Can you Vibrate Fat Off?
Posted by Jeff The Jock on October 30, 2007
In the 1950’s, people thought that they could use this vibrating belt to lose fat. We all know that this doesn’t work, but some weight loss scams just won’t die. It just takes time to be reinvented in a more modern form.
People want a quick and easy solution to lose fat, and that hasn’t changed in the last 60 years. Now instead of vibrating just the areas that you want to lose weight, you shake the entire body. This is known as “Whole Body Vibration”. The vibrating machine looks like a fancy scale with raised handlebars to hang on to. Instead of simply shaking the fat off you, the new theory is that you are flexing and tensing your muscles to stay balanced and this gives you the workout.
I was in a Shopping Mall today and went in for a free trial. I was told that my 6 minute session was the same as doing a 45 minute cardio and weight training session at a gym – and I didn’t even break a sweat. They forgot to mention that they also broke many of the laws of physics, thermodynamics and just plain common sense. I’ll admit that I might have burned 2 or 3 extra calories per minute to stay balanced, but a pound of fat has 3,500 calories. It would take over 20 hrs on the machine and that costs $25 for 10 minutes!
Why don’t professional athletes do this? They could stand on the machine for half an hour and have the same benefit of many hours of training? The answer is simple, they know that gimmicks like this DO NOT WORK.
According to their brochure, the benefits include quick inch loss (from your wallet?), improved bone density (without calcium?), cellulite reduction (without diet), and hormonal balance (are mine out of balance?).
The machine vibrates from between 10 and 30 times per second. There are 9 different rehabilitation programs so that means that each program has about 2 vibrations per second difference. That means that in the morning I could vibrate at 18 times per second to remove my cellulite, and in the afternoon I could vibrate at 20 times per second to lose overall body fat. Each session costs $25 dollars, and the only thing that I would lose would be $50!
The thing that really amazed me was that the place was busy! People were actually believing this stuff. If vibrations caused you to lose weight, how come there are so many overweight truck drivers? I would think they are being vibrated all day long.
Please, if you are considering spending $300/month to lose weight, hire a Dietitian for a couple hours, buy some good healthy cookbooks, buy a gym membership and hire a personal trainer for a session instead. I can guarantee that it would not be a waste of money.
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Anon E. Moose said
Those machines are more like from the 1920s or 30s, not 1950s.
Amy said
We have one of those at my gym. But it’s supposed to be used for stretching, etc. I think it feels nice to stand on, and I think I read a study that showed it really does improve bone density but that’s about all I would ever hope it to do.
WillWayland said
There is alot of research backing up the benefits of wholebody vibration and improved force production in athletes. The notion it can be used for weight loss is however is unproven.
Mary said
I AM LOOKING FOR THE OLDER VIBRATING BELT MACHINE, I UNDERTAND THEY ARE FROM THE 50’s & 60’s. I HAVE USED THESE IN THE PAST & I FEEL THEY DO HELP WITH CELLULITE. DOES ANYONE KNOE WHERE I CAN FIND ONE?
Jeff The Jock said
Mary,
If vibrating machine belts helped with any fat loss including cellulite, they would not have been a fad. Studies would have shown that they actually did something and they would have been here to stay.
lady barber said
i used this several years at a gym and actually had very good results on my midsection, hips, thighs and my waistline decreased substancially. it was a little weird at first but i hung in there 3 to 4 times a week for approx. 8 to 10 min. if i could find one for myself at a flea market or yard sale i would certainly get it. it worked for me. LB B.
Catherine Cole said
Has anyone ever heard of a “stouffer machine” from the 50’s?
You would lay down on it and it would shake you from side to side and supposedly lose weight.
Or did I imagine this?
Mister Reader said
You just invented it. You can be rich!
Truth About Abs said
HAHAHA!! Yah, funny what society used to believe eh? Funnier still is that society continues to look for that magic formula or pill (ie Acai Berry or Wu-Tea scams) to take weight off. Once society really understands that it takes dedication to sticking to a diet and exercise plan, they’re destined to stay overweight and out of shape forever. Its sad really. Why do we (as a society) insist on looking for magic where magic does not exist?
thanks for a fun post.
PF said
I’ve heard of it as a home exercise machine and have been to a facility that was a stouffer toning business. It didn’t last 6 months in the early 90s but it was interesting. You can do a search on the internet and find a history of the concept.
PF
Bridget said
Professional athletes do use the vibrating machines, so do celebrities. If you did your research you would see that russian olympians have been using them for years and now everyone else is too! I pay 40 for 25 20 mins sessions in my gym.. I think it’s a fair price for the benifits I feel.
Jeff The Jock said
Bridget, if you believe that vibration machines help in weight loss, you should try the Q-ray bracelets as well. They are supported by professional athletes and celebrities as well. (how could they be wrong) They improve your health just by wearing them, you don’t even have to go to the gym.
I did some searches again on the professional literature and published academic studies to see if the vibration machines help with weight loss. (My original article is almost 2 years old) I couldn’t find a single one that demonstrated a positive result or even a positive correlation with weight loss. I DO NOT count studies promoted, sponsored or listed on the sales pages of businesses selling those machines.
Dr. Rick Zabrodski said
As with most things, the new vibration trend is based on science, but has extrapolated to the absurd with these “vibration spas”. The current vibration plate technology was originally researched by the Russians as a way to maintain bone mass on the MIR space station. High end units like the power plate (they start at 3K) are common in the UK and France at both health facilities and rehab centers. There are placebo controlled trials showing that they do help to restore or maintain balance as well as bone mass in the elderly. Recently, they have been incorporated at high end, elite athletic performance facilities in the USA to take “core strength” to the “next” level. I am a single digit golfer in search of staying that way in my mid 50’s. I have such a unit and use it for 15 minutes, three times per week when doing my “extreme” core stability workouts. (I work out 3-5 hours a week, not including walking the golf course. I can already kneel on a swiss ball and lift weights at the same time….you get the idea). That said, the concept of standing or squatting on a vibrating plate and loosing weight is absurd. You would do better to go for a brisk walk. My 80 year old mother has a degenerative muscle condition and uses a walker full time. For her, walking is no longer an option so just standing on this unit for 5 minutes has her sweating – it is probably why she can still take care of herself at home.
So, if you are old and frail tying not to loose ground or an elite athelete looking to take core stability to the next level, the high end (expensive) vibration plate technology can help you. Just don’t waste your money on it to burn calories in and effort to loose weight.
Cheers
Tria said
I did some reading on Whole Body Vibration and the study showed that people already active showed little to no changes in muscle activity. For those who were not active it only improved flexibility. I tried it. It was fun to stand on, but did nothing for me. I’m not that active either. If you want to get in shape, Working out and changing eating habits are still a doctor’s top choice!