We love hearing stories about waist training success, and none tell it better than some of our very own customers. We’ve heard some incredible before and after stories over the past year. If you’re looking for some inspiration and motivation to slim your waistline in 2017, check out these great stories.

1. Desire

Desire is a full-time nanny. With a demanding schedule, she had always struggled to fit in time to lose weight and exercise. She knew she had to try something different if she was going to make a lasting lifestyle change.

Enter waist training. Desire tried the Clasica by Ann Chery as her first cincher. Once she saw just how effective it was at slimming her waist, it helped motivate her on her weight loss journey to move past her psychological hurdles.

She decided to try waist training after seeing on social media just how much it was changing lives. She had nothing to lose! Immediately she started seeing changes in her trouble areas: the waist, lower abdomen and back.

She chose the Classica Latex Waist Cincher by Ann Chery after extensive research. She decided that whatever she used should have latex in it, as it would boost perspiration for maximum effectiveness. Here are more reasons why she loved this particular garment:

“Personally, I love the latex feeling because it's tight and doesn't more around. I also love this cincher because it comes with 3 bracket levels. As you begin to lose inches from your waist, your cincher becomes looser. With the 3 rows of hook-and-eye closures, I was able to find more use it in rather than purchase a new cincher every couple of months.”

Starting to wear a waist trainer can be a bit of an adjustment if you’ve never done it before. When Desire first tried on her cincher, she immediately thought that she had order the wrong size! There is a trick to getting it on: start by attaching the lowest hooks around the narrowest part of your waist. Work your way up the garment and then pull it down over your lower abdomen.

“After finally putting the trainer on, I felt like a million bucks. I loved how it enhanced my waist and how much slimmer I felt.”

She was motivated to make it a part of her daily lifestyle. At first she only wore it at the gym for 1–2 hours a day, but eventually she worked up to 8 hours a day and more. She found that she could wear it effectively during her 9-hour work days. After two months of waist training, Desire met her goals and tightened her cincher to the next row of hooks.

In the meantime she has been trying to improve her lifestyle all around by eating clean and working out for at least 30 minutes daily. Waist training has transformed the way she looks at herself:

“My first garment mentally helped me feel better about myself. I started loving what I saw in the mirror when I had the garment on. It was like I couldn't go anywhere without my waist trainer on.”

Her friends and family started noticing a positive difference in her as well. Desire highly recommends trying waist training if you’re a skeptic. After all, what do you have to lose?

2. Lillie

Lillie is a stay-at-home mom of a one-year-old boy and was preparing for her wedding day. She thought she’d give waist training a try in order to get her pre-baby body back. She chose Ann Chery Workout Trainer and documented her journey on Instagram. If Lillie looks familiar, you may recognize her from MTV's "Made," in which, as a teenager, she she received help from a UFC fighter to make her into beauty pageant queen.

Lillie decided to try waist training after seeing the Hourglass Angel Instagram account. She had been frustrated ever since her son was born because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t tighten up her abdomen and lose 20 pounds of baby weight. Desperate to try anything, she did extensive research and ordered the Ann Chery Workout waist trainer due to its multiple positive reviews and the bright colors.

Like many people who try waist training for the first time, she had difficulty getting it on in the beginning. But she was amazed at what she saw:

“I saw an immediate difference. I was standing in front of my mirror so that I could see the difference after getting it on. I instantly saw my waist shrink and was so thrilled! I ran to find a cute fitted shirt to put on over it and was so happy to see how amazing my body looked wearing the waist trainer. I knew at that moment that, once I got used to it, I would want to wear it all the time.”

She started to wear the waist trainer every day, working up to 8–12 hours daily. Lillie had it on whether she was working out, cleaning, running errands or relaxing. After wearing the waist trainer for some time, she continue to be amazed at the results:

“The waist trainer absolutely met my expectations and then some! I honestly had a curvy hourglass shape naturally and didn't think it was going to make a huge difference in that area. Turns out that there was a wonderful difference made that I am beyond excited about! I am not only tiny all around, having almost completely lost my belly pooch, back fat, and side fat, but I'm also so much curvier than I ever thought I could be!”

Lillie was motivated to maintain and active lifestyle and worked out 5 days a week with online exercise videos. She ate a nutrition shake in the morning a few small snacks a full meal at dinner—something she calls “the mom diet” because it’s all you have time for as a mom!

She started noticing changes in her body after about 2–3 weeks and was able to size down after a month. Many of her friends and family have noticed her results and have asked her for her secrets. She’s been told that it doesn’t look like she ever had a baby at all! She encourages anyone who is thinking of trying waist training to go for it because everyone deserves such a boost in body confidence.

3. Suzie

Suzie is an interior designer with an eye for fashion. She is very conscious of how she looks because it can give an impression about her work. Waist training seemed like a good way to firm up her midsection and emphasize her curves…but she was surprised that it did much more!

Initially, Suzie started with a popular basic waist cincher: Perfect Waist by Squeem. Once she grew accustomed to wearing it, she wanted to take her training a step up and ordered the Classica Latex Waist Cincher by Ann Chery.

When she first tried on her waist cincher, Suzie loved the way it felt: it was firm, snug and kept her warm. She had difficulty at first sitting with straight posture all day, but soon she learned to love the feeling. It had the added benefit of helping her control her eating habits.

After waist training for over six months, Suzie was transformed:

“I can see drastic results. My body has always been more of an hourglass shape, so it really helped emphasize that. I get so happy because I’ve had people tell me they really like how my waist is cinched, and that’s been when I’m not wearing one! I lost 4 inches more than I expected!”

Suzie supplements her waist training routine with an active lifestyle; with her job she walks 4–7 miles a day. The waist trainer helps her have better portion control and healthier food choices. Sometimes she’ll indulge herself after a very active week.

Another reason waist training has been a life-changing practice is because it helps her stay driven to put her health first:

“These garments have given me so much encouragement! I feel great every day and they gave me the confidence to pursue my fitness goals further! I am now looking in to signing up for workout classes. I smile every day because of the changes I'm seeing in my body, thanks to my waist trainers.”

It didn’t take long for Suzie to start seeing results, and her friends saw it too. After just a month of daily waist training she put before and after photos together and was completely shocked. If you’re thinking about waist training, she highly recommends it but also cautions to be realistic: true lifestyle change requires proper diet and exercise as well as shapewear. Another little tip: wear lotion to keep your skin hydrated while waist training.

We’re hope you’re inspired to commit to a healthy lifestyle in 2017. If you want to start a waist training regimen, be sure to track your progress and be amazed at the before and after results.