Do Cold Temperatures Help You Lose Weight: The Real Benefits

The body typically responds to changes within the environment differently. However, you can be curious to know how it does in cold temperatures. Do cold temperatures help you lose weight?

woman jogging in cold temperature

Often, you might be informed that cold temperatures prompt your body to respond in a way that enables fat-burning and weight loss. But how valid is this claim?

Exposure to cold temperatures can have an impact on your weight. The body, in lower temperatures, will usually strive to keep warm. And while a significant chance it could go the other way exists, safe cold exposure is typically more practical in raising your internal temperature. This temperature rises due to improved metabolism, facilitating fat-burning and consequent weight loss.

Please read on to find out more about whether or not cold temperatures help you lose weight, associated risks, and best practices.  

Do you lose weight faster in the cold- The Science Behind It

Cold exposure can increase your temperature quite significantly and can facilitate weight loss. However, it’d be best if you didn’t expose yourself to the cold for extended periods since it can adversely affect your health. Cold exposure is usually safe and practical for losing weight since it only pushes your body to a manageable extreme.

One study examining the effect of intermittent cold exposure on brown adipose fat activation confirmed that this practice helps spur weight loss. Participants in the study recorded an increase in metabolic rates almost twice due to brown fat activation. A follow-up study also confirmed this claim after comparing the experimental and control groups’ results.

Prolonged exposure to the cold can lead to hypothermia, where the inner body temperature drops below the standard healthy range. Most people mistake cold exposure for dangerous subjection of the body to the cold, negatively affecting their health. But while you can healthily lose weight with cold exposure, it’s typical to wonder how much of an impact this practice has.

How Much Weight Can You Lose with Cold Exposure?

You can lose about 0.8 kilograms within ten days of cold exposure, as one study (3) shows. However, that depends on various factors impacting the practice’s effectiveness. Body composition, gender, and age determine how much weight you can lose with cold exposure, and it’s good to know that the results can vary sometimes.

It helps to know that you might not permanently lose as much weight relying on this method alone. It would help to pair it with complementary weight-loss techniques, including regular exercise and dieting. You can also resort to taking trusted weight loss supplements for better results. If possible, try getting sufficient sleep to facilitate quick fat-burning.

One weight loss that seems to help is Alpilean Ice hack, you can learn more about Alpilean ingredients, side effects and how it works by targeting core temperature.

Can Cold Exposure Help Target Specific Areas of Body Fat?

Cold exposure can target areas of body fat, such as visceral fat accumulating around the belly. This practice activates your brown adipose tissue, a body fat containing tons of mitochondria cells, and generates heat and energy to burn calories. It also targets the fat around your chest and lower body and all areas notorious for storing fat.

You can strategically target your body fat by combining this technique with other weight-loss practices, including a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Moreover, you can take dietary supplements for weight loss if you’re more into them. Just ensure that they’re safe and you can trust your manufacturer. You can also read: Is Body Temperature Related To Your Weight?

What are the Ideal Cold Exposure Techniques for Weight Loss?

Keeping yourself in the cold for a long time can harm your health, predisposing you to hypothermia. That’s why it’s necessary to consider cold exposure for a few minutes to hours daily to play your cards safely. The best cold exposure techniques you can use include the following:

  • Cold Showers – Taking cold showers challenges your body to improve metabolism, facilitating fat-burning. However, this technique’s overall benefit is that it helps you boost circulation and mood, making it worthwhile. Your water doesn’t have to be overly frosty but just below room temperature.
  • Cold Exposure Vests – Vests containing cooler packs can help you facilitate fat-burning by periodically lowering your body core temperature. You can possibly get the most out of these vests during your workout sessions since they adequately dissipate heat.
  • Cold Water Immersion – Athletes use this technique to recuperate and lose body fat. The technique can be brutal since you must immerse yourself in ice water for a few seconds. Your endurance and tolerance to cold water will determine your resilience, but the benefits you’ll receive afterward are worth the trouble.
  • Ice Packs or Ice Baths – Sometimes, immersing in cold water can be infeasible, making ice packs and ice baths ideal. This cold exposure method allows you to apply ice patches on specific body parts, including the belly. It helps stimulate localized fat breakdown in those areas, making you more likely to lose significant weight.
  • Cryotherapy – This technique uses a cryoprobe to freeze and shrink body parts. Liquid nitrogen usually cools this equipment, but compressed argon gas and liquid nitrous oxide can do. It can be frigid, and doctors use that to burn fat, placing and pressing against the area that needs fat reduction.

How Do Cold Temperature Weight Loss Techniques Compare to the Rest?

While cold water exposure can be a practical way to lose weight, it’s insufficient for significant results. It’s, therefore, ideal to couple it up with other weight-loss techniques for better results.

The good thing about cold exposure is that it’s less strenuous, unlike dieting and exercising. However, it can be slightly uncomfortable in the long haul if you have substantial fat chunks to drop.[How Does The Alpilean Ice Hack Help With Weight Loss]

You can rest assured that this technique will work regardless. The thing is, you need to be more consistent and purposed since it takes time and dedication. Besides, the method can be relatively unsettling, especially if cold water isn’t for you.

Who Shouldn’t Use This Techniques?

Losing weight using cold temperature techniques can be incredibly challenging for a few groups of people. As such, you should avoid this weight loss method if you fall into any of these categories. You can also read: Does Lowering Body Temperature Impact Metabolism?

Raynaud’s Disease Patients – This condition can cause some body parts, including your toes and fingers, to feel cold and numb when in cold ambiances. It affects the tiny arteries under your skin, limiting blood flow in some areas. If you have this condition, it can be wildly uncomfortable treating yourself to cold exposure.

Frostbite-Prone Individuals – If your body can hardly withstand cold temperatures, even briefly, please don’t use this method. Instead, you can resort to exercising and dieting as safer and more practical methods to burn fat. Also read: Why Do Cold Shower Help You Lose Weight?

Pregnant Women – If you’re expecting a child and are underweight or have specific cardiovascular issues, please consider using this technique for weight loss. If need be, you can consult your healthcare provider for a proper insight into how you should approach this weight loss technique.

Please note that it’s important to always listen to how your body responds to cold exposure weight loss techniques before getting yourself in harm’s way. Please discontinue if any cold temperature exposure technique threatens your health[1].

Conclusion

Cold temperatures can help you lose weight, but it always helps to understand that this technique might not always be practical. Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can harm than help you, and you’re more likely to suffer severe long-term health complications. Also, identifying cold exposure techniques that work for you should be handy and practical as you pair them with other weight loss techniques like dieting and exercising.

Medical Discalimer: The information provided here On Geeks Health website is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect a medical problem, promptly contact your healthcare provider. Reliance on any information in this response is solely at your own risk.
Vanessa Roberts
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