONE - way too much food b/c of the holidays. TWO - not enough time to workout - parties, running around getting gifts. THREE - LACK OF MOTIVATION. Cold weather means more clothing and more clothing means we can get more comfortable being fat. People wear sweaters, sweatshirts, heavy jackets, pants - who’s going to notice another 10lbs of bodyfat?

[quote]greatgro wrote:
Well exercising in cold weather is GREAT for burning bodyfat. Plenty of studies to back it up too. So doing cardio or even better yet, something high-intensity like intervals or sprints in the cold (after a good warmup and stretching of course) is great at burning fat while preserving muscle. Studies show that not only does this burn more bodyfat, but it also preserves muscle VERY WELL. I was well aware of this “phenomenon” about 12 yrs ago. In college I usually cut bodyfat from 7% to 4% every winter just by doing sprints twice a week late at night in the cold. But that was college… :([/quote]

I don’t see the logic behind that at all. Mind giving some links to studies proving this?

My appetite jumps in the winter time.

Gaining weight in the winter time as a means of survival is common with animals. I don’t see why it would be strange if people also naturally tended to put on some weight too.

For me, I tend to workout more relgiosly during the winter cus basiclly, there is not much else to do. I mean in the summer I can be more active but there are also a lot more distractions for me. I dunno…that’s just me.

I don’t have any studies but I believe its because the body uses up so many more calories just maintaining correct body temperature. I read somewhere that a huge proportion of our daily calories are burned for this alone.

Hey, thought I might chime in and hopefully help a bit.

There was an article recently ( past few months) by LL I think. It was all about tips on dieting down for contest prep. Part of it had to do with cold temps and the rise it gave to your BMR making you naturally burn more k/cals. It was about ways to lose mnore weight and not have to lower intake any more.

So he suggested cold swims/baths, lowering house temp during the day and even further while sleeping. Yup it is all about the body having to expend more energy to warm itself.

Wish I had a link, hope this helps,
Phill

[quote]ILOVEGWBUSH5 wrote:
greatgro wrote:
Well exercising in cold weather is GREAT for burning bodyfat. Plenty of studies to back it up too. So doing cardio or even better yet, something high-intensity like intervals or sprints in the cold (after a good warmup and stretching of course) is great at burning fat while preserving muscle. Studies show that not only does this burn more bodyfat, but it also preserves muscle VERY WELL. I was well aware of this “phenomenon” about 12 yrs ago. In college I usually cut bodyfat from 7% to 4% every winter just by doing sprints twice a week late at night in the cold. But that was college… :frowning:

I don’t see the logic behind that at all. Mind giving some links to studies proving this?[/quote]

Yeah, I’d like to see some articles on that as well, if anyone knows where to look for them. It makes sense, as far as your body using more energy to maintain body temp. However, Ive also read a couple articles discussing how swimming was one of the worst types of exercises for burning fat (otherwise, it’s great for other cardio benefits), as your body will not burn as many calories when it’s cold as a result of the water. I think the same article also reported that people who swim regularly tend to have thicker skin. Unfortunatly, I cant remember exactly where it was that I saw an article on that.

Yeah, you never see “shredded” swimmers even though they train as much as other athletes do.

Spoken like a true waterphobe. It isn’t in their interests to be shredded. They sink, and the efficiency of the stroke suffers.

DI

Charles Poloquin once wrote about pearl divers in single bodyfat digits, who’s bodyfat rose to low double digits. This was because they lost so much body heat during swimming. The extra layer of body fat helps to hold body heat. I guess it would be like insulation in your house. So it makes sense that in winter to hold on to body heat your body holds on to an extra layer of fat.