Waist trainers have become increasingly popular, promising a slimmer waistline and even weight loss. But what exactly are they, and do they deliver on their promises? This article delves into the realities of waist trainers, examining their effectiveness, potential health risks, and safer alternatives for achieving your desired body shape.
What is a Waist Trainer?
A waist trainer is a tight-fitting undergarment designed to compress the midsection. They wrap around your torso and fasten using laces, hook-and-eye clasps, or sticky fasteners. Many waist trainers also have metal or plastic supports, called boning that provide structure around your torso. Waist trainers are made from sturdy, stretchy materials, often a combination of spandex, nylon, or latex. These garments are similar to corsets, which have been used for centuries to create the illusion of an hourglass figure. The idea behind waist training is to gradually increase the time spent wearing the garment each day.
How Waist Trainers Work
Waist trainers work by squeezing your stomach area to make your waistline look smaller. When you wear one, the tight fabric hugs your midsection, pulling in your waist to create an hourglass shape. You’ll see the effect right away, but once you take it off, your waist will go back to its normal shape. The product forces your body into a particular shape, often getting rid of the water weight you carry around your midsection. But without the constant support of a waist trainer, your waist returns to its normal shape and size.
Waist Trainers vs. Shapewear
Shapewear is also a type of snug undergarment that creates an hourglass shape, but unlike a waist trainer, it’s only meant to be worn for short periods or to smooth out certain areas under clothing. While waist trainer brands often claim (though, without much evidence) that their products can give you lasting results, the effects of shapewear are meant to be temporary. Also, shapewear is usually made from stretchier materials than waist trainers.
Waist Trainers vs. Sweatbands
Sweatbands are waist wraps meant to be worn during workouts. They’re usually made from light and flexible materials that don’t restrict your movement in the same way that waist trainers do. The nonbreathable fabric of sweatbands causes you to sweat more around your abdomen.
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Claims vs. Reality: Do Waist Trainers Work for Weight Loss?
Many companies claim that waist trainers can trim inches off your waist and help you lose weight. However, there’s no solid scientific evidence to support this. While waist trainers do make your waist look smaller, this effect doesn’t last. Any lasting change is usually minor and can be uncomfortable to achieve.
Temporary Weight Loss
Wearing a waist trainer might lead to some short-term weight loss, but the results usually don’t last. A waist trainer squeezes your stomach area, leaving less space for food and lowering your appetite. But this isn’t a healthy or sustainable way to lose weight.
No Reduction in Belly Fat
Waist trainers don’t help you lose belly fat. Fat is stored throughout your entire body. When you lose or gain it, the change usually happens everywhere, not just in one spot. Trying to compress fat in a single area, like the belly, isn’t effective.
Sweating Doesn't Melt Fat
Wearing a waist trainer might make you sweat more in that area, but that won’t melt away fat. Your body is made up mostly of water. When you sweat, that’s the first thing to go. But as soon as you rehydrate, the water weight will come right back. The best way to burn fat is through exercise.
Core Strength
Some companies also claim that wearing a waist trainer can improve your core strength, but exercise is a much better way to do this. When you consistently strengthen and engage your core and back muscles, you can get a smaller waist with fewer health risks.
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Potential Health Risks of Waist Trainers
Waist training doesn’t cause any short-term health problems, but long-term use may have side effects. While some people may choose to wear a waist trainer to achieve a certain look, it’s important to listen to your body and take it off if you have pain, discomfort, or shortness of breath.
Reduced Core Strength
While waist trainers do keep your core tight and compressed, they can actually weaken your core strength over time. This is because waist trainers do the work of maintaining your posture for you. If you’ve used one for a long time, you may even experience pain and discomfort when you’re not wearing it, as your core needs to do more work to support itself again.
Damage to Internal Organs
Wearing a waist trainer may also damage your kidneys, liver, spleen, and pancreas by pushing them into unnatural positions. If your organs are under this pressure for too long, they may not work as well as they should. This can lead to long-term damage. Overcrowding your organs can affect blood flow and change how organs function. In time, this can lead to permanent organ damage, reduced muscle strength, and even rib fractures.
Digestive Issues
Waist trainers also squeeze the organs in your digestive system, including your stomach and intestines. With less space, food and gas can’t move through your body as easily, which can trap it and make you feel bloated. That same pressure can push acids back up through your esophagus and cause heartburn. If you have gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), wearing a waist trainer may make matters worse.
Breathing Issues
Using a waist trainer cuts your lung capacity by 30%-60%. This is especially dangerous if you use a waist trainer during a workout. A lack of oxygen can lower your energy levels, making exercise more challenging, but it can also cause inflammation that lasts even after you take off the waist trainer. Cinch it tight enough and you might even pass out. It can even lead to inflammation or a buildup of fluid in the lungs. Over time, breathing problems can affect your lymphatic system, which helps to rid your body of toxins.
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Skin Irritation
Waist trainers are made from synthetic materials that aren’t designed to breathe. Because they fit tightly, the friction and trapped sweat can irritate some people’s skin.
Safer and More Effective Alternatives
Regular exercise and eating well are the only ways to permanently change your waistline. If you’re looking for a healthy way to lose weight and build your core strength, try these exercises:
Standing Side Crunches
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-length apart, then bring your hands beside your ears, elbows facing out. Standing straight with your knees slightly bent, lower your left elbow toward the floor and return to the center. Repeat on the right side up to 30 times. To make this exercise more challenging, try lifting your left knee to your left elbow, then cross your left elbow to your right knee. Repeat on the other side.
Side Plank
Lay sideways on your mat, with your knees aligned with your hips. Position your lower arm at a right angle to support you. Press through your arm to lift your hips off the mat. Do 10 repetitions, then try to hold the last one for a minute before switching to the other side. For an easier option, keep your knees bent during this exercise.
Russian Twist
Sit on a mat with your knees slightly bent and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Then, lean back slightly, and twist your torso from left to right while engaging your core. To make this exercise more challenging, try raising your feet off the ground or holding a weight while you twist.
Bird Dog
Start on your hands and knees with your hands placed directly below your shoulders. Alternate between reaching your left then right arm directly in front of you and holding it for a few breaths before lowering it to the ground. Then do the same with each leg, extending them one at a time directly behind you. To make this exercise more challenging, you can raise your right arm and left leg at the same time before switching sides.
Balanced Diet
Concentrate on fresh, whole foods and portion control. Cut down on sugary snacks and beverages, and overly processed foods.
Less Restrictive Shapewear
Invest in undergarments that help to give you a sleeker silhouette without restricting breathing. Some waist cinchers are made with flexible plastic boning for more freedom of movement.
What About Men's Waist Trainers?
Anyone can wear a waist trainer to give themselves an hourglass look, regardless of their gender, but the results still won’t be permanent. While this article primarily discusses waist trainers in the context of women's fashion, it's worth noting that companies also market waist-cinching products to men. The same principles and risks apply: waist trainers offer a temporary slimming effect but do not provide lasting weight loss or body shaping.
Factors Contributing to Weight Gain in Men
While waist trainers are marketed as a quick fix, it's essential to address the underlying causes of weight gain. Several factors contribute to men being overweight, including diet, genetics, hormones, and lifestyle. Men tend to be overweight due to dietary factors and the size of the portions that they eat. The average male needs about 2,500 calories per day to simply maintain their weight. According to a report by The Food and Agriculture Organization, people actually eat anywhere from 3,600 to 4,000 calories per day.
Lifestyle Factors
Men tend to have a longer work week than their female counterparts, according to a May 2019 study from Zippia. The average man in the United States works about 41.4 hours per week, while the average woman works about 36.4 hours. Many Americans spend about an hour per day commuting to and from work.
Sleep Deprivation
When you get plenty of sleep, your body produces a hormone called leptin. Leptin tells your body to start eating. When you are sleep-deprived, your body produces more of a hormone called ghrelin. Simply put, Americans do not get enough sleep. A study from 2022 found that 35.2% of Americans feel sleep at least three days out of the week. Around 35.2% of Americans report sleeping less than seven hours each night. The risk of weight gain due to sleep deprivation is shocking.
Genetic Predisposition
Genes play a large role in being overweight. The role that genes play in weight predisposition varies from person to person. For some people, genes account for 25% of one's predisposition to weight gain, whereas it can be as high as 80% for some people.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Research indicates that most Americans are sedentary. When you hear the phrase "sedentary lifestyle," it is referring to the fact that people simply don't get enough exercise. Being sedentary is a problem for men. A 2015 study by the NIH found that more than 30 percent of the men in the study were sedentary for at least five hours out of their day. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to chronic health conditions, including back pain, diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Eliminating a sedentary lifestyle can be a path to happiness and self-confidence.
Setting Fitness Goals
Not setting fitness goals can be a significant detractor to success. It is estimated that as many as 30% of people who want to lose weight and get in shape fail because they fail to set simple, realistic goals. When you set a fitness goal, you should keep it simple. When you start with a man's waist trainer, your goal for your first week could be as simple as working up to wearing it for eight to ten hours per day.
Strategies for Men to Get Back in Shape
Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle adjustments can help men get back into shape. For many men, eating healthier will help them cut unnecessary calories out of their day. Exercise will also help many men get rid of excess fat and get the shape that they desire. For men who are wanting to get back into shape, cutting calories is going to be a cornerstone of their efforts. Many will find that watching portion size will get them down to the 2,500 recommended calories per day that they need to eat. Many people traditionally eat meat as a main staple, but healthier white meats, like fish, chicken, and turkey will provide the protein necessary to build lean muscle mass. Fresh fruits and vegetables will be a great way to get fit and get the vitamins needed to maintain healthy energy. For men, getting back to the gym to get in shape can be a challenge. Men tend to get back to the gym successfully when they do it in a social setting. For those who have a gym at work, this is a great opportunity to get the workout done before they start their workday. Lastly, for those who want to get back to the gym, a trainer or fitness coach can be a great place to start.
Smart Belts: An Alternative Approach?
One study explored the use of a “smart belt” for reducing waist circumference. This device, worn around the waist, measures real-time steps, sedentary time, and waist circumference. The study found that wearing the smart belt was associated with a statistically significant reduction in waist circumference over 12 weeks.
This device has a distinct measurement approach, which other smart devices do not have. The waist circumferences can be measured every 30 minutes, 24 hours per day, and these measurements are saved into a database as a longitudinal concept. From the collected information, the device provides users with their daily activity score categorized into three groups: best, good, and poor. All real-time information is presented on a mobile phone app, and comparisons between daily activities and the previous days’ activities are possible.
It's important to note that this study focused on the effectiveness of the smart belt in measuring and tracking waist circumference, not necessarily on weight loss. The reduction in waist circumference could be attributed to increased awareness of activity levels and dietary choices, rather than the belt itself causing a physical change.
When to Consult a Doctor
Talk to your doctor before you try a waist trainer. They can discuss your health concerns and help you make the best decision for your needs. A person may wish to talk to their doctor if they are trying to lose weight, and diet and exercise are not working. A doctor may be able to recommend additional steps or direct them to a dietitian or personal trainer.