I wasn’t sure where to post this, so apologies if it’s in the wrong place. I was wondering about low bodyfat and feeling cold. I live in a humid central American country and basically still feel hot and sweaty most of time if no a/c is on. I would guess I am about 18-19% bf and was wondering if getting down to 10% or less would really make me feel colder - i.e. make living here more comfortable?
Does anyone have any experience of losing significant bf (to below 10%) and living in a very humid climate? I would love to think stripping the fat would make living here more comfortable - would be extra motivation to lose fat!!
Yeah it makes a noticeable difference for me. Especially so if I am fasting. I work in an office and when I am dieting down, I am freezing all the time while everyone around me thinks its comfortable.
[quote]BCpowder wrote:
Yeah it makes a noticeable difference for me. Especially so if I am fasting. I work in an office and when I am dieting down, I am freezing all the time while everyone around me thinks its comfortable. [/quote]
This. I always use fasting to lean down, and during the periods of fast when I’m lower body fat, I’m extremely cold. Then when the evening comes and I begin to eat, especially carbs, I sweat like a fat man in a 5k.
[quote]chigglyboy wrote:
Does anyone have any experience of losing significant bf (to below 10%) and living in a very humid climate? I would love to think stripping the fat would make living here more comfortable - would be extra motivation to lose fat!![/quote]
Plenty of husky Polynesians would point towards it being totally normal to carry plenty of bodyfat in a hot, humid environment.
Sure, getting really lean removes some of nature’s insulation, but if you’re trying to stay cool in a hot place, things like simple hydration and ventilation will be ridiculously more effective/efficient. It’s not like 90 degrees feels brisk and chilly to a guy who has well-defined abs. Hot and humid is still hot and humid.
I think conditioning also plays a role. If you train hard often and sweat a lot you will already be better off in the heat. Good conditioning will also mean less fat too.
I’ved experienced feeling cold when no one else around me is before, but it’s always been really far into a contest diet. This is well beyond the levels of leanness most people would ever even care to attempt, so I wouldn’t really worry about feeling cold at ~10%, which is relatively soft by contest standards.
Of course if you talk to any normally lean woman, who has had to be pregnant during warmer months, they’ll let you know in no uncertain terms that it’s much more uncomfortable when you’re carrying any extra weight.
[quote]texas man wrote:
It does crap, you won’t feel a difference heat wise. If anything you’ll be warmer from metabolism[/quote]
Have you ever gotten substantially lean before? Its cold times dude.[/quote]
I haven’t ever got contest lean like you have if thats you in your avi, but I am lean enough to have veins on my abs when I’m dried out like the morning after a night of drinking. I always thought that was more to do with a lack of carbs and your body not giving off heat using them.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I’ved experienced feeling cold when no one else around me is before, but it’s always been really far into a contest diet. This is well beyond the levels of leanness most people would ever even care to attempt, so I wouldn’t really worry about feeling cold at ~10%, which is relatively soft by contest standards.
S[/quote]
I have no doubt that people feel cold in those states - I have experienced it myself to some degree. However, doesn’t it have to do more with the long hard dieting and its effects on the Thyroid (low T3 levels) than the absolute body fat levels itself? Probably both.
[quote]chigglyboy wrote:
Does anyone have any experience of losing significant bf (to below 10%) and living in a very humid climate? I would love to think stripping the fat would make living here more comfortable - would be extra motivation to lose fat!![/quote]
Plenty of husky Polynesians would point towards it being totally normal to carry plenty of bodyfat in a hot, humid environment.
Sure, getting really lean removes some of nature’s insulation, but if you’re trying to stay cool in a hot place, things like simple hydration and ventilation will be ridiculously more effective/efficient. It’s not like 90 degrees feels brisk and chilly to a guy who has well-defined abs. Hot and humid is still hot and humid.[/quote]
Just a side point–The Polynesians’ husky-ness is a more recent condition due to an essentially “paleo” diet crashing into modern diets full of span, and general garbage. It is generally not their natural tendency.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I’ved experienced feeling cold when no one else around me is before, but it’s always been really far into a contest diet. This is well beyond the levels of leanness most people would ever even care to attempt, so I wouldn’t really worry about feeling cold at ~10%, which is relatively soft by contest standards.
S[/quote]
I have no doubt that people feel cold in those states - I have experienced it myself to some degree. However, doesn’t it have to do more with the long hard dieting and its effects on the Thyroid (low T3 levels) than the absolute body fat levels itself? Probably both.[/quote]
Probably. I’ve had preps where I was freezing all the time, and ones where I felt I was actually “running hot” despite lower bf levels. Regardless, bf acts as an insulator, so carrying around a good amount more would certainly be noticed by most people.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I’ved experienced feeling cold when no one else around me is before, but it’s always been really far into a contest diet. This is well beyond the levels of leanness most people would ever even care to attempt, so I wouldn’t really worry about feeling cold at ~10%, which is relatively soft by contest standards.
S[/quote]
I have no doubt that people feel cold in those states - I have experienced it myself to some degree. However, doesn’t it have to do more with the long hard dieting and its effects on the Thyroid (low T3 levels) than the absolute body fat levels itself? Probably both.[/quote]
My body temp was around 95 everyday and would get to 96 in the gym with 3 layers on, before i was diagnosed with hashimotos