People who REALLY feel the cold

[Itswinteragain]

....as in 20 degrees in summer you’re wearing 2-3 layers - What keeps you warmish in winter? This will be my third winter in the UK, I’m in the South East and nothing has kept me warm. My flat without heating was 19 last night. That is freezing and heating was quickly switched on and went up to 24 but I had on the Uniqlo extra warm top, oodie, leggings AND joggers so was comfortable. This how cold I feel, I know it’s ridiculous to most people but I can’t help it.

Things I have that don’t keep me warm:
M&S heatgen & Uniqlo heattech extra & ultra warm tops & leggings
North face Arctic parka
amazon & primary thick fleece lined leggings
Real wool jumpers
not to mention numerous knit beanies, earmuffs and gloves.

Nothing works for the 3 days a week I have to spend around 3-5 hours outside. I’ve also spent a fortune on those hand and feet warmers that heat up for a few hours.

Help!

Agree with silk.

Silk next to skin, then a merino base layer, whatever top you want to wear, warm jumper. Keep fingers and toes warm - merino and possum wool socks from NZ are fantastic for this, or just real wool.

Natural fibres wherever possible.

Not sure where the OP is from but often people who grew up somewhere hot like the Philippines or Caribbean just can't adapt in cold weather. I gave no idea how it works but it seems that fir done people, what you grow up experiencing sets some internal thermostat. Conversely some who grew up in the cold can't regulate in the extreme heat.

Two of my dc grew up playing sport in the cold. Wet and really cold. They are never cold. It's weird. T-shirt on a horse in the snow levels of weird. I grew up in the heat. I can't cope with the cold at all.

I haven't read the full thread so apologies if I'm repeating anything. I had HYPERthyroidism in my 20s which resolved after a course of carbimazole. I have since developed HYPOthyroidism in my 40s (GP thinks my thyroid 'burned out') and I'm underweight too. You may be heading towards hypo OP and your bloods just don't show it up yet.
The cold isn't just cold to me-it's painful and actually makes me feel physically sick if I'm outside and not warm enough. It's awful!
I wear cashmere everything-jumpers, hats, scarves etc. The best coats I have found are Didrikson. I stay in Scotland and they keep me toasty and warm for hours outdoors. Amazing!

I'm the same as you and always layer. Probably more than most.
If I need to be outside for a few hours in winter my go to is this - underwear then vest,
Thin socks, thick tights, thick knee length socks, 2-3 pairs of leggings, long boots with sheepskin insoles.
A short sleeve tshirt over a long sleeve tshirt.
Turtle neck jumper. Snood, fleece lined wool hat, 2 pairs of gloves. And lastly a knee length padded waterproof coat.
Hope this helps.

I have a fleece top from trespass which works for me. It is thick fabric which is fluffy/ furry on the inside. I wear it over a thinner M and S long sleeved thermal. Sleeves and body are also nice and long. I am also a very cold person but this keeps me toasty.

I am hoping this is the right one. Mine was maroon.
https://www.trespass.com/elianne-female-base-layer-top#

If you don’t want to feel like you have to wear active wear all the time I find a silk camisole with a long sleeved silk blouse and then a cashmere jumper, cashmere scarf and cashmere wrist warmers to be a good combo. I then wear thermal leggings with wider trousers over with wool socks and decent soled boots. Then add a very warm coat (Didriksons) etc — but the key thing is not trapping the air, it needs to have room to circulate and warm up.

I grew up in Sheffield. Winters are freezing, it always bloody snows.

l haven’t adapted at 59. I’m really really prone to feeling the cold.

I cold water swim and love the socks, hats and gloves from here, much warmer than others I’ve tried https://www.heatholders.com/

I'd get an iron check and make sure you're well within normal levels

I used to be like this. The only thing that changed was I ended up having a blood transfusion of 2.5 litres of blood. After that I’ve never felt the cold in the same way or had low iron levels. Obviously not a standard solution.

Practically, get your iron levels checked.
Invest in good quality thin layers eg uniqlo heattec, fine merino wool, cashmere, fleece.

@Itswinteragain I agree with everyone who says block any gaps. I find neckwarmers/buffs/cowls help to keep the back of my neck warm in the colder months (and don't have to be as tight as a turtleneck). I have a bunch of merino base layers from Mountain Warehouse and wear them under my normal clothes, tucked in so no gaps. Wool socks, and change them if they start to feel sweaty. In the evenings I have a big Oodie knockoff but tend to wear a wool jumper underneath as well. I have a little mini hot water bottle that goes in the pocket of the Oodie and is great for warming hands.

I have some hiking socks from Smartwool which are wonderfully cosy though too squishy for normal shoes. Most days I wear wool socks I hand-knitted. If you can get Birkenstock clogs with cork soles, the cork holds the heat wonderfully - it's almost like having an actual heating pad under your foot! You can buy cork insoles and I keep meaning to try that in some other shoes. Wool felted slippers also work at home: there are merino trainers now and they might be worth a try for out and about.

I never used to feel the cold but after I had my kids I suddenly did, and it's never gone back to the way it was. My thyroid tests normal and I'm not underweight. My circulation is fine. 🤷🏻

Unpopular opinion but a Canada goose coat was my best investment. It’s the only thing that keeps me warm - and I’m talking about keeps me warm whilst sitting at football games in the cold not moving. Unpopular because the hood is made from animal fur.

Yay, you win.

I used to feel like that before getting iron infusions.

And when living in a listed property where significant renovations weren´t allowed for historical reasons... (it was cold af).

Anyhow, what helped me:

1. Always make sure your bed is warm before you get in. Cherry stone cushions, heating blanket etc. Whatever works for you.
2. Heating blankets (especially those that switch off / are less of a fire hazard) are your friend. Use them when sitting one the sofa etc.
3. I had what one might call a sleeping bag (??) with arms and a hood. Entirely out of fleece. Great for when HO, sofa sitting etc.
4. Always always have warm food and drinks. Yoghurt with fruit for breakfast? No. Oatmeal, soup, eggs etc.
5. layers layers. Especially merino wool, cashmere and silk. I used to love those silk or silk / cashmere blend cammies etc. Don´t try to keep warm with cotton jumpers etc. Even when they feel warm and cuddly. that will not work. Same for socks. I always wore knitted wool socks in addition to my sheep fur slippers.
6. Try to keep moving. Get that blood pumping.
7. Hats hats hats. I never went to bed without a wool beanie.
8. Try to block gaps. Also below the doors inside your home.
9. Do you have shutters? Closing them in the night can help. As do heavy curtains (which goes back to closing the gaps).
10. Fingerless gloves are great when working on the computer. My fingers would get a little stiff from the cold and that seemed to help.

I second PP.
Thyroid function test sounds reasonable. Same for iron levels (speaking from personal experience here).

Ah, and warm boots and long coats (over your knees) will be your friend outside the house.

same for tights under trousers.
I also used to have thermal jeans, wich are jeans which some sort of fur lining. Those are gorgeous!!

gorgeous = warm

Im always cold too. I'd recommend a Didrikson coat. Absolutely amazing.

Also Ecco boots - the Goretex soft 7 ones.

Brushed cotton sheets and duvet cover.

And an oil filled electric radiator is very efficient and means you only need to heat one room. You can get them at Screw Fix.

They do coats without fur trims now. My husband has one and it’s brilliant. I’d absolutely love one (without a fur trim) but sadly we can’t afford it at the moment - and won’t be able to for a long time. Thanks Liz Truss! I should have got one a couple of years ago when my husband did.

Firstly keep moving and secondly layers: when it gets -20 here and I’m not moving much with the kids I would wear:
Pure merino socks with thicker loop stitch wool socks over and insulated waterproof boots
Pure merino long johns ( heavyweight so 220 or above) lined trousers or salopettes ( both insulated and wind/waterproof and cuffed)
sleeveless merino vest tucked in, long sleeved merino vest tucked in, fleece or wool jumper, down jacket again high tog
cashmere snood for neck
merino glove liners and insulted ski mitts
thin merino hat or headband under hood.
it’s a ridiculous amount it if clothing and a serious investment but it will keep you warm and is necessary at times here. I also use a down skirt if sitting in very cold weather.

Ah that’s good! They really are so warm it’s insane but I always feel a bit akward about the fur element. Thanks for letting me know.

Plug in heated blanket; heats up in seconds. Absolutely love mine. My kids steal it all the time! Sheepskin slippers. Merino thermals.

Oh-and merino snood. Back of my neck always gets cold!! If anyone has ideas for shins and nose I'd be very interested....

Someone has probably posted this by now, but in case not:

https://www.mumsnet.com/swearsby/best-heated-gilets

I exercise in the evening and that warms me up for a while.

Another vote for silk. Also for neck warmer of some kind.

This is going to sound obvious, but try not to let yourself get cold in the first place. Warming up from cold is really difficult for me so I don't take any chances. If in doubt, put the extra layer/hat/whatever on before you really really need to. This is one of the reasons I like silk, it doesn't add bulk the way many other things do so I'm not tempted to see if I can do without it.