Exercise, warm place vs cold place... Which is more helpful for dieting?

Many people decide to go on a diet to achieve a healthy body and proper weight for the new year 2025. They usually start with exercise, and to lose weight quickly, it is recommended to exercise indoors in a warm environment rather than outdoors in the cold.

Exercise in cold places further increases appetite

Research teams from the University of Aberdeen in the UK and the University of Birmingham conducted an experiment with 16 obese individuals. Initially, they exercised on a treadmill for 45 minutes at 20°C, and then, on a separate occasion, for 45 minutes at 8°C. After each session, participants were taken to a buffet to eat, and their food intake and related data were recorded. The results showed that the group exercising in the cold environment (8°C) consumed more carbohydrates compared to the group exercising in the warm environment (20°C). Analysis of the blood levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone 'ghrelin' revealed that those who exercised in the cold had ghrelin levels up to 0.24 pg/mL higher than those who exercised in the warm. It is presumed that exercising in cold conditions hampers metabolism and results in slower or less efficient nutrient supply to organs and cells, leading to increased hunger. Accordingly, a domestic family medicine professor explained, "During cold winter months, exercising indoors rather than outdoors may help with weight loss." This study was published in the American journal 'Sports and Exercise Medicine and Science.'

◇ When you're in a diet plateau, stick with it for 6 months.

When dieting, there may come a point called the "plateau" where the steadily decreasing weight no longer decreases. This is due to homeostasis. Homeostasis is our body's effort to keep various conditions, such as body weight and internal bacteria count, constantly stable.

To break through a weight loss plateau, you need to increase your basal metabolic rate by consuming more protein. During dieting, not only fat but also muscle mass decreases, and when muscle decreases, basal metabolic rate drops, leading to a plateau. Increasing the proportion of protein in your diet helps to build muscle. If you've been eating one egg and a piece of chicken breast daily, try increasing your intake to two eggs, a piece of chicken breast, and a cup of milk to consume more protein. Additionally, you must persevere without giving up until six months into your diet. The body's baseline point for maintaining weight is called the 'weight control point.' Without changing this point, weight will inevitably return to its original level due to homeostasis, and it takes about six months for the weight control point to shift. Don't be discouraged—by maintaining proper dieting for over six months, you'll eventually notice your weight decreasing. Increasing exercise intensity to the point where it feels 'difficult' is also beneficial. Especially if your eating habits are good, you should raise the exercise intensity. At first, exercising at the same intensity every day may feel difficult, but eventually, it becomes easier because your body adapts. Try increasing the intensity to the point where you sweat and feel that it's 'hard.'

<Source: Health Chosun>