plastic foil to lose belly fat faster

Question

I have seen people in the gym wrapping their lower belly in plastic foil. They claim it burns the fat in that area faster.

I wonder if this is actually contributing to a faster loss of belly fat, and if it is not harmful to wrap your body in plastic foil - not letting it breathe in that area whilst working out ?

I'm having second thoughts, because it is the principal of a sauna, i think. Sauna does not burn any fat as well, it makes you lose fluids, more than fat. Allthough I can see some sense in burning fat faster because the area underneath the foil gets hotter.

Is there anyone who could provide me with some information from a scientific point of view ?

Answer 1

Wrapping your body in plastic sounds very dangerous.

Please see this article from livestrong.com that details why you should never do this.

1. Dangers of Excessive Sweating - Sweating too much can lead to dehydration

2. Dangers Of Products Involved - Cling wrap used for wrapping the stomach is made from Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which has been described as one of the most dangerous consumer products.

3. Other Considerations - Plastic wraps do not help you burn fat. All you lose is water weight, which comes right back when you rehydrate your body

4. Safety - If you are diabetic, suffer from high blood pressure, are pregnant or have any medical condition, consult your doctor before using any form of body wrap.

Answer 2

I would not recommend using plastic foil or any similar type wrap in an attempt to lose fat. It will help burn more calories (not sure how many more) due to additional heat/intensity, but the results people claim to see are all water/liquid reduction and not fat. You're basically short circuiting the body's attempt to cool down by trapping the heat in - not a good approach to overall health. From all that I read, there is some level of harm and only short term 'reduction' gains - 99% water reduction.