Exercise against Cellulite

Vanjoo
Vanjoo Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone!

I try not to think about dimple and cottage cheese, but looks like it's impossible :)

So I have one question: can I reduce cellulite only by working out?

I have normal body weight and exercise regularly but I really, really can't give up on (unhealthy) FOOD :blushing:

What's your experience and advice?

Thanks guys!

Replies

  • Spooky_Scully
    Spooky_Scully Posts: 73 Member
    As a reward for my weight loss I booked myself a trip scuba diving in a few months. Unfortunately, I forgot that I seem to have the world's worst cellulite, despite the fact that I am (now) slim and healthy. So, I feel your pain!

    Cellulite is basically dodgy connective tissue that seems to fail at holding its shape. So, toning up the muscles and losing body fat will help to a degree!

    Since I've started toning up I have noticed a minor improvement in my cellulite. That being said, I also use heaps of moisturiser on my legs and exfoliate/massage them several times a week. I try to eat healthy and drink SO MUCH FREAKING WATER.

    Together, these things seem to be helping, however I actually doubt that my cellulite will ever truly go away.
  • InFitRealm
    InFitRealm Posts: 36 Member
    Together, these things seem to be helping, however I actually doubt that my cellulite will ever truly go away.

    Unfortunately I agree. I also have a problem with cellulite. Even when I was a teenager and weighed very little (114 lbs, 5'17'') I had a cellulite...
    Currently there is no treatment that could help you with that. However, when you follow the steps described by Vanjoo it should diminish significantly. I also drink a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, which might help too.
    If you are at the point when you try to reduce your cellulite then you should cut back on junky food or generally unhealthy, very salty food. With cellulite it's not only the matter of how much you eat, but what you eat is crucial too. Even a super skinny models have cellulite and it doesn't depend only on excessive fatty tissue.
  • Vanjoo
    Vanjoo Posts: 23 Member
    I just poured myself a glass of water :drinker:

    Sounds like I should take more care about what I eat. And I'll definitely enjoy some grapefruit juice :smile:
    It's that, when, for example, I see chocolate, I usually think 'Damn, who cares', but when I go to the beach and see my legs in the sun... :grumble:

    Thank you very much!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Reducing body fat has the best chance of reducing the appearance of cellulite. Building muscle can help too. But it likely won't ever go completely away since it's genetic and has to do with connective tissue and not just fat. Models likely DO have cellulite for the most part, it just gets photoshopped out. Those who don't have won the genetic lottery.

    Minimizing water retention can reduce the appearance of it temporarily (that's how all cellulite creams work-- they have caffeine in them).

    You don't have to give up any foods. Just fit them into your calorie goal.

    I see you only have a couple of pounds to lose. Rather than eating at a deficit I'd recommend resistance training. My cellulite is still there but lifting has made it much less noticeable, and more importantly it has given me a lot of other things to love about my body.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I just poured myself a glass of water :drinker:

    Sounds like I should take more care about what I eat. And I'll definitely enjoy some grapefruit juice :smile:
    It's that, when, for example, I see chocolate, I usually think 'Damn, who cares', but when I go to the beach and see my legs in the sun... :grumble:

    Thank you very much!

    You don't need to cut out chocolate. That's nonsense.
  • InFitRealm
    InFitRealm Posts: 36 Member
    I have the same feeling. One time I think "come on, nearly everybody has it, no matter of their weight and figure" but the other day I think "Ok, but in my case it's too noticeable. I have to do something with that. At least a little".
    I agree you don't have to deny yourself each pleasure, like chocolate. You just have to watch out. As I guess in many diets, don't look only on your calories deficit, but also on how much fat/carbs you eat. You may reach a deficit in calories and still eat too much fat.
    The cellulite is pesky, because it is also related to how your endocrine system works. Hard to do something about it.

    Btw, I've noticed I made a mistake - I'm 5'7'' not 5'17 :). But it doesn't change much regarding my struggle with cellulite...

    Generally, I drink more water, watch my diet, exercise (running, aerobic), use some draining lotion together with massage to make my thighs smoother. All these actions combined together work. I can see an improvement.
    Patience required though.
  • Vanjoo
    Vanjoo Posts: 23 Member
    Oh, chocolate was just an example. In reality it's more like burgers or chips ;)

    I don't think that I have any weight to lose and I don't want to. I am hourglass shaped girl, with flat abs, boobs and butt, and my cellulite is visible only in the sun and in bright light...
    I exercise regularly, but I don't lift heavy (I use only light dumbbells) and I don't eat healthy.

    I thought it is the diet I have to change, but according to your experience it's also my training :)

    Thanks! Your abs are very, very nice :flowerforyou:
  • mayflowermn
    mayflowermn Posts: 52 Member
    The other posters pretty much covered it :) but thought I'd share this article:

    http://mollygalbraith.com/2014/03/cellulite-stretch-marks-and-a-love-your-body-challenge/


    Really a great read!


    P.S. Lifting weights, ie squats, deadlifts, etc have helped but still have cellulite just like the majority of us woman have :) just have to remind myself of that and quit feeling like I'm the only one cursed with it & learn to realize the other areas of my body that are kick-*kitten*! :)
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    This might sound rubbish but since heavy lifting, the small amount I had on my thighs has disappeared. Don't get me wrong, this didn't happen overnight.

    It may be down to dropping fat or the weights or regular exfoliating, who can say? What I would say is, I've lost weight in the past and it didn't shift. I've been doing a lot of heavy deadlifts, squats and lunges etc.

    Incidentally, I'm currently bulking and between 152 and 156 lb I have noticed I'm getting a bit of cellulite on my backside - I think this might bring my bulk to a premature end.

    Oh, incase you want to try it - I make my own caffeine scrub with coffee (just the cheapest filter one I can find), coconut oil and almond oil. This gives a temporary improvement to the appearance, but is in no way a cure. I also don't think what you eat affects it but it might look worse when dehydrated?! :/

    ETA: I also pay particular attention to my macros, don't really know if this has played a part too.
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    I agree with the posts here, as far as cellulite being our genetic curse. One of the most effective ways I reduced mine was fat loss. That's some serious strength training, reduced sodium nutrition (not saying diet, because I'm not trying to lose weight right now...) to keep the bloat at a minimum. Plenty of water for the same reason. And you should really ease out of your junk food addiction...all the garbage that they put into processed food won't make fat loss any easier.....lol
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member

    I also drink a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, which might help too.

    Huh? I dont understand....
  • InFitRealm
    InFitRealm Posts: 36 Member
    I also drink a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, which might help too.
    Huh? I dont understand....

    Generally, the grapefruit helps in stabilizing the level of insulin and glucose.
    The excess glucose is turned into fat through the process of fatty acid synthesis. So more or less that's why if you eat to much carbs then it is stored by your body in the form of fat in its storage for later use (if needed).
    Grapefruits helps to keep the level of glucose on a good level therefore it helps you in preventing the adipogenesis. Of course it's not a golden cure and you have to tone your eating habits and exercises. It's not able to miraculously get rid of your problems, however is a great natural supplement here.

    For more information (as an example):
    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/5495.php

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16579728

    It works for me.
  • monstergirl14
    monstergirl14 Posts: 345 Member
    Haiii

    Did you know that over 90% of women have cellulite? My legs are awful, and I cannot express how much it pains me to wear shorts, but you know what? They got worse as I was losing weight because I wasn't strength training. What I would suggest is squats, lunges, kb swings, anything that will sufficiently work out your legs. Also, cardio will help too if you're also planning to lose weight. My legs are a lot smaller than last summer, I realized that when I tried on my old clothes! I weigh more but my legs have significant improvement. I have a problematic fat lump that won't go away, it's actually really odd and no one knows what it is. I'm trying to get rid of it.

    I DIGRESS.

    Cellulite: The causes of cellulite [10] include changes in metabolism, physiology, dieting too hard or too much, sex-specific dimorphic skin architecture, alteration of connective tissue structure, hormonal factors, genetic factors, the microcirculatory system, the extracellular matrix, and subtle inflammatory alterations.

    We can't avoid it, but we can improve it by weight training! It won't go away entirely, but it can improve. Just like scars!

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