KEY POINTS:
I would not describe myself as a credulous person. I've accepted there's no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny and no Tooth Fairy. I understand that television is not real and landmark bridges are rarely for sale. And I faced up to the fact that Jon Bon Jovi would never be my boyfriend, ooooh, months ago now.
But the one thing I simply can't stop believing in is a magical weight loss elixir. Something I could do easily - in my sleep for preference - that would leave me slim without me getting off my (distressingly large) derriere. I have tried, usually with more expense than success, everything from slimming pills to magic knickers. But in the end I've never achieved the results I wanted - possibly because I like to wash pills down with cake.
Obviously though I've learned nothing because at the merest sniff of a new easy-weight-loss product I was utterly convinced I'd found the treatment that would (at last) leave me a size eight reflection enjoying my size 14 refection.
Which isn't fair, because the thermoagenic weight loss programme infrared body wraps on offer at the Herne Bay Wellbeing, aren't touted as delivering "miracle" weight loss. Rather the treatments are meant to help burn fat and "reshape" the body - a tantalising prospect for someone with my farm-bred hips.
I was greatly cheered, at my first treatment, to find I could, in fact, do this in my sleep: or at least lying down. Several large silicone heat pads were wrapped around me and velcroed in place. When switched on, the pads heat up, and so do you.
There's some fairly complicated science behind it but basically the aim is to emulate the effects of a workout without actually doing one. As you raise the body temperature, the heart works harder which boosts circulation. When you produce sweat you are actually burning energy (or calories). So during the treatment your heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate increases. The treatment promises you'll burn about 1000 calories in a 50 minute session - equivalent to more than an hour-and-a-half's worth of jogging. And the best thing? You just lie there, glossy magazine in hand, occasionally wiping your forehead.
Another plus is this "workout" has your body working moderately hard for a sustained period of time _ fast bursts of exercise burn more energy but it's been shown that sustained moderate exertion is what burns stored fat. The placement of the pads (on the tummy, hips, thighs and calves) targets the particular areas where women tend to carry excess fatty deposits.
But - and here's the bigger-than-J-Lo's-arse question - does it work? I did notice results after a course of about 15 treatments over several weeks. My jeans were fractionally looser. My circulation was also better (which helps with fat loss throughout the whole day).
But, like so many of these sorts of products it is meant to work best when you also make changes to your diet and lifestyle. The therapist, Lulu, sketched out a diet plan for me to maximise fat loss, which involved nothing but fruit before midday and avoided most refined carbohydrates (also meant to be the best way to reduce cellulite), and that was something I struggled to follow (hey, if I had any self discipline, I'd be thin already).
Basically the body wraps can help shift weight and burn energy. But they aren't a magic bullet, which will deliver miraculous results. If you commit to them as part of a holistic programme, they will help.
- Detours, HoS
