Compression shirts for "shaping" - anyone?

I put "shaping" in quotes because most guys would react funny to the word "girdle" in reference to a man....

Anyway, I discovered "Under Armor" and other brands of compression wear last year, and I love it! I'm 5'11, 32 waist, and get plenty of exercise - but I've always had trouble getting rid of the side-handles - to me, they look huge! A friend turned me on to sleeveless compression tops - which are normally worn for athletics, are constructed of a very stretchy, spandex-like material, and serve several purposes - warming of the muscles, wicking away moisture, and - sculpting the body. Here's a photo of a Nike brand compression top, similar to what I wear (except in black - I wear white ones) -



and here's a couple links to related stuff -

Same as above, with whole page

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/art...Girdle-17.html

Anyway, not only do these garments slim down my midsection and make dress shirts look and fit great, but they are amazingly comfortable - almost addictive in a way! They also seem to improve my posture and save my back some misery.

I will also admit that, in college, I did some acting and was in a period piece that took place during the early Victorian years... the director wanted all the men corseted (the women were NOT, because they wore the high-waisted fashions of the time) because men of higher society - the dandies - DID wear corsets at that time to achieve a narrow waist. Anyway, since they were custom made for each of us, those of us men that wanted to keep them were allowed. And, I still wear it at times - I find it extremely comfortable, in an almost erotic way (and no, I'm not a cross-dresser) and the effect it has on my waist - cinching it in about 4 inches - is really fascinating. I don't wear it ever in public - I've only wore it a few times, in fact - but I have worn it (under a heavy coat) while driving long distances, and it really helps prevent lower back pain after hours in the car.

Anyway, long off-topic there, but I'm curious - has anyone else here tried "body shaping" garments, and if they have, what did they think?

And if you haven't, would you ever try it?

Oh come on - it actually makes me feel more confident, more powerful, for some reason. We could start a trend in Seattle! Then again........

The ones I buy are plain white, sleeveless, and basically they look like a tight muscle-t. I do buy them a size smaller, and have absolutely no problems getting them on. I first tried one with "short sleeves" but found that I didn't like them nearly as much, because they tended to bind a bit on the arms.

We're not talking "girdle" here. And it's definitely not an excuse for no exercise - in fact I also wear them for jogging. No, they don't stink - they are very "wicking" and they dry fast - hence, they don't smell.

Even if the outward aesthetic effect is small - they do a great job of smoothing out the "handles" - which refuse to go away - under a dress shirt - and like I said, they really do help with posture and my lower back pain.

Hey, what can I say - I was a chubby kid - I work hard not to go back to that. The slimming effect that I get from wearing the shirts makes feel more confident - and what can I say - a little more sexy too! Trust me - it does NOT look like a girdle (or a mirdle..........)