Anti-Cellulite Answers

The following healthy living recommendations will help you if you’re trying to lose weight, tone up your muscles, have aspirations of building lean muscle mass, are attempting to get a wash board stomach, or just want to feel better:

*1) Burn more calories then you're consuming everyday and measure your results using the following formula: Calories Consumed minus Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) minus Physical Activity minus the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). A website that explains this formula in more detail and will help you determine how many calories you need to reach or maintain a certain weight is at http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/weight/calsburned.htm

Get an online, desktop, or cell phone diet and fitness calculator. This will allow you to easily calculate the above formula, set goals, log your daily calorie consumption, and register your physical activities.

Set realistic goals for your ideal body weight. Here are two websites that will calculate a suggested body weight:
Adults: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm
Teens/Children: http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/exercise/weight/bmi.html

It is difficult and unhealthy to lose more than one or two pounds per week. There are 3,500 calories in a pound. If you eat 500 fewer calories per day for a week you will lose one pound. If you burn through exercise 500 more calories per day for a week you will lose one pound.

Here are two articles on how to break through a weight loss plateau:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/86/99147.htm

http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/18/102117.htm

*2) Eat natural and organic foods found on earth versus something created by a corporation to make money. Eat meals in small portions throughout the day and take a good multi-vitamin supplement.

Do not try fad diets or diet pills. Avoid “High Glycemic Load Carbs” (sugar, pastries, desserts, refined starches such as breads, pasta, refined grains like white rice; high starch vegetables such as potatoes) and drink lots of water. Read this article for more information on high GL Carbs:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates.html

The following are food pyramids and several articles on what you should eat everyday:
Food Pyramids:

http://www.rayandterry.com/html/images/PyramidLRG.gif?osCsid=26a424be471d1337e7c2f105d5c64d9d

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

Antioxidant Superstars – Vegetables and Beans:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104/107638.html

Antioxidant Loaded Fruits:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104/107640.html

Good Carbs Mean Better Weight:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/100/105783.htm

The Benefits of Protein:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/85/98824.htm

Some Fats Are Good For You:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/49/40075.htm

Antioxidants in Green and Black Tea:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104/107641.html

What You Should Eat Daily:

http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_healthfood_201.jhtml

Best Foods to Fight off Disease and Keep You Healthy:

http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_healthfood_101.jhtml

*3) Perform cardiovascular, core, and/or strength training on most days. Read a book or find a certified trainer to make sure you're doing all exercises correctly.

The following is a website and numerous articles on cardiovascular, core, and strength training:
Exercise Prescription on the Net

http://www.exrx.net/

Starting an Exercise Program:

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/startexercise.htm

Strength Training Basics:

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/trainbasics.htm

Cardiovascular Machine Workouts:

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/cardiowork.htm

Balance Your Way to a Stronger Body:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/64/72314.htm

Understanding Your Training Heart Rate:

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/thr.htm

Exercise Errors:

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/errors.htm

Getting a Flat Stomach:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/71/81365.htm

Weight Lifting – Does Order Matter:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/80/96440.htm

Encouraging Exercise in Your Kids:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/95/103524.htm

Strength Training Safe and Effective for Kids:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/32/1728_81005.htm

*4) Get plenty of sleep. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health, and safety.

*5) Educate yourself continually on health issues and make a life long commitment to good health. A great free publication is “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005”. A reputable test you can take to measure your biological age is at http://realage.com
Look at all areas where you can enhance your health. For example, make improvements in the quality of the air you breathe. Review outdoor air quality forecasts where you live and get an indoor air purifier.

Send me an email or yahoo instant message to "gainbetterhealth" if you have any questions and good luck!

*Click on all the source links below to get the full benefit of the recommendations. The answers presented to your health questions are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Well, just buy yourself one of those (neophrene) abdomen belts..and while doing exercises-thus sweat, you can slowly shed some cellulite..
dont waste money on those weightloss pills-costing over 100.00!..you have to have willpower!

Did you know the 95% of women get cellulite at some point in there lives. Even fit top super models get cellulite. So you can't just diet and exercise but that does help alot. You should also start drinking a lot of water. But I tell every one about dry skin brushing:

You need to do dry skin brushing ever day.

Dry skin brushing encourages the excess fluid to drain from the areas prone to cellulite.

All you need is a brush with hard and scratchy bristles. Five minutes of dry skin brushing a day can improve digestion, aid metabolism, impart new levels of energy and dissipate cellulite.

Plus the brush is not expensive and there are no negative side affects like some diet pills have =)

"Cellulite Solutions

by Monica Neave
Cellulite is a nuisance for thin and overweight women alike and can be somewhat more difficult to tackle than losing weight. Although some believe that it is a special type of fat, "cellulite is simply normal fat that looks bumpy because it's pushing through the connective tissues that usually keeps it distributed evenly beneath your skin", says WebMD writer Michel Bloomquist. Genetics, age, pregnancy and hormone levels are among the causes that you have no control over. Some people are born with weaker tissue structures that collect fat deposits more easily. Others experience a weakening of tissue structures as they age. And some women produce high levels of estrogen (especially during pregnancy) that tend to break apart collagen tissue fibers allowing for fat to deposit in the form of cellulite.

The good news is that there are plenty of other factors that cause cellulite which you can control. Your body fat level is probably the most important one; the less fat that you have on your body the less fat there is to push through those connective tissues. So even if you are genetically predisposed to cellulite lowering your body fat will keep it to a minimum. Two other factors to consider are poor circulation and bad food choices, which tend to go hand in hand. Poor circulation damages tissue which results in blocked air and trapped toxins from too much processed foods or food allergies. The more you exercise and the better food choices you make the less chance you have of toxins contributing to your cellulite. One last thing to consider is sun exposure that ages your skin and contributes to the breakdown of collagen tissue.

There are numerous treatments for cellulite on the market including herbal treatments, creams, gels, exfoliants, endermology, body wraps, hormone or enzyme injections, and even electrical muscle stimulation but the rate of success is low and there aren’t any studies or research that prove any of this stuff really works. These treatments are also very pricey. But don’t despair, there are more effective ways to reduce cellulite.

Build Fat Burning Muscle
Building muscle changes your body composition and burns off fat stores faster than cardio or dieting alone. For every pound of muscle you burn an extra 50 calories a day even while you sleep. If you were to put on 5lb of muscle you could be burning an extra 250 calories a day even while you sit. This is a lot more than an hour of cardio, which only keeps your metabolism elevated for several hours. Building muscle also increases circulation and elasticity, which tightens your muscles and skin tissue from within. It’s still important to do cardio but your focus should be on strength training, especially the lower body. The best lower body cellulite busters include walking lunges with dumbbell, seated leg curls, leg press, and plie squats with a dumbbell.

Stay Away From Fat Free
Obviously a healthy diet is the best way to reduce body fat but fat free products are some of the worst foods for fat loss. These foods are highly processed and very unsatisfying so you tend to eat more of them and since they are loaded with sugar, trans fatty acids, and high in calories excess calories quickly get stored as fat. Another major problem with fat free foods is that the labeling is somewhat deceptive. "The FDA label laws state that if a food has less than one-half gram of fat in a serving, that food can be labeled fat-free. The FDA however, is a bit lax when it comes to regulating serving sizes. By using a serving size of .02-.04 grams a food manufacturer can actually label pure fat as fat free" explains fitness expert Phil Kaplan. If you are craving something have a small portion of the full fat portion and then get back on track with your healthy eating.

Good Fats Promote Fat Loss
This is right on track with the recommendation above. People have been brainwashed to believe that all fat is bad when in reality omega 3 and omega 6 fats found in olive oil, avocados, almonds, walnuts, and flaxseed oil, boost metabolism and unlock stored body fat. "Glucagon is a key hormone that enables your body to burn it’s stores of body fat. A diet rich in omega fats helps balance your insulin levels so that glucagon can be released to unlock your body’s fat storage banks and begin converting unwanted body fat into energy" writes weightloss expert Jorge Cruise. The fats that you should avoid include those found in margarine, fried foods, refined vegetable oils, full fat animal products, and processed foods that contain the words partially hydrogenated on the ingredients list.

Recommended Fat Loss Supplement
Super Flaxseed Oil 32fl oz

Boost Fiber Intake
According to Dr. Scott Conelly, author of Body Rx, and one of the hottest looking 50 year old doctors around, "When fiber is digested, it is fermented in the gut and converted iinto short-chain fatty acids, which can be burned for fuel. The burning of fatty acids from fiber sends a signal to your fat cells telling them to release fat, which your body uses for fuel. The fiber in food also creates a sensation of feeling full, so you feel more satisfied after eating it". Starting your morning with a good breakfast cereal like kashi good friends (8 grams of fiber) and half a cup of berries (4 grams of fiber) almost gets you half way to the recommended 25-30 grams of fiber a day. Keep in mind that most Americans only get around 5 grams a day so starting out your day with a high fiber meal increases your chances of getting to the recommended amount.

Think twice about spending your money on cellulite products that are not guaranteed to work and remember that a healthy diet and strength training is your ticket to fat loss and a cellulite free body."

The best advice I can think of is to drink lots of water, eat healthy, work out and focus on the parts of your body that you like as you try to accept the parts you don't. Try not to worry about it too much. For stretch marks, I would suggest rubbing "palmer's cocoa butter cream for stretch marks" on them, followed by vitamin E oil (straight out of the caplets – buy the natural/d-alpha ones). Do this daily, preferably right after exfoliating well in the shower and once before bed. Be consistent in order to see results. But even if you don't, treating them this way will make them look and feel better to you than leaving them untreated. For cellulite, try rubbing/massaging coffee on it (since caffeine is in lots of cellulite lotions) for a couple of minutes every couple of days.

I've also read that MSM cream and supplements are good for stretch marks (see the last poster):

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060718173857AAyMnRv&show=7

These links might also offer some solutions. Good luck

http://www.otan.dni.us/webfarm/emailproject/stretch.htm

http://spas.about.com/od/skincare/a/Cellulite.htm

….And don't forget, at the end of the day, these are just small imperfections in a world that expects every woman to fit into some impossible ideal of "perfection". Try to keep it in perspective. It's still your body and it's still functioning well. And you can walk, run and move those stretch-marked hips back and forth. That's more than lots of people are able to do. Be grateful for your body. Anyways, your stretch marks and cellulite just show that you are a woman who HAS LIVED.

The product I used that seems to be working is Palmers cocoa butter/firming butter. Tightens skin after pregnancy and weight loss and diminishes stretch marks. I did not have a severe case but its been working for me. Hope that helps.

One way to get rid of cellulite is massaging. This is a very vigorous form of massage. Remember u are trying to break up fat, so it will involve some hard work.

How to massage:

- Apply massage oil to your hands, rub your palms together to warm it up and energize it.

-Rub the oild into the area you are walking on until it is fully absorbed by the skin. After that, knead the area by pinching and lifting the fat and skin folds between the thumbs and four fingers. Do for five minutes, gently at first but slowly apply more pressure over time.

-It is benefical to put hot towels on the area you're working on. leave them in place for 5 minutes or so; this helps the absorbed oil to work better. (any oil will do, the thing is to massage correctly). After kneading the skin, you can warm up the tissue with friction, by rubbing the area briskly with the palm of your hand.

this massage helps to get rid of cellulite, reduce cravings, and improve pituitary-hypothalamic functions.

You can't get rid of cellulite, no matter what anyone says.
Most cellulite "cures," doctors and scientists agree, have been ineffective, to put it charitably. Recent research into the structure of skin confirms that cellulite is not the result of toxic buildup or inflammation, as is often touted by marketers. Instead, it is the product of anatomy, genes, and hormones.

The solution, therefore, is to alter what Mother Nature gave you–at least temporarily. There is no permanent cure, no magic cellulite-squelching cream or surgery, but there are advances: A drug delivery system is being put to a cosmetic purpose; wrinkle-reducing, skin-tightening lights and lasers are being turned from the face to the lower body; deep dimples are being filled; and in Europe, an injectable fat melter is being studied.

Losing weight improves cellulite by shrinking fat cells, but special diets to boost water loss don't work. "Dehydrating connective tissue makes skin more lax…and part of the problem with cellulite is that the skin envelope is just not tight enough," says Young.

There's one solution on which cellulite experts–even the FDA–agree: Losing weight will improve ripples and dimples. True, even thin women can have cellulite, but if you're a woman who stores fat in your lower body, diet and exercise will help smooth the surface of your hips, thighs, and butt. Besides, it's the cheapest cellulite "cure," and you can do it yourself.

I know it is long but read it because I researched the same question and these are the answers I got I see alot of these other answers and they are not correct ( no offense) there are creams that will deminish the appearence for a short smount of time, it is hereditary and there is really nothing you cn do about it, exercising may tone it down but not get rid of it, any way read this and it will explain what is true and what is false about cellulite and at the bottom it explains what cellulite is ( I copied and pasted it off the web site, I hope it helps….

True or False: Cellulite is a special type of fat.

True
False

Explanation:
Fat is fat, whether it’s on your thighs or on your arms. Cellulite occurs when subcutaneous fat (found directly under the skin) gets pushed up through the layer of mesh-like connective tissue, resulting in a lumpy and bumpy appearance.

True or False: Men can get cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
While the structure of men's skin prevents most men from getting cellulite, there are some cases of male orange-peel appearance—particularly in men with lower levels of the male hormone androgen. Overall, about 10% of men have cellulite (compared to over 90% of women).

True or False: Only liposuction can remove cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
Extracting the fat layer between the skin and the fibrous bands of connective tissue can actually accentuate the lumpy appearance and make cellulite worse. Liposuction can remove pockets of stubborn fat, but it is not suitable as a cellulite treatment.

True or False: Exercising will prevent cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
Even the most hard-core female athletes can have cellulite because of the nature of her fibrous connective tissue (see myth #1 above). Exercise will reduce the overall amount of fat you have overall, thereby minimizing the amount of cellulite you have. Tone, firm muscles will also make the cellulite you do have less noticeable.

True or False: Special creams may diminish the appearance of cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
Topical vitamin A acid creams, such as retinol and tretinoin, can improve the look of cellulite by increasing collagen content and firming the skin. Other types of creams containing caffeine can improve skin’s appearance by temporarily plumping up the surrounding area, smoothing out the dimples. But these are only short-term solutions and not every product works the same way. The lumps and bumps will return when you quit applying these products.

True or False: Over time, tanning can camouflage cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
Tanned skin does conceal the appearance of cellulite in the short-term. But UV radiation from the sun (or a tanning bed) actually weakens and thins the skin, making cellulite more noticeable over time. Use a self-tanning lotion instead of sunbathing if you want to minimize the look of your cellulite.

True or False: Scrubbing or dry-brushing your skin can help break down fat deposits and reduce cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
Regular use of a loofah will increase circulation and slough off the top layer of the skin but it has little effect on cellulite because it cannot reach the deeper tissues. It may however help your skin look smoother by improving its surface layer.

True or False: Cellulite can be cured with special body wraps.

True
False

Explanation:
Body wrapping uses special wraps (plastic, rubber or cloth) in conjunction with lotions to supposedly reduce the amount of cellulite on the body. Most medical experts agree that this simply causes a reduction in water weight due to sweating and any inches lost will return once you are properly hydrated again. Losing too much body fluid can be harmful because it can cause an electrolyte imbalance and possible heart failure.

True or False: The FDA has approved a massage tool for cellulite reduction.

True
False

Explanation:
The FDA has approved a high-powered, handheld massage tool that consists of a treatment head, two motorized rollers, and a suction device that compresses the affected tissue between the two rollers. The procedure, called Endermologie, usually takes 10 to 20 treatments to get the best results. After that, one or two maintenance treatments each month are required to maintain these results. Without the maintenance, the benefits are soon lost. Each session typically costs $45 to $65.

True or False: Only overweight people have cellulite.

True
False

Explanation:
Thin people, fit individuals, and even those who are at a healthy weight (and healthy body fat percentage) can have cellulite, just as some unfit and overweight people may not have it. Most women will have cellulite to some degree. Whether or not you develop cellulite depends on factors like genetics, gender and hormonal levels.

The Bottom Line
Cellulite can be found on over 90% of women (and 10% of men), whether thin or overweight. But just because cellulite is common doesn’t mean you have to simply accept it as a fact of life. While eating right and exercising regularly can burn fat, and using a topical product may temporarily improve the appearance of cellulite, genetics plays the major role in the formation of these lumps and bumps. To learn more, read our expert answers to the question "How can I get rid of my cellulite?"

Cellulite, the dimpled appearance on the surface of the skin that is often described as "cottage cheese" or an "orange peel", is most common among women, especially on the thighs and buttocks. However, both men (about 10% of cases) and women can have cellulite, which can occur anywhere on the body, including the abdomen, arms and calves. Having some body fat is necessary and healthy for normal body functioning. Cellulite is simply visible subcutaneous ("below the skin") fat cells that bulge the skin.

While many people with cellulite feel self-conscious about it, simply having cellulite does not mean a person is overweight. Thin people, fit individuals, and even those who are at a healthy weight (and healthy body fat percentage) can have cellulite, just as some unfit and overweight people may not. Most women (90% or more) will have cellulite to some degree because they store more fat than men and their skin and fat cell structure is slightly different. Whether or not you develop cellulite depends on factors like genetics, gender and hormonal levels.

Because cellulite is fat, losing weight (if you are overweight) may help diminish the appearance of cellulite as the size of your fat cells decrease. There is no way to "spot train" any area of the body. Cardio exercise helps burn fat from all over the body and enhances fat loss. Strength training is important for both weight loss and overall health as well, but simply targeting the areas of your cellulite (hamstrings, buttocks, or abs for example) will not make it go away.

Many people can lose weight and notice an improved appearance in cellulite, but it's no guarantee. Because it's so closely linked to factors that you can't control (genetics, gender, hormones), losing weight may not completely get rid of cellulite.

Creams, treatments, massage techniques, and other cellulite therapies do NOT get rid of cellulite. While some products may help diminish the appearance of it through hydration or firming of the outer layers of the skin, these results are temporary won't result in weight loss.

My apologies…I don't think you can remove cellulite…You can reduce it though…Don't buy into the hype around the lotions and potions, they are a money making business and offer no real results

I read a story about a woman who spent so much money on all kinds of creams, lotions and even surgical procedure called Endermologie…None of them work! There are other procedures as well, which I'm sure don't work either…Here's the link:

http://women.webmd.com/features/getting-rid-of-cellulite