I'm Cold

[SusanL]

I think I lost 30 lbs., but I am constantly cold in PA. I know that it is cold here but I am really cold. Besides wearing so much clothing, what can I do?

[Meganator]

Get your thyroid checked. DH's thyroid basically quit working altogether, and his only outward symptom was that he was really cold one winter, whereas he was normally always warmer than me.

As far as managing your comfort for the time being, are you wearing socks and slippers (at home)? And, as silly as it might sound, some kind of hat, even in the house. DH wore a Santa hat around during his winter of cold. :) (It was about March before he got around to going to the doctor).

[DmOrtega]

Drinking hot liquids and eating hot heavier foods help. I also wear long underwear under my clothes when it gets really cold. This is normal attire for me when I play field hockey or soccer, and even under my pajamas. REI is a good source for cold weather clothing.

Also, I've been doing yoga and this seems to work the endocrine system which helps to regulate metabolism. When I do this routine, my body heats up, this is normal because my metabolism is running faster.

http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

[Angelina]

How cold is your house? And are you cold at home, at work or all of the above?

I know some people keep their homes at very low temperatures, and maybe they don't feel it as much when they have 30 extra pounds of insulation, but then it gets to you...

At work, I am constantly freezing, but it's everybody freezing, so I know it is not me.

Also, drinking cold drinks will make you feel even colder. My days of chugging cold water are gone, at least in the office, because afterwards I would be literally shivering. Drink lots of hot drinks, if you need to drink...:)

Angela

[Vanessa]

Hi
Congrats on loosing weight! About being cold. I don't like winter because of cold... I do wear a slippers with socks around the house and to sleep and when out wear gloves hat and a heavy coat.
My house is quite open and in our master is several degrees colder. I keep some throws around the house just in case it gets chilly. I think if you wear even the top of a thermal underwear you will feel warmer.
I keep the house at 67 and DH swears that even 1 degree makes a difference...so you might want to go up one degree temp.
Soup oatmeal and food like that will keep you warm.

[CompassRose]

You may not be eating enough, or you may have depressed your metabolism with dieting.

Back when I was dieting strictly and lifting weights, I could always tell when I wasn't eating enough calories because I'd be freezing, right to the bone. Try adding a couple hundred calories to your daily allotment. Make sure you're eating enough healthy fats -- those also have a pronounced effect on metabolism. Udo's Oil, hempseed and flax, nuts, or oily fish -- they're important.

[southjerseymom]

I can sympathize with you! I am always cold-even if it's 65 and sunny. I have Raynaud's syndrome and auto-immune problems which explains my intolerance to cold weather. What to do I do to warm up? Though thermal underwear is warm, it adds bulk . Under armour is super when I'm exercising in the cold but I find it too constricting to wear all day. I love cuddle duds. You can find them in any major department store. Comfortable, light and definitely will warm you up. Looks like thermal underwear just not as heavy. Fleece is comfy. Even got one of those zip up fleece robes that go down to the ankles. I know. Quite sexy but it helps;) . Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves. Heavy socks and slippers help but I find my feet are hardest to keep warm. Drinking hot tea throughout the day is helpful as long as you have access to a bathroom:D

[HealthyinMN]

I can sympathize with you! I am always cold-even if it's 65 and sunny. I have Raynaud's syndrome and auto-immune problems which explains my intolerance to cold weather.

Heavy socks and slippers help but I find my feet are hardest to keep warm.

Since I lost weight a few years ago, my Raynaud's has gotten much worse and I'm there with you about being cold at 65 degrees. I swear I'm always cold - my hands and feet are the worst, but the rest of me feels it too... I've been know to wear a couple pairs of socks, along with slippers, just to get my feet warmed up!

[SusanL]

Thanks everyone, I do wear extra socks, gloves, and cuddleduds. Still cold. I think it is because of the weight loss,DH says. But I am always cold, so I think that he is too warm?! He just complained that I am too cold,!

[gabbyh]

...Besides wearing so much clothing, what can I do?

There's a great house right next door for sale:D

Wonderful weight loss Susan! One thing about that bone-chilling PA cold...very hard to get warm...much easier to run into the air-condioning to get cool!

~Gail

[SusanL]

Hey Gail, we now have two invites, one to
Arizona and now Florida, how do we make a choice? DH is going out to run, it is 17 degrees outside. I am going back to bed!! Thanks everyone, I wear gloves, think I need to gain some weight.

[Couperine]

I know it's been posted, but I'd suggest getting your thyroid checked. My MIL has thyroid issues, and she's an absolute popsicle when her dosage needs altered. I'd rather know that I don't have thyroid problems or Raynaud's (as previously mentioned) before concentrating exclusively on clothing options. Just my two cents.

[SusanL]

Thanks everyone, I am warmer now, DH has turned the heat to 78 degrees, I have two sweaters on, plus a loving cat who enjoys cuddling! And DH too!Hope that is not sharing too much info but I am warmer today! I hate the cold weather, Gail, I want to come down to your place NOW!! ;)

[sparrowgrass]

I have lost 14 pounds in the last couple months, and I notice that I am very cold.

I don't think it is the 14 pounds, since I still have a good layer of insulation ;). I think eating all the time kept me warmer. Now that I am not digesting 24 hours a day, I get cold.

I will stick with my diet anyhow, and just get used to cold feet. Spring will be here soon.

[Robyn1007]

Thanks everyone, I am warmer now, DH has turned the heat to 78 degrees, I have two sweaters on, plus a loving cat who enjoys cuddling! And DH too!Hope that is not sharing too much info but I am warmer today! I hate the cold weather, Gail, I want to come down to your place NOW!! ;)

I concur with the suggestions to go to your doctor. 78 degrees is quite high in my book. At home I keep my thermostat at 60 but share heat from other apartments around me. I'm sitting in the Vail house right now at it's 71 in here (heat was set to 65 but the fireplace heats well) and I'm hot. I just removed my socks and am about to head downstairs as it's too hot up here. Anyhow, that's my way of saying get checked because at 78 you should be toasty warm.

[armel]

And if your thyroid is fine . . . just remember that there are others out there who keep their thermostat set to 78, 79 or so. Mine is at 79. And I was feeling rather chilly (because we have been rainy and humid). I finally warmed up from the heat of the laptop computer. :rolleyes:

If you can afford it and your husband can stand the hotter house temp, there is nothing wrong with having the thermostat set higher. My parents are visiting and complained about how hot my house is. I said what I always do . . . I finally can be warm after growing up my whole life in IL and freezing in the winter from the cold and low thermostat setting and freezing in the summer from them having the a/c on all the time . . . so they are welcome to put on the shorts that they brought.

Oh, and I live in Southern California. At least you live someplace cold.

Btw, congrats on losing the weight.

ETA: And yes, I was cold with jeans, long sleeve sweater, socks and shoes on. so i can understand how you can still be cold bundling up.

[DmOrtega]

Wow ... keeping the temp at 78 or higher is way to high, indoors, for me. I get really lethargic. My parents kept the heat high because they were getting older and had no insulation. After a few years of keeping their heat high, they were cold anywhere that they went because they had become climatized to the higher heat within their house. Every time we went to their house our cheeks turned bright red. It was really not comfortable and we couldn't wear shorts because once we left their house it wasn't 78* anywhere.

We have a heat issue at work. I've noticed that when the fan turns on the air moves. People feel the air movement and say "It's cold". It's 75*F people, it's not cold. What they don't care for is the air circulating and touching them in any way. I have my own fan that I use to counterbalance that issue. ;)

[VictoriaL]

My sister is always freezing and keeps her thermostat uncomfortably high (around 72). We've always teased her that she is cold because she is thin (size 2) but she just found out that she has an underactive thyroid.

Susan, we're supposed to be getting low-to-mid 40's and sun Monday and Tuesday-- this should be your chance to warm up! ;)

[SusanL]

Thanks Vicci
DH is taking me out to dinner, I really hate being cold, I need to move to Florida! Hey GAIL!

[SusanL]

Woke up this morning, it was 60 degrees, is it just me or what? Thought having hot flashes were bad, now I am so cold. What's up with menopause???

[Valerie226]

I also agree you should get thyroid function checked. 78 degrees is incredibly hot. I would only visit you if I could sit outside and talk to you thru the door.
You sound vague about "thinking" you lost 30 pounds. Most of us would have to work out like crazy and restrict calories in a major way to do that. Do you know why you lost the weight? was it intentional? are you really thin now or are you in a normal weight range for your height? I'm suggesting that unintended weight loss needs to be checked out by a visit to your doctor. There are lots of reasons for unintended weight loss some serious and some not, but if you don't know why, you need to find out. Really. type 2 diabetes is one thing that comes to mind.

[SusanL]

Thanks Valerie, Dr. stated I lost 30 lbs. he wants to see me this week after seeing me 2 weeks ago. He is a gasteroenterologist. Drinking Boost two times a day is not enough. I need to eat more but I can't. So I will see him again. He seems to be very thorough! I get to the point that I just can't eat! Go figure!~

[DmOrtega]

Drinking Boost two times a day is not enough. I need to eat more but I can't. So I will see him again. He seems to be very thorough! I get to the point that I just can't eat!

I'm concerned about your last post. Something just isn't sitting well with me. Are you on a special diet? Are you intentionally trying to lose weight? It seems to me that drinking a liquid diet twice a day isn't a good diet unless your dr has asked you to do it. Even then it would be short term.

[Valerie226]

I'm so glad to hear that you're being monitored. So many of us have an awful time just maintaining and not gaining weight that whenever someone loses weight and isn't trying to, it should be checked out. Hope he can get you straightened out ASAP!
I do outdoor sports in cold wet weather. staying warm is a priority. Dressing in layers works. a lightweight long sleeve shirt with a sweater over is much warmer ( and more adjustable than one heavy sweater.
Fingerless gloves keep your hands warm but still keep your fingers usable. A hat is the first thing to put on if you're cold. We lose at least 50% of our body heat from the head. next-to-skin layers are warmer if they are a synthetic, wicking fabric. I am a warm person but have sweaty feet. I'm much warmer in wool socks than cotton since cotton gets damp and damp material wicks away body heat. Wool, silk, and synthetic materials like polartec and capilene are warm even if damp. I don't like wool next to my skin and prefer synthetics. God luck, hope your doc gets you straightened around.

[SusanL]

Thanks DmOrtega and Valerie,
No I am not trying to lose weight, in fact the two boost are more than I normally have in half a day. Not to be gross but vomiting everything you digest gets to the point that you don't want to eat anything. That has been happening for a long time and I finally went to the dr. Still no cause for it but I do have a sensitive stomach. I am truly working on getting this under control.