The very first thing most of us want to know when embarking on a new journey is how long it’ll be before we start seeing results. So it’s no wonder that the most commonly asked question around here is “how long does waist training take?”

And we so wish we had a hard and fast answer for this that we could give to every newbie corset wearer, but the truth is, it really depends.

We all have different bodies that come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes as well as different genetics so it’s no surprise that our bodies will have varying responses to waist training.

And on top of our natural differences, there’s the fact that not all of us will “train” in the same way. Some will wear their corsets for just a few hours each day while others will spend the majority of their day with their corsets on.

Some will be inspired by corset training to be more vigilant about eating healthy while others won’t change their diet much.

These factors matter. And because there’s so much variance with both natural and controllable factors, it’s hard to come up with an average length of time it takes to see results.

The path is different for each of us.

That being said, you did come here looking for answers and we want to give you an idea of how much it differs. Instead of resorting to anecdotes, we looked around for a number of brave reporters who’ve undertaken the task and blogged about it.

Here are their stories, results, and how long it took.

Lost 1.5 inches in 17 days

Laura Argintar, a writer for Elite Daily, wore a corset for 17 days. She started with 2 hours on her first day and gradually ramped up to a maximum of 7.5 hours.

Her verdict? “This isn’t a magical weight loss pill that automatically burns your fat for you. I did lose about 1.5 inches along parts of my torso, but I also attribute this to following a better diet.

The biggest change I noticed was in my posture. I was able to sit up straighter, walk taller and naturally suck in my stomach more, which probably made me also appear thinner.

It’s good for teaching you how to “suck it in” so to speak and great for wearing underneath t-shirts when you don’t want your pooch hanging out in front.” Read the whole story here!

Lost 2 Inches in 10 Days

Jamie Blynn did a waist training experiment for Us Magazine where she wore the Classic Waist Cincher by Hourglass Angel, gradually increasing wearing time from four hours to eight hours over a 10 day period.

Her verdict? “With the Rocky theme song playing in my head, I measure myself — I’ve lost two inches! It may be uncomfortable and awkward, but waist training does work, albeit temporarily! Granted, give me some Oreos and a few days and that measurement may not be the same.” Read the whole story here!

Lost 1 Inch in 1 Week

Amanda Remling wore the Classic Waist Cincher by Hourglass Angel and wrote about it for International Business Times. She doesn’t accurately report how long she wore the corset each day but does say that she didn’t “use it excessively (12-plus hours a day) and didn’t sleep in it.”

Her verdict? Waist training was not a bad experience for me. My waist went from 27 to 26 inches. Doctors say that restrictive shapewear like corsets can cause shallow breathing and numbness, but I didn’t experience any of that.” Read the whole story here!

She also listed some pros and cons she experienced while waist training…

Pros

• Better posture
• “Warmth”
• Felt good about myself

Cons

• Not being able to binge eat Mexican food
• Can get too hot depending on situation
• Visible under some clothing
• My boyfriend says it looked like part of an “Edward Scissorhands” costume

More Waist Training Stories…

Not all reporters blogged the exact hours they spent in their corsets or how many inches they lost before and after corset training but it’s not always about the inches, is it?

Which is why we’re including their stories and results as well!

• Danielle Prescod of Elle donned a Workout Waist Trainer by Hourglass Angel for a week. Her verdict? “My clothes fit better, my waist looks slimmer, and my posture is top notch. Conclusion? I am officially a corset convert.”

• Adrienne Didik of Oprah Magazine tried a waist trainer for week, wearing it for 13 hours a day. Her verdict? “At first, the constant squeezing was torturous—I could barely lean forward!—but after a week of wearing it for 13 hours a day, I actually found the compression comfortable. Not to mention, I lost an inch from my midsection within a month. And I gained something unexpected: better posture.”

• Kylie Bragg at The Odyssey Online wore a waist trainer a few times a week for an hour or two and slowly increased her time wearing it. Her verdict? “After the first month or so of wearing it, I found I could now easily tighten the corset to the next tightest setting having lost a little over an inch around my waist.”

• Erica at FashionLush wore Squeem’s miracle waist trainer for 1 to 1.5 hours a day. Her verdict? “Did my waist look smaller? Yes! Under clothes, absolutely. Did my waist get smaller? I think so, a few of my jeans were def. fitting a little looser, but I am unsure of the permanency of this shift after one big meal & skipping a day??? Hmmm….”

As you can see from their experiments in waist training, how long it takes and how much you’ll lose tends to vary from person to person.

So, how long did it take you to lose your first inch? Let us know in the comments!