Recently I picked up a new book, “The 4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss and in the book he mentions that his friend “Ray” was able to lose almost 6 pounds in one week. Ray was able to do this by; drinking a gallon of ice water each day, sleeping with no covers, and taking 20 -30 minute “shiver walks” during winter. As torturous as it sounds, the results sound unbelievable so I had to look further into it.
The science
To put it simply, introducing your body to cold (cold enough to make you shiver) elements such as water and air increases your resting metabolism by forcing your body to try and keep it’s temperature at a normal level. Like muscle tissue, there are different types of fat tissue, brown and white. We are all familiar with white fat, it’s what everybody is always trying to get rid of. Brown fat is what expends energy in the form of heat. It seems that when we were younger, newborn through adolescents there’s a higher percentage in brown fat in the body but as we grow into adults that percentage dwindles. The good news is that we can possibly increase the amount of brown fat in the body by making ourselves cold.
In one study I read (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/); water immersion at 32 degrees Celsius did not change metabolic rate, at 20 degrees Celsius metabolic rate increased by 93%, and at 14 degrees Celsius metabolic rate increased 350%!
My Expert Opinion
So here’s the question you’re probably thinking; using this knowledge, can you lose 6 pounds like Ray? There’s so many factors involved like your current diet, exercise, and weight for example. I 100% believe that you burn more calories being cold than warm but how many seems unclear at the moment. One thing is for sure, taking a cold bath or shower is not the “magic pill” and it should not replace diet or exercise for weight loss. I do believe that it can be a good supplement to your weigh loss plan and health in general as there are additional benefits of being cold. When taking a cold shower, try to gradually step into the water starting with your head, 5-10 minutes is a good starting duration for a cold shower. You can also try to place cold packs around your upper back, neck, and shoulders; this is where the majority of brown fat is in adults. Be reasonable with the duration of using the cold packs, if it gets too cold take it off until you’re ready to put it back on, aim for a total of 20-30 minutes.
*Results may vary, there’s no guarantee this will work for everyone*
Additional Health Benefits
- Helps your body adapt to fight stress and disease, improves immune system
- Improves mood
- Icing reduces inflammation if directed on a inflamed area
- Can reduce muscle soreness
- Improves blood circulation
References:
The 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/
http://www.joslin.org/diabetes-research/turning-up-the-heat-on-brown-fat.html
I hope you find this post useful, if you did, like my Facebook page (on the sidebar to the right) for continued blog updates and discussion. If you’re looking to lose weight then click HERE for step by step guidelines to get you started on losing weight this week.
Go get it!
-Shawn A