Do belts work?

[Charlotte]

I've seen different products on the market that claim to help with weight loss when you wear them around your belly, like the As Seen on TV product Belly Burner, for instance. Does this type of think actually work? I mean, if I were to put something tight around my middle and work out, would this result in more fat burning due to thermogenesis?

[Bethie]

Ok - rant coming haha. Here's how I understand the belt/wraps that you wear around your middle or other body parts while you work out for thermogenesis.
1 - they move aruond when you work out. they shift, slide, bunch up and are awkward in other ways. THey're also really tight so you get winded and don't have the flexibility you usually would.
2 - they are designed to make an area of your body sweat more by making that area hot (thermogenesis). Unlike thermogenesis happening in your whole body that affects your metabolism, this just makes you sweat in that zone. Essentially, you're dehydrating that part of your body. Does that make you smaller and make you lose weight? Yes. Do you lose fat? No. You just lose the water from the sweat. It shrinks you down, especially if you're retaining a lot of water. But it's really temporary. Because as soon as you go from being dehydrated to hydrated again, you'll have returned to your healthy shape.
3 - you risk overheating during workouts. Because you raise your body temperature and are sweating so muhc, you are dehydrated and not regulating temperature good. That means you risk dangerous things like heat illness. You can get dizzy, faint, throw up or even put your life in danger if you take it way too far.

I say skip these things. You don't lose fat anyway. You may as well just drink water and make sure you're not retaining water that way instead of hurting your body.

[1000kilowatts]

I don't think they work at all

[TracyK]

Ok - rant coming haha. Here's how I understand the belt/wraps that you wear around your middle or other body parts while you work out for thermogenesis.
1 - they move aruond when you work out. they shift, slide, bunch up and are awkward in other ways. THey're also really tight so you get winded and don't have the flexibility you usually would.
2 - they are designed to make an area of your body sweat more by making that area hot (thermogenesis). Unlike thermogenesis happening in your whole body that affects your metabolism, this just makes you sweat in that zone. Essentially, you're dehydrating that part of your body. Does that make you smaller and make you lose weight? Yes. Do you lose fat? No. You just lose the water from the sweat. It shrinks you down, especially if you're retaining a lot of water. But it's really temporary. Because as soon as you go from being dehydrated to hydrated again, you'll have returned to your healthy shape.
3 - you risk overheating during workouts. Because you raise your body temperature and are sweating so muhc, you are dehydrated and not regulating temperature good. That means you risk dangerous things like heat illness. You can get dizzy, faint, throw up or even put your life in danger if you take it way too far.

I say skip these things. You don't lose fat anyway. You may as well just drink water and make sure you're not retaining water that way instead of hurting your body.

Best. Rant. Ever. Couldn't agree with you more on this Bethie

[Charlotte]

Wow, yes, that was a very serious rant haha. That said, I think you got your message across load and clear Bethie. I think I'll take your advice and just not go there! Thanks for saving me a few bucks

[JoyMarks]

I think no..