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The Benefits of Being Cold

theatlantic.com

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Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#141

Post by mercer »

buro9 wrote: post #132
tmmm wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What and how much did you eat a day?

Varied greatly, from Pizza Hut all you can eat buffets, through to toast provided by students who let me crash. For a long time I used Complan and other "off your food" alternatives as supplements to a bad diet - http://www.complan.com/nutritional-info.aspx . Very much like Soylent is doing today, they provided a simple way to get everything you might need. They say to only have one or two per day, I used to consume…

Any chance you'd be interested in writing up in more detail what your experiences were like? Or maybe you did so already?

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#142

Post by majestic1211 »

cel1ne wrote: post #103
_bdog wrote: post #101

I was very sick as a child: asthma, neurodermitis, a lot of allergies etc. At one point when I was 8 or so I thought that it really sucks that I have to be careful about how, when and where to play, run etc. so I decided to ignore all my symptoms until they get too bad to ignore. I also started to shower cold (or rather: end every shower cold). And i "taught myself" to sleep without a blanket. It really just feels we…

Addendum: I think I learned something like autogenous training that way. There are times in winter when it's really cold (10 Fahrenheit or so) and I start shaking. Then I think about it and "just" stop cramping and instead "relax into the cold". Then suddenly I'm warm :)

While I do agree that what the mind can do is amazing, I don't think fighting reflexes like shaking is a good idea. Shaking is a way for your body to warm up, because it is starting to be too cold to function "normally". While it is definitely not a severe symptom of hypothermia, it should not be ignored.

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#143

Post by fizgig »

marincounty wrote: post #139
buro9 wrote: post #81

I used to dislike the cold, always feeling I suffered greatly from it due to growing up in poverty in the UK and living in damp spaces (mould on the walls, condensation on the window, a cough always a breathe away). Then I was homeless, sleeping rough through UK winters. One does adapt, and fairly quickly too. The first nights I slept out during snowfall I didn't get much sleep as I was shivering too violently and un…

Glad you are not homeless. In school, I read a short story written by Jack London about what it feels like to be really cold--turns out he wrote it on a beach in Hawaii. Forgot the name of the story. When I read the story, I thought it was great literature, but I read it knowing I would never be homeless. As I have aged, and feel more financially vunerable--and sometimes close to being Homeless--these stories about b…

Was it "To Build a Fire"? It's story about a man and his dog who venture out at the onset of a storm. A very good read.

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#145

Post by jcromartie »

boothead wrote: post #108

I practice being cold on purpose too. It was about 0C today and I have a shirt and thin jumper on (I have a jacket in my bag in case of rain). I think the metabolic effects are potentially interesting, but I actually do it for another reason: The stoic idea of exposing oneself to voluntary discomfort. [1] "While everyone around me is complaining about how cold it is or about how hungry they are I am content and comfo…

I just started reading Seneca. Also reading some Zen stuff too. I don't think it's about voluntary discomfort, but just non-attachment to the comfort. You can go out in the cold and it's not good or bad, just cold. If it's warm, it's just warm. You can unhook the normal response system and just experience things directly without labeling them good or bad. It certainly does make you appreciate comfort.

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#146

Post by innguest »

mercer wrote: post #141
buro9 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Varied greatly, from Pizza Hut all you can eat buffets, through to toast provided by students who let me crash. For a long time I used Complan and other "off your food" alternatives as supplements to a bad diet - http://www.complan.com/nutritional-info.aspx . Very much like Soylent is doing today, they provided a simple way to get everything you might need. They say to only have one or two per day, I used to consume…

Any chance you'd be interested in writing up in more detail what your experiences were like? Or maybe you did so already?

Seconded. If you do please ping me (email on profile page).

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#148

Post by buro9 »

mercer wrote: post #141
buro9 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Varied greatly, from Pizza Hut all you can eat buffets, through to toast provided by students who let me crash. For a long time I used Complan and other "off your food" alternatives as supplements to a bad diet - http://www.complan.com/nutritional-info.aspx . Very much like Soylent is doing today, they provided a simple way to get everything you might need. They say to only have one or two per day, I used to consume…

Any chance you'd be interested in writing up in more detail what your experiences were like? Or maybe you did so already?

I'm not sure I can write it up.

I was someone back then that I didn't like, I'm glad I moved on but if I did a comprehensive job of putting it in words I'd have to re-live that time again, and who I was. Hate to go all Bladerunner, but I've seen things, done things, that I no longer want the memory of. Putting it into words would give it life again.

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#149

Post by innguest »

randyrand wrote: post #67
ars wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't work. People eat when they are hungry, if someone is hungry when he doesn't actually need food, he'll still eat. Telling people not to eat isn't going to work. For some, small, subset of people it might work. Emotional eaters, or people who make really poor choices of what food. But for most people who are trying to lose weight your advice is useless because it doesn't work.

I agree for many people diets don't work. For me, I don't buy ready made food and typically my own laziness is the reason I don't eat much.

That's exactly how I keep in shape. Choosing what to eat is already too much effort, let alone making it.

Re: The Benefits of Being Cold

#150

Post by simonebrunozzi »

eru wrote: post #84
buro9 wrote: post #81

I used to dislike the cold, always feeling I suffered greatly from it due to growing up in poverty in the UK and living in damp spaces (mould on the walls, condensation on the window, a cough always a breathe away). Then I was homeless, sleeping rough through UK winters. One does adapt, and fairly quickly too. The first nights I slept out during snowfall I didn't get much sleep as I was shivering too violently and un…

You can also get used to heat. But it takes a while, too, as I learned when I was living in Singapore.

I never get used to the hot+humid combination in Singapore.
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