WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT CELLULITE?

Most everyone has some.  Celebrities have it.  (Yep, Tara Reid too.)

Even babies can have it.  But that’s about the only time it’s cute.  This article is designed to help you understand cellulite, and more importantly, help you take steps to get rid of it, …..for good.

So, What is Cellulite:  

It’s actually a wonderful way that your body helps you deal with toxic exposure as a protective mechanism. While we may not visually enjoy our “cottage cheese thighs”, “lumpy, bumpy areas”, and ‘looking like we were pelted by a paint gun look”, the fact of the matter is, your body has become this way for a unique reason and it involves helping you stay alive.

Aside from that, you can help the body in turn, by following some simple strategies below, thereby not allowing to have to resort that feeling of “desperate times call for desperate measures.”

So what is cellulite exactly, even if its a good thing in some respects?

Precisely cellulite is the result of fat cells becoming larger and protruding through distressed collagen fibers. And this is largely due to the fact that the liver, is overworked and “underpaid attention to”, overloaded with toxins, decides it best to store these toxins in fat cells for later detoxifying, IF the time ever actually arises. 

Here’s how cellulite forms, Part 1:

Each day you are bombarded by environmental toxins, toxic chemicals from beauty products and cleaning agents, chemicals and pesticides in food and water, toxic sugar, toxic hormones from stress, toxic stress and negative thinking, pollution, allergens, and on and on and on.  Your liver’s main job is regulate body fat for energy and for burning, and it’s secondary job is to filter out toxic exposure of any kind from the blood that is pumped through it minute by minute. Unfortunately, too much toxic exposure doesn’t at all allow your liver to do it’s main job of burning fat, and requires it to work overtime just detoxifying your system.  Even with all that detoxification happening, sometimes “the project manager” which is to say, the liver, can’t get it all done. So he sends the leftover toxins to fat cells to be held onto until a later date when the body is not so toxic and it can be dealt with.  The fat cells expand with the uploaded toxins and form kind of a “cocoon-like” look that attaches itself to surrounding tissue.  Hence, the reason no matter how much you think you can “rub the cottage cheese” away, it will not budge.

Here’s how cellulite forms, Part 2: 

Collagen is the connecting fibers in the tissue of your body that holds everything together.  The gorilla glue of your skin if you will.  Women have a period every month from puberty on, and with each period comes a loss of collagen in order to help the release of menses to happen. I know, I know….not fair.  Since men do not have a menstrual cycle (although some seem to act like they do sometimes, ha) they do not lose collagen as quickly.  Hence the reason men do not have much cellulite, or many wrinkles.  I know, I know…..doubly not fair.  And there is another reason.  Our collagen fibers are different.  Women have picket fence fibers, meaning they run up and down under the skin like a picket fence. While men have cross link chain fence fibers (think of a chain link fence). Why is this important?  Imagine throwing a nerf football through each fence.  The nerf football is your fat cell.  In the picket fence most of the football will poke through if a fencepost is missing (i.e. the loss of collagen) and in a crosslink fence, not much if any exception for the nose pokes through, meaning the fat cell can’t really poke through to be seen (i.e. no cellulite in men). Different fibers as well as the fact that men only have 1 layer of fat under the skin, while women have 3 layers, mean that women will prominently notice cellulite, whereas men will not. I know, I know….could life be any more unfair.  But there is a reason for this.  Since women are the baby-bearers, the body is designed to house more fat to protect that wee one from toxic exposure, cold temps, and the body is doing precisely what is best for that such condition (even if you don’t plan on putting yourself in that position.)

So to give you the cliff notes:

—Cellulite is the result of too much toxic exposure…

—Too much break down and loss of collagen fibers in the tissue…

—Resulting in cocoon-like fat cells that attach themselves to “3-layered fat” areas of the body, namely, the thighs, buns, back of the arms, and even the knees.

—And there’s more….

There are three main times in a women’s life that cellulite will be more prominent and it all has to do with hormones.  

1. Firstly, as menses starts at puberty, young girls may notice a lumpy bumpy area they hadn’t noticed before.  As estrogen is surging, the excess estrogens cause a spike of fat cell proliferation (or growth) and in some girls with damaged or underdeveloped tissue from poor food choices as they grew, a lack of collagen fibers causes cellulite to be seen.  This is usually short lived as girls are still developing and if fed properly, the cellulite will disappear for reasons you will soon understand below
2. Next, after a pregnancy there is also a surge in hormones, namely estrogen which again can lead to proliferation of fat cells and the new momma may notice some new “dents in her saddlebags” if you know what I mean.  Yet, under healthful conditions, this too can be short-lived if the women practices what is outlined below to release stored toxins for the liver to breakdown, and as hormones return to normal post-baby.
3. Finally, the third time we see cellulite rear it’s lumpy head is when women start approaching menopause, are in menopause or are post-menopausal.  Estrogen starts decreasing at this time, and yet with all of the synthetic estrogens in our toxic environment today, xenoestrogens, also known as toxic estrogens that the body has trouble detoxifying under SAD (standard American diet) conditions, causes a spike in cellulite, in addition to the fact that women are dramatically losing collagen at this time in their lives. And excess estrogen creates fat deposits (just as regular estrogen gives us curves in puberty, excess and especially synthetic estrogens give us curves in all the wrong places, nature didn’t intend, like our inner thighs.

The most prominent time that most women will start to notice the appearance of cellulite is mostly from age  25 to 35  and it becomes progressively worse IF you do not take steps to help the liver function, and reduce toxic exposure as we will learn below.

Too much estrogen makes fat cells larger, and too much estrogen is one of our biggest problems today.  Where is too much estrogen coming from?  Estrogen-mimicking perservatives and chemicals, such as parabens in our cosmetics, synthetic hormones in medications, medications in our city drinking water, estrogens and other hormones they use to fatten our conventional raises meat and dairy cows that we then ingest, and even synthetic chemicals that mimic estrogen from our carpets, our clothing, our cars, our plastics, and even our hand sanitizer is precisely where they are coming from.   So more and more women specifically, are dealing with an underlying  condition called estrogen dominance, which means they are making too much estrogen and/or are eating foods [such as soy or using containers that leak bisphenol-A] that have estrogen-mimicking ingredients.  More estrogen makes more fat cells. More fat cells in the body make more estrogen.  Too much estrogen for the liver to detoxify and distribute is toxic and sent to fat cells as a toxic chemical biohazard holding tank.

Now you know why cellulite has become more prevalent, and why you see it more and more.

But wait, there’s even more!

These 3-layered fatty deposit areas of your body, also known as “highly estrogenic areas of your body” have little receptors on them known as alpha receptors and beta receptors.  

Stay with me while I get a little scientific on you.  

Alpha and Beta receptors are present in the thighs and other highly estrogenic areas. Beta receptors are the good guys because when they are activated they send the signal to burn stored toxins and fat – (beta = burn, remember that).  Alpha receptors, while necessary, are the not-so-fun receptors, since when they are the receptors that no matter how hard you exercise, will recieve a signal “don’t burn fat, we are against fat burning at all costs” – (alpha = against fat burning).  Here’s the million dollar question:   Ever wonder why you can lose all the fat first around the boobs and stomach but not the thighs?  Here’s the million dollar answer:  Unfortunately for every 1 beta receptor there in highly estrogenic areas like the thighs, are 9 alpha receptors that prevent you from burning fat in this area.   I know, I know….not fair again.  

What we need to do is learn to block the alphas and trigger the betas! 

At the same token, what if you were to fix your liver, and include some other strategies to help release the toxins from those areas and FINALLY rid your thighs, buns and knees of cellulite?  And I’m about to teach you just how to do that. 

Below, I have compiled my list of 7 strategies for ridding cellulite once and for all.  In no particular order, let the burning begin!

CELLULITE STRATEGIES!

1. Eat better not less – don’t restrict calories, restrict estrogenic foods!  In my Wipe-Out Cellulite Protocol you will find a list of foods to avoid and a list of foods to include for helping the liver detox excess estrogens.
2. Shift starchy carbs to non-starchy.  Sugar of any kind, even starches which are natural like fruit and especially processed starchy foods like chips are cellulite’s best friend, and your liver’s worst nightmare. So instead of skimping out on carbs altogether, aim to simply shift from processed, sugary foods (even fruit) to non-starchy vegetables, like the ones you will see in the “foods to include” list in my protocol.
3. For women:  Exercise and eat in a certain monthly cycle to help your monthly cycle: Because energy and estrogen are highest the first two weeks, HIIT, strength and a higher-carb approach are best for helping the liver do its job of clearing out toxins and tapping into stored areas.   In contrast, the week prior to and during your period, lower carbs and less strenuous exercise, more rest and yoga, and walking are appropriate for continuing that cellulite detoxification in the time of the month where the body requires more relaxation.  And men can actually benefit from this too. It’s simply a form of carbohydrate cycling which we are about to discuss in one of the following strategies, so stay tuned!
4. Heal your liver by eliminating the toxic incoming exposure from your environment, your foods, your cleaning and beauty products, etc. Not only will choosing the right foods help hear, but eliminating outside sources of toxins to help the liver function better will also help.  In addition, one of the best things you can do for your liver is get adequate sunlight and vitamin D, 8 hours of sleep per night, and taking a blend of the supplements listed below in the supplement section of my cellulite-ending protocol..
5. Essential oils.  Essential oils are pure concentrated forms of nature’s medicine.  They have been used for thousands of years to promote healing, and detoxify the body.  For cellulite specifically, there are several that can not only help to detoxify the liver and speed the breakdown of the “cottage cheese storage tanks”, but also will help remind the body of dormant areas where we are holding excess estrogens and toxins by increasing circulation to those areas.  The following oils are designed to do just that – grapefruit, cypress, juniper, cinnamon, frankincense – all increase circulation and detoxification.  Add a drop or two of each to a skin soothing carrier oil or gel (such as olive oil) and watch overtime how those toxic areas become less “paintball-ish” and more smooth.
6. Ingest collagen and bone broth.  Since we are daily breaking down collagen in our delicate tissues, it’s a good idea to properly keep bringing it in.  This can be done through a simple powdered collagen form, or even by making your own bone broth from the joints of grass-fed animals.  The collagen in their joints will break down into the broth and when you consume it, you will absorb it for your use.  See a recipe in the “recipe section” for a simple, easy way to make your own bone broth. And, you can find a lovely brand of Collagen powder in your local health food store or online. I recommend a brand known as Great Lakes Collagen.
7. Carb Cycling for Fat Loss – The key to success in life with weight is “making a commitment to it in such a way that fits your lifestyle” And one of the best approaches for most people is cycling in and out different macros, i.e. higher carb on some days and lower carb on others, lower fat on some days and higher fats on the other.  As they say variety is the spice of life!!!

And, not only will carb cycling make nutrition to fit your lifestyle more doable but it will also make it more conducive to lose stored body fat and cellulite too!

So you’ve learned some tips and tricks to begin implementing to wipe-out cellulite once and for all, but you need a little help with the nutrition, the supplementation, and other healthy habits, eh?  Then, you will love the insane amount of information and solutions to your stubborn fat areas in my “Wipe-Out Cellulite and Liver Enhancing Protocol” .  Download it today, and get ready for smooth thighs, supple arms, toned tooshie for life! And no surgery, creams or lasers necessary!