Cellulite Treatment. Beat Cellulite in 6 weeks!

I suggest the programmes I used for six weeks. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it is the amount of time that will give results for the majority of people.

It is also the minimum amount of time that people usually need to stop thinking of lifestyle changes something new and strange, and make them a habit that becomes natural part of their lives.

But what can you realistically achieve in six weeks? lf you follow the programmes as directed, most people will:

• Lose at least 2.8kg ( 6 lb) of excess weight (this will be less if you don’t have excess weight to lose).

Eliminate all excess fluid.

Dramatically improve skin strength and condition.

Boost muscle tone and lose inches from the hips and thighs.

Boost circulation and lymph flow.

Improve the detoxification capabilities of your body.

Develop a healthier body image.

Exactly how much difference this will make to your cellulite depends on how your cellulite scores on the severity scale. Obviously, someone suffering from severe cellulite is unlikely to have their cellulite disappear completely in six weeks, although you will notice a dramatic difference.
If at the end of six weeks you want to carry on with the solution, then do. If you have lost a lot od weight, however, check your BMI again. If you are at a healthy weight, it is not advisable to follow the portion sizes suggested on this blog.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS BLOG

Like any change in health habits, following some of the cellulite solutions may throw up some side effects, such as headaches as you cut down on caffeine. But do not panic! In my solutions where side effects or motivation may be an issue, there is plenty of advice on how to deal with any problems that may ensue.

There is no point spending time here talking about hte cellulite if you go back to all the habits that triggered it in the first place. The idea of this blog is to discuss how to adapt your everyday life so that you are able to keep your cellulite under control!

You can calculate your body mass index (BMI) by using the following formula:

Weight (in kilograms)
------------------------
Height (in meters) squared

Body Mass Index (BMI)
Measures the relationship between weight and height and is one of the most accurate ways to determine if extra pounds pose health risks. In June of 1998, the federal government announced guidelines which established a definition of a healthy weight.

A BMI score of 20-24 is associated with the lowest health risk, while a BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight. Individuals who have a BMI in the range of 25-34.9 and who have a waist size of over 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men are considered to be at an especially increased risk for health problems. Exceptions to a high BMI score include athletes whose BMI is high due to increased muscle mass, and pregnant or lactating women.

According to health experts, people who are overweight but who have no other risk factors (such as heart disease, hypertension, or diabetes) should eat healthfully and exercise to prevent further weight gain. It is recommended that individuals who are overweight and who have health risks actively try to lose weight.

A weight loss of just five to ten percent can reduce an individual's risk for other health problems. It is suggested that individuals consult a doctor or other health professional before beginning any exercise or weight loss program

Risk Level of Health Disease Based on BMI and Weight
BMI	Weight	Waist size smaller than 40″ [male] or 35″ [female]	Waist size larger than 40″ [male] or 35″ [female]
18.5 or Lower	Underweight	–	–
18.5 – 24.9	Normal	–	–
25.0 – 29.9	Overweight	Increased	High
30.0 – 34.9	Obese	High	Very High
35.0 – 39.9	Obese	Very High	Very High
40 or Higher	Extremely Obese	Extremely High	Extremely High

By taking the resulting BMI value from above and matching it to the chart below, you can determine your overall risk to certain health related diseases.

BMI Evaluation Chart is colour coded based on an increase or decrease in risk level. We have also added a waist size column for visual monitoring as well.

So far we have discussed what is happening under the skin when cellulite forms, but it is also important to understand what triggers this process. This section looks at some of the potential causes of cellulite and examines why they may make it form. While scientists have made progress, determining what cellulite is, they haven’t yet discovered exactly why it appears. The following are the most likely suspects.

AGE
While cellulite can start to appear at any time after puberty, it becomes more common after the age of 30. There are several reasons for this. To start with, from the age of 30, the average woman gains 4.5-6.8kg (10-15 lb) of fat per decade and the more fat you have on your body, the higher your risk of cellulite becomes.

Ageing also triggers the thinning of the top layer of the skin that covers the subcutis layer, makìng the bumpy fat more visible from the surface. Finally, over the years collagen fibres start to harden. This means the septa, which tether the skin to the underlying muscle, start to shorten and the skin is pulled downwards- the cause of the dimpling you see on the surface.


SEDENTARY LIFESTYLES
Today, we walk an average of 13 km (8 miles) per day less than our grandparents did - and every element of the formation of cellulite is affected by that inactivity. For example, the less you move, the fewer calories you will burn off and the more likely it is that you will gain weight. Inactivity also slows the circulation when we exercise we strengthen the heart and without that strengthening, circulation is likely to be slowed.

The problem is even worse for the lymph. It has no pump to send it round the system. Instead it relies solely on the contraction of the muscles and if you don't move regularly, the lymph flow will slow down.

EXCESS WEIGHT
ln the UK, over 30 per cent of women are over weight, while 20 per cent are classed as obese. In the US 3,5 per cent of the population is deemed overweight while a further 2,5 per cent are obese. This picture is echoed over much of the western world. While it's true that cellulite does affect slim women, cellulite is fat and overweight people are more prone to it.

SMOKING
While nobody has yet done conclusive research, it seems likely that smoking is a major contributing actor to cellulite. Smoking causes mass formation of free radicals, with millions entering the body with every puff. Also, researchers in Japan have found that smoking triggers the production of enzymes in the body called MMP( matrix metalloproteins).

These chop up collagen fibres, causing skin to thin - and when this happens cellulite becomes more noticeable. And should your body try to repair that collagen, it’s going t o find it harder to do so, as smoking reduces the body's levels of vitamin C, the nutrient that is essential for the formation of collagen.

OTHER TOXINS
There are a few other very common habits that may also contribute to cellulite, namely drinking too much alcohol, relying on caffeine and eating too many fatty or sugary foods. While it may not be correct to say that these things cause cellulite by clogging up the fat cells with their debris, it doesn't mean they're not involved in its formation.

For starters, all of the above create free radicals and triggers tress on the lymph system. They also destroy some of the vital nutrients we need to actually burn fat off. For example, each cup of coffee knocks 6mg of calcium from your stores- and calcium helps convert cells from fat-storers to fat-burners.

SUNBATHING
One of the nastiest factors in the fight against cellulite is that tanning- one of the few things that disguises the dimples- could actually be contributing to your problem. In high summer it takes as little as four minutes of sun exposure for damage to start occurring to the collagen and elastin fibres under the skin.

And just like the effects of ageing or smoking, this damage thins the skin over the subcutis and makes cellulite much more noticeable. As well as this, exposure to too much sunlight dehydrates the skin and cellulite is also more noticeable on very dehydrated skin, as this causes it to become thinner and less flexible.

DEHYDRATION
A recent paper in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association estimated that at any one time, up to 27 per cent of us are suffering from dehydration. Dehydration causes us to think more slowly, makes us more prone to headaches and moods wings, and causes our bodies to retain as much water as possible. One of the most common causes of fluid retention- and the cellulite that this can trigger- is dehydration.

You need to drink plenty of liquid for your body to release the water it is storing. The good news is this doesn't have to be just water - weak tea, orange juice, tonic water, milk and decaffeinated diet drinks all supply fluid. Aim for the equivalent of eight glasses of fluid a day.

FOOD INTOLERANCES
These occur when the body loses the ability to digest certain types of food properly. This means the food hangs around the system longer than it should do and ferments, filling the body with toxic substances. The body reacts by trying to dilute the toxins with water, which can collect in the cellulite.

The most common dietary intolerances are for wheat or dairy products. The symptoms are headaches, bloating, cramping or lethargy after eating the problem food - the symptoms vanish if you don't eat them for a few days.

You may also gain more than 1.4-2.2 kg (3-alb) of weight in a day if you eat a lot of the problem food - caused by water retention as t he body tries to dilute the toxins. If you think you are intolerant to dairy products, switch to calcium-fortified soya milk or orange juice instead of milk on your cereal to boost your calcium intake, and cut out cheese and yogurt.

HORMONES
It has often been suggested that exposure to the female hormone oestrogen can be a trigger for cellulite. There's a whole host of reasons for this: cellulite isn't normally triggered until puberty when oestrogen kicks in; it may get worse during pregnancy and the menopause when oestrogen levels go slightly haywire; and oestrogen has a tendency to encourage fluid retention and fat storage.

However, there's another school of thought that says it's not the presence of oestrogen that contributes to cellulite, but the absence of testosterone. Testosterone leads to firmer, stronger connective fibres under the skin, which reduces the risk of the fat 'poking through' the top layer of skin. Obviously it's not desirable to increase levels of testosterone in the female body, but you can reduce the amount of oestrogen by keeping your weight down, as fat tissue actually creates its own low levels of oestrogen.

STRESS
Studies have shown that it is possible that stress may contribute to cellulite. When you are stressed the muscles in your body tense, particularly in the back and neck. This blocks the flow of lymph. In addition to this, stress is also a major cause of weight gain.

Not only does it make you comfort-eat, but stress also increases levels of a hormone called corttsol and this is a major appetite stimulator. Cortisol also makes the abdominal cells more prone to collecting fat. lf you carry a proportionately large amount of excess weight around your middle or have cellulite on your stomach, stress is likely to be a major factor.

IS CELLULITE HEREDITARY?

It could be. lt's certainly true of facial ageingthat what happens to your mother will happen to you- and facial ageing is primarily controlled by the strength of collagen and elastin. If they are weak in thefact they could also be weak else where on the body.

Finally, there can also be a genetic link to weight gain, which may make it easier for some people to gain weight; and the more fat you have, the more likely it is that you will have cellulite.

IS CELLULITE HARMFUL?

Cellulite is not an illness, nor has it been linked to any medical conditions. Other than perhaps making you feel unhappy, cellulite itself will not have any ill effects on your health. However it may be a sign that your lifestyle is not as healthy as it could be- andthis may affect your general health.

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HAVE MORE CELLULITE THAN OTHERS?

Cellulite develops in stages so what you seeis determined by which stage you are at. How easy your cellulite will be to fight is also determined by how far it is developed. It is therefore good to know how severe yours is, so you can be more realistic aboutwhat you're going to achieve over the nextweeks.

While severe cellulite will reducein six weeks,it will take longer to get rid ofit completely. Minor cellulite may disappearcompletely in even less than the six weeksrecommended. These are the stages:

minor -- You can only see the cellulite if you pinch it with your fingers.

mild - You can only see the cellulite if you are sitting down.

moderate- Cellulite shows through the skin when you are standing up, but is mainly concentrated on the backs of the hips, bottom and thighs.

severe- this appears when you are standing, in areas other than the back of your hips, bottom and thighs- and is taut or painful when you squash it.

DOES CELLULITE ONLY APPEARON HIPS AND THIGHS?

No, but these are the most common places forit to appear because of the stagnation of the circulation and lymph systems. Also, women are genetically programmed to store most fat on their hips and thighs (in fact, you have sixtimes more fat-receiving cells in these areas than in your upper body) and the more fat there is in an area, the more likely it is that cellulite will appear. However, other common places for cellulite are the lower abdomen, on your arms and even at the nape of your neck. Again, these areas where women are programmed to store fat.

SHOULD I GO ORGANIC?

Non-organic foods can contain daces of Desticides and fertilizers that are toxic. The body pushes these into the fat stores where they do less damage, than flood sthe stores with water to dilute these toxins, exacerbating the cellulite problem. If you don't go organic, at least peel or scrub all fruit and vegetables before eating them.

FREE RADICALS

Free radicals are compounds that are creating our bodies when we are exposed to toxins from smoking, alcohol , air pollution, pesticides and even some relatively harmless food ingredients such as fats and sugars.

The problem with free radicals, is that they are missing an electron and to make themselves complete they have to steal an electron from a cell somewhere in the body. As they do this, they start to attack and degrade those cells. While free-radical damage can happen to any cell in the body, the compounds seem to have aparticular affinity for collagen and elastin cells that make up the top layers of the skin and this can have a number of effects on cellulite.

When collagen and elastin degrade, the skin thins. This reduces the covering over the subcutis, making any over filled fat 'boxes' a lot more noticeable. Also, as the septa are actually made up of collagen, free radicals will attack them directly. This makes the septa together and less elastic, causinq them to shorten and pull down on theskin's surface. To make matters worse, when the body tries to repair the damage, the second potential, trigger for cellulite comes into play.

All around our bodies, we have an important layer of fat under the skin called the subcutis. This is what keeps us warm, cushions us when we sit down and protects our bones. Through this fat layer run fibres of collagen (called septa) that collect the fat into pockets.