Inspire Fitness Academy Logo

Are Slimming Belts Useless?

How many times have you been asked by someone if s/he should buy a waist trainer or a slimming belt to lose belly fat? Now that summer is here and the “beach body” epidemic is raging, you’re probably being asked this question even more.

Slimming belts are often marketed as aids in fat loss and claimed to help you sweat your fat away. People who wear slimming belts during workouts often notice a significant drop in their body weight after their workout, with most, if not all, of that weight lost as sweat.

However, fat is barely lost as sweat (1). In fact and unpopular to common beliefs, fat is mainly excreted as carbon dioxide CO2 (2), and part of the remainder is excreted as water, which can leave the body through sweat, urine, breath, feces, tears, or other bodily fluids (2).

The problem in using slimming belts is that the sweat lost during a workout is regained when we drink enough water; hence, the weight lost after a workout due to fluid loss is replaced in 24-48 hours, given proper hydration strategies that are essential for our health and safety (3,4).

Moreover, losing excessive amounts of sweat is counterintuitive. During exercise, sweat is a favorable way of regulating our core temperature (5,6). The body releases excess heat through the evaporation of sweat. Since slimming belts are impermeable in which they trap the sweat released from the body, they can create a microclimate that is as hot as our body temperature (5).

This may inhibit heat regulation and cause even more sweat to be excreted from our bodies in an attempt to cool itself down. This leads to dehydration, and then a serious heat illness may occur (5,7).

So, slimming belts are not only ineffective for fat loss, but they may also induce a heat-related injury if accompanied by dehydration. The only way to lose fat is through a caloric deficit.

Takeaway Message
The bottom line is, investing money and effort into buying a slimming belt that pretty much does nothing but makes you lose water (that you should regain within the next couple of days) is not worth it.
We cannot stress enough on the importance of proper communication and education of our trainees and the general population when it comes to investing in quick fixes, fads, and trends that don’t work.
The public needs our help and guidance, and we should INSPIRE them to MOVE more not to buy more!

REFERENCES

  1. Free fatty acids and sterols in human eccrine sweat. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jun 18]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2638916
  2. When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go? | The BMJ [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jun 18]. Available from: https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257
  3. Exercise and Fluid Replacement: Brought to you by the Americ... : ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jun 18]. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/fulltext/2013/07000/Exercise_and_Fluid_Replacement__Brought_to_you_by.3.aspx
  4. Exercise and Fluid Replacement : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jun 18]. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2007/02000/Exercise_and_Fluid_Replacement.22.aspx
  5. American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual, 5th Edition. 5th edition. San Diego, Calif: American Council on Exercise; 2014.
  6. M. Gleeson. Temperature regulation during exercise. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jun 18]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9694408
  7. Exertional Heat Illness during Training and Competition : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jun 18]. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2007/03000/Exertional_Heat_Illness_during_Training_and.20.aspx