Waist trainers, long-distance relatives of the corset, are rapidly taking over the fashion industry again, even though it dominated during the 1800s. Waist trainer related hashtags have been used over one million times on the popular social media platform Instagram alone and many celebrities including the Kardashians and the popular rapper Nicki Minaj swear by it.

If you have seen one or more of such posts about the waist trainer, you might be enticed to get one, as such posts glorify its contouring prowess. Besides, who doesn’t want an hour-glass body figure that a waist training promises? But what does science have to say? Do waist trainers help lose belly fat after pregnancy?

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What are Waist Trainers?

First of all, in case you are not keeping up with the Kardashians, a waist trainer is a corset worn over the waist for a long period with the hope that it would help mold the waist and give the wearer the permanent appearance of an hour-glass shape.

Since celebrities like Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, and the Kardashians brought back the hourglass body figure into the spotlight in the fashion industry, many people have been looking for a quick fix to attain such figures. I understand losing weight can be very difficult. You have to lower your calorie intake, start exercising, and everything else that comes with that.

But yuck who wants to go through the difficult process of weight loss that doesn’t even deliver on time?_ Waist trainer is offering to many women the opportunity to own that curvy body in a short period without even going through the rigorous process of weight loss. Many people have been looking into the waist trainers especially when known celebrities who have such desired curvy body claim that is their secret recipe.

Let’s take a look at some of the supposed benefits of waist training and see what experts have to say about it.

Hourglass Figure

Does the waist trainer give the hourglass shape? Experts suggest otherwise. The America Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS) proclaimed in their blog that waist training simply doesn’t do any real work. According to the blog, “All a waist trainer can do is squeeze your torso for a temporary change in appearance.”

Even Christopher Ochner, a weight loss and nutrition expert at Mount Sinai Hospital, told Marie Claire the following “Spot reducing doesn’t exist”, Ochner says. “You cannot reduce the collection of fat in any one particular area of your body. If you push your stomach in, all the fat will go right back to where it was no matter how long [you wear the corset] for.”

According to UCI Health, after taking off the waist trainer, the effect is unlikely to last. Dr. Roxann Engle, a family medicine Physician and medical doctor at UCI Health, buttressed this point by saying “The corset gives you an immediate fix. It will shape the muscles of your waist for the short time you’re wearing it.” But when you finally get exhausted wearing the constraint, your body would find its way back to its original shape.

Promote a Better Posture

Wearing the waist trainer temporarily gives better body posture but wearing it for a very long period may lead to weakened core muscles and result in back pain according to UCI health. If you are looking to improve your posture at work, give a waist trainer a try. At the end of the day, when you have a good posture your bones and joints are in correct alignment, as a result, you’ll experience less fatigue and more energy.

Waist Trainers Help Boost Weight Loss By Increasing Your Body Temperature

Wearing a waist trainer significantly increases body temperature and this automatically leads to sweating which results in weight loss in the long run. Did you notice a significant weight loss after wearing a waist trainer? “It’s actually water loss from extra perspiration,” said Casey Palazzo, a certified Lagree instructor, at the Studio (MDR). Waist trainers can only help lose fat when combined with exercise, but you do need to wear the right one to avoid discomfort while trying to exercise with waist trainers.

Asides from perspiration, weight loss can also be attributed to declination in appetite. Most women report feeling full when they are putting on the waist trainers, this is due to the garment squeezing your stomach. This also can be very dangerous according to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery who said that squeezing the intricate internal organs lead to blockage in the digestive tract which can, in turn, lead to many other severe problems including acid reflux.

Why not just exercise and lose belly fat the traditional way? Click here to see the exercises you can do to lose belly fat naturally.

Risks of wearing the waist trainer

Shifting of organs associated with the prolonged wearing of a waist trainer can affect digestive organs and lead to various digestion problems like heartburn and the likes.
According to ABCS, waist trainers reduce lung capacity by 30 – 60% thereby reducing oxygen flow in the body. This can lead to low energy and discomfort. Worst-case scenarios include fluid buildup in lungs, inflammation, and passing out which was highly reported in the Victorian Era when corsets were trending.
The Royal College of Surgeons of England in their blog stated that prolonged use of waist trainers can lead to deformation of the rib cage.

Now to the big Question, Does Waist Training Work?

As we can see, waist training only provides a temporary solution to a permanent problem. If you are choosing the waist trainer, use it with caution to burn extra calories during your workout sessions or to boost your posture during office hours. Remember you do not want to sacrifice your health for visual gains.

If you are part of those following the Kardashian sister’s waist gang society you would notice how their fans admire the results of waist training in the comment section. But the company recently settled a $5 million class-action lawsuit after a customer sued on the ground that the product doesn’t really work as advertised.

In fact, Jessica Alba, a celebrity waist training enthusiast admits that exercising and proper diet were necessary for her to achieve her post-baby body back.

Waist trainers can be worn if you have a Victorian-Era-themed event to attend or just the Met Gala, but wearing them for a long time is medically not advisable.

Other Alternatives to Waist Trainers

There are no better alternatives to weight loss and losing belly fat than exercising and a proper diet. Many professional fitness experts and medical health practitioner attested to the fact that waist trainers are no good and suggested exercises as a far better alternative. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, Shape, UCI health, and Medical News Today are all advocates of exercise when it comes to choosing between waist trainers and good ol’ fashioned exercise and diet.

Consider the following changes in your diet and begin your journey to a flat tummy

Eat plenty of soluble fiber. Research has proven that consuming soluble fibers help in weight loss as it leads to slow digestion and reduces more food intake.
Reduce alcohol intake. Research has discovered that alcohol intake is linked to increased belly fat. Reduction in alcohol intake or total abstinence can be beneficial in your fight for a slimmer belly.
Increasing protein intake would also help in weight loss and help get that molded belly, research says.
Stress also plays a major role in building body fat so a reduction in stress level would be really good in your weight loss journey. Click here…. to know how exercise can help you relieve stress.
Aerobic exercise is an effective weight-loss method. Studies suggest that it is particularly effective in slimming the waistline.
Resistance/strength training is also an effective way to lose body fat especially when combined with aerobics. Click here to check out some resistance training you can do with the resistance band.
Sleep deprivation has also been linked to weight gain. If you want to lose weight consider getting enough sleep.

Reference Facts:

Dietary fiber and energy regulation (2000, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Relationship of abdominal obesity with alcohol consumption (2007, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Normal protein intake is required for body weight loss and weight maintenance (2013, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Shaping the stress response: insulin and abdominal obesity (2008, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

1.Effect of aerobic exercise training dose on liver fat and visceral adiposity, (2015, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Both resistance training and aerobic training reduce hepatic fat (2013, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)