Ice Hack Diet: Can It Help You Lose Weight in 2025?

If you’re having trouble shedding those extra pounds, you’ve probably come across the buzz around the Ice Hack trend. The idea is that exposing your body to extreme cold can boost your thermogenic rate, essentially causing you to burn fat faster.

Sound a little strange, but oddly plausible? Let’s dive into the facts to see whether this chilly method holds up.

What Is the Ice Hack?

The Ice Hack is a diet strategy that is based on cooling your body temperature to burn more calories. This can include adding ice to your diet, consuming cold foods and drinks, or even exposing your body to cold with ice packs and cold showers.

What makes it unique among weight loss programs? The theory is that making yourself cold will put your body in a state of cold-induced thermogenesis, the natural state your body uses to keep you warm.

The Ice Hack for Weight Loss: Does It Work?

America has a weight problem. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), more than 2 in 5 U.S. adults are categorized as obese, which accounts for nearly 173 billion dollars in medical expenses [1].

Can the Ice Hack be one of the solutions to cool down this burning issue? In theory, the Ice Hack Diet does have some bits of truth to it.

For example, a 2022 study concluded that cold foods tend not to cause high insulin levels when compared to hot foods [2]. This is crucial because high insulin levels over time can lead to insulin resistance, which is commonly linked with type 2 diabetes and obesity [3].

Another factor to keep in mind with the Ice Hack Diet is that it results in an additional consumption of water, which another 2022 study found was associated with weight loss [4].

There is also an Ice Hack supplement called Alpilean, yet there is no proof that the ingredients in it raise thermogenic responses in the body.

While it’s one of the latest trending diets on social media, scientific experts are skeptical as to the overall effectiveness of the Ice Hack approach, whether you eat cold foods, jump in cold water, or take a supplement.

Does the Ice Hack Recipe Increase Metabolism?

Cold foods alone are unlikely to cause significant weight loss. Yet, an exposure to cold temperatures, which is involved in some advanced forms of the Ice Hack diet, may be helpful.

A 2022 review on the effect of acute cold exposure on energy metabolism found that regular exposure to cold promotes the extra production of brown adipose tissue in the body [5]. This particular fat tissue has an important role in thermogenesis because it consumes more nutrients, resulting in it burning more calories at a higher rate.

In addition, a 2020 study determined that brown adipose tissue levels are lower in those who are clinically overweight or obese [6].

Other Popular Ice Hack Use Cases

The ice water hack recipe isn’t just supposed to promote weight loss but also help improve your skin, support your brain health, and relieve pain.

Skin Care

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman, MD, explains in a Vogue article that applying ice to your face is a year-round technique for achieving glowing skin [7]. In its basic form, this technique consists of gently rubbing ice over your face in a circular motion as part of a daily skin care regimen.

Spiking the ice cubes with green tea or milk can also help increase circulation, reduce pores, and soothe inflammation.

Mental Clarity and Productivity

Some folks who believe in the Ice Hack diet claim that the Ice Hack recipe of drinking ice water and taking various supplements makes them feel more focused and energized. However, there are no direct scientific studies or evidence linking the Ice Water Hack recipe to increased mental productivity.

Pain and Injury Relief

While the Ice Hack diet is a fad weight loss strategy based on consuming cold products or exposing oneself to cold, using ice for pain and injury relief (a.k.a. cryotherapy) is a separate method backed by research [8].

Cryotherapy is most commonly used as a local application, like putting ice on a sprained ankle. It can also be used as a whole body therapy in a specialized chamber for a short time to trigger endorphins and adrenaline for pain relief, reduced inflammation, and mood boosting.

Is the Ice Hack Diet Safe?

Consuming ice or eating more cold foods in moderation is relatively safe. After all, it doesn’t even involve caffeine like the coffee method for weight loss.

However, taking the Ice hack diet to an extreme and increasing your exposure to cold temperatures can be potentially dangerous.

Risks and Side Effects To Consider

Here are some potential risks of too much exposure to cold temperatures:

• Hypothermia: Extended exposure to cold will lower the body’s temperature and cause symptoms like shivering, confusion, and decreased motor skills [9].
• Cold shock: A sudden exposure to cold can lead to a dramatic change in breathing, heart rate, and even cause cardiac arrest or drowning if plunging into ice-cold water.
• Frostbite: The direct application of ice to the skin for prolonged periods may seriously damage tissues.

Who Should Avoid It?

Individuals with asthma, a heart condition, or Raynaud’s Disease (which is when areas like the fingers or toes go numb in response to stress or cold temperatures) should all consult a doctor before trying the Ice Hack.

How To Try the Ice Hack Diet Safely

Here are some generally safe ways to incorporate the Ice Water Hack Diet into your daily wellness routine:

• Drink more ice water: Drinking more cold water throughout the day will not only aid in hydration, but it can also potentially give your metabolism a quick boost.
• Drink before meals: Drinking ice water approximately 30 minutes before a meal may help curb your appetite and reduce your calorie intake.
• Start the day with ice water: Doing this is a great way to start your hydration and rev up your metabolism as well.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle: Pair the ice hack method with a balanced diet, physical activity, and weight loss supplements for better weight management.

Expert Insights

According to Didrik Espeland and other researchers from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the potential benefits of cold exposure may go beyond just raising metabolism and promoting weight loss. They found that by increasing the amount of brown adipose tissue in the body, decreased insulin resistance may sometimes be the result [8].

These researchers also found that cold water immersion had additional benefits, such as increased stress tolerance and lower risk of cardiovascular disease [8].

What’s more, Matthew C. Scott from Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Scott Fuller of University of Louisiana concluded in their 2024 peer-review article that while exposure to cold may show some promise for treating obesity and raising metabolism for weight loss, more human research is necessary [10].

Ice Hack FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions people often have regarding the Ice hack diet and Ice Water hack ingredients.

What Is the Ice Hack for Weight Loss?

The Ice Hack for weight loss describes a strategy for using cold water, food, and cold exposure to boost metabolism and increase the rate at which your body burns calories. It won’t require you to take weight loss supplements, but you’re free to take them if you like.

How Does the Ice Hack Work?

Instead of relying on food nutrition like protein-packed diets, it focuses on temperature. The theory is that by consuming cold water plus food and exposing your body to cold temperatures, your metabolism will respond by burning more calories and fat to raise your overall body temperature.

Is the Ice Hack Scientifically Proven?

Eating and drinking cold products and exposure to cold temperatures so your metabolic rate speeds up to burn calories and fat is theoretically interesting, yet scientific studies have found the actual effect is only minimal. Look for more effective alternatives if you hope to figure out how to lose 10 pounds in a week or more through fat loss.

What Are the Supposed Benefits of the Ice Hack?

Followers of the Ice Hack diet claim that drinking cold water, taking cold showers, or using ice packs may stimulate the body to produce more brown fat to burn body fat and calories, produce extra body heat, and lead to weight loss.

Final Take on the Ice Hack Diet

So, what do you think? Does the Ice Hack diet sound cool? It’s trending on TikTok, yet the scientific experts and dieticians are not so convinced.

The Ice Hack approach seems logical in a way, if you don’t mind eating a lot of cold food or the shock of a cold shower. Just make sure to speak with your doctor first because a jolt of ice cold is not for everyone and could even be unhealthy for some.

Chill out in your weight loss journey!