Really desperate to drop those last few pounds? Forget eating right and exercise–just wear underwear instead.
But this isn’t your normal type of underwear.
Called the MXP Calorie Shaper Pants, these supposed “weight loss pants”–developed by the Tokyo-based company Goldwin–claim to make the muscles work extra hard while walking, forcing the body to burn more calories to compensate.
And of course the more calories you burn, the more weight you’ll lose.
“The extra muscle strength required to balance the tension in the resin during normal walking activities results in effortless loss weight,” says a spokesman for Goldwin. “The Calorie Shaper Pant technology focuses on the hipline which is the area used by people when walking and climbing stairs. The material here is non-expandable which means they must use their muscles more.”
According to their findings, wearing this while walking for 90 minutes a day could burn 210 calories a week–about the equivalent of an egg omelet. That hardly seems like a big calorie burn, but according to Goldwin’s spokesperson, it could make a big difference down the road.
“Calorie burning clothing and footwear are becoming increasingly popular in Japan,” says Goldwin’s spokespesron. “The concept behind this product is a pair of pants for every day life, generally for business men and women aged between 35 and 45.”
But if that isn’t enough to convince you to wear a pair, he also says these pants boast “deodorizing particles”–great for keeping your garments fresh during the sweaty summer months.
But Does it Work?
While the premise may sound tempting to many people, could it be too good to be true? According to a recent clinical study, it’s mostly just made up–but it may work in certain situations. In a study conducted by University of Virginia researchers, women who took a brisk walk on a treadmill while wearing “fat-burning” garments didn’t burn any more calories than those who wore regularly garments. However, when researchers increased the incline of the treadmill, there appeared to be a significant increase in calorie burning–by as much as 30 percent.
Researchers hypothesize the reason for this may be that the fat-burning garments offer more resistance when walking up-hill–though they won’t make a difference if you’re walking at an incline.
“The reason for the increased calorie burn at increasing inclines could be that the bands add a slight amount of resistance to the muscles in the front of the hips causing them to work a little harder,” says Shape.com contributor Liz Neporent. “The front hip muscles always kick in and work overtime anytime you climb hills so this seems logical. That said, I don’t recommend basing your workout choices on such a tiny, short duration study.”
So the verdict is in: It could work, but only if you’re parading up a steep hill or working out on a treadmill with an incline. Planning on wearing it while walling to work or school? Chances are it won’t make much of a difference.
What You Should Do
Instead of buying “weight loss” garments to help give you an edge on weight loss, you’re better off figuring out a more effective way to exercise. Neporent recommends trying something called interval training instead, a training method which varies high and low intensities of exercise. In one study it was shown to increase the metabolic rate up to 24 hours after the initial exercise–definitely something a bit more effective, and cheap, than a pair of super underwear.
Readers: Would you try this underwear to lose more weight?
Sources:
Toning Clothing: Does it Really Boost Your Calorie Burn? – Shape.com
Japanese Snapping Up Fat Burning Underwear – Telegraph.co.uk
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