Unfortunately, I have, for most of my life, been just that bit fat. While I wish that this isn't the case, I seem not to be capable of sticking to a diet for long enough to lose more than half a stone or so and am not a fan of exercise, I often look for things to boost my weight loss. After discovering Groupon last year, I used to check it every day and one day in September or so, these Zaggora Hotpants caught my eye. Their claims to boost your metabolism while exercising but also while at rest, and thereby increase your weight loss with no extra effort, really appealed to me. Considering that Groupon were offering them for £18 instead of the RRP of £45, I decided that if I was going to try them at any point, it should be while they were cheap, and so I ordered a pair. At the time I was running occasionally and so thought that I'd see how much wearing these instead of my usual leggings helped me to lose a few pounds. A bit of research also said that they help you to lose weight while you're not doing anything and that many people wear them to bed and report even more weight loss, and so I was keen to benefit from this aspect.

== The Hotpants ==

These Hotpants aim to improve your weight loss by increasing your metabolism. They do this by using your natural body heat to make the areas covered by the pants (thighs and bum, mainly) warmer. This also leads to an increase in sweat which can help you lose more weight initially due to loss of water retention.

After my Zaggora Hotpants arrived in the post, I was very keen to try them out quickly. I tried them on and found them to be a snug but good fit, which I was happy about as I'd gone for the medium size, recommended for sizes 12-14, as I'm normally a size 14 on bottom and was worried they'd be a little bit tight. They come up to just below my waist and down to above my knee and stayed up well without the need for much adjustment when moving. Considering that a lot of my pairs of leggings tend to ride down a bit when I run, it was good to have something new to run in that would be more comfortable and require less awkward rearranging while running. They also felt relatively comfortable as something to wear despite the synthetic material. In terms of appearance, they're also not too unattractive, being fully black apart from a small yellow logo on the bottom of one of the legs. They are yellow on the inside but since this isn't noticeable while you're wearing them, I wouldn't let that put you off if that doesn't sound too appealing.

== What I Thought ==

=== In Terms of Weight Loss ===

I have to say that I don't know how convinced I am by these Hotpants, despite the many positive reviews I've read. While I did lose a bit of weight while I was wearing these to run and to sleep, this could just as easily be due to the fact that I was dieting as well as increasing my exercise as opposed to these pants doing anything magical. They definitely made me sweat more while exercising or in bed and made my legs and bum a lot warmer, but I don't know exactly how much this increased my weight loss, if at all.

=== As Sportswear ===

As a general garment to wear while exercising, these Hotpants are great, at least initially. They are comfortable enough and don't ride down as much as my leggings do, but of course that is true of a lot of clothes intended specifically for sports. Unfortunately, however, they didn't remain in perfect condition anywhere near as long as I had hoped, considering that they were meant to cost £45. After only a couple of months of moderate use (wearing them on a few short runs and walks as well as sometimes to sleep) they started wearing away at the side a bit, and it wasn't long before a large hole appeared just below the waistband. While they still work and I could wear them to bed or under leggings while running or walking, this really wasn't what I expected at all and I was disappointed that they got such a big hole in them so quickly.

=== Other Points ===

Aside from getting a hole in it, Zaggora Hotpants have another few irritating aspects. My main problem is the fact that they are hand wash only. As I don't currently own any other clothes that need to be hand washed and have a washer/dryer in my flat, it's quite annoying having to wash only one garment by hand. This means getting some hand wash detergent as well as bothering to use it just for one item. Considering that you sweat a lot while wearing Hotpants, as this is the point, they require washing often, which is a pain. If I wore them once more after they really should be washed, I found myself feeling itchy and uncomfortable, so frequent washing was essential. I also had an issue with the price - while £18 on Groupon was reasonable, I find £45 a ridiculous amount to pay for something that is susceptible to wear and tear so quickly and is a pain to wash. If I could have bought another pair for cheap I may have replaced my original ones when they were damaged, but I couldn't quite justify spending so much on something I'm not 100% sure has any benefit.

== Conclusion ==

I remain unconvinced by Zaggora Hotpants. They may well help you to lose weight by increasing your core temperature but I have no personal proof of this, and considering the other problems I had with these, I have to say that I was disappointed by these. If I managed to get another pair for very cheap (say £10 or so) I could be persuaded to give them a second chance, but I definitely wouldn't recommend parting with £45 for a pair unless they come very highly recommended by someone you know personally who has experience of them working.