Stay Sexy: Best shapewear for muffin top & love handles

by Kate Johnson | 0 comments

Love handles and a little bit of what we call muffin top can look cute when you’re naked. At least that’s how I feel about my small amount of lumps: and I’m happy that Greg thinks so too.

Not to get too philosophical, but the human body wasn’t born to be perfect anyways.

However, things are different with tighter clothing. Or when that muffin top is…well, a bit too much.

In such situations you might wish to have a secret helper who’d shape your body a bit better.

That’s where shapewear for muffin top and love handles kicks in! Spanx has become a synonym of amazing slimming solutions with shapewear like this one.

Another contender is Maidenform, with shapewear like these boyshorts for a more lightweight, carefree feeling.

The question here is: what would feel comfortable for you?

For some women, bodysuits are the best approach to take care of those areas and provide tummy control too.

Others would prefer the more minimalistic boyshort-design shapewear. And for a third group, a tighter girdle with more compression would be ideal.

Similar to what I pointed out with my anti-cellulite yoga pants experience, we are different in what we like.

Considering these differences, I’ve handpicked these 5 best shapewear pieces for muffin tops or love handles. Their designs, compression levels and materials differ to accommodate your personal taste 🙂

Here’s a comparison table for busier ladies before I continue with the reviews: 

Boyshorts
MaidenFormBoyShort
  • Maidenform Boyshort
  • Best for:
    Short, flexible design with 30% elastane for extra stretch. No panty lines in general, but be wary with extra thin fabrics. No riding up your body, holds steady.
  • Materials:
    70% nylon, 30% elastane.
  • Design:
    Flexible, more minimalistic. Not completely seamless.
  • Comfort:
    ★★★★★
  • Restroom-friendly?
    Average.
Xtra Action
SpanxSlimproved
  • Spanx Slimproved
  • Best for:
    An improvement over previous Spanx shapewear. Very breathable, added spandex (20%) for stretchiness. Targets torso, tummy and thighs at the same time.
  • Materials:
    80% nylon, 20% spandex.
  • Design:
    Top-to-bottom, great coverage on various body parts considering the otherwise shorter design. Thinner yarns.
  • Comfort:
    ★★★★★
  • Restroom-friendly?
    Very!
Bustier
RomperMaidenform
  • Maidenform Romper
  • Best for:
    All day, full body shapewear with skin-friendly straps. Great for ladies with bigger chests due to the open bra design. Hook and eye closure for easy restroom time.
  • Materials:
    80% nylon, 20% spandex.
  • Design:
    Plush strips that don't dig into your skin and irritate it. Plenty of chest room to pair up with your own bra.
  • Comfort:
    ★★★★★
  • Restroom-friendly?
    Very!
Full body
SpanxOnCore
  • Spanx OnCore
  • Best for:
    Elegant, elastic bodysuit for the whole body. Seamless design for zero panty lines. Can be worn with or without bra. Not recommended for well-endowed ladies.
  • Materials:
    80% nylon, 20% spandex.
  • Design:
    Incredibly elastic, provides good compression. Real secret lies in the seamless design that will leave no lines.
  • Comfort:
    ★★★★★
  • Restroom-friendly?
    Not much.
Girdle
SweetCherryShapewear
  • Sweet Cherry Girdle
  • Best for:
    Extra sexy, extra compression girdle. Breathable and anti-odor fabrics take care of your comfort. Hook and eye for easy restroom time. Not recommended for all day wear.
  • Materials:
    Polyester & spandex. Anti-odor, breathable.
  • Design:
    Very sexy and providing increased compression. Transparent sections for an extra seductive factor.
  • Comfort:
    ★★★★
  • Restroom-friendly?
    Very!

 5 pieces of shapewear to get rid of the muffin

1. Best lightweight shapewear for muffin top:
Maidenform Hi-Waist Boyshort

Flexees is Maidenform’s selection of light, cozy and carefree shapewear that targets the waistline. Boyshorts are a very elegant approach to muffin tops or love handles, as they don’t advance to the chest area.

Which means that you can use your own bra!

One of the reasons I’m recommending you this one is the 70% nylon to 30% elastane ratio. Usually shapewear will have much more nylon…With that much elastane, though, you’re getting extreme comfort and stretchiness. Your body will also breathe, as the fabric combination wicks away moisture.

Don’t worry: the stretch and elasticity don’t mean you won’t get comfortable compression to slim the lumps you don’t want to show.

Another very common problem with cut out designs like this one is the panty line. No woman wants to have her panty line parading out there in the open. It looks clumsy and just…bad.

This piece of shapewear passes the panty line test successfully.

Cozy as it is, the fabric masks everything so you can look stunning and impeccable.

Boyshorts also address another headache for a lot of ladies: a piece of clothing riding up their body. Rest easy: no such dangers with this Maidenform, which also means you won’t get the infamous “wedgie feeling” with your shapewear.

There’s also a bit of tummy control here too, for those of you who are interested in slimming your belly too. As with other delicate garments, remember that hand washing is the best way to take care of your Maidenform!

2. Best Spanx for muffin top & love handles:
Spanx Higher Power Slimproved

As I mentioned before, Spanx are the big name in shapewear. Obviously, their products are pretty good, but they did have some imperfections.

Recently, the brand did a re-take on some of their iconic shapewear. The Higher Power New & Slimproved is a direct result of that.

One of the changes I like the most is them moving from 100% nylon to a 80% nylon and 20% spandex blend. Way better in terms of breathebility and overall stretchiness, without losing on the compression needed to slim troublesome areas.

Speaking of areas, this is a top-to-bottom shapewear. Starting from just below your bra line, it will target your torso, tummy and thighs. Think of it as an all-in-one solution without the need to wear full body shapewear.

Another important redesign are the thinner yarns, making this feel (and look) way less bulky than before. This is a part of Spanx’s significant overhaul of previous products, by the way! You can see the same happening with their Power Shorts I recommend wearing with bodycon dresses.

A common headache with similar designs is the top rolling down constantly. The Slimproved from Spanx isn’t perfect in this regard either…But it will roll down your body significantly less than most (if not all) of other similar slimming wear.

3. Best Fully Body, Bra Open Shapewear:
Maidenform Flexees Romper

Some ladies might want to add stricter tummy control along with their efforts to hide the dreaded muffin top. They also want to have a longer, full-body coverage type of shapewear.

Maidenform’s Flexees selection includes this fabulous romper that will achieve just that. The cozy element here is that you can use your own bra.

This is absolutely crucial for ladies who are on the bustier side of things. I’m sure you have your own supportive bras and things would’ve felt a bit too tight if you had to force your chest into other all body shapewear.

The materials used are 80% and 20% spandex. A good deal of spandex equals elasticity and breathability, and 20% is pretty high for shapewear.

A common headache with such designs are the straps. Sometimes they irritate your skin and dig into your shoulders, causing pain or general discomfort.

Happy to say that Maidenform have thought of a very elegant design, with gentle, plush strips that are wide enough to offer your skin room to breathe. At the same time, they stay in place, keeping the integrity of the romper.

Is it comfortable for all-day wear?

Yes, absolutely. Not too tight of a compression, plus a hook and eye closure that helps a lot when you’ll be going to the bathroom.

Overall, a fantastic all body shapewear that can work for everything: from muffin tops, to love handles or tummy control.

4. Firmer Control Full Body Shaper:
SPANX OnCore

If you have no problems with your shapewear including a chest section, the Spanx OnCore bodysuit is the best slim wear you can get. This is probably the best spanx for love handles. 

Similar to the shorter Spanx and its improved fabric formula, you get 80% nylon and 20% spandex. Very elastic, very breathable and delivering extreme comfort for all of your body parts.

The seamless design is great. It provides good compression and won’t restrict your body too much even if you wear it throughout the day.

That said, unlike the Maidenform, well-endowed ladies will encounter some difficulties in wearing this. If you have a bigger chest, I don’t recommend you the OnCore. It’s a recipe for disaster.

For average chests, or smaller ones (like mine), this will be a godsent however.

You can actually go braless with this shaper! Keep in mind that your boobs might juggle a bit if you go for the latter. However, compared with other similar designs they’ll stay more put.

Out of the box, this shaper for muffin tops, love handles and tummy will look rather small. The stretchy fit will surprise you, however. It can accommodate a lot, especially in the thigh area.

Just make sure you are patient with putting it on for the first time. The seamless, streamlined design definitely looks like it won’t fit straight away. But it does.

The only downside here is that going to the bathroom will be a lot more hassle. There’s no opening for easy access so keep that in mind.

5. Best girdle for muffin top:
Sweet Cherry Shapewear

I’ll be honest: I’m not that fond of girdles. They are a bit too constricting for me, have always been.

However, I’d be lying if I said they were not popular with a lot of ladies. They are sexy and have a bit of that retro seductive look to them.

An important preface: if you’re looking for something to wear throughout the day, a girdle isn’t that great of an idea. It might feel uncomfortable and “suffocate” your mid-section.

For shorter periods of wear like special events, though? This one will be outstanding!

The materials used here are polyester and spandex. Once again, breathable, but also anti-odor which matters even more considering the high compression.

The design is a bit more high-waisted than other girdles, so love handles will be taken care of pretty well. In fact, from the choices I found, it’s the best shapewear for love handles. A sexy semi-transparent design will make you feel chic, aside from controlling your fat areas.

Similar to the first Maidenform I wrote about, you have a hook and eye bottom. This makes things easier should you need to pay a visit to the restroom. As there are 3 rows, it might take a bit more time, though.

What’s causing muffin top?

Obviously, the first suspect here would be diet, as with other body fat-related issues.

However, that’s not always the case!

It’s no secret that our mid-section is one of the most demanding parts of our body.

(Wait, is there a section of the woman’s body that’s not prone to accumulating fat in no time…Sigh)

Muffin top can appear out of nowhere – and I mean really explode, when there are some wild hormonal changes in your organism. There are two good examples of that:

  • Around menopause

  • After childbirth

Re: the menopause, you can witness a serious muffin top forming even during the perimenopause period. In simpler terms, these are the few years leading to the menopause itself.

Over this period, your estrogen levels start plummeting. Unfortunately, this often means that your body fat also migrates from your hips and thighs to the abdomen.

It all ends in a muffin top. If it was just a little bit of it, it’d be no issue. Much to a lady’s dissatisfaction, though, the body fat accumulation around your mid-section is often over the top.

Dealing with muffin top: additional tips

love handle shaper is a direct solution to your muffin top, but there are other complementary things you can do to make yourself feel – and look better.

While Tiffany does not have a big muffin top – in fact, she looks marvelous, what she says in this video is applicable to everyone. Here are the 7 tricks she wants to introduce to you:

Adventures, cute dogs and traveling over the world. I like writing about whatever's on my mind. Proud to have sparked Greg's interest in digital nomading 🙂

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