If you lived in a hotter country, what shape would you be?
By Fleur
@Fleura (30586)
United Kingdom
June 7, 2016 7:18am CST
This might sound like a silly question but I have just been wondering about myself!
We just spent a week in a place that was somewhat hotter than home. I always like to try the local foods when I go to a new place, and there were plenty of tasty-looking things of all sorts on offer, but a lot of the time I just wasn't hungry because it was so warm. A coffee in the morning, a small pastry or a bit of fruit, and then a smallish plate of food at dinner time was all I needed. I never tried any of the lunchtime snacks or the desserts. If I was going to try all the things that caught my eye I would have to stay there for months!
At home I notice a big difference in how hungry I am depending on the ambient temperature, so presumably a lot of the calories I consume must be used up in keeping warm.
If I lived in a hotter place, would I be slimmer because I ate less, or would I be tempted to eat more but use up less keeping warm and so gain weight?
If the climate was more conducive to afternoon siestas than vigorous walks, would I just laze around in the shade and balloon into a fat slob?
8 people like this
12 responses
@Fleura (30586)
• United Kingdom
7 Jun 16
@marlina @tzwrites I don't think it's odd at all, we (like all mammals) need to use a lot of energy to maintain our body temperature. If it's hot we don't need anything like as much. Reptiles don't need to eat anywhere near as much as mammals do because they just lie in the sun to warm up - but on cold days they can't do anything!
@Fleura (30586)
• United Kingdom
7 Jun 16
It's funny that some people seem to notice a big difference, feeling much hungrier in winter, and others don't. My partner says it makes no difference to him. But as you say, inactivity makes you reach for snacks. I find that at home it's easy to look for a snack when I'm avoiding something tedious, but on holiday I'm too busy and interested in sightseeing to look for biscuits!
1 person likes this
@ria1606roy (2797)
• Kolkata, India
7 Jun 16
Yeah body fat is very much utilised for warmth, and a lot of that comes from heavy-ish food. Tropical countries have different kinds of diet, and some of them include cuisine with a lot more oil. But they usually tend to get stuck and not used. So maybe what you have as a theory is right.
Even here when the day gets too hot or humid, I don't consume much. The appetite doesn't quite work right.
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@ria1606roy (2797)
• Kolkata, India
7 Jun 16
@Fleura something light of course, low on oil. Like rice and green vegetables along with thin gravy of fish or egg. Also I avoid fried snacks on such days and during dinner, I prefer rotis or chapatis made from flour. Just to keep the stomach full but not too much.
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@blueknightiris (2)
• Surabaya, Indonesia
7 Jun 16
I currently live in a country with sunny temperature, and I feel the temptation of eating too much (because of the avant-garde restaurants!). I can't help but squeal at those tempting Western foods, such as chocolate souffle. Mmmm.
I can't help but trying out those delicious dessert souffles. What else can I say? Those foodies are the reason of why I get so diligent all the time. If I can get them for free, I won't just lazing around and will DEFINITELY ACCEPT THE OFFER!!!!
@toniganzon (72553)
• Philippines
7 Jun 16
Our country is a hot country and yet there are a lot of overweight people. However, the overweights here, I have heard are considered normal size in some countries.
1 person likes this
@paigea (36315)
• Canada
7 Jun 16
I tend to eat a bit less in the summer. But I have a few more nice cocktails and move a lot less. So I always gain weight in the summer unless I make a point of getting out to exercise when it is cool in the morning. (that's what I should be doing right now!)
1 person likes this
@binayakwinning (147)
•
7 Jun 16
interesting man ,you will be slim from my point of view
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