People today want to lose weight as quickly as possible, even though it is not healthy to lose a large quantity of weight all at once. A healthy amount of weight to lose is about 1 to 3 pounds each week, says strength and conditioning specialist Stew Smith. Plastic suits can cause you to sweat out several pounds in a matter of hours, but you usually gain most of the weight back the next time you eat or drink, according to Military.com.
Function of Plastic Suits
Plastic suits, also called sauna suits, are used to help people lose weight by burning extra calories because of the heat they trap and sweating out excess water. These suits can be worn alone, or may be worn under athletic equipment. Some athletes like to use the plastic suit while in a sauna or while working out to lose as much water weight as possible. The idea of wearing a plastic suit has existed for many decades, according to Military.com, with some people going so far as to wear a garbage bag to help retain heat.
Features
Plastic suits can be one or two layers of plastic formed into the shape of a sweat suit. They usually have elastic around the waist and the cuffs of the sleeves and pants to help trap as much body heat as possible inside the suit while you work out. Some plastic suits have drawstrings in the cuffs and at the waist so you can adjust the tightness to your own comfort level. The plastic is usually fairly thin, so you must take care when putting it on and taking it off to avoid ripping the material.
Effects
Plastic suits make you sweat excessively and increase your heart rate and body temperature. Sweating excessively can lead to dehydration, but it will also lead to weight loss, as you lose a good deal of water. Due to thermogenics of the body, the increased heart rate and body temperature will also force your body to burn more calories. According to a study by C. G. Crandall of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, increased heat stress on the body decreases the central blood volume and increases the peripheral blood volume, moving the blood to the arms and legs to try to better cool the body off. However, the body will not be able to cool itself properly while wearing the plastic suit, since it traps sweat and body heat inside.
Misconceptions
The plastic suit is commonly used by boxers, wrestlers and other athletes who must maintain a certain weight to stay in a specific weight class. A study by V.A. Perriello, et. al., with the Pediatric Associates of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows that 93 percent of wrestlers engage in methods other than exercise to lose weight, with 34 percent saying they use rubber or plastic suits to help drop weight before a weigh-in. These suits are good for dropping a few pounds quickly and temporarily, but they shouldn't be used as frequent weight loss devices.
Warnings
Sweating excessively to lose weight comes with health risks. Smith says some of the dangers include heat stroke; cardiovascular problems, such as increased heart rate; extreme changes in blood pressure; heart attacks; and extreme loss of fluids and electrolytes, which could lead to dizziness, light-headedness, fainting or permanent damage to the kidneys. Weight loss involving dehydration or starvation is damaging to the body and may result in a loss of strength and power for athletes, as well as decreases in testosterone, isometric endurance, sprinting distance and muscle endurance, says Mike Viscardi of the psychology department at Vanderbilt University.
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