Feeling Cold All The Time

[ndw3363]

Ok, so I'm aware it's still winter, but I'm cold ALL the time!  I do workout a lot and I know I burn a lot of calories, but this is ridiculous.  Last night I had the heat turned up, was wearing layers, had the heating pad on (along with warm kitty in the lap), and drinking hot tea.  I still felt chilly.  I've been trying to eat more lately since my energy has been down and its been effecting my workouts - but I stay mostly paleo (grains and I don't get along) and I'm having a hard time finding things to eat throughout the day.  My hair is super dry all of a sudden and my face is breaking out.  I scheduled a Dr. appt for tomorrow have my thyroid checked along with my vitamin levels - hoping that might give me some answers. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this?

[flowerqueen]

It certainly sounds like thyroid to me. Symptoms similar to my own. Pleased you are getting it checked out at the doctors. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[mommida]

Thyroid is the number one suspect.  Sometimes anemia can make you feel cold too.  Reynould's syndrome or poor circulation. 

 

Definately have experienced this.

[nvsmom]

I get so cold my fingers and toes stiffen up, and if I touch anyone they yelp like I'm an ice cube.  My body temp rarely goes much above 97F, and if I go outside in the winter and don't move much I'm shivering with teeth chattering within minutes. I have under treated Hashimoto's and I'm hoping it will improve as my meds get closer to the ideal point.

 

Good luck.

[ndw3363]

Blood draw is tomorrow morning, so I'm hopeful I'll have some answers by this time next week.  I will definitely ask for a copy of my results this time - I've had my thyroid checked before and they always just say "it's normal" - which of course in Dr speak means it simply falls in the "normal" range - in my opinion if you are on the cusp of the low or high numbers in that range, it warrants further study.  I forgot to be specific with the Dr. about testing for Hashimotos and free tsh levels - hopefully I can bring that up tomorrow morning.  I'll post my results once I get them

[Gemini]

Ok, so I'm aware it's still winter, but I'm cold ALL the time!  I do workout a lot and I know I burn a lot of calories, but this is ridiculous.  Last night I had the heat turned up, was wearing layers, had the heating pad on (along with warm kitty in the lap), and drinking hot tea.  I still felt chilly.  I've been trying to eat more lately since my energy has been down and its been effecting my workouts - but I stay mostly paleo (grains and I don't get along) and I'm having a hard time finding things to eat throughout the day.  My hair is super dry all of a sudden and my face is breaking out.  I scheduled a Dr. appt for tomorrow have my thyroid checked along with my vitamin levels - hoping that might give me some answers. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this?

 

 

Those are screaming thyroid symptoms so that's probably the issue.  Also, if you are working out in the gym, you do need to eat some carbs, in whatever form you can tolerate.  They are as essential as protein after a work-out to fuel your body.  That might be an added reason you are feeling less energetic. 

 

Good luck at the doctor...make sure he does a full thyroid panel!

[Takala]

You can do workouts on a low carb diet, if you add enough properly timed fat consumption in, but it depends on how your body works and burns.  If you're low carb, or low grain, you just make sure to snack on that fat source BEFORE the exercise session by about 15 minutes to a half hour, minimum, adding in some sort of fruit and protein.  Peanut butter works really well, as does a trail mix (with chocolate if you can do that) some fresh or dried fruit, banana works well, and whatever protein (nuts? or whatever you get along with) and be sure to drink WATER.  If you can't do PB you can try a different form of fat, such as from other nuts, coconut oil or milk, or olive oil, such as baked into a nut meal or homemade sort of cookie/bar.  But this works, again, only if you are already pretty low conventional carb, you have that sort of metabolism that is used to burning fat, and you actually ingest some of it.  A regular person trying this, who is used to fueling themselves with conventional, grain based carbs, can get into trouble.   I have learned the hard way that if my spouse has eaten the same thing that I have during the day, and if we are going to do something like kayaking or biking that afternoon/early evening, I can do my protein/fat/fruit routine and have all sorts of stamina, but I absolutely have to pack him additional sources of carbs whether or not he intends to eat it, because he WILL need it.  I can be humming along, and he'll bonk out sooner otherwise.  I've seen him repeatedly perk up after being fed again soon after exercising, while I just as soon would continue to cool down and drink some water, we recover at different rates, also, and I can't exercise after a big heavy meal.

 

I've tried carb loading just a little bit with mixed results, my gut still says, after all these years, "do not grain me heavily before exertion."  Alternate carbs, such as from starchy vegetables or legumes, work better.

 

When I was doing distance riding in the 90's, they (equine researchers) were discovering that some horses are the same way, they work better on little to no grains and the best hay you can find, along with beet pulp and some form of fat, such as oil, and salt/minerals.  I've ridden a horse who proved this theory ("radical" at the time) worked, so I decided that the least I could do is to treat myself as if I was going to be doing the same thing, only this time "I'm" the horse and I pretend I have to have the same criteria. This led to my "must eat fruit/veg at lunch" rule, to hold moisture properly in my gut.  Last fall I did a couple of fast- walked 5k's in the heat, after doing vegetable smoothies for breakfast, then the proteins/fats, and it worked.  I did not crash afterwards. I didn't get nausea.  And I didn't touch anything like cereal before I did them.   Since I don't sweat normally, this was a huge breakthrough for my being able to handle exertion at my age.  

[Takala]

Blood draw is tomorrow morning, so I'm hopeful I'll have some answers by this time next week.  I will definitely ask for a copy of my results this time - I've had my thyroid checked before and they always just say "it's normal"

 

________

[ButterflyChaser]

Also make sure that they are testing you for FREE T3 and FREE T4. The old T3 and T4 are pretty much useless. Demand to see the lab ranges.

 

I really think all of us thyroid patients should have a tattooed butterfly - or a shield (thyroid apparently means "shield.").

 

Hugs.

[flowerqueen]

Don't know if it's just me, but before my thyroid problem was discovered I couldn't even think about working out at the gym in my wildest dreams? I used to curl up on the sofa and go to sleep.