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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 don’t 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 can’t 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:
|
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 Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss program,
click
here.
Click
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Articles By Tom Venuto
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