Waist training and the decision to focus on a diet or exercise program can often go hand in hand, but there are a few questions that are probably going through your mind. If you choose to start training with a bespoke corset, you are investing in an item that's specific to measurements that might not represent your size a little way down the line. So let's look at the next stages carefully together. There are ways around most problems in life, so here are some points you might want to consider as you look at your options.
The Pros and Cons Of Waist Training During Weight Loss
Many people choose to make a corset part of their diet because of the encouragement it offers to see your smoothly cinched waist in the mirror, and your sleek lines under clothing. Even things like watching the gap at the back of your corset slowly closing as time goes by can make your achievements more noticeable. Though a healthy lifestyle is about far more than appearances, it can be a boost to see the new figure that a corset unveils for you. There are also certain elements of the corset’s best use that fall in naturally with healthy eating and moderate exercise to support you in your goals.
Comfortable use of the corset for long periods of time usually involves adjusting your diet to involve smaller, more regular meals without altering from a healthy nutritional amount. You can read more about this in the waist training section of this post. But this practice is understood to aid digestion and improve metabolism.
The cons? Mostly, this comes down to sizing out of your investment! For this reason, it can be worth considering standard size corset options like our Heledd underbust. These represent less of a financial commitment than going bespoke, and as they are ready to ship, you can change sizes with ease. A bespoke remake involves doing battle with our waiting list after all!
Solutions
If you've decided to have a bespoke training corset for your weight loss journey then I can still work with you on this. An important consideration is the lacing gap, which is the space left between the eyelets at the back of your corset. I lean towards a 2"/ 5 cm gap on my corsets as standard, which is the equivalent of a dress size. This gives you some room for weight fluctuation during normal wear, and allows for tension in the corset. However, when planning around a client's weight loss I might increase this is a 4" lacing gap, or 2 dress sizes. This allows a good length of time before it's necessary to buy a new corset! Ideally, we would leave as small a gap as possible, because the breadth of the gap can distort where the side seam of your corset is designed to lie, and can also feel a little uncomfortable in those initial stages, but as a temporary measure, it works!
If your weight loss goals wouldn’t be properly served by the 4″ gap then, as mentioned above, I would direct you to something like our Heledd underbust. This should get you started and in the habit of training before you're closer to your desired size. I wouldn’t often recommend waist training with a ready-made piece as small discrepancies in fit can feel quite drastic by the end of a long day in the corset. However, I specifically designed this piece with regular wear in mind, and its fit over a wide range of bodies has proved very good! This is a more affordable way to meet your needs in the short term, and can even be an option for while you're on the bespoke waiting list.
When Is The Right Time In My Weight Loss Program To Start Waist Training?
This is likely to depend on a few factors. How much weight are you planning to lose? Over what timescale? Do you feel that waist training is something that you want to play a big part in your plan?
Something to think about: many diets have the most noticeable effects in the early stages. If this is the point at which you’re providing measurements for a bespoke order, then by the time your corset has been made and shipped to you, you could be a different shape entirely. Equally, we do not always lose weight evenly through our bodies! Many women and AFAB people find that the bust or hips is the first place to show a result, so even if your corset order is due to be placed a few months into your diet, it’s a good idea to take regular measurements, noting where the loss is most noticeable, and if the rate at which your measurements change slows down.
For most cases where a client is budgeting for one corset to take them through their period of weight loss I will recommend that you hold on until the 3-4″ lacing gap will meet your needs, leaving the initial month as a time of recording your results to show us any trends in your new shape and to allow the initial period of high activity to pass. Throughout that month we can still discuss your order, talking about your preferred fabrics and styles. You may also want a boned mock-up to give you a physical impression of the changes you’re expecting to see in your figure.
Bridal Corsets
We speak to a lot of brides, and the most frequent thing to be brought up in their first email is that they’re losing weight for the wedding. Sometimes this is a simple “toning up” exercise, and sometimes this is the catalyst for a long-term goal. Whatever you’re planning, the main thing to focus on is your deadline, and who else is relying on your corset being finished to complete their work for you. The most typical example is that your dressmaker will need the corset completed so that they can begin their fittings for your dress. For a ready-made dress the alterations usually need to start a minimum of 1 month before the big day. For a custom-made dress, this could be considerably longer. Your dressmakers schedule will dictate (to an extent) our best step going forward, maybe such changes as to whether we opt for an overbust or underbust, and the point at which we will need to look at your current and predicted sizes.
Hopefully this post will help you to understand some of the practicalities to be thought through for this process- If it sounds scary, don’t worry! We are always on hand and happy to talk to you about your options. Why not drop us a line to discuss your plans?