I've never really believed in these belts. In the adverts they always use these perfect models, with totally flat abs to model for them and that always seemed kinda cheesy for me! But, you know, time was short for me. I'm always working or studying and I do like excersise, I regularly cycle and swim but it really wasn't doing much for my stomach. And me, being too busy to find time to do sit ups I thought the Slendertone Flex might provide me with a soluition to my wobbly tum!

--- So how much does it retail for? ---

I'd say the price varies where you look. On the Slendertone website the current price is 69.99. But I'm sure if you browze ebay you can find a better deal. I purchased mine from amazon for around 55 pounds which I thought was pretty reasonable.

-- OK so I don't want to walk around the house looking silly now, do i? What does the belt look like? --

Well that's the beauty of the belt! Unless you like wearing belly tops (and why would you if your buying the slendertone?) The belt hides easily underneath clothes! The belt is not thick either so does not show! I walk around the house with it under my t-shirt and no one notices a thing!

-- OK so what do I get with the Slendertone Flex? --

You get a black and green belt, a small screen that attaches to your belt, three pads that work the belt and an instructon booklet! Oh and 3 AAA batteries for your screen to work!

-- Is it easy to use? --

SO EASY!! The instructon booklet is straight forward but it's so simple anyway! First off you just start off with your green and black belt. You start off by putting your three AAA batteries provided into the small screen thing then attach it to your belt. Once that is clipped into place, turn your belt around and you will notice three small silver bolt like things attached to your belt. With the pads provided, you peel off the plastic and then attach them to the belt, making sure they are covering the silver bits. You can place the pads edge on one of three drawn lines on the belt, depending on your size. And that's it! The belt is ready to use!

-- So what now? --

Well you stick the belt to you! The biggest pad in the middle should stick over your belly button and the two small ones should sit either side. You then attach it with the velcro to the back, nice and snug and then turn on your little machine by holding down the small button on it's own. The machine has four buttons all together. The on/off button, the two intensity buttons, an information button and a pogramme button. Once it's on you can up the intensity with the arrow buttons, up to a intensity you feel comfortable with. There are seven stages on the Slendertone Flex and you will start off with the Introduction. This is 20 minutes long and three sessions long then as follows:

2 Intermediate 25 minutes long and 10 sessions.
3 Advanced 30 minutes long and 20 sessions
4 Expert 30 minutes long and 20 sessions.
5 Professional 30 minutes long indefinite number of sessions
6 Comfort 1 30 minutes long indefinite number of sessions
7 Comfort 2 30 minutes long indefinite number of sessions

How do i know when there are problems with my pads or how well I am doing? ---

Ahh! Now here come the helpful little symbols that appear on your Slendertone Flex screen!

OK let's go into the symbols.
A small symbol in the corner of your screen with some black blocks in it: This is your BATTERY symbol. Keep an eye on this as the black blocks inside it will decrease as the battery life dies!

A little lady symbol when you turn on your belt: This is just to indicate that you are, indeed, a lady using a ladies belt!

A triangle with a straight line on the top of it with a straight line at the bottom: Hard to describe, lol, but this pops up with you have reached your highest intensity level to date.

A small triangle not joined up at the bottom: IMPORTANT!! THIS MEANS YOUR PADS ARE NOT WORKING! TRY EITHER ADJUSTING YOUR PADS AND STICKING THEM DOWN MORE FIRMLY, TIGHTENING THE BELT SO IT'S TIGHTER ON YOU. IF THIS DOES NOT WORK YOU NEED REPLACEMENT PADS! YOU CAN BUY THESE FROM BOOTS OR THE SLENDERTONE WEBSITE. WWW.SLENDERTONE.CO.UK

The # appears. This is just telling you the number of sessions you have completed.

A note with a cross through it: You have activated MUTE.

Two lines: You have paused your programme.

<50 If you see this, it can be any number to 99, it is showing the left hand intensity of your belt. 47> The same goes if you see it on the other side. You can change this with the small arrow buttons on your belt.

A Man doing sit ups. : Your mucsles are contracting/relaxing.

A smiley face: YAY! You are progessing!

A miserable face: TUT TUT! Turning off the machine before a completed session will not get you a flatter stomach!!

A number in a box: Showing your programme number.

And FINALLY: A Key: You have locked your screen.


-- So how often do these pads need replacing and how can I tell? --

Well as I said, a small triangle will appear on your screen and you won't feel any sensation. Plus ou will start to notice the pads don't stick as well and have some skin debris on them! I only replace them every couple of months as that's all I need! I usually buy the pads from Boots for 9.99 for a set.

-- I've just had a baby. Can I use it? --

Yes but it says you should wait till six weeks after and consult your GP too.

-- What does the belt feel like? --

Well, it's not like an electric shock! The belt is not painful at all. It's more like a tingling sensation, quite a funny one really but in my opnion you can really feel something happening! You can feel your muscles tighning as it buzzes but it's defintely NOT unplesant or uncomfortable!

--- How often do i use it?! --

For the first 8 weeks, every day. Sounds a lot but the belt is so easy to wear around the house, it's nothing! After the 8 weeks you must do it 2 - 3 times a week to maintain your new Britney-Belly!

-- SO... The question you all wanna know the answer too! DOES THE BELT WORK? ---

DRRUUM ROLL PLEASEE!!....


YES!! I really feel like the Slendertone flex is working for me. I've had it for three weeks now and I already see the difference! it says you should use it every day for the first 8 weeks but I use it twice a day! My stomach in general feels a lot harder, I can actually feel muscles appearing like magic underneath my folds which is great! My stomach is defintely flatter and my waist (bearing in mind, only 3 weeks) has lost 1 inch and my hips I have lost 0.5 inches! I feel more confident in tight tops because my stomach is flatter too. When I sit down, I have folds of fat but these are defintely smaller now which I am really pleased about as that was a particularly difficult area for me to shift weight!

OK but there IS a catch to all of thise. You must be in OK shape when you start using this belt. By that I mean you should probably not be overweight and I reckon the belt is good if your around a size 8 - 14 with some excess flab as it tones you, it isn't going to lose any weight off you. I combine using my belt with a healthy diet and I do cycling and swimming too.

I really highly reccommend this belt! I still have 5 weeks to go and will update this with my end results, and if I'm feeling confident, maybe even a picture of my new belly!!

Update: Since using my slendertone I can do more sit ups and my stomach feels SO much stronger!

(All my reviews are on ciao.co.uk under my name grapesoda)