Does wrapping yourself in cling film really help you lose weight?
One of my clients asked me in all seriousness today, whether she should be wrapping herself in cling film while she was training in the gym, to help her lose weight? I wanted to giggle at first because all I could think about was Dave in his shed in ‘The Full Monty’ film, wrapped in cling film and eating Mars bars. However my client then followed up her question by saying she had seen another personal trainer doing this himself! I just thought it made you sweat more….but at this point I began to panic….did this trainer know something I didn’t? So of course I went straight home to research this proposition properly. Could I really lose weight by wrapping myself in cling film after all?
Unfortunately not, since my research just confirmed that although you will sweat more than usual, so yes you will lose a bit of water weight temporarily (which is why some boxer’s do it before their weigh-in), it will just be replenished as soon as you have your next drink! So for long-term slimming it’s pointless. Worse it can be dangerous! Underneath the cling film, your sweat is unable to evaporate, so you do not get the cooling effects of sweating. Therefore you’ll get hotter and hotter and eventually dehydrate. Dehydration can cause cramp, palpitations, fainting or even heat stroke (potentially fatal), so it’s really not worth the risk!
The conclusion: Save your cling film to wrap up healthy foods like salad or a healthy lunch option that you have pre-cooked for taking to work.
By Personal Trainer – Louise Ann Munro
