Unheated houses and obesity

[Projekt]

Unheated houses make you fat. That is, you require more energy to stay warm in a house that is not heated regularly. Therefore, you eat higher amounts of food and more regularly so as to maintain the fire stoked metaphorically. The few extra pounds gained turn into a few too many...

 

[newman]

I think I better get a lot of extra heating then.

 

[Projekt]

The hotter the better.. That is how I realized that I used to be heavier living here and it has to do with the food available at home but more fundamentally with the need to stay warm.. I tend to be of a leaner composition by a long shot than my sisters and mother who are gravitate to this house. The don't ever complain about cold because they carry a lot of fat. I however did not arrive with a ton of fat and as a matter of fat was at around 12-14% when I got here at 255lbs dressed. Now I am 262-263 pounds dressed and look at the past few weeks full of a giant vacuum like appetite that has brought this with no other explanation being that I get cold too often in this house that doesn't have a central furnace.

 

[SoCal Blur]

Of course you could use this to your advantage. Keep your calorie intake down and your body will burn more fat trying to keep you warm. You will lose weight faster if you don't give in to the increased calorie intake.

 

[outlawbusa]

Could be other factors involved...one is the initiative to be more active when it's warm outside.

 

[GsxrBots]

Your theory is busted. My wife is always cold, therefore its hot as Hell in our house. And I'm a lard arse..

 

[fallenarch]

I can assure you I can manage to gain weight in a hot house.

 

[Tufbusa]

This is the first time I've heard that theory when justifying weight gain.

Kinda like gravel in a corner crash thingy, eh?

If we work at it we can justify about anything I suppose?

 

[VaBusa]

Shoot, I thought overeating/non-activity did this...

Learn something new every single day

 

[Tiller]

I knew it was my home's fault that i'm fat..... I should sue the builder for making it not well insulated!

 

[Flicka]

So that's my problem...

Note to self: Spend more time relaxing by the fire.

 

[880jedi]

I haven't missed a meal yet, and I'm sure that's why I'm fat.

 

[Projekt]

Just to give you an idea, I arrived here at about 255 dressed.. Now I am around 262-264. Yes. There has been inactivity but also an inordinate appetite when previously I was not eating nearly as much. The house is unheated save for a small dish type heater in the main room. My Mother and sisters are all well overweight into the Obese territory and I was freezing when they were cozy in their PJs. I would have a blanket wrapped around me to try to keep warm and now that I have been eating like a hog and have gained those 7-9 pounds, I no longer am as cold as I was upon arrival 3 weeks ago. Look into it. It is not my theory but biological and natural fat. There are endless examples in the animal kingdom that have this condition as a normal parameter of existence. Look at ocean dwelling mammals in the whale and seal/otter family. They keep core temperature elevated by the fact that they have a think layer of blubber. Now, these thermal rules are the same for humans. If you wrapped yourself in a layer of fiberglass, jute or other organic insulation such as a thick comforter and learn to function in it, you will expend less energy.

 

[BUBBA]

My wife has a very effective exercise program.
She' hot, she's cold! She' hot, she's cold! She' hot, she's cold! She' hot, she's cold! She' hot, she's cold! She' hot, she's cold!

This keeps her in pretty good shape and my cardio is up as well!
This works in any type of weather!

 

[GNBRETT]

when ur body is cold the body burns more energy to stay warm so what makes you think that as a result everyone is gonna run to the fridge and stuff their bellys? ???

ull burn more fat and therefore lose weight and therefore ur body will demand less calories. so ur theory is flawed.

ones brown adipose tissue also plays a huge roll in how many calories they will need to burn to stay warm. regular fat stores excess energy and calories. brown fat acts like an internal furnace that eats lots of calories but it has to be activated first.

if one burns 100-200 calories a day due to colder temps over a period of several weeks they will have burned an extra 3,500 calories. 3500 calories in a pound. when people go running they dont necessarily come back home and stuff themselves cause they have burned energy.

 

[busa-saga]

wouldnt that depend on what you eat? most pple keep warm on soups, coffee and tea.

 

[lil charlie]

when ur body is cold the body burns more energy to stay warm so what makes you think that as a result everyone is gonna run to the fridge and stuff their bellys? ???

ull burn more fat and therefore lose weight and therefore ur body will demand less calories. so ur theory is flawed.

ones brown adipose tissue also plays a huge roll in how many calories they will need to burn to stay warm. regular fat stores excess energy and calories. brown fat acts like an internal furnace that eats lots of calories but it has to be activated first.

if one burns 100-200 calories a day due to colder temps over a period of several weeks they will have burned an extra 3,500 calories. 3500 calories in a pound. when people go running they dont necessarily come back home and stuff themselves cause they have burned energy.

I'm with you on this one buddy but adults have very little brown fat. You will have some small pockets of it around your heart and possibly a little in your back. Babies have tons of brown fat to protect them but by the time you're an adult all you have is standard fatty mic fat fat from too much McDonald's and good ole down home fried chicken. Mmmmm I love me some fried chicken and mashed potatoes..... Be right back, I'm cold so going to some fried foods

 

[Projekt]

when ur body is cold the body burns more energy to stay warm so what makes you think that as a result everyone is gonna run to the fridge and stuff their bellys? ???

ull burn more fat and therefore lose weight and therefore ur body will demand less calories. so ur theory is flawed.

ones brown adipose tissue also plays a huge roll in how many calories they will need to burn to stay warm. regular fat stores excess energy and calories. brown fat acts like an internal furnace that eats lots of calories but it has to be activated first.

if one burns 100-200 calories a day due to colder temps over a period of several weeks they will have burned an extra 3,500 calories. 3500 calories in a pound. when people go running they dont necessarily come back home and stuff themselves cause they have burned energy.

I disagree and this is due to the fact that there is a critical point at which the body becomes so fat that the individual actually conserves heat and needs very little caloric intake to maintain that fat percentage as insulation.

Have you ever seen the body composition of open ocean endurance swimmers? They are generally of a smooth and rounded look which gives them both a competitive edge in hydrodynamics and thermal conservation.

 

[Sum Beach]

Yes. There has been inactivity but also an inordinate appetite when previously I was not eating nearly as much. .

So you admit you are not exercising, eating more AND you are blaming a cold house for your weight gain?

To me thats like blaming the gun for you going on a shooting spree in a school.

 

[Projekt]

So you admit you are not exercising, eating more AND you are blaming a cold house for your weight gain?

To me thats like blaming the gun for you going on a shooting spree in a school.

And that is called jumping to conclusions....

In any case, I will restate the fundamental cause, that being the thermal demands put on a body in a cold environment result in a amplified caloric need to sustain such metabolic levels for remaining warm. Thus, the body begins to demand a relatively constant caloric intake of easily digestible carbohydrates such as white bread and other simple to complex carbohydrates such as that which is in my fridge including flour and corn tortillas. Boom, it is cold and I don't know why but a turkey sandwich on white bread with extra mayo would sure hit the spot right now. Tastes yummy because it is precisely what my body needs under these conditions. The added benefit is higher body fat percentage that in turn begins to create the blanket thermal insulation effect.

You don't have to buy into this or believe it at all but the question is "Do you understand it?" And if so, why then do you continue to argue about it? Is it logic, ego or playful debate?