Waist Trainers????

Do they really work??

Replies

  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    No, I don't think so. You can't spot reduce with any lasting effect. You may loose some fluid from the fat in that area temporarily but as soon as you rehydrate it will come back. You also may see an effect simply from the fact it squeezes you in. They're no better than a good set of spanx in my opinion!
  • asterpasta12
    asterpasta12 Posts: 11 Member
    No, I don't think so. You can't spot reduce with any lasting effect. You may loose some fluid from the fat in that area temporarily but as soon as you rehydrate it will come back. You also may see an effect simply from the fact it squeezes you in. They're no better than a good set of spanx in my opinion!

    Thank youuuuuuuu
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
    Mmmm, my opinion might be slightly different depending on what you call a "waist trainer". If you mean abdominal trainers, like an "ab-roller" or an "ab cruncher" or abdominal exercises I am absolutely convinced they work, as they will tighten your abdominal muscles, and depending on the exercises you are doing might reduce your waist-radius. I also use a "slimmer belt" when doing my running and cycling, and although it increases centralized fluid-loss, I still find over time it (might have) helped me going doing from 38" waist to 34" waist.
  • TrailBlazinMN
    TrailBlazinMN Posts: 209 Member
    Stomach vacuums work wonders. No equipment needed.
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
    Stomach vacuums work wonders. No equipment needed.
    ROFL
  • TrailBlazinMN
    TrailBlazinMN Posts: 209 Member
    iofred wrote: »
    Stomach vacuums work wonders. No equipment needed.
    ROFL

    I was being serious! Check it...

    http://build-muscle-101.com/stomach-vacuum/
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    edited June 2015
    While wearing a corset--a REAL corset--you will be much less hungry if you lace to at least a 2-4" reduction (depending on starting size). So in that way it works. It doesn't actually change your shape OUT of a corset. It just smushes around stuff. (Less than a baby does, though. So YES, corsets are safe.)

    They're comfortable for standing for long periods of time but restrict movement in other ways. And if you're really going to wear it a lot, you should have a custom one made, or it may squeeze bone (uncomfortable) or pull on your back.

    Get one without cups for boobs. :)

    I wear a corset a few times a year for my job. (And no, I don't work the sex trade!)
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Under clothes, they look a TON better than Spanx if you get a custom one, but most are not at all natural looks.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I would agree a corset can do wonders for your figure (there's a reason the bridal industry relies heavily on them)

    but also just to be clear corsets =/tight lacing =/= waist trainers as we know them a-la kim kardasian today.

    and no - waist trainers don't work for what people want to use them for now a days.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Besides potential health risks like reduced lung function while wearing, they do not teach you to hold in your abs since they do it for you. Over time, this can actually result in weaker ab muscles. For temporary better looks under certain garments (or over your garments for a certain look like steampunk/victorian/bar wench) go for it. They can look better than spanx or body briefers.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Besides potential health risks like reduced lung function while wearing, they do not teach you to hold in your abs since they do it for you. Over time, this can actually result in weaker ab muscles. For temporary better looks under certain garments (or over your garments for a certain look like steampunk/victorian/bar wench) go for it. They can look better than spanx or body briefers.

    My understanding is that this is why women used to swoon and faint in ye olden times to what seems a ridiculous amount nowadays.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Besides potential health risks like reduced lung function while wearing, they do not teach you to hold in your abs since they do it for you. Over time, this can actually result in weaker ab muscles. For temporary better looks under certain garments (or over your garments for a certain look like steampunk/victorian/bar wench) go for it. They can look better than spanx or body briefers.

    My understanding is that this is why women used to swoon and faint in ye olden times to what seems a ridiculous amount nowadays.

    Yup. That and faking it because they were expected to be delicate flowers.

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Besides potential health risks like reduced lung function while wearing, they do not teach you to hold in your abs since they do it for you. Over time, this can actually result in weaker ab muscles. For temporary better looks under certain garments (or over your garments for a certain look like steampunk/victorian/bar wench) go for it. They can look better than spanx or body briefers.

    My understanding is that this is why women used to swoon and faint in ye olden times to what seems a ridiculous amount nowadays.

    yes- ish.
    What happens when you breath is that you do not fully empty your lungs- some air always stays in there. No air = collapsed lung. So through the course of your day you subconscious will take deeper/bigger breaths to help clear the air at the bottom out and replace it. When you are corseted- you can't do this- and you wind up not being able to really actually breath. It's weird- because you get laced up- you can breath just fine- and there gets to be a point where you can't breath- b/c you can't take that big deep breath to clear the CO2 that's been building up in the lung.

    it kind of sucks- but the physics behind it is cool.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    This is a great way to demonstrate the reduced lung function. The pertinent part of this video goes from 20:00 to 32:00. I especially like the testing they did with the corset on that shows just how restricted your breathing is (starting at about the 26:00 mark).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSq28wG9cYM&feature=player_embedded
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    They work by causing internal organ damage…
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    If your wearing something like this for one day, for example underneath a special gown for a wedding or special party to help smooth out any lumps or bumps, then fine.
    But if you think this will magically cause you to have a smaller waist, then no.
    If you want a smaller waist or belly, you must lower your body fat percentage. A garment will not do the trick. Calorie deficit will.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    edited June 2015
    Corsets didn't cause women to swoon. Geez. Attention-whoring caused women to swoon. I've run in a corset laced 4" in (just because I didn't want to leave a busy booth for long). WAY less breathless than rapid walking very pregnant.

    Corsets didn't damage organs. Compression is less than late in pregnancy.

    Corsets over a long term are likely to weaken core muscles, but I'd be interested in actual data from people who DO wear corsets regularly.

    Women used to play tennis in corsets. I wouldn't recommend that anyone actually try to get cardio fitness today!

    They reduce lung function. Less than being 9 months pregnant, though.
  • 4rtistry
    4rtistry Posts: 33 Member
    Yay, misconceptions...

    Okay, first off, those things you see on the Kardashians are essentially sauna belts. They yield some visible reduction, but have no potential for permanent effect. There is no "waist training" happening there. If it has three rows of hook-and-eye closures, it is not a waist trainer.

    A proper steel-boned corset is what you need for waist training. It can reduce your waist 2-4 inches while it is being worn. If worn for long enough periods over time, it can semi-permanently change the shape of your waist; you will need to do periodic maintenance wear to keep the altered shape or it will gradually return to normal over time. If you want a proper corset, be prepared to spend some actual money. Those 12 dollar eBay specials will not cut it.

    This site has some great information: http://www.thelingerieaddict.com/2015/03/corset-waist-training-myths.html
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited June 2015
    Corsets didn't cause women to swoon. Geez. Attention-whoring caused women to swoon. I've run in a corset laced 4" in (just because I didn't want to leave a busy booth for long).

    Yes they do (although the attention seeking was part of it too). See scientific example referenced in above video.

  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Oh, and I said it's only possible or likely that it weakens muscles because your muscles are constantly working inside and against the corset. And there's never been any actual data about this.

    "waist trainer" is the common name for a short corset that only covers the waist, BTW.

    Bridal corsets are usually good for smoothing and sexiness. ;)

    I was actually extremely surprised with how little corsets reduce lung volume. I'd expected more.

    Again, for any actual changes...ain't gonna happen. Wearing corsets a lot means that you can lace them tighter over time, but out of it, everything would just settle. There are some people into alternative lifestyles who do a lot of corset-wearing, and you can see them put on the corset on YouTube. And you can see how it rearranges fat.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Anyway, I've been curious as to how well it would work as a kind of temporary, non-surgical lapband. You CAN actually eat in it just fine--you just don't want to. So it might help people who feel hungry all the time while dieting at 14,00-16,000 cals adjust to it.

    I just updated my profile photo cuz that's easy from the app. ;) That's about a 5" reduction there--and I don't waist-train. I just took my "fat" corset out yesterday to see if I could lace it closed after my recent weight loss since it laces at my old "big" waist size. I could run as far in that as I could without...which is, sadly, not far at all.

    (I think I'm extra squishy because of babies and being terribly out of shape, though.)

  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    edited June 2015
    I think she expected the corset to make her lightheaded and so she was hyperventilating, which will make anyone faint. Silly girl. There are Spanx that will come close to that reduction.

    Not only was tennis played in corset, COMPETITIVE tennis was played in corsets.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Cooper_(tennis)

    :)

    If you're a woman of a certain size, modern bras can cause nerve damage in the hands. Most of that size women find "stays"-style corsets (not for waist reduction but for transferring the weight of the chest onto the hips) far more comfortable. Those who say "it can't be good for pregnancy!" haven't seen this:

    http://www.hightidehealth.com/best-prenatal-cradle.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=63468805807&gclid=Cj0KEQjwzPSrBRC_oOXfxPWP6t0BEiQARqav2Ocn4CWX1U0a876EbOjNRPleykeVhqzhb9r8CCzyrP0aAt8J8P8HAQ

    Not going into full details as to why someone might need this if you don't know, but pregnancy corsets were meant to support below and above, not compress.

    In addition, if your stomach muscles separate during pregnancy, one of the more effective ways to help them recover is to use this:

    http://www.nataliejillfitness.com/diastasis-recti-abdominal-separation/

    I had to wear something like that for a while after the last baby. My stomach felt like it was ON FIRE without it--it was getting worse, tearing more. :( Part of the reason why there was no "bounce back".

    So it's not that everyone should be wearing corsets. But they're hardly evil. :P High heels are way, way, WAY more damaging to the body, but because those are normal, no one thinks anything of them.
  • 4rtistry
    4rtistry Posts: 33 Member
    So it's not that everyone should be wearing corsets. But they're hardly evil.

    Pretty much my thoughts on the matter. I have both a cincher and an overbust that I love, but my main purpose for them is keeping my posture correct when I'm on the computer for long periods. As much as I love the idea of lacing my waist down by an inch or two, the thought of wearing a corset every waking moment for months on end is just too much for me.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Looks like you have to click through to my profile to see my other photo. Dunno why it doesn't update. :P
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    This thread is lolz. No just no on corsets. They look ridiculous. I laugh every time I see someone wearing one at the gym.