Before
Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
THERE ARE scores of ads in The Daily and Sunday Gleaner to get rid of belly fat. But do they work? About six weeks ago we asked Marie (not her real name), who has been struggling to get rid of the flab on her belly, to try one of the products.
We picked a product advertised by Diplomat's Enterprise at 18 Dumbarton Avenue, Kingston, and asked Marie to put it to the test. (Actually, it was two products the Excess Waist Trimmer and fat eradicator.) She started January 24.
HOW SHE BELLIED UP
I used to eat anything but I used to be very active, playing netball, volleyball and jogging in the mornings.
However, when I moved five years ago, I had to make new friends and I sort of became inactive, but I still continued to eat anything. I tried going to the gym and I did lose some of it. A year ago I moved again and my eating habits worsened as I hardly cook and I do not have the resources to go to exercise as I should so I gradually got to my present stage.Marie says she has felt unhappy and self-conscious about her big belly.
"When I buy clothes I am always careful to buy things that will hide my stomach but many times the bulge still shows. Sometimes when I am wearing pants my stomach hangs over. I also love going to the beach, but when I do, I always wear shirts to cover my tummy even if I am wearing a one-piece swimsuit."
WAIST SIZE BEFORE
When I began using the products, my waist (around the navel) measured 37.5 inches.
FIVE WEEKS LATER:
4 1/2 INCHES GONE
I can't believe I actually lost inches. I never imagined that it would actually work. As of last Thursday, February 24, my waist (around the navel area) measured 33 inches.
HOW SHE USED THE BELT
I was unable to wear the belt all the time so I slept with it on and wore it on weekends. I rubbed the fat eradicator on my stomach every morning before work and in the evenings before putting on the band. I would also apply the fat eradicator a third time when wearing the band on weekends. Whenever I could I also did some abdominal exercises while wearing the band. I think I needed to exercise more while wearing the band.
WHAT THE DISTRIBUTOR SAYS
Prince Barrington, manager of Diplomat's Enterprise, has been selling the products for roughly a year. The feedback from customers has been excellent, he notes. Before advertising the products he had relatives test them out with great success. He also discovered then that combining the products provide better results than using only one or the other. The products are meant for anybody who needs to lose weight, belly fat or 'baby' fat, says Barrington.
HOW SOON TO GET RESULTS?
Results, says Barrington, vary and are based on the individual. The average person can expect to see results in two to three weeks. Barrington says too that he has received calls from persons who say they have achieved results in the first four to five days.
INSTRUCTIONS
Apply the fat eradicator twice daily by rubbing into fatty areas and leave it on for at least five hours. Results vary. Some people start seeing changes within a week, but for others it can take as long as three weeks. The waist trimmer can be worn all day. You get better results using it with the fat eradicator.
WHAT ARE THE PRODUCTS:
The Excess waist trimmer, he says is a weight loss band that covers the entire mid section of the body. When used, it trims, flattens and firms the abdomen, leaving it smaller in size. While the fat eradicator is a weight loss rub that when applied twice daily to fatty areas draws out the excess water and fat while tightening and toning the skin. The rub absorbs better into the waist and works faster than the band, and is all natural.
The band though is made of a Neoprene material that basically gives an amount of heat not to make uncomfortable, says Barrington, but tightens and tones. The band is stretchable and is closer to rubber in texture but is not rubber in description but stretches like elastic and has the ability to absorb.
WHO MAKES THE PRODUCT
Barrington who says he's the only one carrying this product in Jamaica was reluctant to say where he gets it from. He would only say that the waist trimmer comes from a company in the U.S. while he gets the formula for the fat eradicator from a diet and research centre in England. His staff mixes the ingredients and does the packaging and labelling.
COST
The fat eradicator and waist trimmer cost $800 each, however, the package can be bought for $1,399.
