Chemical thermodynamics says the body must burn more calories when exposed
to colder conditions. Extreme cold conditions cause the body to burn a
huge number of calories to keep warm. I don't believe fat retention has
anything to do with cold weather; that would show a psychological relation
between tissue catabolism and anabolism.

That's my 2 cents (-:

You may have a higher metabolic rate than most people.  This can
be associated with hyperthyroidism, which can have undesirable
consequences further down the line.  Get your thyroid tested some
time just in case.

Dunno.  Good question.  I doubt there's a good answer.

AFAIK, you don't burn more calories in the cold unless you start
shivering, or are motivated to be more active (e.g. moving around
stamping your feet, walking/running faster, working harder, etc)
to keep warm.

In general, seasonal adaptation to cold in animals is triggered by day
length, which causes mammals to fatten up, grow thicker coats, etc.
Some people develop carbohydrate cravings and put on weight in the fall
especially if exposed to natural day lengths.

On a shorter term basis, subjective cold tolerance can be improved by
continuous cold exposure, i.e. if you keep the thermostat way down, the
cold outdoors won't bother you as much as if you keep it cranked up.
Someone did a study once that showed that sleeping in cold air (with
enough blankets to be comfortable) had a rapid and remarkable effect on
subjective cold tolerance.

My husband is obese... and is very tolerant of cold weather.  Anyone
willing to go out and shovel snow in what is -50F conditions (includes
wind chill factor) is cold tolerant in my book!

The funny part is, I am from SE Texas... 90F/90% humidity, and am
therefore NOT especially cold tolerant, even though I also am obese.
When I moved to the Bay Area, CA, I was often cold at first, but I got
used to it.

However, after moving to North Dakota, one gets acclimated fairly
quickly to some rather extreme cold conditions. When you are used to
going around in -29F to 0F days in the regular ND winter, when it
occasionally gets to a nice toasty 30F, you will go out and chip ice
in a T-shirt, no problem! Been there, done that!

Anyway, I didn't magically become thin up there, though the winters
were long and cold!

The answer is that you burn more calories in cold weather. Also,
drinking cold calorie-free drinks gives you negative calories, (as
many as 11 negative calories per 8 oz), just to warm up your insides
from the cold drink. That doesn't include the hyperactivity from the
caffeine that adds more negative calories.

This is less controversial than say negative calories from the "low-
calorie" foods like lettuce, raddishes and lettuce, which, as complex
carbs with very low calorie, require the body to expend MORE energy
than is in the food just to try and digest it.

Then you have fiber. Fiber is by definition NOT digestible. Therefore,
even though it is a carb, unlike cows, goats, deer, etc., we cannot
break it down, so the potential calories cannot be realized.

The solution to all our weight problems therefore is to eat lots and
lots of cold celery because it is cold, fibrous, and a complex carb.
Be sure to wash it down with lots of Diet Coke or espresso, just to
make sure.....better stay close to a bathroom though. dkw

Unless you're cold enough to be shivering, you ain't burning much more
calories... and if you're cold enough to be shivering, to make it worth
weight loss, you're risking hypothermia... ain't nothing to laugh about.

I'm Canadian.. and believe me... there aren't much more skinny people up
there than there are down here!

The Inuits will eat a very fatty diet to "keep warm"... cause the fat help
them keep warm.. but I don't think the body "retain fat" significantly
without dietary help.. if so, they wouldn't have to eat more before winter
comes..

Will~