Not a week goes past in the world of fitness, health and beauty without a new wonder product being launched on the market. And when they do launch we are bombarded with marketing messages that promise to see “fast weight loss“, “lose the stomach fat”, “get rid of stretch marks” and basically play on our insecurities of being a woman and mum.
A recent product to launch in Australia in the Body Wrap field is the Ultimate Body Applicator Wrap, marketed by a company called It Works who sell direct to customers through a network selling operation
And at Lose Baby Weight we have had hundreds of requests from mums wanting to know if these products work and wanting us to advise on if they work or if they are best spending their money on something else.
So to help mums decide what to do, we had our top researcher (who also used the product in her research) look into the body wrap market and the It Works product in particular to give an honest and open review on them so mums can make an informed decision about spending money on body wraps.
The findings written below are the opinion of the researcher and we always advise everyone do their own research before buying a new product. At Lose Baby Weight, we do not endorse the researcher or the findings or the products.
The Review on Body Wraps
“These wraps are not cheap at $99 for 4, but some of the claims made for the products are attractive. The company claims that the wrap will tighten, tone, firm, improve the appearance of cellulite and give you more youthful skin. They also claim that they were used on the set of Sex & the City. But is there any truth in these claims?
The manufacturers claim that the active ingredients included in the wrap pull the impurities out of your body, and help it to detoxify. Once the toxins are out of your skin, it tightens and many inches are lost.
It Works are open about the ingredients in their wrap products, and there is a full list on the website. There is no new wonder ingredient in the It Works products, and many of the ingredients used in the wraps are also found in anti-ageing creams and ante-wrinkle creams. Green tea extract is used to reduce inflammation, the seaweed bladderwrack works as a diuretic and horsetail extract is known to smooth the skin.
The list of ingredients is extensive, and it is hard to estimate just how much of any one active ingredient there is in the product, and how much good a small amount of the ingredient will be doing. Also, the first ingredients listed are water and glucose, which have no health giving properties whatsoever.
The key question is, however, whether or not the wraps will reduce the measurements around your stomach, hips or arms. The answer is a cautious yes, but with several large provisos.
Wrapping yourself in herbs and cloth will make you sweat, and this alone will help you lose inches. Having a wrap is no different from jockeys sitting in a sauna to lose weight before a big race.
Putting herbs and ingredients known to tighten skin on your body will almost definitely have a short term smoothing effect, will act as a detox and will decrease the appearance of cellulite by tightening everything up. Coupled with the diuretic effect of the wrap, it is easy to see how a temporary loss of inches can be achieved.
However, the loss of inches does not seem to last with many people we spoke to, which could be why the company recommends using the wraps on a regular basis and treating the skin with special gel in between treatments. It is also easy to understand if they were used on the set of Sex & the City – as if the women were about to do a sex scene or revealing scene the wraps would detox the body and potentially help the women lose inches in the short term.
Do they burn fat?
One thing these wraps has not been proved to do is burn off any fat. They could help you get rid of excess toxins and water in your skin which may cause bloating, and as such, there is no harm in using a wrap as a way of dropping a few inches to squeeze into a dress for a special occasion. Inches may be lost in the hours after using a wrap, but this is not thought to be a permanent effect
As a mum of two children I do not believe that using the wraps is a long term way of managing weight. Weight gain is caused by eating more calories than are being burned, and no amount of wrapping and applying special gels will change that fact.
Also, the wraps seem to target mums for the post baby belly and the key thing to know and be aware of is that the fat on the tummy is either visceral fat (the dangerous fat that wraps itself around the organs and cannot be seen) and subcontaneous fat which is the fat we can pinch and see – you can read more about these two types of stomach fat here.
Both of these are fat cells and the only proven way to remove this is to burn it away with a combination of cardio exercise and eating the right diet – you can see our advice here on how to lose stomach fat here. Wearing a wrap has not been proven to effect this fat at all.
The other main drawback to using wraps is the cost. Wraps retail at $99 for 4, and users are recommended to use one per week. The defining gel is $79 for a small tube, and this is designed to be used daily.
Gym membership costs on average $80 per month, and the results which can be achieved with a little exercise are far more long lasting than wraps and gels. Increasing activity levels also contribute to an overall raising in standards of health, which wraps do not.
In conclusion, body wraps could be useful if you needed to lose a couple of inches for a special occasion and when you need to squeeze into a dress.
As a lifestyle choice though they are not proven to show lasting effects and will not do anything about either the percentage of fat in the body or make you healthier. Save your dollars and instead spend the money on a healthier diet, gym membership or a new bike as a way to a healthier, fitter you – and you could also try our 28 Day Breastfeeding Friendly Diet & Exercise Plan that helps you lose all over body fat and stomach fat with our mum only diet and exercise plans.”
* Please note the since this article was published a significant amount of emails have been sent in confirming the opinion expressed by this researcher from mums who have claimed to have used the products and seen a short term result or no results. Please also note that there have also been some emails from mums who claim to have had success with this product and have since become Distributors (we asked that they share their before and after pictures – including full head shot but everyone declined). Our researcher stands by her findings but also believes that individual results may vary depending on the person using the products.
And don’t forget to check out our current promotions and discounts page to see what specials we have on this week on our Healthy Mummy product range which are a proven way of losing weight – including on the stomach area – in a healthy and safe way
And to see results from mums who have lost their baby weight on our plans click here
