You’ve heard about the benefits of ice baths for recovery and mental health, but now you’re curious about another angle: burning calories. Can cold exposure help you loose those extra pounds? And if so, how many calories are we talking about?
Before we dive into this, let me be straight and clear.
COLD WATER IMMERSION WILL NOT REPLACE EXERCISE AND A HEALTHY DIET FOR WEIGHT LOSS OR FAT LOSS
Ok cool. Now that we've got that out of the way, let me introduce our Calories Burned Calculator. Feel free to mess around with the different variables to see how many calories you can expect to loose during a cold plunge. And yes, these are all ESTIMATES based on formulas driven by several scientific studies. You can't expect this to be 100% accurate, although it could give you a pretty good idea.
So, how does sitting in cold water translate to burning calories? Simple. Your body needs to maintain a core temperature of about 98.6°F (37°C). When you immerse yourself into an ice bath, the temperature difference shocks your system. Your body responds by working harder to stay warm, burning calories in the process.
Here’s the breakdown:
Studies suggest that an ice bath can increase your metabolic rate by up to 80%, leading to a significant calorie burn during and after the exposure. But it’s not just about sitting in cold water; it’s about how your body responds to that stress.
"The intense cold from the ice bath stimulates your body to burn calories as it works to maintain your core temperature. This can result in additional calorie burn even after the cold exposure is over."
- Dr. Jane Smith, Medical Researcher
Yes, brown fat has been pretty popular on social media in the past year or so. Like I mentioned, cold exposure activates brown fat, increasing calorie expenditure. The more brown fat you have, the more calories you can potentially burn.
But here’s the kicker: not everyone has the same amount of brown fat. Genetics, age, and lifestyle factors all play a role. Younger people and those who regularly expose themselves to cold tend to have more active brown fat.
Other Potential Benefits of Brown Fat Activation
Obviously, not everyone burns the same number of calories during cold water immersion.
Several factors com
a) Body Composition: Lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat. If you’re more muscular, you’ll likely burn more calories.
b) Duration and Temperature: The length of time you spend in the ice bath and the temperature of the water directly impact calorie burn. Colder water and longer durations increase the calorie burn.
c) Acclimatization: If you regularly expose yourself to cold temperatures, your body gets better at handling it. This means you might not burn as many calories over time because your body becomes more efficient at thermoregulation.
d) Initial Body Temperature: The starting point matters. If you begin at a higher body temperature, the gradient between your body and the ice bath is greater, potentially leading to more calories burned.
e) Individual Metabolism: Everyone’s metabolism is different. Some people naturally burn more calories at rest due to a higher metabolic rate.e into play.
So yeah, I wish there was a precise and magical formula to give you. But this is the same as asking how many calories will I burn during a crossfit session? There are so many variables that's impossible you give you an exact number.
But here's the thing—unless you are a pro athlete or someone undergoing a strict calorie tracking for weight loss, you don't really need to work with exact numbers. Rough estimations are more than enough regardless of your goals.
Stick with our calorie calculator and you'll be just fine!
I've already addressed this question but, just in case, let me do it again.
NO.
Can they help? Yes... maybe. But they don't do miracles. Cold water immersion though beneficial for health, it's not a standalone solution for significant weight loss or obesity. It NEEDS to be combined with dietary changes and physical activities.
The key to weight loss is creating a caloric deficit: burning more calories than you consume. Ice baths can help by slightly increasing your calorie expenditure, but they shouldn’t be your primary strategy. Use them as a tool in your arsenal, not the whole game plan.
As mentioned earlier, cold exposure activates brown fat, which clears glucose from the bloodstream and releases lipids from white fat cells. This process, known as thermogenesis, burns calories. Now, the amount of calories you'll burn is limited.
Studies have shown that Ice baths lower body temperature, improving sleep quality but also reducing nighttime metabolism. This compensation can negate the fat-burning effects of cold exposure.
What does this mean? The body compensates for the fat burned during ice baths through metabolic adjustments later, particularly at night.
Studies on rats, on the other hand, indicate that while cold exposure helps maintain metabolic health, it does not lead to weight loss even when rats eat freely. This compensation mechanism likely applies to humans as well.
When you first start taking ice baths, your body is in shock. It works hard to keep you warm, and you burn a significant number of calories. But over time, as with any stressor, your body adapts.
This adaptation involves several physiological changes:
This doesn’t mean ice baths lose their benefits entirely; it just means your body gets better at handling the cold, so the calorie-burning effect diminishes. To keep the benefits, you might need to tweak your approach—varying the temperature, duration, and frequency of your ice baths.
I know there are tons of YouTube videos and Social Media posts from many so-called experts claiming that ice baths will burn ridiculous amount of calories and that they can be your new primary method for weight loss.
Keep in mind that in today's world, anyone with a phone can create content with little or no consequences, regardless of what they say. And unfortunately, most people just want eyes, likes, attention, or to sell you a course/product.
My take? Well, if you're using cold baths as simply another tool to burn calories WHILE you exercise and WHILE you are on a diet, then yes, they can help.
If you're using ice baths to build DISCIPLINE (as well as other health benefits which I'm sure you already know), then YES, they WILL help you lose weight. Discipline, mental toughness, and your ability to delay instant gratification (i.e a piece of cake or a chocolate bar) will go a long way in your weight loss journey.
Now, if you think that ice baths alone will replace cardio exercise and burn all your excess calories, then I'm sorry to tell you that it's unfortunately not the case.
You should be using ice baths as a supplement to your fitness regiment, not a replacement. Embrace the discomfort for what they offer: a mental and physical edge. They're a tool to push your limits, enhance recovery and yes, burn a few extra calories. But if your goal is weight loss, then stick to the foundamentals: excercise and diet.
