011. The Shocking Truth about Waist Trainers

At any given moment there is a trending weight loss remedy targeted for those who are willing to pay any amount of money to avoid the typical mundane clean eating and exercise routine. Unless you’ve been under a rock, you have heard all the clamor about waist training. It might look painful, we might not know where the organs go, and it definitely might make it harder to breathe, but that hasn’t stop thousands of women from giving waist training a go. That’s right waist training, the latest trend suggests you can lose weight and have a slim, hourglass figure without changing your lifestyle but by simply wearing a corset type apparatus. And with this trendy corset-like contraption being vocally endorsed and modeled all over social media by stars such as Kim Kardashian and sisters Khloe and Kourtney, Rasheeda, Jessica Alba, Kim Zociak, and Porsha Williams (who has established her very own line of waist trainers), it’s no wonder women are jumping on the waist training bandwagon. While corsets have been on the market for centuries (the first true corset was invented back in the 1500s), they have come back into vogue not only as a way to change the shape of the body but to lose weight, with waist training products specifically being identified as “fitness waist trainers” and “sports waist cinchers,” designed to increase the impact of your workouts by training your midsection. Companies claim these waist training devices compress your core, ramp up perspiration, release toxins, and metabolize fat. Additionally, the tight fit also restricts your abdomen, reducing your food intake during the day.

This newly trendy practice involves wearing a corset-like garment for extended periods of time to compress your core, which will supposedly decrease the size of your waist permanently over time. Does this sound like its way too good to be true? Many physicians have weighed in on this slim hourglass forming trend. Let’s dig into the clinical evidence and shocking truth you really need to know about the latest weight-loss fad and how it can harm your health. There is no clinical evidence that waist training is an effective weigh loss tool. In fact most healthcare professionals argue the waist trainer does nothing more than just shift fat around. In a recent interview with Women’s Health magazine Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine, stated, “Medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller. Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage.” This may not be surprising to most given waist trainers act merely as a waist cinching garment. However, the shocking truth about waist trainers and waist training using this hot new trend is waist trainers actually cost more harm than good. While most medical professionals agree wearing waist trainers for short periods of time does not seem to be harmful, all agree wearing waist trainers for extended periods of time can lead to potential physiological side effects. Furthermore, numerous medical professionals also agreed constricting the abdomen and torso could impair lung function by restricting the amount of space available for the lungs to expand into the abdomen and fill with air, limiting the lungs ability to exchange oxygen or expel carbon dioxide. Additionally, as the stomach and colon are prevented from moving its contents, heartburn and chronic constipation can occur. Moreover, forcing the ribs and muscles into a tight and restrictive garment can cause chronic pain and bruising. The corset can also prevent return of blood flow to the heart, which can affect blood pressure and may result in dizziness and even fainting. Need proof? Even Dr Oz has weighed in on this waist training trend. Check out the video here for Dr. Oz’s on camera segment about waist training and what he and his colleagues discovered in their research trial.

Women have been going to great lengths to obtain that quintessential hourglass figure, but waist training may not be the right avenue to approaching such a vivacious physique. While corsets may help some women avoid cosmetic surgery or unhealthy diet pills, some experts warn against this reborn trend, many women have suffered from deformed organs and fainting spells. Moral of the story is if you’re not willing to put in the hard work and dedication of dieting and exercising, then anything else is the equivalent of taking the magic pill. You’re using a waist trainer at a significant risk and it’s not sustainable conducive to you overall health and wellbeing. Using a waist trainer to trim inches off your waist you may be getting more than what you're bargaining for. Women come in various shapes and sizes, we were not all intended to be cookie cutter images. Also, genetics plays a huge role in our physical make up, it is not possible for us to all healthily alter our figure. Love the skin (and waist) you are in! God created you His own image for you!