Body shapers, otherwise known as shapewear, are an effective way to slim and smooth your figure under a variety of clothing, for virtually any occasion. But some people wonder: do body shapers help you lose weight?

When it comes to weight loss, as you probably know, there is no catchall solution. There are a variety of factors including diet, activity level, metabolism and mentality.

While wearing a body shaper in itself won’t cause body fat to melt off, it can contribute to a healthier body image and lifestyle, which in turn can supplement your long-term slimming goals. Here’s how these factors work together.

Body Shapers and Your Mentality

Wearing a body shaper regularly can contribute to a healthier mentality with your body. A garment like a panty shaper or waist trainer worn daily will help your clothes fit better and eliminate trouble spots on your figure. This, in turn, can improve confidence, posture and body image.

Feeling good about yourself helps you stick with healthier habits, or as Margaret Marshall words it, “You don't have to be at your ideal weight to feel good, but you must feel good to get to your ideal weight.”

With more respect for your body, you’re more motivated to follow through with healthy lifestyle practices like a balanced diet, regular physical activity, adequate sleep and stress management.

Seeing a slimmer figure in the mirror can help you stay motivated and focused on your health goals. Instead of holding up an impossible standard like a supermodel, you can look at yourself and see your own personal potential, no matter what your size and shape.

Body Shapers and Healthy Eating

No one can make you eat well except you. Having said that, certain types of shapewear can encourage you to make better diet decisions.

Aside from helping you stay motivated, high-compression shaping garments like waist trainers put enough constraint around your midsection to encourage you to eat in smaller portions. Your digestive tract has less space to expand, which makes it uncomfortable to eat large meals.

While we don’t encourage you go on a “corset diet” and expect that to produce weight loss, a waist trainer or corset can help you be more mindful about portion control. Aim to consume 5–6 small meals a day, rather than 3 large ones. This can aid your digestion and will keep you satiated and energized without over consuming calories.

While you can improve portion control in this way, this isn’t a free license to snack constantly or eat whatever you want. If you want to achieve a healthy weight, try to stick to whole foods while avoiding processed sugars—especially in drinks.

Talk to a nutritionist if you would like to try a cleanse or an elimination diet so that you can come up with a long-term strategy. Otherwise, you may miss out on important nutrients or risk yo-yo weight loss and weight gain.

Body Shapers and Exercise

The right shapewear can add to your exercise routine, which in turn can contribute to weight loss.

Compression activewear helps you feel comfortable and unencumbered during your workouts so you can achieve your best results. Certain styles of garments also increase the intensity of your workout so that you can get the most of your time at the gym.

Garments like the Workout Waist Trainer by Ann Cherry are beneficial in several ways when you exercise.

First, they immediately decrease your waist size and slim your figure, which can be a big confidence boost for many women. Looking your best can help you get motivated and excited about working out.

Workout waist trainers also increase thermal activity and perspiration around your core, which amplifies your workout. You can actually “feel it working” as you sweat harder.

To get the most benefit from wearing a waist trainer during workouts, it’s best to do a variety of workouts five days a week that combine cardio and strength training exercises.

You can approach strength training by doing exercises with bodyweight resistance, or you can utilize weights. Strength training is important for weight loss because it helps you burn fat and build lean muscle, while improving your metabolism. Plus when you lift, you’ll be burning calories even when your workout is done, as your body works to recover.

There are multiple ways to do cardio, but one of the most effective methods is high intensity interval training (HIIT). By alternating between full intensity moves and break periods, you burn more calories and fat than you would running at a steady pace.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Effective Body Shaper

What role a body shaper plays in your weight loss journey largely depends on what kind of garment you are using. You are going to feel different in a light compression garment that targets a single area, versus a high-compression garment that reshapes your whole figure.

Quality also plays a role in shapewear effectiveness. A body shaper that doesn’t fit correctly or that is made with low-quality material isn’t going to give you results that inspire you to stick with your goals and walk with confidence. For this reason, we only carry a carefully curated and tested collection of high-quality garments in our online shapewear shop.

In order to ensure that you’re getting the best possible experience out of your shapewear, which can contribute to a journey towards a healthier lifestyle, here are the factors to consider.

Fit:it is vitally important to wear a garment that fits correctly with your body shape and size. Whenever you shop for any type of shaping garment, be sure to take accurate measurements. Sizes on shapewear can vary by brand, so don’t just assume that because you wear a small in other garments that you’re going to fit that size in a shaper.

You might be tempted to go a size smaller in order to get more dramatic slimming results, but when it comes to shapewear, this is a mistake. Wearing a size too small is not only uncomfortable, but it will give you unflattering results. If you’re in between sizes, choose the larger size. Many garments are adjustable and you can tighten them accordingly if you’re concerned that they will be too loose.

Compression: The compression level make a big difference when it comes your results wearing shapewear.

High-compression garments are typically constructed with strong material like latex or are reinforced with steel boning to ensure the tightest fit. They provide dramatic slimming results and can help you fit into a size or two smaller than you would otherwise wear. Waist-slimming corsets and body shapers are two styles that utilize compression to sculpt a stunning figure.

Lower-compression garments are typically more flexible and breathable than high-compression garments, and they may also be more comfortable to wear all day. They are designed to be flattering but create more of a smoothing effect, rather than heavy sculpting. Shapers you find that will have lighter compression include shaping panties, shorts, leggings and camisoles.

A well-rounded shapewear wardrobe will have a garments with various levels of compression that will help you look and feel confident whether you’re dressing in formalwear, working at the office or lounging at home.

Cut and target area: body shapers come in many styles designed to target many target areas.

Most styles of shapewear have some waist-slimming feature, as every body type benefits from minimizing and smoothing the midsection. Some styles, like waist trainers, use high compression to firmly slim the midsection. Other shapers, like camisoles and slips, provide light slimming at the midsection as part of an all-over smoothing effect.

Some shapers focus more on the butt. You can choose shapewear that lifts the butt or helps minimize the hips.

Thigh shapers are another style of slimming garment and come in several cuts and styles. You can get some that are cut high, around the hip level, or some that provide coverage all the way to the knee.

Finally, there are all-over body shapers that enhance everywhere including the bust, waist, hips, thighs and butt. These styles can come in various compression levels depending how much heavy-duty shaping you want.

As you can see, there are many options when it comes to using a shapewear wardrobe. If you want to use body shapers to help improve your confidence, enhance your workout and work towards a healthier lifestyle, there are many options that can help you reach your goals.

Want Guidance Creating Healthier Lifestyle?

At Hourglass Angel, we’re passionate about empowering women so they feel confident and sexy in the bodies they have, as well as inspired to lead healthier lives. If you have questions about how to build your wardrobe and improve your workouts and your lifestyle with shapewear, we want to help.

Be sure to check out our blog, which is full of the latest information and FAQs about shapewear and waist training. Our expert stylists are also eager to help so you get the perfect fit.