Unfortunately, shapewear can’t help you lose weight. Weight loss can only occur if you create a calorie deficit in your body, which is typically achieved through a reduced caloric intake mixed with an increase in physical activity.
In this article, we’re going to cover the main forms of shapewear that you can make use of during your weight loss journey, and how you can use shapewear to keep you encouraged as you shed the excess lbs. Let’s take a look!
Why shapewear can’t make you lose weight
The science around weight loss is simple: if you consume fewer calories than your body burns per day, your body uses up your excess energy stores (aka your ‘fat’) and uses it to fuel your body. This results in weight loss, as your body works through its energy reserves.
So, why can’t shapewear help you lose weight? Because it neither reduces your calorie intake, nor increases your physical activity. While some types of shapewear are more compressed than others, and can give you a more sculpted look while worn, they aren’t going to physically change your body. In fact, waist trainers that are marketed as “weight loss” trainers can actually be dangerous.
Not only can waist trainers give you a nasty case of heartburn (as stomach acid is compressed and makes its way back up the oesophagus) but you also end up putting unnecessary pressure on your essential organs. Any shapewear that claims to permanently reduce your body fat with wear should be avoided at all costs.
How shapewear can help your weight loss journey
While shapewear isn’t going to make the number on the scale go down, there are a number of benefits to using shapewear during a weight loss journey. Here’s how it can help:
See your silhouette take shape
When you’re losing weight, it’s often difficult to see your progress during the first few weeks or months, depending on how much weight you’re trying to lose. This is the easiest way people become discouraged during their weight loss programme – if you’re not seeing results, why continue, right? Wrong! Often, you end up losing weight in places that might not be as noticeable at first, meaning that it isn’t as remarkable for the first few lbs or stone. With shapewear, you can sculpt your figure and begin to see your new silhouette take form. Not only will it give you a much-needed boost of confidence, but it can also help keep you motivated to continue your weight loss journey.
Try new clothes
When you’re on a weight loss journey, you might start buying new clothes that correspond to your shrinking dress size. But if you’re still not at your target weight, they might not look as good on as you hoped – but don’t panic! This is where shapewear comes in: you can smooth down any bumps, cellulite, or areas of your body that are still waiting to be slimmed down. Shapewear can allow you to experiment with new styles and clothes, even when you’re not yet the size or weight you’d like to be.
Increased confidence
The most important thing that shapewear can offer you is increased confidence, and confidence is going to be something you’ll need when you undergo any weight loss programme. A weight loss programme comes with ups and downs, and won’t always be a continual upward journey. You’ll experience weight loss plateaus, a lack of motivation, and perhaps one too many cheat days during a stressful time at work or at home. These experiences can all impact both your motivation to continue your weight loss, as well as your confidence. This is why it’s handy to have some shapewear on hand that can make you feel sexy, self-assured and motivated to get the body you want.
Will wearing shapewear during exercise help me lose weight?
Unfortunately, no. Wearing shapewear while you work out isn’t going to be able to spot-reduce fat from any area of your body – all you’re potentially doing is moving fat around temporarily. As soon as you take your shapewear off, your fat is simply going to return to its initial place in your body. If spot-reduction weight loss was really this easy, plastic surgeons the world over would be out of business!
When in doubt, I like to apply the following rule: if a weight loss solution appears too good to be true, that’s because it probably is! Many companies will try to sell fads and waist trainers and bum creams and everything under the sun that claims to fix your body problems overnight. Don’t listen to any of it. The only concrete way to temporarily lose fat from your body is to eat fewer calories and do more physical activity. There really is no secret.
That being said, we do encourage the use of shapewear to boost confidence and help keep you motivated during a weight loss journey.
How to lose weight, the healthy way:
- Don’t deprive yourself. As previously mentioned, all you need to do to achieve weight loss is create a calorie deficit in your body. If you’re ever craving something and can’t stop thinking about it, it’s much better to eat it and deduct it from your daily calories, than to binge and ruin your progress. Don’t deprive yourself of treats – enjoy everything in moderation.
- Do exercise that you love. The easiest way to get results fast is to do a form of exercise that you actually enjoy and love. Check out our articles here on effective exercises for the bum.
- Take progress pictures. While you may not always notice progress on a day-to-day basis, photographs can keep you motivated. Take monthly or fortnightly photos to track your progress and watch your body evolve. For us, this is a more healthy way than to track your weight (which fluctuates all the time for reasons unrelated to weight loss!)
Unfortunately, shapewear can’t help you lose weight. Weight loss can only occur if you create a calorie deficit in your body, which is typically achieved through a reduced caloric intake mixed with an increase in physical activity.
In this article, we’re going to cover the main forms of shapewear that you can make use of during your weight loss journey, and how you can use shapewear to keep you encouraged as you shed the excess lbs. Let’s take a look!
Why shapewear can’t make you lose weight
The science around weight loss is simple: if you consume fewer calories than your body burns per day, your body uses up your excess energy stores (aka your ‘fat’) and uses it to fuel your body. This results in weight loss, as your body works through its energy reserves.
So, why can’t shapewear help you lose weight? Because it neither reduces your calorie intake, nor increases your physical activity. While some types of shapewear are more compressed than others, and can give you a more sculpted look while worn, they aren’t going to physically change your body. In fact, waist trainers that are marketed as “weight loss” trainers can actually be dangerous.
Not only can waist trainers give you a nasty case of heartburn (as stomach acid is compressed and makes its way back up the oesophagus) but you also end up putting unnecessary pressure on your essential organs. Any shapewear that claims to permanently reduce your body fat with wear should be avoided at all costs.
How shapewear can help your weight loss journey
While shapewear isn’t going to make the number on the scale go down, there are a number of benefits to using shapewear during a weight loss journey. Here’s how it can help:
See your silhouette take shape
When you’re losing weight, it’s often difficult to see your progress during the first few weeks or months, depending on how much weight you’re trying to lose. This is the easiest way people become discouraged during their weight loss programme – if you’re not seeing results, why continue, right? Wrong! Often, you end up losing weight in places that might not be as noticeable at first, meaning that it isn’t as remarkable for the first few lbs or stone. With shapewear, you can sculpt your figure and begin to see your new silhouette take form. Not only will it give you a much-needed boost of confidence, but it can also help keep you motivated to continue your weight loss journey.
Try new clothes
When you’re on a weight loss journey, you might start buying new clothes that correspond to your shrinking dress size. But if you’re still not at your target weight, they might not look as good on as you hoped – but don’t panic! This is where shapewear comes in: you can smooth down any bumps, cellulite, or areas of your body that are still waiting to be slimmed down. Shapewear can allow you to experiment with new styles and clothes, even when you’re not yet the size or weight you’d like to be.
Increased confidence
The most important thing that shapewear can offer you is increased confidence, and confidence is going to be something you’ll need when you undergo any weight loss programme. A weight loss programme comes with ups and downs, and won’t always be a continual upward journey. You’ll experience weight loss plateaus, a lack of motivation, and perhaps one too many cheat days during a stressful time at work or at home. These experiences can all impact both your motivation to continue your weight loss, as well as your confidence. This is why it’s handy to have some shapewear on hand that can make you feel sexy, self-assured and motivated to get the body you want.
Will wearing shapewear during exercise help me lose weight?
Unfortunately, no. Wearing shapewear while you work out isn’t going to be able to spot-reduce fat from any area of your body – all you’re potentially doing is moving fat around temporarily. As soon as you take your shapewear off, your fat is simply going to return to its initial place in your body. If spot-reduction weight loss was really this easy, plastic surgeons the world over would be out of business!
When in doubt, I like to apply the following rule: if a weight loss solution appears too good to be true, that’s because it probably is! Many companies will try to sell fads and waist trainers and bum creams and everything under the sun that claims to fix your body problems overnight. Don’t listen to any of it. The only concrete way to temporarily lose fat from your body is to eat fewer calories and do more physical activity. There really is no secret.
That being said, we do encourage the use of shapewear to boost confidence and help keep you motivated during a weight loss journey.
How to lose weight, the healthy way: