Getting 'Waisted': Everything You Needed to Know About Waist Training

By: Cindy G Castillo

Here’s the picture that started a social media trend in weight-loss: a selfie of Kim Kardashian cinched inside a blue corset at the gym. 

She confessed to being a believer in “waist-training” and since then, platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest are flooding with images of women wanting to try the same thing. This week, we are digging in deep into bring you the truth — and the myths — behind this new body-shaping trend. 

Instagram Photo

What is “waist-training” anyway?

The trend consists of wearing a corset-like device for hours at a time to compress your core, which will supposedly decrease the size of your waist permanently over time. Kim’s not alone on this — her sister Khloe, and even Jessica Alba have admitted to joining in on the trend. 

The theory behind the trend is that the garment will make you sweat so much you will shed inches around your belly. 

It works, but not the way you think it does…

Women’s Health Magazine also tackled this myth and in an interview, Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. and clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine said that, “medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller. Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage.”

However, there are dozens of testimonials on the internet claiming that waist training dramatically changes your shape when done “properly”, while Dr. Sunil Sharma, Director of Bariatric Surgery at the University of Florida Health, told Ebony magazine, “All you’re doing is compressing your stomach and pushing the fat around instead of getting rid of it. It’s a very temporary thing.”

But if you DO try it…

Some common complaints of corset-wearing include rib ache, elevated blood pressure, and hyperventilation. You may need to change your diet to avoid painful bloating and indigestion. 

We reached out to our Facebook readers, and here’s what they had to say:

Others admitted to having used these and hurting themselves in the process since it’s so uncomfortable. And others reminded us how Kim Kardashian usually receives a large quantity of money for marketing certain products through Instagram. 

Whether you’re a believer in the trend or not, or if you’re thinking about giving it a try, one thing we know for certain — the only thing that’s guaranteed to improve your body and make you feel healthier and better is proper nutrition and the right physical exercise routine.