Have You Heard About Body Wraps to Lose Weight?

Have you noticed the growing buzz concerning body wraps as a means of losing weight?

There’s a growing number of spas that are offering them, claiming that they not only aid weight-loss efforts but also help to rid the body of toxins.

Many different body wrap recipes exist on the market, and depending on which expert you consult, it either works wonders or it falls considerable short of its claim.

What is a Body Wrap?

Body wraps – as they are known now – first became popular during the 1980s and 90s. But the original wraps that were offered decades ago were referred to as herbal wraps that used sheets (herbs are also used in other products, such as diet patches). The term “body wrap” (also known as belly wrap or stomach wrap) is used to reference something that is considered to be more than a herbal wrap.

Eventually, the use of sheets were replaced with plastic or thermal blankets. The thermal process created by the blankets is designed to increase the body’s temperature, and thereby make you sweat. The perspiration is the cause of the water loss associated with this type of product.

Some of the most common ingredients used are:

• Rosemary
• Honey
• Butter
• Chocolate
• Clay
• Eucalyptus

The manner in which wraps are applied and the type of ingredients used will vary from spa to spa, but the principle is the same – presenting an organic way to detoxify the body and aid in weight loss.

The New Trend

Their popularity has increased to the point that people are now making homemade body wraps to lose weight at home.

Each of the ingredients have been proven to have immense health benefits when used topically or ingested. However, you must refrain from drawing any conclusions about how effective these wraps are in helping you lose weight.

The primary reason for such a cautious approach is actually very simple. Losing weight is the result of placing the body in caloric deficit, plain and simple. In other words, weight loss require that you burn more calories than you consume.

The only exception to this rule is the loss of water weight, which is temporary. Any water weight that is lost, will be restored when fluids are consumed.

So, for a belly wrap to truly be effective in aiding in the weight-loss process, it would have to – in some way – be able to increase the body’s metabolic rate in order to create a caloric deficit. If this is not happening, then any weight loss that is accomplished would be the loss of water weight, and that is only temporary.

It’s also important to understand that the loss of water weight does not engage the true issues associated with excessive weight, which are directly connected to the amount of fat in the body. Therefore, any weight loss that does not involve the loss of body fat doesn’t have a high health value added to it.

For instance, a person could be losing weight due to muscle atrophy, which would be counterproductive in a number of ways.

This does not mean that there are no benefits to using them, it is simply informing you that you should not place a great deal of gravity in using body wraps to lose weight. Whether you are considering a body wrap at the spa or you are looking to create a homemade belly wrap to lose weight, make sure that you are incorporating additional weight loss methods into you weight loss efforts.

The Claim to Detoxify

The claim that these wraps can help rid the body of toxins has an exciting ring to it, but there is simply not enough scientific evidence to make an official declaration.

Allow me to elucidate this statement; just because the scientific data doesn’t currently exist to support the claim that these wraps have detoxifying properties, doesn’t mean that they do not. Every year there are studies that reveal some scientific evidence that supports the health benefits of food, exercise and more. The fact that this evidence didn’t exist prior doesn’t negate the fact that the benefits have always existed.

If nothing else, these belly wraps feel good and they create a positive mindset, which can go a long way in creating the right environment for weight loss. In fact, there are studies that reveal that stress can inhibit weight loss, so if these wraps provide a release that lowers stress levels, then they are indirectly assisting in the fat-burning process.

When it’s all said and done, it’s okay to enjoy your body wrap, just don’t place all of your weight loss and detox hopes on this one product. In case you are desperate, there are other products you could try.

Good luck!