I’m sure we have all seen the current crazy trend of waist trainers. The corset looking belts that button up very tightly beginning around your upper hip and up to around your rib cage. After watching this video with Doctor Oz I was honestly amazed. I always thought that these things kind of just pushed in all the extra skin you had on the side of your body to give it a smaller look. In no way did I think that wearing one of these would effect the internal parts of the body and vital organs. In the video there were three parts that stuck out to me most; the effect on appetite, the impacts on the diaphragm and the damage to the liver. To get the full effect and test this hypothesis of if I wore it then my waist would be smaller, I borrowed my friend’s waist trainer and wore it around for a whole day before finishing up this blog.
Dr. Oz explains that because the waist trainer is squeezing your mid section in by about 2 inches, it is very likely that this could cause a decrease in appetite. So, after latching the waist trainer on my body, I sat down for a meal. Normally I have no problem finishing chipotle, but this came as a really big struggle for once. After taking a couple bites with it on, I felt as if I had just finished a Thanksgiving feast. Very full, very fast, and almost a little bit sick.
In the before and after picture, Dr. Oz points out that the diaphragm is squished and pushed up. The diaphragm is the part of the body that is responsible for breathing and inflating the lungs. They relate the waist trainers to the corsets that women used to wear back in the old days, which had the reputation of making them faint at any given moment. Putting on the waist trainer itself was a struggle. You had to suck in deeply in order to be able to clasp the hooks. Once it was on you could exhale a little bit, but not much, breathing was definitely restricted. I know that some people like to wear waist trainers while exercising as a way to work their core more, but personally I could not see how one could run, or lift, or do crunches wearing one of these. It was enough of a struggle to just wear one of these around the apartment for a couple of hours.
The part that may have scared me most was when Dr. Oz points out the liver. He shows that the rib cage is literally pushing into the liver. The liver is the part of the body that has many responsibilities and is vital for human life. To think that this belt could be molding one of the organs that helps us live is very scary. When wearing the waist trainer I did not really feel a direct impact on my liver specifically, but it did feel quiet uncomfortable and I knew that in no way could this be good for my body.
Waist trainers are proven to work and have significant results if worn for hours throughout the day and for long periods of time. Although you may be getting 2 inches of your waist and a nice hourglass shape, there are many health hazards. Not only are there the three harms that I listed above, but also many outside problems that could effect development and health. One example is that it could lead to self consciousness or even eating disorders. It is scary to think that this belt could not only be harming your physical health but also your emotional and mental health. So instead of strapping a waist trainer around your body, hit the gym and pick up a healthy snack instead! 
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/oz-investigates-waist-training-it-safe
http://www.marieclaire.com/health-fitness/a13489/celebrities-swear-by-it-but-is-waist-training-actually-healthy/
http://bestwaisttrainers.com/waist-training-before-after-results/
This blog caught my attention. I have constantly been hearing and seeing posts about the waist trainers on instagram and from the Kardashian family. I never really looked into what it was because the idea of “training” your body to look a different way does not interest me. After watching the video you included at the beginning of your post, I was in shock. I could not believe the damage and molding that is happening inside your body from wearing this waist trainer. Not only does this expose actual health issues that wearing a waist trainer is brining on, it is demonstrating the dissatisfaction women have with their own bodies. Its crazy to me how effective in molding your body the waist trainer is, but I am definitely against any use of it.
Wow. I was really shocked by the information in this blog. I had no idea that this was the way waist trainers worked. You said that you became full very easily while eating with the waist trainer on. What happened when you took it off? Did you become more hungry then? With the amount of celebrities promoting the waist trainer, it is interesting to hear how it can be harmful to your body.
1. A lot of the information that was presented in the blog post was very surprising to me. I always knew that waist trainers can cause harm, but I was unaware of the extent to how much damage it can result in. In your blog post you noted that a waist trainer has an effect on appetite, the diaphragm, and liver damage. This leads me to wonder what other consequences one can have due to wearing a waist trainer. According to Dr. Apovian, waist trainers can also lead to discomfort, breathing issues, and liver damage. In addition, it may lead to one getting reflux by having one’s stomach pushed up beyond the diaphragm. This leads me to agree that choosing a healthier lifestyle such as eating a healthy snack is much better than wearing a waist trainer in order to improve one’s body. Below is an article attached that details other information about the harm waist training can cause in addition to the information that you provided.
http://news.health.com/2015/03/10/what-is-waist-training/