Here’s some information on cellulite that I picked up from nutritionist Keith Klein and his Beyond Diet Podcast. Klein is the founder and CEO of the Institute of Eating Management in Houston, Texas. I had the pleasure of attending a lecture held by Klein in 1997. He’s an excellent speaker and he knows his stuff! I think you’ll find the information below quite interesting.
Okay, here’s the lowdown on cellulite. Beneath several layers of skin sits fat, and what holds the skin and fat apart are pillars. When body fat is gained the pillars are stretched, which weakens their structure and they can break. And when they break it causes pitting and pocketing around the skin, which is referred to as “cellulite.” The reason most women see this cellulite around their hips and thighs is due to excess body weight and constant sitting, which causes the pillars to stretch and break in that area.
Now, some people are more prone to cellulite due to heredity, age, and gender. For example, the elasticity of the skin is determined by the number of fibroblasts you have. Fibroblasts are the collagen-producing cells, and collagen are the pillars. As you age (around 35-40 years old), the number of fibroblasts begin to diminish significantly, and as the skin thins and collagen production decreases, you are more prone to get cellulite when body fat starts to increase. Collagen peptides can be used to counter this effect.
Men tend to carry most of their weight around their waist, so cellulite is not as apparent in men since they don’t typically sit on their tummy, but they can still get it. Many times you don’t see men with cellulite because it’s covered by their bathing suit, whereas with women it’s usually exposed. Also, women have more soft and supple skin due to higher levels of estrogen. Testosterone, on the other hand, has a tendency to make skin thick and hard. So women tend to have more of a predisposition to cellulite due to these hormonal differences.
Finally, if you think that cellulite creams truly work, think again! Most of these creams draw water out of the skin, which tightens the skin and gives an illusion that fat is drawn out, but that’s not the actual case. The effect is usually short-lived.
The solution is to go on a healthy, anabolic diet to help build muscle and keep a more youthful appearance for a longer period of time. A low-calorie, catabolic diet results in muscle loss and doesn’t help the condition at all. Small, frequent meals spread evenly throughout the day is important, as is proper exercise such as resistance training. There are several effective body composition strategies that you can use to combat cellulite quickly. The bottom line is that with proper diet and exercise, the space between skin and fat moves together and pitting/pocketing starts to disappear.
