In my upcoming ebook, I outline exactly how to eat and what I did to get rid of my cellulite, make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to get the details!
I’ve found that most people think cellulite is genetic, that no external factors are at play and that there is little that can be done about the appearance of cellulite. It is what it is. Except it’s not. While genetic factors are at play, you can still minimize the appearance of cellulite (without squatting your ass off).
Cellulite is subcutaneous fat that causes dimpling of the skin and upwards of 80% of women are plagued with it. It happens to thin women, to overweight women, and to fit women. It happens to me! The cause of cellulite will vary from person to person.
Genetics, diet, exercise, toxins, and lifestyle are all potential causes; there really is no one universal cause of cellulite.
For me, it was diet and likely a small amount of genetics (I do not like to put much blame on my genetics when I know that I can influence genetic expression). But even before I turned 20, I started noticing cellulite on my upper thighs. What started out as dimpling got worse and worse. I eventually developed deep ridges and an overall lumpy and uneven tone.
At the time I was in and out of veganism and vegetarianism – I was eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, whole grains and lean proteins. The ideal diet, right? Wrong. This is one of the worst ways to eat, not to mention that my diet was extremely high in omega-6 fatty acids and extremely low in omega-3 fatty acids.
I hadn’t yet even started my nutrition certification so it didn’t occur to me that diet may be a factor until I discovered the work of Dr. Weston A. Price. Dr. Price spent years traveling the world to study cultures untouched by modern civilization and diet. He found that they do not suffer from western diseases like tooth decay, cancer, depression, obesity, or diabetes. This led me to learn about more traditional cultures, to read books, look and pictures and watch documentaries about uncontacted tribes. While cellulite does exist in traditional cultures, it is rare and less severe than what people often experience today.
Diet
So the first step I took was to clean up my diet. This took a long time and a shit ton of experimenting. It feels like I tried every diet under the sun until I found the easiest and most effective one: eat what your ancestors ate – unprocessed, traditional, organic foods.
Eat healing foods, eat bone broth and ferments, eat liver, eat nutrient dense foods and food-based supplements. I cover more of this in the ebook, including over 50 recipes. I eliminated bad fats and replaced them with a lot of great fats, I eliminated most grains, refined sugars, and processed foods. This didn’t only improve my cellulite, but my mood and severe acne as well.
Squats
The second step was to exercise, and in particular, squat. I am NOT saying you have to go out and get a gym membership and squat your ass off. I definitely didn’t/don’t. But I did make squats the main exercise I did, not cardio! Cardio does not build muscle, it doesn’t strengthen or tone the skin. Squats are an amazing workout for not only for your hips and ass but for your back and core as well. I use THESE WEIGHTS and do regular Tabata workouts. Because finishing a workout in under 20 minutes is awesome.
Dry Body Brushing
The next regimen I began was dry body brushing. This is simply brushing your skin with a dry brush (I use THIS one). Doing this stimulates the lymphatic system, which is like the garbage system of the body. The lymph filters out toxins, old blood cells, and metabolic waste. Body brushing also stimulates circulation.
Our lymphatic system plays a critical role in the development of cellulite. The septa becomes stiff because of decreased lymph and blood circulation to the subcutaneous layer of skin. The tissue weakens and the decrease in lymph drainage causes the fluids which should carry away waste to be trapped, the septa then becomes fibrous and tightens even more on the underlying fat cells. The decreased circulation also weakens capillaries and veins, causing the surrounding tissue to harden. Blood reroutes around the cellulite area and the septa fibers continue to thicken and even more fat continues to be deposited. The fats and toxins won’t be removed because of the poor circulation. Source
At this point, my cellulite had diminished quite a bit but was still present, not terribly, but it was there. The next step was what gave me the best result in combating cellulite.
Gelatin
In February Scott took me to a super fancy hotel for my birthday. Once we arrived, I immediately took my pants off (I will not be hindered by the tyranny of pants!). It was around 3 pm and the sun was shining directly into our room. We were still exploring the suite they had upgraded us to and I walked by a gigantic floor to ceiling, 5-foot wide mirror they had in the room.
I have a tall mirror at home but my bedroom is poorly lit. The light in the hotel was natural and extremely bright, and I couldn’t help but notice that my cellulite was nearly gone.
I was shocked. I had resigned myself to just having cellulite, I wasn’t ashamed of it and I still had nice legs and a big butt – I decided to love that part of my body anyway. But seeing myself without the deep dimples and ridges was surprising (and awesome). There was only one thing I have been adding to my diet for roughly the past 7 months – gelatin! Gelatin is made from the collagen of grass-fed cows.
One reason for cellulite, aging skin, wrinkles, loss of elasticity is a decline in collagen production as we age.
Makes sense to take an easily absorbed, high-quality collagen supplement, right?
From the Great Lakes website,
The body’s natural ability to repair supporting connective tissue (bone, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, hair, and nails) diminishes after the age of 25. Collagen provides the source in supplying additional amounts of amino acids like glycine, lysine, and proline, which are specifically needed by the body to build connective tissue structure and to regulate the functions of the cells.
Collagen is responsible for cell renewal, skin elasticity, and suppleness as well as firmness. It is the building block of cells, tissues, and organs. Meaning it makes up your skin, hair, and nails. With age, collagen diminishes, making wrinkles more apparent, hair lackluster and skinless firm, which can ultimately cause or worsen cellulite.
I take two tablespoons a day in my tea. It has no flavor and dissolves easily. You can buy gelatin HERE.
Rebounding
Lastly, I have recently introduced rebounding – which is simply jumping on a mini trampoline. It may sound ridiculous, but consider this: patients who have lymphatic cancer are encouraged to rebound.
Rebounding is an exercise that is amazing for the lymphatic system. Rebounding works by physically stimulating the lymphatic system, which cannot be stimulated on its own. This removes toxins, waste, and build up from the body. Rebounding is even said to stimulate all internal organs, cerebral spinal fluid and improve intestinal function.
While I have not been rebounding for a significant amount of time, I am confident it will help to remove cellulite and keep it at bay.
I use THIS rebounder.
