Body
Wraps and Waist Wraps:
The Difference Between
Losing Fat And Losing Inches
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
"Body
wraps" have been around for ages in the weight loss
and spa industry. Claims include loss of body weight,
loss of body fat, and loss of inches. Infomercials for
rubber waist belts" are also back on TV and
similar claims are made for these types of wraps as well.
What few people realize is that there is a huge difference
between losing fat and losing inches. When your body fat
decreases, your circumference measurements will usually
also decrease, but fat loss and inch
loss are not one in the same. If you dont know how
to tell the difference, you could be falling for one of
the oldest, most notorious fitness and weight loss scams
in the book.
The truth
is, body wraps and waist belts do not shrink fat cells
or burn body fat - no matter what type of wrap is used:
bandages, plastic, foil, vinyl, or rubber and regardless
of what you are wrapped in: herbs, minerals, enzymes,
seaweed, clay, or mud - it doesn't matter. Fat can only
be lost with a caloric deficit from a reduction in food
intake, an increase in activity or ideally, a combination
of both.
Whenever you
see fat loss claims for wraps or any other product which
doesn't involve a caloric deficit created though nutrition
or exercise, the scam alarm should go off
in your head, and you should always stay away, no matter
how compelling the sales pitch.
Furthermore,
the companies making fat loss claims would be in hot water
with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if they were investigated
and caught because claims for body fat reduction from
wraps cannot be supported with scientific evidence.
The FTC as
well as numerous state attorney general's offices have
already taken action against body wrap companies in the
past for false advertising and unsupported claims. Some
companies simply had to stop making false claims, others
had to pay stiff fines as well. The problem, from a legal
and ethical standpoint, is the claim being made. Remember,
"inches" and "fat" are not the same
thing.
Some types
of wraps can definitely take off inches (for example,
they might reduce the circumference measurement of your
waist, hips, arms and legs), but it's not fat, its water
weight and fluid, and the results are temporary.
Suppose this
claim is made in an advertisement:
* Lose Up
To 15 inches in 1 Hour! *
This is legal
advertising because the claim "lose inches"
might be supportable (if enough circumference measurements
are taken with a tape measure at enough sites, that might
add up to a total of 15 inches in circumference loss)
However I believe
that these types of claims are misleading (and probably
intentionally so), because "inches" is not the
same as body fat but the product vendors know that you
might easily confuse "inches" with "fat."
Contrast that
claim with this one:
* Lose Body
Fat without diet or exercise in 1 Hour!*
That claim
is totally false and scientifically unsupportable.
Again, body
wraps cannot burn fat or "shrink fat cells."
If fat loss could be achieved with body wraps, it would
be very easy to test and prove.
Body composition
(body fat) testing (rather than measurements of inches)
could be performed before and after the wrap, and the
answer ("does it work") would become easily
exposed.
Since it doesn't
work, you won't find any wrap people accepting your challenge
to allow you to do independent body composition testing,
nor will you find a shred of scientific evidence showing
reduction of bodyfat from wraps.
Unfortunately,
bogus fat loss claims are still quite widespread, as a
simple Internet search for "body wrap" will
demonstrate. The most frequently used claims however,
are for loss of "inches."
The inches
lost simply come from loss of fluid. And guess what -
those inches (and or water weight) will come right back
in days if not hours, as soon as you completely re-hydrate
yourself.
Other claims
made for body wraps include detoxification, improved circulation
and tighter, smoother and clearer skin. Most health and
fitness researchers, as well as government agencies such
as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will tell you
that these claims are "debatable" and mostly
anecdotal.
Some experts
even warn that certain types of wraps can be dangerous,
mainly due to the rapid and excessive fluid loss/dehydration.
If you want
to get wrapped because you find it relaxing or you consider
it a "spa-like" treatment, that's one thing.
Just remember, wraps have absolutely nothing to do with
fat loss.
I'd suggest
completely avoiding any companies that advertise fat loss
when it's only water and inches you're losing, because
a dishonest company is one you don't want to patronize
at all.
One last thing
this is a timely subject because although "body
wraps" have been around for ages and it's old news,
I noticed that infomercials for "waist belts"
or sauna wraps are back on TV in force and
I see that they are replaying the ads over and over again,
which means people are buying it.
Everything I just said about body
wraps also applies to those rubber waist belts too.
On a web search
I just did for those rubber belt waist wraps, I noticed
some of the websites are STILL making claims like "Melt
fat" (totally bogus, unsupported and illegal claim).
Other sites
seem to be wary of the FTC paying them a visit, so they
do a whole song and dance around the legal issues by saying
stuff like, "sweat away inches," "therapeutic
heat", "target your problem areas" and
so on. Even if these claims are not illegal, the promotions
are still deceptive
The professional
fitness model is pictured taking off the rubber belt,
revealing ripped six pack abs below... as if those abs
are a result of wearing the belt! Wishful thinking! These
are professional models, folks. They got the abs the same
way everyone else with abs got them - with a calorie deficit
from a combination of strict diet and hard training!
Wraps and waist
belt products might take off some inches or water weight,
but they cant take off a single ounce of fat. Buyer
beware.
Programs like
Burn
The Fat, Feed The Muscle are focused on FAT LOSS,
not water loss or loss of inches. When body fat decreases,
circumferences in inches will also decrease, but "fat"
lost and "inches" lost are not one in the same.
About
the Author:
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Tom Venuto is a lifetime
natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling
e-book, "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle. Tom has
written hundreds of articles and has been featured
in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN,
Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise
for Men and Mens Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide.
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