Girdle, belly binding

ninerbuff

Loose skin is only remedied a few ways:

Increase mass (whether through muscle or fat) where the loose skin is to make it tauter.

Accept that it's going to be there.

Have surgery to remove it.

There are no exercises, pills, liniments, corsets, girdles, etc. that will rid the body of it if it doesn't retract on it's own.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Tutab

I always look at how skinny my ring finger is under my wedding ring and think how wonderful it would be to have something like that around my waist... If only it were that easy.

My mother grew up in the 40's and 50's and a girdle was part of her everyday attire. Although I'm sure it made her look stunning while she was wearing it, she contends that relying on the girdle actually made her abdominal muscles very weak, and when girdles went out of style she had a hard time building them back up. Just something to think about...

I am well aware of the dangers of wearing a girdle all the time, it's not a pretty sight two close people to me are like that and I always advice them against it when they remove it you see their belly area is like butter no strength whatsoever. I personally wear the under garment one during my TOM as it helps with the pain.

georgiaTRIs

You need to do core work to strength the muscles. Don't make them dependent on a girdle. Once and a while there is nothing wrong with it but do not wear it all the time. I have never see proof that it helps you lose weight.

Tutab

Loose skin is only remedied a few ways:

Increase mass (whether through muscle or fat) where the loose skin is to make it tauter.

Accept that it's going to be there.

Have surgery to remove it.

There are no exercises, pills, liniments, corsets, girdles, etc. that will rid the body of it if it doesn't retract on it's own.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer


IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

**Gasp**
While I know what you are saying is true for people who have been overweight for a long period of time, their skin lost elasticity it forgot how to shrink, got way too stretched, yes I understand that the flab lose skin will always be there, I had convinced myself that it's not the case with me I want to give it a try and see if it makes a difference, LIKE I SAID BEFORE AND WILL SAY IT AGAIN, I am not planing on wearing a corset but rather a binder that will not stress my waist, i am not using it as a means of suppressing my appetite or losing weight, but rather something to hold my flab in place that maybe just maybe the skin will shrink inwards rather than be pulled by gravity.

3dogsrunning

Loose skin is only remedied a few ways:

Increase mass (whether through muscle or fat) where the loose skin is to make it tauter.

Accept that it's going to be there.

Have surgery to remove it.

There are no exercises, pills, liniments, corsets, girdles, etc. that will rid the body of it if it doesn't retract on it's own.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I don't think this is necessarily a case of loose skin. OP was looking for ways to help the skin while losing weight.

In my own case, I'm pretty confident it's weak muscles, and possibly a little extra fat not loose skin.

Tutab

You need to do core work to strength the muscles. Don't make them dependent on a girdle. Once and a while there is nothing wrong with it but do not wear it all the time. I have never see proof that it helps you lose weight.

Thank you all for the responses and valuable advice you are giving me. I still don't feel anyone answered my question though if using something to hold the flab where it's supposed to belong would it help minimize or abolish it like I did after my first two c sections.

3dogsrunning

You need to do core work to strength the muscles. Don't make them dependent on a girdle. Once and a while there is nothing wrong with it but do not wear it all the time. I have never see proof that it helps you lose weight.

Thank you all for the responses and valuable advice you are giving me. I still don't feel anyone answered my question though if using something to hold the flab where it's supposed to belong would it help minimize or abolish it like I did after my first two c sections.

Sorry, I guess my answer wasn't clear.

No. I don't think it will. The skin itself won't learn to stay there, it is the muscles that hold it there which is why I mention focusing on strengthening the muscles.

Eta
Or it's loose skin and what Niner said applies.

Tutab

I would think if the issue is muscles in your abdomen that something like a tight corset would provide support which would not encourage your muscles to activate. Stronger core muscles will help pull in and hold in the abdomen.
I would think a corset would be the opposite of what you want.

I recently had a c-section. I am focusing on strengthening my core and pelvic floor muscles. Not just crunches, I mean all over core strengthening.

Congratulations on your baby. I had succeeded during my first two c sections using a workout designed by Teresa tapp, I am not sure if anyone if familiar with her, I saw an article in a magazine about her and a sample work out, I did it for a week and I lost 1.5 inches from my waist in just one week I was sold and I bought her full workout including the hit the floor VHS (yep long before DVDs were invented) The both times I did it I got washboard abs i kid you not (and no I do not work for her it just worked for me).
I couldn't do the whole thing this time as its a lengthy one its 2 hrs plus the 30 min focus on middle core and you're supposed to do 60 min cardio every other day or every day (the full workout is an everyday thing) so I just did a two week boot camp using the hit the floor and lost already 3 inches of my waist, I can't upload pictures for religious reasons, but you can check it out on her website or even youtube, you should notice a difference in your clothes within 1 week.
I want now to focus on loosing weight because I just adapted a new lifestyle and I don't want to hinder the weight loss with muscle building I am just happy that I am losing, maybe after another 20lb loss I will start with it again, for right now I am doing 30DS and walking plus some elliptical if I was able to squeeze it in.
Good luck.

leggup

something to hold my flab in place that maybe just maybe the skin will shrink inwards rather than be pulled by gravity.

That is not how skin works. Gravity does not cause skin to sag off of the body. If that were the case, we would all have excess skin hanging off of our feet. If skin weren't attached to anything, we could just slide around in our skin, like a hand in a glove. The simplest way of explaining this is that skin is held in place by muscle. If there is too much skin (caused by stretching through weight gain, pregnancy, height growth, etc) to attach to the muscle, or if the muscle is nonexistent, then the skin will sag. Older people lose skin elasticity (wrinkles), bone and muscle density, making it harder to fight the sag.

A skin binder will temporarily hold your skin in a place. It will probably do more harm than good.

Tutab

You need to do core work to strength the muscles. Don't make them dependent on a girdle. Once and a while there is nothing wrong with it but do not wear it all the time. I have never see proof that it helps you lose weight.

Thank you all for the responses and valuable advice you are giving me. I still don't feel anyone answered my question though if using something to hold the flab where it's supposed to belong would it help minimize or abolish it like I did after my first two c sections.

Sorry, I guess my answer wasn't clear.

No. I don't think it will. The skin itself won't learn to stay there, it is the muscles that hold it there which is why I mention focusing on strengthening the muscles.

Eta
Or it's loose skin and what Niner said applies.

I see your point, I do feel my muscles contract when I work them, but I don't feel them when I am standing its a bit hard to explain how i feel them and not feel them, I feel silly just saying it, what I mean is when I am standing up and I suck my tummy in i feel the upper abs but don't feel the lower ones so I don't know if they are or not contracting. I guess the only way to tell is by experience and I will update with my results within a year I hope,

VelveteenArabian

This is like "corset training". This DOES NOT reduce fat. It does not shrink or tighten loose skin. If you follow the method, you are literally wearing a corset VERY TIGHTLY for several hours in a day, for so long that your organs eventually CHANGE POSITION so that your body can adjust to the corset. This is like foot binding that used to be done in China, but on your waist. It's a very serious undertaking.

Tutab

something to hold my flab in place that maybe just maybe the skin will shrink inwards rather than be pulled by gravity.

That is not how skin works. Gravity does not cause skin to sag off of the body. If that were the case, we would all have excess skin hanging off of our feet. If skin weren't attached to anything, we could just slide around in our skin, like a hand in a glove. The simplest way of explaining this is that skin is held in place by muscle. If there is too much skin (caused by stretching through weight gain, pregnancy, height growth, etc) to attach to the muscle, or if the muscle is nonexistent, then the skin will sag. Older people lose skin elasticity (wrinkles), bone and muscle density, making it harder to fight the sag.

A skin binder will temporarily hold your skin in a place. It will probably do more harm than good.

Thank you for the reply. I always have the phobia of my skiing sagging way lower than normal because in my third c section I did not take care of my body thinking there is no use since I will not lose weight no matter what (I have hashimoto's disease) now I am just afraid of what happens when I lose weight. I guess only time will tell.

Tutab

This is like "corset training". This DOES NOT reduce fat. It does not shrink or tighten loose skin. If you follow the method, you are literally wearing a corset VERY TIGHTLY for several hours in a day, for so long that your organs eventually CHANGE POSITION so that your body can adjust to the corset. This is like foot binding that used to be done in China, but on your waist. It's a very serious undertaking.

This in not what I meant and have been explaining all day, please go back and read my replies and you will know what I mean. I am well aware of the corset and its dangers have known about them since I was 13 and read my first English novel where the writer emphasized this issue and how it's not healthy for women thank you.

VelveteenArabian

This is like "corset training". This DOES NOT reduce fat. It does not shrink or tighten loose skin. If you follow the method, you are literally wearing a corset VERY TIGHTLY for several hours in a day, for so long that your organs eventually CHANGE POSITION so that your body can adjust to the corset. This is like foot binding that used to be done in China, but on your waist. It's a very serious undertaking.

This in not what I meant and have been explaining all day, please go back and read my replies and you will know what I mean. I am well aware of the corset and its dangers have known about them since I was 13 and read my first English novel where the writer emphasized this issue and how it's not healthy for women thank you.

The answer is still no. Unless you're corset training, it will not change your body in any way. Even if you were corset training, there's only so much that can do and it would not help with skin or muscle tone or belly shape it would only change your waistline. Loose or saggy skill will not tighten up from wearing it.

If it matters, this is not speculation. I'm a fairly regular corset-wearer. Once that thing comes off, everything goes back to where it was.

Jennloella

I did after I was pregnant....just had my fourth baby look like I've never had kids! I swear by doing it post partum.

Tutab

I did after I was pregnant....just had my fourth baby look like I've never had kids! I swear by doing it post partum.

Thank you for the reply, I hope it works 20 months post partum

Cait_Sidhe

Simple answer is no, a girdle will do absolutely nothing for long term management of lower belly fat.

Sharon_C

I'm confused as to why you would think a girdle would get rid of your loose skin. With time some of it will go away but I'll be honest, I've had two c-sections, my last one was 14 1/2 years ago. I still have that loose skin over the incision site and I'm pretty sure if it hasn't gone away in 14 1/2 years its not going to.

It doesn't bother me too much. Only my husband and my doctors see me nekkid and you can't tell its there under my clothes.

danelutza19

My personal experience: after the csection with my daughter, I wore that elastic corset provided by the hospital. I noticed it was making me feel super comfortable and improved my posture. I loved it so I asked my doctor if I could wear it longer than recommended. My doc explained that the purpose of the corset was to stop my abdominal muscles from extra work so they have time to heal. Her exact words were: " you can wear it as long as you want but just know that while wearing it, your core muscles will get weaker the longer you have it on". So I took it off the next day!
I still use it when I get my period and have cramps because this thing works better than painkillers.
With that being said, when it comes to loose skin, I find it is preferable to have it stay put during strenuous exercise. You wouldn't run without a sports bra right? A better alternative to a "corset" for the same effect, use tight activewear pants with high waist. This will prevent any extra movement in the lower abs skin folds and should help keep the skin tight as to avoid loosening from the extra bounce and friction.

vkdarling

I've wondered this same thing, as I also was given a waist wrap thing after my C-section. it DID work I dont really care what all these people have to say about it - I don't know if it would work the same after being fat as it does after having a c-section but why not try - it wont hurt anything! If anything it will just make your tummy smoother while wearing it right? and yes i would continue to workout etc not looking for an easy way out - just looking for additional options to ADD to working out and eatting right. Right!

Loose skin is only remedied a few ways:

Increase mass (whether through muscle or fat) where the loose skin is to make it tauter.

Accept that it's going to be there.

Have surgery to remove it.

There are no exercises, pills, liniments, corsets, girdles, etc. that will rid the body of it if it doesn't retract on it's own.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer


IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

**Gasp**
While I know what you are saying is true for people who have been overweight for a long period of time, their skin lost elasticity it forgot how to shrink, got way too stretched, yes I understand that the flab lose skin will always be there, I had convinced myself that it's not the case with me I want to give it a try and see if it makes a difference, LIKE I SAID BEFORE AND WILL SAY IT AGAIN, I am not planing on wearing a corset but rather a binder that will not stress my waist, i am not using it as a means of suppressing my appetite or losing weight, but rather something to hold my flab in place that maybe just maybe the skin will shrink inwards rather than be pulled by gravity.