Each month iVillage poses a different question to our Dream Team of experts. Here's what we asked this month: We see people bundled up at the gym to maximize sweat. Is this a good idea?

Jonny Bowden, MA, CN, CNS
Let me say two words about that: Martin Lawrence. You might remember that the famous comedian was once rushed to the hospital after he got the bright idea of trying to lose weight more quickly by running at full speed in the summer heat in the Hollywood hills. Oh, and did I mention he did wearing a rubber suit? This is an extreme example, but the point is that increasing water loss by artificially inducing sweating could lead to losing some extra weight, but it doesn't accomplish anything in terms of real fat loss. Plus you might overheat the body, which could leading to some potentially nasty consequences.

On the other hand, wearing an extra sweatshirt while you're warming up, especially in the cold, is a good idea. You want to get your basic core temperature up to where the muscles are pliable and flexible (think salt water taffy ‑- brittle when cold, pliable when warm).

But the bottom line is that causing yourself to sweat more by wearing excess clothing doesn't accomplish much and does exactly nothing for fat loss.