Waist Training Diet
An hourglass figure is back in vogue. Curvy hips balanced out by a snatched waist and a fuller bust is what most women aspire to achieve by sweating it out in the gym, overhauling their lifestyles, diving into waist training diet plans – all in an effort to fit the modern-day beauty standard. Without going far, we need to know first and foremost, what waist training is. Read on to find out about waist training and waist training diet plan!
Waist training is the process of training your waist to be thin. This is done by wearing a device called a waist trainer. Wearing a waist shaper is not a new concept as it has been in existence for quite a long period of time. Most people might not know it because it went by a different name back then. Do you remember corsets? Well, a waist trainer is a modern type of a corset.
What Is A Waist Trainer?
A waist trainer is an underwear that is made up of thick fabric and hard metal boning. It is worn around a woman’s waist and is usually held up or tightened by the use of laces, hooks or velcro (8). Waist trainers grew in popularity after women saw different celebrities that they hold in high regard advocate for them. Some of these celebrities include Kim Kardashian and Jessica Alba.
What Is The Purpose Of Waist Trainer?
The main purpose of a waist trainer is to give you that hourglass figure by squeezing your mid-body into that desired shape. There are numerous benefits waist trainers are said to achieve. Some of these benefits are:
-
Helps One Achieve That Desired Hourglass Figure
People who advocate for waist trainers claim that they can whittle your middle almost effortlessly. Although the results may seem instant, they are not long term. This is because once you remove the waist trainer, your body soon bounced right back to its normal shape (7, 1). This shows that even though waist trainers may help achieve immediate results, the way to an hourglass figure is through exercises and good dieting (9).
-
Help One Lose Weight
This happens because of the squeezing effect of the waist trainer. The waist trainers squeeze your abdominal area, which results in one eating less than they used to. This is, however, not an advised way to lose weight. Even companies that sell the product advocate for a healthy diet and regular exercising as an effective way to lose weight (10).
Read More: How Many Pounds To Lose An Inch: Measure Your Weight Loss By Your Waistline
-
You Will Have A Decreased Appetite
Due to the fact that your stomach is squeezed in, it means it is smaller. This results in you getting fuller quicker and hence reducing your food intake (10).
-
Help You Achieve A Better Posture
You should first of all note that waist trainers should not be worn all the time. If they are overused, they may result in weakening your core muscles which leads to back pain and finally poor posture (4). If worn for just the right amount of time, they may give you a good posture (10).
If you tend to let yourself off the hook, raise the white flag when things get tougher than you expected, send yourself on an unconscious binge-eating trip – BetterMe app is here to help you leave all of these sabotaging habits in the past!
What Are The Different Types Of Waist Trainers?
There are two main types of waist trainers. These are corsets and waist cinchers.
Corsets, as mentioned earlier, are not a new thing. They were discovered around the eighteenth century and were quite popular among women during that period. They usually cover about three to six inches from the waistline. They are made up of a hard boning metal which makes them very uncomfortable to wear for long bouts of time.
Waist cinchers are quite different when compared to corsets. One might actually say they are an improvement to the corsets. Unlike the corsets, waist cinchers have a flexible plastic boning. They can also be adjusted by the use of a zipper or laces. This helps make them more comfortable. They are also very small in size and you can wear them underneath your clothes as you go to school or even work.
What To Eat While Waist Training?
Waist trainers alone can’t help you get the figure of your dreams. This is where a good diet and proper exercise comes in. There are meals your waist training food plan should never lack while there are other meals you shouldn’t even think of during this process. You can’t go eating all the French fries in the world and expect to get what you are looking for. Here are meals you should add to your waist training meal plan:
Vegetables And Fruits
Try as much as possible to add as many types of fruits and vegetables to your diet. Add fruits like oranges, pineapples, apples, bananas, watermelons and the likes to your diet. Add vegetables like broccoli, spinach, kale and so on to your diet. Fruits and vegetables will help give you all the minerals, vitamins and fibre that your body needs to stay healthy (12).
Lean Proteins
Proteins are very important in your diet. Proteins will help maintain your body shape. Go for proteins that are leaner and healthier. In addition to lean proteins, do not forget to add plant proteins to your diet. Beans, nuts, peas are just examples of the different kinds of proteins you should add to your diet (12).
Read More: Lean Meats For Weight Loss: Staying On Track With Your Fitness Goals Without Sacrificing Flavor
Drink Plenty Of Water
If by now you don’t know the importance of water in your diet are you even trying to achieve your dream figure? Try as much as possible to avoid soft drinks as they are loaded with calories. You want to avoid taking foods with high calories, soft drinks included. Drink as much water as you can. Add pieces of lemon, cucumber, or watermelon to your water to flavor it up (11).
Friendly Bacteria
Adding friendly bacteria to your diet will help with digestion and reduce instances of bloating. And yes, there is a good kind of bacteria. A delicate balance between good and bad bacteria in your body helps maintain a healthy gut. An imbalance, on the other hand, results in bloating, which means an unhealthy digestive system. Apart from helping with digestion and bloating, friendly bacteria help in boosting your immunity, reducing belly fat and also help fight various skin conditions (11).
Seafood
Salmon, trout, tuna, crabs, oysters are all examples of seafood. Seafood will keep your waist slim and trim. In addition to that, kinds of seafood are rich in minerals, proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Although they might be considered somewhat expensive, you should try adding them to your waist training diet every once in a while (11).
More Fibre
When you are doing your waist training, your stomach is usually compressed as we discussed earlier. This might affect your digestion. Constipation might be one of the effects you might experience. To try and avoid this, eat foods that are high in fibre (12).
Those are some of the meals that you should include during your waist training. Foods like soft drinks, alcohol, unhealthy carbs should be avoided.
Which Exercises Would Help Make Your Waist Smaller?
Even though most women would instantly go for waist trainers, they don’t work without adding good waist training food plans as well as good waist training exercises (3). There are a couple of exercises that range from yoga to planks to even squats that can whittle your waist and propel your fitness to another level.
Here are some of the exercises you should try:
Squat To Rotating Press
How to do it (2):
- Stand with your feet at a position that is slightly wider than your hips. Hold two dumbbells together in front of your body. The next thing to do is to push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat, reaching the dumbbells to the floor.
- Then press through your heels to extend your legs as you carry the weights up into your chest, drawing abs in tight. The next thing is to immediately press the weights overhead as your upper body rotates right, pivoting left heel up. Return to your initial starting position and repeat this whole process again with the opposite side to complete one set.
Jumping Oblique Twist
How to do it (5):
- Stand with your feet together and bring your hands together in front of you. Keep your upper body facing forward the whole time.
- Jump about three to four inches off the ground and rotate your feet to the right. Do this again, this time rotating your feet to the left.
BetterMe app is a foolproof way to go from zero to a weight loss hero in a safe and sustainable way! What are you waiting for? Start transforming your body now!
Reaching Row
How to do it (2):
- Take your dumbbells and stand in a split position with one of your feet forward. Lower yourself into a lunge, hinging forward from the hips at an angle of about forty-five degrees. While moving the dumbbells downwards towards your feet with palms facing thighs. Bend left with your elbow behind the body, opening elbow out to the side, pulling weight in front of the shoulder.
- As the left arm extends back to the floor, bend the right elbow behind the body to switch sides, moving arms quickly. That’s 1 rep. Do all reps on the first side, then repeat with the opposite foot forward. Keep abs drawn in tight and allow torso to rotate slightly from side to side during a row.
The Russian Twist
How to do it (5):
- Sit as you lift your feet from the floor. Keep your knees bent. Try and straighten your spine at a 45-degree angle from the floor, creating a V shape with your torso and thighs. Hold your hands together in front of your chest while interlocking your fingers.
- The next step is to use your abdomen to twist to the right and then back the centre and then the left.
The Curtsy Curl
How to do it (2):
- Grab a dumbbell in your left hand and try to shift or rather shift your weight onto your left leg. Cross your right leg so that it looks as if it is behind your left leg. Lower the right leg into a curtsy lunge, bending both your knees while trying to keep your body weight on your left leg. Hinge slightly forward from the hips, reaching the dumbbell to the outside of the left leg.
- Rise up from the lunge, extend your right left out to the side as the left leg straightens. Rotate your torso to the right as your left elbow bends to curl the weight across your chest. Go back to your starting position and do that again with the other foot.
Pilates Side Plank With Leg Raise
How to do it (5):
- Lie on your side and position yourself on your bottom elbow and side of your foot. Lift your hips in the air, forming a straight line from your ankles all the way to your shoulders. Make sure you brace your core.
- While keeping your torso stable, raise your top leg without bending your knee. Do not let your hips drop. Return to the starting position.
Balancing Triceps Extension
How to do it (2):
- Take your pair of dumbells and balance on your right leg. Make sure your knee is slightly bent, with the left leg extended low behind the hip. Hold the dumbbells behind the head, with the elbows bent close to your ears.
- Then bend your left knee in front of your hips as you extend your arms towards the sky. Do this without lowering your left foot to the floor, slowly returning to the initial starting position, exchange the legs and repeat.
Criss-Cross Crunch
How to do it (5):
- Lie down with your left hand behind your head and your right arm on to the side in a “V” with your palm facing down. Reach your right arm across your body and up to a slight twist.
- Bend your knees and lift up, tucking your knees and your chest and swinging the feet to the right. Return to your starting position and switch sides.
Side Plank With Reach Under
How to do it:
- Take one of your dumbbells with your left arm and get into a side plank, propping your upper body up on the right elbow and forearm. Bend your bottom knee for support and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from the ankles to the shoulders. Extend left arm up to the sky above the shoulder looking up at hand.
- Keeping your hips steady, reach under and behind your torso with your left hand. Make sure your eyes follow your left hand while you do this. Lift your arm back to the starting position and repeat this on the opposite side.
Windshield Wipers
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your arms straight out to the sides. Lift your legs and bend your knees at a ninety-degree angle. Rotate your hips to one side without letting your legs touch the ground.
- Lift your legs and return to the starting position. Rotate your hips to the opposite side and repeat until a set is complete.
It is important to note that in order to have that hourglass figure, you need to look for a workout that targets your upper body, your waist, your glutes, upper thighs and your hips. The aim is to make your waist smaller and your hips curvier (6).
With that said, you should incorporate yoga, planks, high-intensity interval training, squats, fire hydrants, lunges, wall presses, push-ups, among others into your routine. If you don’t know the best exercises to do, you should always consult an expert.
The Bottom Line
Maintaining a health waist training diet plan as well as exercises, will help you achieve your dream figure. Wearing a waist trainer alone won’t help you get what you are looking for.
Check out the 20 Minute Full Body Workout at Home below.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this
SOURCES:
- 4 Reasons to Throw Your Waist Trainer in the Trash (2016, americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org)
- 5 Exercises to Burn Calories and Define Your Waist ( n.d., shape.com)
- Diet and Exercise to Reduce the Waist and Stomach (n.d, livestrong.com)
- Does waist training really work? (n.d. piedmont.org)
- How to Get a Smaller Waist: Tips & Exercises for a Smaller Waist (n.d., fitnessblender.com)
- Is It Possible to Get an Hourglass Figure? (2019, healthline.com)
- Is Wearing a Corset the Secret to Weight Loss? (n.d., shape.com)
- Should I Wear A Waist Trainer In The Gym? (n.d., girlsgonestrong.com)
- The Real Deal With Waist Training ( n.d., doctoroz.com)
- Waist Trainers: Do They Work and What You Need to Know Before You Try One (2019, healthline.com)
- WAIST TRAINING DIET – HOW TO EAT HEALTHY DURING WAIST TRAINING ( 2018, hourglassexpress.com)
- Waist Training Diet Plan: What to eat while waist training? (2020, choosewaisttrainer.com)
