UP Types and Winter Metabolism

**Allenson** · Thursday, October 23rd, 2003

Originally Posted by berlin

I guess i should measure both of their heads the next time i see them!

Alrhough they both will probably find me very odd for doing so.

My mother and myself almost definatlly fit borreby, even at lower weights we both exhibit a fleshier nose, deeper creases under the cheeks and much rounder cheeks.
I've found both my dad and brother to be a little more puzzling. The entire immediate family does lean towards being heavier set, even with moderate activity and moderate eating habits.
My brother has been exceptionally active during the past 2 years or so and we witnessed about a 60 pound weight drop in him. Once he becomes more sedintary again, read "behind a desk 8 hours a day" I do believe that the weight will creep back on him. I guess that's metabolism for ya!
In my family it seems easy enough for any of us to drop weight by being on the move all of the time, but even easier to put it back on with the slightest decrease in activity. All this without changeing eating habits at all. Anyhow, rambling again!

I wanted to thank you guys again for looking over these. I'm impressed with the knowledgablilty found on this forum.

I have a "theory" if you will about UP types and metabolism. I can't help but speculate that UP types have slower metabolisms than other, more gracile and linear types. One could perhaps argue that evolving in a cooler, glacial and post-glacial climate, might bring this about as a way of staving off the cold by being more efficient with consumed calories, spreading those calories out over a longer period of time (between those juicy mammoth burgers!) and perhaps also leading to the storage of some fat for insulation. Nowadays, with our cushy, sedentary lifestyles coupled with fatty foods, this may lead to being overweight.

Personally speaking, I usually am more fit in the winter time (my activity level is about the same as in other seasons) and my appetite is by all means greater!

**cosmocreator** · Thursday, October 23rd, 2003

Originally Posted by Allenson

I have a "theory" if you will about UP types and metabolism. I can't help but speculate that UP types have slower metabolisms than other, more gracile and linear types.

I think it is exactly the opposite.

I've done an experiment on myself. For the last year I've spent as much time as possibly at outdoor temperatures. Very hot summers are unbearable and make me irritable. Temperatures here during the winter don't drop too much below freezing. However, I sleep at night at outdoor temperatures. I did it last winter and I'm doing it now that the temperatures are getting cooler. It was only recently that I've made a connection. I'm loosing weight and I couldn't figure out why. Although, I don't usually have my first meal until mid-afternoon, I'm rarely hungry. And that first meal is very large. An example would be a pound of hamburger, baked potato with lots of sour cream and maybe a small ceasar salad. Sometimes I eat when I'm not hungry. Yet I'm loosing weight. And it's only recent since the weather is turning cooler. I think the body speeds up metabolism to keep warm. Well, I know it does. I read in one of Coon's books of a study of Alaskid (sp?) Indians that walk bare foot on snow and swim in ice cold water. When they came into contact with cold, their metabolism sped up.

So the reason UP European types are over-weight, is because (1) they aren't active enough (2) they've sheltered themselves from the cold. How many hours does the typical UP spend at cold outdoor temperatures? 2 hours a day? Probably not even that much.

There are alot of squatters here living in parks. They are basically homeless people. It would be an interesting experiment to offer them as much food as they want on the condition they continue to live outside in tents. You don't typically see an over-weight homeless person but that could be due to diet constraints. Remove the diet constraints and see if they gain weight and record how active they are.

**Awar** · Friday, October 24th, 2003

I think I'm largely UP, because of my skeletal build ( large head, big bones etc. )

I have a friend who is mostly Mediterranean, and two Gypsy friends. I've been watching their behaviour for years, and I noticed some striking differences.

1. I usually have around 100-105 kilograms at 180cm height I'm very muscular.

My Med friend is over 190cm tall, yet his weight never exceeds 90kg. He's very muscular also, but very lean. He cannot gain muscle mass, I hardly gain definition.

My Gypsy friends are small-frame with aproximmately 60-65 kg's. and 170-175cm height. They too cannot gain any mass.

2. I can go for days without eating anything. I can even train very hard, do a lot of work etc. without having to eat.

Both the Med and the Gypsies eat every 3-4 hours, if not, they feel depressed and dizzy.

3. I can walk for miles without feeling tired.

The Med can sustain such efforts, the gypsies cannot.

4. I have absolutely no problem with very hot or very cold weather, I easily adjust. My only problem is the rain, I feel very run-down when it rains.

Both the Med and the Gypsies absolutely love rainy weather ???

**berlin** · Friday, October 24th, 2003

I have to agree with cosmocreater to some extent. I've never actually done a formal experiment on myself but i can truely say that any considerable weight loss i've experianced has always occured in the winters. Especially the winters in the northern parts of Ontario. I don't really change my eating habits or activity level all that much and 10 to 20 pounds seem to just drop right off as soon as the temperature starts dropping below 0 degrees celcius. I've always found it odd.
Unfortunatly i fluctuate, a whole lot, and that weight comes right back very quickly when summer comes around again. I do find myself a lot more sluggish and lethargic in the summer months and don't tend to move around outside a whole lot. i suppose my activeness goes down, but my appitite also goes right down with it.

**Vojvoda** · Friday, October 24th, 2003

Your body has a tendency to heat itself, therefore, if you are active or train in cold weather you burn more calories as the body is trying harder to maintain a certain level of heat.

**cosmocreator** · Friday, October 24th, 2003

I think this thread should be split starting with post 31. The new subject heading should be something like Cold Weather and Metabolism.

And this post can be deleted.

**Awar** · Friday, October 24th, 2003

Originally Posted by providenje

Your body has a tendency to heat itself, therefore, if you are active or train in cold weather you burn more calories as the body is trying harder to maintain a certain level of heat.

Certainly! I'd add that it depends on a person's ancestry in which way his organism reacts to such conditions for a longer period of time.

I think that Upper-Palaeolithic type tends to store more fat than either Mediterranean or Nordic, especially in the winter time. This is probably because UP's are accustomed to living in regions of long winters and short summers.

**Vojvoda** · Friday, October 24th, 2003

Originally Posted by AWAR

Certainly! I'd add that it depends on a person's ancestry in which way his organism reacts to such conditions for a longer period of time.

I think that Upper-Palaeolithic type tends to store more fat than either Mediterranean or Nordic, especially in the winter time. This is probably because UP's are accustomed to living in regions of long winters and short summers.

Just like bears