Tummy Tuck Belt is an “as seen on TV” weight loss product. The brand’s website initially described it as “instant slimming,” and claimed that combined with their diet and exercise program, it “ignites a fat burning chain reaction to slim away fat from your tummy.” They removed these claims after the publication of our article.
But can a physical belt actually cause weight loss, or is this just a marketing claim? Are there any associated health risks? Is the brand’s diet and exercise program effective? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Tummy Tuck Belt?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies to give our take on whether or not the Tummy Tuck Belt can help with weight loss.
We’ll share our concerns about some of the health claims made by the brand, explain why Tummy Tuck was sued, and feature real Tummy Tuck Belt customer reviews.
Can a Belt Cause Weight Loss?
The manufacturer of Tummy Tuck Belt claimed that when combined with diet and exercise, their product can cause weight loss.
However, the brand provided no proof of such claims, and these claims seem unscientific in our opinion.
Weight loss is a simple thermogenic process: calories consumed versus calories expended.
It doesn’t logically follow that wearing a physical waist training device would help with weight loss efforts, unless that device increased calories expended.
We searched for clinical studies testing the effects of a physical belt device on weight, but we were unable to identify any (which is unsurprising given that it just seems illogical that such a device would work).
We do not consider Tummy Tuck Belt likely to cause weight loss.
The brand described their diet and exercise program as integral to the success of the Tummy Tuck Slimming System (which includes the belt), but provided little explanation on their website about what their diet and exercise program consists of.
The only specifics provided were that “2 minute standing abdominal…exercises” are included in the weight loss program. But you don’t need to purchase anything to do standing ab exercises. You can just do them at home for free!
Here’s our take: a diet and exercise program can certainly cause weight loss. But Tummy Tuck provides no information proving that their diet and exercise program is more effective than any other diet and exercise program. So the entire system seems like a waste of money.
Real People Try Tummy Tuck Belt
A YouTube creator named “Bambi Sunshine” explained whether or not Tummy Tuck Belt caused weight loss for her:
A YouTube creator named Felisha Williams did a live product demonstration to show whether or not Tummy Tuck Belt reduces the appearance of stomach fat:
Does Tummy Tuck Belt Cause Side Effects?
Tummy Tuck Belt does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to say whether or not the device will cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its materials and suggested use.
We do not believe that Tummy Tuck Belt is likely to cause side effects in healthy adults. It’s a simple physical device that’s applied just like tight clothing.
However, there are some potential risk factors for consumers to consider.
Corsets, which are tight garments that can be used to reduce the visible appearance of body fat, have been clinically shown to cause harm in some cases.
A 2020 case report documented a patient who experienced a severe artery blockage due to the negative effects of a corset on circulation.
A clinical trial published in the Respiratory Care journal found that waist trainers can have a negative impact on breathing and lung function while using the device.
Tummy Tuck Belt does not describe their device as a corset, so we are not saying these risks are necessarily applicable, but the terms “corset” and “Tummy Tuck Belt” are not clinically defined and there may be some overlap.
Why Was Tummy Tuck Sued?
Tummy Tuck’s manufacturer, a brand called Savvier, settled a lawsuit for $1 million in 2017 according to a California governmental division.
The lawsuit alleged that the manufacturer of Tummy Tuck Belt made unsubstantiated marketing claims, was failing to comply with an automatic product renewal law, and part of the resolution states that the brand was to withhold from making product efficacy claims in the future without substantial evidence (which makes the claims we cite in the next section even more confusing).
This lawsuit was initiated by the California Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force rather than customers of the product.
Questionable Health Claims
Upon initial publication of this article, we called out a number of questionable and uncited health claims on the Tummy Tuck Belt website, that we believed violated the California court's order to refrain from unsubstantiated product claims.
Since the publication of our article, the company has removed these claims.
We still feel they're necessary to share with consumers, because this is a major red flag of the brand in our opinion.
The brand claimed that after 10 minutes of using their device, a “fat melting chain reaction” is “triggered.” There was no citation for this claim and we found it to be highly unscientific.
The manufacturer also claimed that “typical results are approximately 0.35 inches after the first week.”
We highlighted our confusion about how the brand was able to make such specific efficacy claims, because there don't appear to be any clinical trials on Tummy Tuck Belt.
The brand’s website also included a strange before-and-after image, shown above, claiming to show a reduction of belly fat thickness. But there was no explanation of where this data came from or how much belly fat it represented.
In the footer of the website, there was an asterisk stating “clinical scenes recreated by volunteers.”
We have never come across the term “clinical scenes” before in our hundreds of product reviews. A scene is typically a fictitious depiction, like a movie.
Customers Rate Tummy Tuck Belt
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, Tummy Tuck Belt has been reviewed over 1,800 times on Amazon and has an average review rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Rene B.” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
“I've had the product for a week now and have been using it every day. I am already noticing a difference. I would highly recommend it to anyone with belly fat or anyone that just wants to lose a few inches off their wasteline. I plan on buying one for a friend of mine for her birthday. The cream that accompanies the belt has also helped with my stretch marks. Thank you for this awesome product! :)”
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “KitterJul” who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
“I remain confused and disappointed in this product. There was no heat, no burning, and absolutely no change. The standing abdominal crunches are good exercises--it is easy to feel your muscles work and believe these will help, but they can be done without any cream or spandex waist-tube. Im returning this--this was too expensive for no results. If this has worked for others, then great! But this has done nothing for me.”
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
MCT oil was shown in a meta-study to cause more than one pound of weight loss over 10 weeks. This equates to potential annualized weight loss of 6 pounds per year with less than one tablespoon's worth of MCT oil per day.
Performance Lab MCT Oil is our top MCT oil pick because it's certified organic.
Ginger intake "significantly decreased body weight" according to a 2019 meta-study on ginger and weight loss that analyzed data from 14 clinical trials.
Pique La Ginger is our top ginger product, because it's an organic tea in convenient crystallized form, and all that's needed is to pour the powder into a glass and add hot water.
All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Tummy Tuck Belt Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Tummy Tuck Belt in our opinion:
Pros:
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- May improve aesthetic appearance during use
- Affordable
- Diet and exercise program may support weight loss
Cons:
- Brand website had questionable health claims until we called them out
- No proof this causes weight loss
- May cause discomfort during use
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Manufacturer was sued over unsubstantiated marketing claims
