Just another gimmick?

[Ben83]

Hi All,

I've been training on and off for the past 7 years (wow i should be stronger!) and have made some good progress recently (past 15 months or so) as I've been more disciplined; got my diet right, have barely missed a training session and I found this site!

In a nut shell, has anyone heard/seen/experienced the... wait for it...

Vacuum Suit.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 47978.html

I was wondering if there was any credence to this... there is a shop selling the 'service' at the reception of my gym.

I've run, dieted, lifted, x-trainer, cycled etc... I'm aware that spot reduction is a myth and therefore an ability to change my shape was/is largely out of my control, at least in terms of fat deposits - could the 'Vacuum Suit' be a miracle of science or just another money making tool?

The article claims the science stands up but equally those who engage with the weight loss programme are advised to diet appropriately, exercise 3 times a week etc...

I appreciate that this begs many questions: n-sample, lifestyle, diet, age demographic etc, not to mention what the individuals did or didn't as an exercise regime prior to 'Vacuuming'.


Once again, the short question is:
Can this work? If to what extent?

Sorry for the essay!

[NightFaLL]

Lyle McDonald www.bodyrecomposition.com has said that it's possible to target stubborn fat areas by increasing bloodflow to those specific areas.

This product basically says it increases bloodflow to those areas, so assuming it actually does, it's entirely possible that it can help you to cut away that last bit of fat.

However, if you're anywhere above 10% body fat, you should be focusing on getting your diet in check more than anything else. Because even if this product helps to mobilize fat stores in a certain area, it won't be beneficial unless the rest of your bodyfat is already well below that specific area's amount of bodyfat.

[NightFaLL]

I'd recommend reading/buying his book Stubborn Fat Solution, I think it goes in to details on some of the things this suit supposedly does.

[Ben83]

Right... so assuming this works, is it a safe way to diet?

My very limited understanding is that this helps mobilise the fat by increasing blood flow to the specific areas of concern, thus it can be metabolised.

Could this somehow increase the amount of fatty tissue/adipose etc clogging up ones arteries? Or am I miles off base?

[Nevage]

No fatty acids are in your blood all the time in different concentrations. They won't clog up your arteries. They're used as a fuel, the higher the concentration in your blood, the more taken up by cells and metabolised for energy. The body regulates it by not breaking down adipose tissue into fatty acids if there's sufficient amounts in the blood as this will inhibit the enzymes responsible for it.

[Jungledoc]

It's a gimmick.

[Ben83]

Ok so, if the vacuum suit increases blood flow, the naturally occuring enzymes would be available in greater concentration vs the respective substrate and therefore accelerating the break down of fatty tissue in and around that area...

But could this be impaired by having a large amount of fatty acids already in your blood stream as then the body would have little need to break down additional adipose/fat etc as energy supply so as to not inhibit the enzymes (as mentioned in the post below)?

So also, i should be cutting out my once a week greasy spoon cafe run! :P
Goodbye 4 Omelette (2 yokes only.. :) )

[Jungledoc]

Ok so, if the vacuum suit increases blood flow, the naturally occuring enzymes would be available in greater concentration vs the respective substrate and therefore accelerating the break down of fatty tissue in and around that area...

But could this be impaired by having a large amount of fatty acids already in your blood stream as then the body would have little need to break down additional adipose/fat etc as energy supply so as to not inhibit the enzymes (as mentioned in the post below)?

So also, i should be cutting out my once a week greasy spoon cafe run! :P
Goodbye 4 Omelette (2 yokes only.. :) )

You have it all backwards. 4-eggs omelets are not only OK, but positively good for you, and leaving leaving out 2 of the yolks cuts out a lot of the good stuff. The rest of your reasoning confuses me. It's a gimmick. Period. It's a gimmick. It would be a waste of money.

When you visit a forum, it's a good idea to follow for a while, and read some old threads to get a feel of the information available here. Check out the Diet and Nutrition section. There's a lot of information there about dietary fats, and about eggs in particular.

[Nevage]

Ok so, if the vacuum suit increases blood flow, the naturally occuring enzymes would be available in greater concentration vs the respective substrate and therefore accelerating the break down of fatty tissue in and around that area...

So also, i should be cutting out my once a week greasy spoon cafe run! :P
Goodbye 4 Omelette (2 yokes only.. :) )

Well the more fatty acids in your blood, the more metabolised for fuel so yeah i guess. But much cheaper and more efficient way of doing this is by limiting carbohydrate intake. This is due to insulin inhibiting the breakdown of adipose tissue to fatty acids. By limiting carbs, insulin secretion is reduced and the opposing hormone glucagon is increased which promotes the breakdown of adipose tissue to fatty acids. It's much, much simpler to eat a diet low in carbs and naturally fatty acids will be metabolised more efficiently for a fuel (increasign the number of enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation is one adaptation your body makes to this).

The guy in the article does mention that he is told to limit carbs, I'd have to say that is probably the main reason for his weight loss. I could wear a clown suit and exercise upside down while limiting carbs, doesn't mean the clow suit works.

But could this be impaired by having a large amount of fatty acids already in your blood stream as then the body would have little need to break down additional adipose/fat etc as energy supply so as to not inhibit the enzymes (as mentioned in the post below)?

This sounds confusing sorry, all I meant was fatty acids won't just accumulate to an infinite number in your blood stream because of the regulation of metabolism, primarily done by substrate inhibition like you mention, but there's many mechanisms. Metabolism is a BIG subject!

[robertscott]

what? You mean that clown suit I spend [1 million dollars] on won't work?

But seriously to the OP, we know how confusing this is. The problem with the internet is there's so much info it's very easy to get overwhelmed with it all.

f you keep your carbs low, eat 'clean' (no crap) and exercise good and often, the weight'll fly off. All these products like vacuum suits or whatever just play on people's desire for a quick fix when unfortunately one doesn't exist.

[stuward]

Never mind the suit. You don't say how old you are but given that you seem concerned about your waist, I assume you're middle aged. Dr. Michael Eades has a new book called "6 week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle." In a nutshell, it's a very low carb, high saturated fat, moderate protein calorie reduced diet for the first 2 weeks, gradually reintroducing carbs over time. Most of the fat loss will be from your waist, largly viseral fat which is the most problematic. It also improves fatty liver which is at the root of the problem of abdominal fat. The book also goes into how to maintain these improvements.

[ApolytonGP]

It's a gimmick.

And "Lyle wrote about it in his vanity published book", does not do it for me in terms of health science. Rather see the primary science literature. Lyle has a tendancy for making too much soup with limited data points, for ignoring main effects and dwelling on secondary ones (with a CYA caveat buried somewherre), etc. I know he feels that I'm unfair to judge that way, but it's an honest outside assessment. Aragon is my paragon!

[frogbyte]

Are you sure burning fat using increased blood flow to an area is a gimmick? It would explain why my **** looks so bulging and cut.

[Ben83]

Ok so in short, the science side is far beyond my comprehension but without a truly independent study it's hard to know
Ultimately, once again and as the age old saying goes...

'there are no short cuts' ....

re: gut/middle aged etc...
i'm 26, been training since i was 18 (largely stopped while at uni... too much partying :P).

I dont have a gut, it goes more to the other lower side. It's the first place it goes and unluckily for me the last place it leaves - hence my wishful thinking :)

I guess i should stick with running, lifting & eating healthily (I will lower my carb intake).

thank you for everyones notes, i will now keep that money and hope the other half doesnt spend it!

[Jungledoc]

Run a little.

Lift a lot.

Cut the carbs, especially any that don't come from fruit and veggies.

Eat the yolks.