Do We Burn More Calories When It’s Colder?

By turning down the thermostat, some people say that you can shed the pounds. Surprisingly, science agrees that it should work, but just don’t expect fast results.

When the temperature dives, patches of brown fat scattered around your body burn like miniature furnaces, cranking up your internal temperature and burning calories in the process. You’ll burn an extra 80–100 calories if you turn the thermostat down from a comfy 72ºF (22ºC) to a cool 64ºF (18ºC) over the course of a morning. Persisting with this strategy every morning for a year would, in theory, net you nearly 11 lb (5 kg) in lost weight! No long-term studies prove or disprove the idea, but it is a promising theory. However, the bad news is that when it’s cold, your primal instincts tell you to eat more to lay down layers of insulating fat; most people eat more than enough to offset any weight-loss effects of cooler temperatures.

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calorific celebrations

This 2016 study shows that, where winter coincides with major festivities, it’s actually the season of weight gain, not loss.

Live Your Best Life | Do We Burn More Calories When It’s Colder?