Body wraps are marketed for fat or weight loss, detoxification, cellulite removal and relaxation. However, there are transient cosmetic changes on your body which cannot be termed as fat loss. A body wrap can also be used in spa setting for new relaxation effect and are safer in people with no underlying medical disorders. Plastic covers are applied to the stomach region with some fat burning creams or lotions to achieve slim waist.
Wearing corsets and waist trainers have numerous dangers. Therefore, many people have started choosing saran wrap method because of fewer health risks. Body wraps were introduced decades ago, having ingredients such as rosemary, clay, mud, honey, chocolate, butter, and eucalyptus, which used linen sheets and eventually were replaced with thermal or chemical blankets.
[Read more about Plastic Wrap]
There are multiple types of plastic wraps such as:
- Algae cover which hydrates your skin with enzymes and minerals stimulates the circulation, invigorates elasticity and skin tissue, detoxifies your skin.
- Mud wraps which cause sweating by slathering your skin with mud. Mud covers help in toning down your body, cleans, hydrates, firms and tightens your skin, soothes and relaxes your muscles along with it reduces stress.
- Clay wraps have oils with additional herbs which provide benefits such as improves circulation, reduces pain, detoxification, and weight loss.
- Cellulite wraps provide spot reduction by directly affecting the thighs and hips. Herbal wraps and seaweed covers also provide the same benefits as mentioned above.
Does Plastic Wrap Help Lose Belly Fat?
Plastic covers result in sweat, but they will not assist you in losing belly fat. You can only reduce belly fat by exercises and reduced calorie intake. You may lose few pounds by wrapping yourself on stomach area due to profuse sweating.
1. How to Apply Plastic Wrap
Abdominal fat is very stubborn; there are various ways to lose abdominal fat, and one of them is plastic covers.
Belly wrapping can be done at home by using menthol heat patches which are readily available at any drug stores along with it rolls of plastic wrap. Take plastic wrap and place it in your belly region. Cover one to two layers of this wrap over your stomach. Keep your stomach wrapped in this cover for around 45-5o minutes. Repeat this for 4-5 days, and you will notice the results.
Use following tips while wrapping your body with plastic, i.e., make sure it is not too tight. Cover it with a loose t-shirt, shorts or pants, if your stomach wrap is very loose cover it with ace bandages to hold it in the same place.
2. How Does it Work?
Plastic wraps were previously known as Tummy belts where you need to apply cream over wear this belt to help you lose belly fat. When you wear these covers the blood flow along with the body heat is increased over your stomach area which results in burning of your fat tissue. The sheets help in minimizing the cellulite appearance, results in toning, tightening and firms your abdominal muscles. It also improves the tightness and texture of your skin.
There are multiple reasons for wrapping your body which include stress reduction along with it relaxation, provides a temporary slimming effect, helps in detoxifying the enormous amounts of toxins from your bodies such as mercury and lead. Body wraps help in cellulite reduction from hips and thigh area, assists in fat loss through the skin. Body wraps assist in cleaning out pores using detoxification; it has nothing to do with internal organs.
Workout with Plastic Wrap on Your Stomach
Some bodybuilders, athletes, and fashion models use plastic covers while working out on their stomach to help create a watertight barrier. Plastic covers create a humid environment which increases the local temperature resulting in increased sweating which helps the wearers to lose more water weight. The loss of water weight makes a temporary difference during the weigh-in, competition or photo shoot. This weight returns as soon as the individual rehydrates their body.
If you wear stomach wraps while performing aerobic activity, it will enhance your exercise results by increasing your body temperature and raising your metabolic rate.
Spot Reduction
Spot reduction is a method of which specific areas of your body are targeted for weight loss. It is a firm myth, but your body will never lose weight from particular sites even if you focus on those areas by exercise or wrapping them up in plastic. The body will always lose weight as a whole. Even if you cover your belly with plastic covers and also find a massive burning difference in your body, this will not only affect your stomach but will influence the entire body.
Dangers of Plastic Wrap
1. Temporary Weight Loss
The bulk of the weight you lose through plastic wraps may be the weight of water, which in this case will be very short-lived.
2. Dehydration
Profuse sweating occurs in using in the process of reducing weight by saran wraps can cause dehydration, resulting in alteration of blood chemistry, reduction in blood volume along with it reduced the amount of Oxygen uptake within the cells. Dizziness, weakness, confusion, coma or even death may occur due to the excessive fluid loss.
If an individual has pre-existing health conditions such as vascular problems, i.e., heart attack, then excessive sweating may result in dehydration causing the blood volume to drop and increasing the viscosity of your blood.Sweating results in increased hard work by your heart to maintain blood pressure by pumping blood.The compressive forces from tight wrap lead to circulation problems leading to organ stress.Dehydration may also lead to electrolyte imbalance leading to cramps and cardiac arrhythmias if you already possess atrial fibrillation.
3. Hazardous Substances
The effects of stomach wrapping are not limited to sweating, but the material, i.e., polyvinyl chloride which is used in cling wraps have dangerous effects on your body. This material releases harmful substances which have an adverse impact on spleen, liver, kidneys, body weight and bone formation. Polyvinyl chloride is also associated with cancer.
Some of the plastic wraps are may also contain other harmful chemicals and synthetic substances, even dipped with minerals such as Aluminum which may result in Alzheimer disease. The plastic covers may also cause allergic reactions in your body. Read here you may also want to study what type of plastic wraps to buy for storing food.
4. Other Effects
Prolonged treatments with body wraps may result in hyperthermia leading to symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, disorientation, the absence of sweating and may lead to fainting. All these symptoms may stress your principal organs and brain.
Many people start having a burning sensation while wearing plastic wraps. Plastic covers provide you with temporary weight loss effects. Stomach wrapping results in squishing and shifting your organs which may lead to erectile dysfunction.
Healthy Weight Loss Tips
Since wrapping plastic wrap not only may bring your body some harm, but also has no visible effect on weight loss. Therefore, it is perfect to combine the healthy weight loss method with the plastic wrap method. What are the suggestions for healthy weight loss?
1. Healthy Eating Habits
All the nutrients you need in all areas of your body come from eating, including fat. So if you want the pounds to come off, start by eating. The first is to replace fatty or sugary snacks with fruits and vegetables, and remember that healthy diet can lead to a healthy body and a beautiful figure.
2. Track Your Calorie Changes
We all know that the more calories your body burns, the more weight you lose, so knowing how many calories your body consumes and loses each day makes you more aware of the number of calories you need to control and cut to reach your ideal weight.
3. A Suitable Exercise Program
Exercise is good for losing weight and having a weight loss plan that ‘s right for you will do more with less. You can start by adding baby steps to your life, such as taking a walk after a meal and going out by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If conditions permit, you can also ask friends to do sports together or join a health club.
4. Don’t Make an Extreme Effort
Anything that happens out of the blue is not a good thing, and a common saying is ” withdrawal syndrome,” so don’t assume there ‘s nothing wrong with stopping eating all the junk food and starting a daily workout.
Things that are bad for weight loss should be abandoned, and what you need to do should be to take healthy steps to reach your destination. For example, instead of merely banning yourself from eating candies all at once, start by stipulating that you can only eat one candy every day, then once a week, and finally get rid of them entirely.
Bottom Line
You cannot lose belly fat by wrapping your stomach with plastic during workouts. Instead of these shortcuts follow the diet plans along with regular exercises in your daily routine. Plastic covers are a waste of money; they do not help you lose belly fat. The only weight you lose while covering your body with plastic is the water weight which returns as soon as you hydrate your body. Plastic covers may work for your body if you eat balanced diet along with it perform daily exercises.
The proven and the healthy way to lose weight is to eat a balanced diet which includes fish, eggs, nuts, fruits, vegetables and other healthy proteins. Avoid eating sugary snacks and fats. Eat small portions to keep yourself full and energized. Start adding little workouts in your life such as taking stairs instead of elevators, take a walk after you finish dinner. Then after few days start include proper exercises and workout training programs in your daily routine. Start keeping track of your calorie intake. If you have the underlying medical condition, take advice from your health consultant.
