Thread: sweating in the heat or in general

losing water weight I suppose. Some fat burning reactions might quicken because heat tends to speed things up, that is just a guess though.

Losing weight -- water weight.

active heat lost does increase metabolism.

Originally Posted by wilwn

active heat lost does increase metabolism.

yea, it is not just the loss of water weight. Sweating is the bodies attempt to cool itself off. Core temperature goes up and sweating increases. Core temperature goes up = metabolism is burning fuel.

just make sure you are drinking more water

Can't the environment cause temperature to rise? Wouldn't the influence of sweat have the reverse affect on core temperature?

I would think that although there are metabolic procceses occuring to make you sweat, it's pretty limited in terms of how much your caloric expendinture increases. To compensate for your passive increase in core temparature, your body decreases the level of cell entropy that occurs within. This in turn, reduces the amount of metabolic activity occuring inside of your body. Even if sweating significantly increased metabolic activity, the amount of heat removed by sweating would have to be greater than the amount of heat produced by the increased activity (About 60% of the energy derived from carbohydrate is converted to heat), or there would be no point in sweating.

Cold weather has the opposite effect. Your body increases the level of cell entropy in an attempt to actively increase core temparature. As well, repeated muscular contractions (Shivering) also increase the level of metabolic activity occuring inside the body.

right, it isn't the sweating that is causing calories to be burned though. Sweating is the side effect that the body creates as a means to bring core temperature back down (like Duncan is saying) becuase it is to high....just like you said...when we get cold, we raise our core temperature (we shiver).

I believe excessive cold is a better calorie burner, but you would still see a slight rise in metabolism with excessive heat given that one of the contributors to EPOC is bringing the body temp down to normal again.

Originally Posted by P-funk

right, it isn't the sweating that is causing calories to be burned though. Sweating is the side effect that the body creates as a means to bring core temperature back down (like Duncan is saying) becuase it is to high....just like you said...when we get cold, we raise our core temperature (we shiver).

Well what I was suggesting/questioning is whether it's an active increase or core temparature that causes an increase in metabolic activity or any increase in core temparature leads to the same result? I would think a passive increase (Due to external environment) has a minimal effect, while an active increase (Shivering, exercising, etc.) would have a far more significant impact.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Well what I was suggesting/questioning is whether it's an active increase or core temparature that causes an increase in metabolic activity or any increase in core temparature leads to the same result? I would think a passive increase (Due to external environment) has a minimal effect, while an active increase (Shivering, exercising, etc.) would have a far more significant impact.

you could be right. I just don't know.

Originally Posted by P-funk

you could be right. I just don't know.

I don't know for sure either, but based on my limited knowledge of biology that's what I'm thinking.

I would assume shivering would be a better means of burning calories, it'd be an interesting experiment. Of course anybody who utilizes the freezing cold for a diet should be thumped in the melon with some type of blunt object :P