The Truth about Cellulite, Fat Burning, and Weight Loss

Excerpted from
The Little Butt& Thighs Workout Book
By Erika Dillman

Let's face it. Before you can get the legs you want, you have to address your cellulite situation.

We all have it. We all hate it. We spend millions every year on creams, pills, and spa treatments "guaranteed" to get rid of it. We try the latest diets and buy exercise equipment designed to help us "burn the fat," and still, most of us seem stuck with our dimpled, flabby thighs. What's a woman to do?

Get the facts about cellulite, fat burning, and weight loss.

What Is Cellulite?

Cellulite is simply a fancy word for fat. It's no different from fat in other parts of your body. When the layer of fat between your skin and muscles becomes too thick and the underlying muscles are underused, your skin takes on the shape of the fat rather than the muscle. The result: dimpled, lumpy skin.

Eighty-five to 90 percent of women have cellulite. We're genetically programmed to store fat in our hips, buttocks, and thighs. It doesn't matter if you're thin or heavy; all body types are susceptible to cellulite.

Men, on the other hand, rarely have cellulite. They tend to store fat in their abdomens. The reason they don't get dimpled thighs is also because of the way fat is connected to their skin. Women's connective tissue attaches fat to skin in a way that allows excess fat to bulge, causing dimples. Men's connective tissue has a different structure that prevents dimpling.

How Can I Get Rid Of Cellulite And Get Toned Legs?

There is no quick fix. Research has shown that herbal wraps, thigh creams, and pills don't work. Even liposuction is no guarantee against cellulite.

The only way to reduce and reshape your lower half: Lose fat and improve muscle size through exercise and diet. Regularly practicing aerobic exercise, eating a healthy diet, and monitoring your calorie consumption are vital for health and weight management. Adding strength training to your fitness plan helps you change your body composition by replacing fat with muscle. As you reduce the layer of fat between your skin and muscles and improve muscle size (don't worry, you won't get huge muscles), your skin takes on the smooth, firm shape of your muscles, giving your legs, hips, and butt a more toned appearance.

Am I Too Old To Have Toned Thighs And A Firm Bum?

You're never too old to benefit from exercise or to reduce the appearance of cellulite. In a study conducted with nursing home patients (mean age-88.5), researchers found that a six-exercise strength training program was effective in improving their strength, flexibility, and body composition.

It's important to stay active no matter how old you are. Starting sometime between thirty and thirty-five, both muscle and bone begin to break down as part of the natural aging process. The average woman loses 5 pounds of muscle (men lose 7) and gains 15 pounds (men gain 17) of fat every decade-and loses 1 percent of her bone mass every year. After menopause, a woman can lose 10 pounds of muscle a decade and 2 to 21/2 percent bone loss every year. Unless, that is, she exercises regularly and doesn't consume more calories than she needs.

How Do I Lose Those Extra Pounds And Keep Them Off?

If you want to lose weight, you have to burn off more calories than you consume to create a calorie deficit. To maintain your weight, you need to be active enough to bum off the calories you eat. Extra calories, whether they come from carbs, protein, or fat, are stored as fat.

Dieting alone is not effective in changing your body composition because as you lose fat, you also lose muscle tissue. Consistent strength training is the only way to prevent muscle loss and to reshape your muscles.

How Many Calories Do I Need?

Your daily caloric needs are based on your age, gender, size, activity levels, and weight goals. The best person to determine your caloric needs is a registered dietitian (someone with an R.D. after her or his name), who can take all your health and genetic factors into account.

However, for a quick estimate, you can determine an approximate figure by calculating your resting metabolic rate (also called basal metabolic rate) or, the base number of calories your body needs at rest. Once you have this number, you can figure out how many calories you need to fuel all of your daily activities.

Knowing your caloric needs helps you plan your eating and activities according to your weight control and fitness goals. Remember, the dietary information on food labels is based on the 2,000-calorie daily intake associated with the traditional food pyramid designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You may need to adjust serving sizes to fit your caloric needs.

You might be tempted to drastically reduce your caloric intake to lose weight, but keep in mind that consuming fewer than 10 calories per pound of weight actually slows your metabolism. (Caution: Extremely low-calorie diets are not healthy and can be dangerous. According to the National Institutes of Health, women should consume at least 1,200 calories a day and men should consume at least 1,500 calories a day. Consult your doctor if you are interested in an extremely low-calorie diet.)