Why The Corset Diet Is A Very Bad Idea

Wear a corset four to five inches too small and magically lose weight – it’s the latest fad on the diet front and deserves a place in the top ten of really bad diet ideas.

Squeeze Me Tight

For centuries, women squeezed themselves into tight corsets to look slimmer, some to the point where they rearranged their internal organs.

That time, I thought, was past us. Because back then it did as much damage to women’s health as riding horses sidesaddle or using silver nitrate and mercury to achieve a fashionable pale complexion.

What I didn’t count on was that some people might have no problem with redressing a bad 19th century idea for the 21st century:

Here at the Corset Diet we understand how all the diets you have tried have not been right for you. You are the person that really matters and you need a diet tailor made for your lifestyle and eating patterns. Above all you want an instant lift and fast results. Non surgical gastic band stomach reduction the Victorian way!

As you may know from hearing about the corset diet, wearing these special corsets not only make you look and feel amazing but they reduce your waist, stomach and can make you lose inches in a very short time period.

Add a bit of promotion from a celebrity like Jessica Alba and a glowing endorsement from a plastic surgeon, and you have the next stupid thing people will do to lose weight.

Why The Corset Diet Is Really Bad

Yes, wearing a corset can make you eat less. Because your stomach will have has less room to expand and eating fewer calories of course is the key to weight reduction.

But there are a couple of rather important things to consider:

• Squeezing the stomach like this can cause acid reflux, meaning acid from your stomach travels up your esophagus. This often damages the gullet, rots your teeth and causes a really bad sore throat. The acid can also end up in your bronchial tubes and you get pneumonia.
• The corset won’t only restrict your stomach, but also your lungs. You won’t be able to breathe fully. This means less oxygen in your blood, making your skin look older.
• If you squeeze tight enough, the lack of oxygen can lead to dizziness and fainting.
• Not being able to breathe fully also means your fitness performance will be worse – you burn fewer calories.
• The abdominal muscles, whose normal job is help the spine keep your body vertical, weaken. You then have to rely on the corset to retain your posture or risk back pain.
• Jessica Alba self-admittedly sweated like mad doing this. She mostly didn’t lose fat, she lost water.
• Sweating in a corset also means itching and chafing with no air exchange. This provides an ideal breeding ground for microbes.
• The corset’s pressure points can lead to bruises, which can turn into calluses.

Who Is Behind The Corset Diet?

So who is responsible for the Corset Diet? A medical doctor? A trained and registered dietitian? Someone with a scientific background in nutrition?

No, it’s 23 year old Henry Jones, who currently works at a debt collection agency and whose previous vocational training qualified him for the catering and hospitality business.

When he doesn’t squeeze money out of debtors he runs the Corset Diet homepage and its sister website, a lingerie business.  A bit challenged by grammar, he likes to congratulate himself for following himself on Twitter and shares videos like this on YouTube.

Go For Sustainable Weight Loss

It is far from me to dictate what you should or shouldn’t do to manage your weight. Or who you should or shouldn’t listen to for diet and health advice.

I do, however, suggest to simply look at your eating habits and lifestyle and make changes that will last. It doesn’t even require buying a corset.

Edit: Mr. Jones apparently removed the enlightening content I linked to above.

Picture courtesy of “m anima“.