I MISS WINTER! I really hate the summer months :(

I'm in Seattle, where it's wet and gloomy most of the year. It rarely gets hot (above 80F) in the summers, and even then it doesn't stay hot for more than maybe a week. I know more people who own boats than have air conditioning in their homes, because AC just isn't necessary here.

Even before I started paleo I decided to try an experiment in better adapting myself to cold. So at the beginning of the winter of 2010-'11, I set the thermostat at 57F and left it there until January, when I bumped it down to 55F. There were a couple of very wet, chilly days where I'd been outside a lot and felt justified in kicking it up to 60F for the evening, but for most of the winter I kept the house on the cold side--even when it snowed. And I got used to it.

We didn't get many hot days during the summer of 2011; it was a mild summer, even for us. But even on the warmest days I noticed that I wasn't so uncomfortable as I used to be. My upper limit for comfort has always been around 72F, and above 80F things got ugly fast. (Texans, I can hear you snickering from here. Cut it out!) But I don't recall having a single day last summer where I suffered from the heat.

Last October I set the thermostat to 52F, and haven't touched it since. My raincoat got a lot of use during the winter, but I never put the quilted lining in, and I only pulled one wool sweater out of storage. T-shirt weather for me is now 50-55F. And--interestingly--during a recent trip to Dallas, when the temps were in the mid-80s, I had no problem with it. I noticed it was hot, but wasn't knocked flat by it as I used to be. I didn't spend the trip hunkered down in any air conditioned spot I could find. It was almost (dare I say it?) pleasant. So I'm actually looking forward to any hot days we get this summer, just to confirm how well I've heat-adapted.

That said, I haven't noticed a difference due to eating paleo, but cold adaptation--which has paid off by increasing my heat tolerance, too--strikes me as a paleo activity.

While not strictly related to diet, I did just purchase a Thai deodorant crystal. My wife pointed out that not using an anti-perspirant might allow our bodies to actually sweat and cool off like they're supposed to.

I -am- looking forward to the heat wave this summer to see if it's all made a difference. I know being thirty pounds lighter probably will!

I was wondering that today. I could also put it down to conditioning, but I spent 5 hours running about outside today when it was 90F and everyone else seemed to be struggling after 10 minutes. I wasn't altogether comfortable, but I didn't feel it was overwhelmingly hot like I remember I used to feel.

Summer heat, in Florida, lasts for about 10 months out of the year... well, maybe 9 as the last two years or so have had longer winters... we have to deal with hot pretty much constantly.

I have to allow myself to get conditioned to the heat, I find that "having reckless fun with mad abandon" makes me think less about the heat, i.e. going swimming with my son, going to the beach, sprinting with my dogs in a field, or lifting weights with some old friends in a gnarly old garage.

Changing shirts 3 times in a 2 hour workout though? That crap kinda sucks, but I just deal.

I don't do well in the heat, never have and this summer was no different. We are heading into winter now and I am already freezing when its not yet cold-60ish.

So maybe we really do need that winter fat on our bodies to keep us warmer? I'll just go buy warmer layers thank you!! :)

I'm a hot-weather gal and always have been. My fave temps are between 80-85. I remember last summer when t got back down to 90 after 65 days of temps averaging over 100 (we had a bad summer here in NE Texas and surrounding areas) and I thought "Oh, it's nice and cool today"...LOL!

I haven't really noticed any better heat-adaptation specifically from paleo (although it's only beginning to really get hot where I am), but I definitely notice my heat tolerance rising as I lose fat and get in better shape.

I don't prescribe to the incredibly-high fat percentage that some do, but I haven't found that cold temperatures are any "better" on paleo, either.

my high-metabolism , skinny 6'4 145 pound husband hates the heat. I'm 5'3 120 pounds and have always LOVED the heat. Black leather seats in my car, 100 degrees F outside, I'm a happy lizard. I can't stand the cold. 70 degrees F, is cold to me. Paleo hasn't changed anything. Bring on the heat-rock!!!

I handle cold by putting on a more layers and warmer clothes.

Could you please explain how eating fat makes one "cold adapted?" I am aware that having more body fat makes you more tolerant to cold temperatures, but how does eating fat (and not necessarily having elevated body fat) make you "cold adapted"? I thought we as a species adapted to colder climates by wearing more clothing.

Eating more calories will increase your metablism and make you warmer, is that what you mean by "cold adapted?"