by Staff writer
Waist trainers are corset-like contraptions mostly worn by women to cinch their cores and create an attractive curved shape.
More like a recycled trend, waist trainers can be likened to the constricting corsets women wore in the past.
Wearing waist trainers is a widespread trend today with top celebrities posting images of themselves wearing the waist-cinching tool.
Waist trainers and weight loss
The idea is to wear waist trainers for a certain amount of time every day, and eventually, the body “molds” itself into a slimmer figure.
There is currently no evidence that shows waist trainers will help you lose weight or burn fat — the minor possibility is that wearing them can reduce appetite and people tend to eat less.
But waist trainers don’t melt fat, more like they redistribute it.
“You might temporarily lose a small amount of weight wearing a waist trainer, but it will likely be due to loss of fluids through perspiration rather than loss of fat,” writes Ann Pietrangelo for Healthline.
You may also eat less while wearing the trainer simply because your stomach is compressed, but this is not a healthy or sustainable path to weight loss.
Are waist trainers completely safe to wear?
Probably not! Wearing waist trainers comes in the way of two very important life processes: breathing and digestion.
The pressure from a waist trainer can unhealthily squeeze the lungs and breathing muscles, making it difficult to breathe.
Christopher Ochner, Ph.D., a weight loss and nutrition expert at Mount Sinai Hospital, confirms some women have actually passed out from wearing a waist trainer for too long.
Waist trainers also put extreme pressure on your digestive organs. These organs are not built to withstand extreme external pressure. If you are wearing your waist trainer during meals, not only will it hamper proper digestion, but it may also cause acid reflux.
Another reason you shouldn’t bother ordering one is that they really don’t work. Attempting to exercise while wearing a waist trainer is potentially dangerous, experts say.
“There is no science to support the claims that wearing an extremely compressive garment around the waist will instantly strengthen the abdominals and cause specifically abdominal fat loss,” says exercise psychologist, Ashley Fluger.
Safer alternatives to waist trainers
Are there safer alternatives to using waist trainers? Sure, there are.
If your plan is to lose midsection fat for a more defined shape, your two best options are:
a. Dieting
and
b. Exercise
A consistent combination of these two will get you that banging body you crave for in a matter of months while not endangering your life.
