Are Thermal Suits Good for Weight Loss?

When you're determined to lose weight, you might be occasionally tempted to look for a weight-loss shortcut. These shortcuts are often both ineffective and dangerous. Thermal suits, which are also known as rubber suits or sauna suits, fit this mold. These garments can trick you into thinking they help you lose weight, but they play no role in healthy weight loss.

Profuse sweating can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, kidney failure and it can affect your heart. (Image: Choreograph/iStock/Getty Images)

Sweat Loss, Not Fat Loss

One of the first things you'll notice upon donning a thermal suit is that your temperature is rising. As you get hotter, your body begins to sweat more. If you wear the suit during a cardio workout, you'll often sweat profusely -- so much so that you lose a couple of pounds. But you haven't lost a couple of pounds of fat. Instead, you've lost this amount in water weight, which will return once you hydrate after the workout. The profuse sweating, meanwhile, can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, and kidney failure, and it can even affect your heart.