To ask how you survive this cold as an office worker?

[ColdToesandWarmHeart]

I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I am freezing. Down to my bones. I have a heating pad under my jumper and a blanket on me and I finally feel warm for the first time this week.

I have ordered a hot water bottle but I don’t know what else I can do. I’m freezing. I’m on Mounjaro so I think it’s that, but I’m just so miserable.

Are you fully wrapped up in your commute?

I have met people who don’t wear enough layers coming in and then spend the whole shift trying to warm up. When you leave your house make sure you are fully wrapped up with hat, gloves, scarf, warm socks and lot of layers.

I’m on my commute now, I’ve got four layers plus a scarf on and still just feel so cold

Are you keeping your extremities warm? Socks and boots that go over the top of your trousers? Wrist warmers? I wear vest, thin long sleeved t shirt, a shirt and a sweatshirt to take on and off as necessary. I always wear trousers or jeans worth boots.

thin layers for me too OP, and I agree with the wool recommendation. Mountain warehouse has good affordable layers which are 70% merino and keeping me warm this winter so far

You can buy a wrap that you can put around your waist and it gets heated via a USB cable that you can plug into your laptop. Maybe that could help?

Step has bought himself a chargeable heated body warmer for golf. Might that help?

OP, I’m NHS and mixed frontline/office. I feel your pain about terrible heating and ac. Our building has barely functioning heating and it’s either hotter than hell or not on.

I find on my wfh or office days I get much colder, and a lot of that is my hands getting cold on keyboards and phones. It chills me right down to the bone. I’m lucky my manager is very reasonable and lets me wear the Turtle Doves fingerless gloves which honestly makes such a massive difference. I just remove them if I leave the office.

Also, DP works outside in all weathers and I bought him a heated gilet. He says it’s amazing. The battery sits in the pocket inside so no cables to plug in.

What is the actual temperature in the office?

I haven’t read the whole thread but have you had a blood test to check your thyroid? Weight gain and extreme sensitivity to cold are classic symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

You can buy heated jackets/gillets get one of those, but honestly if you think it is your medication you might never feel warm , How is your iron levels low iron can make you feel cold.

You can get some for a decent price from some of the big catalogue type and/or country life type companies like woolovers, fife country, house of bruar. Unfortunately they are not very fashionable but do a range of colours and styles so you can get exactly what suits you. I do think it is worth investing in a few expensive wool jumpers though - they may cost twice as much as another non wool jumper but they will last much longer and be a pleasure to wear time after time and more importantly they will keep you warm. For legs i wear cord or velvet. Velvet used to be cheaper and is probably now too expensive but you can get decent cord for a decent price. For socks - H&J Hall men's thermal wool socks - 100% worth the investment - they last forever.

Haven't RTFT but I have read all OP's comments. I do occasionally feel that cold and struggle to warm up so it might be a passing thing. However, my recommendations are 1) electric blanket. Absolute must! 2) LOOSE layers 3) fur lined boots (I got mine from Aldi a few years ago and they're magic!) 4) Wool. Merino is the best but expensive. M&S have some jumpers with wool for £26, plus there's 20% off at the moment 5) fingerless gloves 6) move as much as possible 7) hot drinks.

Put it on anyway. Who put him in charge?

He will hit the roof. It’s not worth the agg, I’ve lived like it my entire life.

I get really cold in the office on mounjaro and the things which have helped me the most is having a hot drink all the time in a thermal mug with a lid so it doesnt cool down quickly. I can sip it and it keeps you much warmer. I also wear a good circular scarf which is thick but looks nice enough to look professional and I have some fingerless gloves for when my hands get cold. The biggest thing is plenty of hot drinks... That penetrates the cold more than external heat sources which just seem to make you feel colder in comparison later!

I’ve lost 7 and a half stone in 16 months, I’ve not gained weight 😂

re bloods - I’ve been asking for an iron test for a while as I suspect I could be anaemic but my GP refuses.

Why not? My workplace encourages us to get up and move around regularly. It's unhealthy to sit for hours.
Just do.it

P.S. There is a legal minimum temperature for working conditions. If yours is too low, tell your union rep. (When I was working, my office was far too hot. Unfortunately, there was no legal maximum.)

Good point. The OP is surely in a union. What is the actual temperature in the office and does it meet the legal minimum standard?

I move a lot at work but am also outside for much of the day with the indoor heating going off at 11. I feel this is comparable, as I'm moving but in temperatures at least 10c less than yours...

I wear thermal leggings, thermal socks, thermal long sleeved top; then a thick pair of wool or cord trousers, a flannel shirt (maybe a t shirt too, if a chilly day, extra thermal vest if very cold) and a large wool jumper (and a thin merino one beneath the shirt if below 0 all day). Permanently wear a snood and fingerless gloves, massive coat on for outside and sheepskin lined boots. I am genuinely toasty warm outside all day (other than my fingers!). I know you said you are doing layers, but it doesn't sound like enough, or the right sorts! You need to seriously layer up.

People always think I've lost a lot of weight in spring. I haven't! I've lost a genuine 5/6 inches of jumpers and thermal layers... I am never cold.

You don't need to take a break in order to move! You can stand up and walk on the spot while you're on the phone. You can do some leg exercises or circle your ankles while you're sitting. You can shake your arms and stretch.

The heated chair cushion looks lovely. I’m retired now, but used to work in the NHS and well remember cold offices, admin staff are low down the list of priorities. My ex practice manager would have moaned about the cost of the electric of such a rug! She was bad enough about us plugging our phones in, which costs virtually nothing. Odd woman. At home now I have a heated blanket from Lakeland which is bliss.

I get cold easily. Wool and layers as others have said.

You asked if there were affordable places to buy wool clothes. If you look hard enough you can find in charity shops (though reflecting the high street they are a sea of polyester mainly these days). The men’s section generally has more. Vintage shops also good. And try Vinted though loads of sellers don’t mention the fibre content. But you can search for wool. I just got a great jumper for a tenner.

But given that it’s your health then maybe consider the cost an investment in that. My Smartwool vest was about £40 and is the best thing ever and has lasted years. Decathlon do cheaper merino.

Alpaca socks are transformational. Alpaca generally as the fibres themselves are hollow so once the air in them is warm it really stays trapped.

I find drinking milky drinks warms me more than watery ones. Eating hot food also helps.

I’d also recommend actually talking to both your line manager and your parents. If you’re this bone cold the whole time. Not just assuming. Also, you’re an adult. If your dad won’t put the heating on because it makes him feel uncomfortable , buy a plug in heater and put it in your room.

I think Mounjaro is behind this. I don't know why it is but my male relative who as been on the injections is exactly the same. Freezing cold all the time. Icy cold hands to touch. After running hot all his life. I don't know if it's just the rapid weight loss means your body hasn't had time to adjust or something specific about the way it works. You need a thread specifically about feeling freezing on / after mounjaro I think.
as a side note, I do recommend fingerless gloves if you need to be typing in a office.

I think Mounjaro is behind this. I don't know why it is but my male relative who as been on the injections is exactly the same. Freezing cold all the time. Icy cold hands to touch. After running hot all his life. I don't know if it's just the rapid weight loss means your body hasn't had time to adjust or something specific about the way it works. You need a thread specifically about feeling freezing on / after mounjaro I think.
as a side note, I do recommend fingerless gloves if you need to be typing in a office.