Zaggora Hotwear: Does It Burn More Calories?

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I love testing exercise apparel, especially when the brand is new and the designs are interesting. So when ads for Zaggora Hotwear started showing up in my Facebook feed it seemed like a good idea to give them a try. The design of the Hotpants Capri looked fun and I love the bold colors. So I got a few Zaggora pieces and gave them a try.

When I got my Zaggora Hotwear in the mail, I could instantly see how people lose weight wearing them. The clothing is very thick, doesn’t breathe and causes your body to sweat. The design and feel of it reminded me of scuba gear. It did not look like the images I saw online. But I put them on with good intentions of wearing them throughout the day and for my evening workout.

After about four hours in the pants, I wasn’t able to keep them on anymore. Sitting in the sweaty, sticky pants was simply too uncomfortable. The top, however, was easier to wear. I did complete a workout wearing the gear, but had to cut it short because it was simply unbearable.

Did I see results? No. I may not have worn the apparel for long enough to see any change, but I would not be surprised if I lost water weight during this experience. I wonder about any exerciser’s ability to wear the pants for long enough to see any difference. And of course, weight lost from water isn't sustainable.

While I was wearing my pants, I decided to take a critical look at the Zaggora science that is outlined on the website. I was disappointed (but not entirely surprised) to see that company quotes percentages of calories and not actual calorie counts in their study results. Without knowing actual numbers, the percentages have no real value. For example, if an exerciser burns “an average of 6% more calories” it might sound significant. But if her total calorie burn during the workout is 200 calories, then she only burned 12 extra calories with Zaggora hotpants. That’s the caloric equivalent of 3 ½ M & M candies.

I asked Zaggora to see the actual research report so that I could view the data and analyze it more carefully. A spokesperson for the company told me that they are “unable to send copies of our research studies.” As a critical consumer, this raised a red flag. After several calls to the University of Southern California, I was also unable to find anyone familiar with the research or with the company that is apparently based there who conducted the study.