My absolute favorite thing about writing for the Cellulite Investigation is hearing from like-minded women who are determined to banish the blight. I’m convinced there is real value in discussing our shared experience with cellulite. Perhaps the reason so many women have seen such dismal progress treating it is because they’ve dealt with the problem in isolation. Where’s the fun in that?
Our latest CI recruit is jumping in here with both a Dear Cellulite letter AND her Cellulite Story. Do you have any advice/encouragement for the bold cellulite strategy she announces at the end?
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Dear Cellulite,
I am sorry that our relationship must come to an end. I understand that we’ve been supporting each other for too long now and we must part ways. I can no longer givein to your candy, cake, bread and pasta needs. I know that you have given me the extra cushion to sit on my ever growing ass over these past years in the offices I have worked in, but I’m finally sick of what I see in the mirror. As a forewarning, in immediate future you are going to be moving –running, shaking, sweating –and with hard work and determination I pray you will simply get the picture and leave.
I know that as with any relationship, there will be things left behind that will remind me of you and that I may not be able to completely eliminate you from my life. I also know that in letting you go now you may return but I will gather the strength and determination to again rid you from my life.
It’s been a good, but unhealthy, 7 years.
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Cellulite Stories, Declassified (Codename: Army Recon)
1. When did you first notice your cellulite and how would you describe it?
I can tell you I first noticed mine when I started gaining weight after I left the Army. Honestly, I didn’t even know what was going on and talked to my doctor about it. 
I was honorably medically discharged from the Army in July 2002 at 135 lbs (same weight I went in as). I immediately got married, went back to school and work full time (my routine before the Army). By December I was 150. My doctor said it was rebound weight because of being so active and going back to my old routine. I needed to be more active (easier said than done when working and going to school full time). In the next 2 years, another 15 lbs made it’s way to me. My thyroid was tested, they checked for diabetes. Again — be more active. Divorce, lost 10 lbs 
4 1/2 years since divorce, gained that 10 back plus another 15. So I’m up to 180 or so and cellulite is at home on my body.
It’s mostly soft and wavy I guess. Mostly stomach and thighs.
2. How has your cellulite fluctuated over the years?
It increased over the years.
3. What do you suspect is your kryptonite?
I can’t name one kryptonite.
4. What has been your experience with cellulite treatments?
Haven’t tried much treatment. I have a cream from Avon.
5. What cellulite treatments are you planning to try next?
I’m getting more active and I am determined to loose 50 lbs before I turn 30 in June 2011.
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To participate as an undercover source in the Cellulite Investigation, please email your responses to the above five questions to Analyst (at) CelluliteInvestigation (dot) com. Your Cellulite Story will be featured here at CI (let me know if you want me to link back to your blog or website in the post). You can send your Dear Cellulite letters to the same address. Here’s some inspiration to get the creative juices flowing…
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the letter to the cellulite. I've said goodbye to mine as well. Now, if it will just cooperate!
I'm all for just having it sucked out… However that sounds painful, uncomfortable at best and expensive. Guess I'll just keep trying to diet…
darn.
McVal, if only it were even THAT easy. From what we've uncovered here at the Cellulite Investigation, liposuction is not a valid treatment option for cellulite because it doesn't target the subcutaneous fat (the fat connected to the skin through a layer of connective tissue). According to Dr. Bissoon, the author of this month's Cellulite Book-of-the-Month, any doc who says lipo is an effective cellulite treatment is being unethical. Many women report their cellulite is actually worse after liposuction. Wouldn't that suck! (sorry, you know I'm a sucker for a silly cellulite pun. [Oops, that wasn't another pun. I promise.])
I'm interested in whether losing weight does make a difference to cellulite, and would like to hear from Army Recon about how her planned weight loss affects her cellulite. I could stand to lose a bit because I don't feel comfortable at the moment; I'm unfit, and rather lazy, and have a desk-job. But as I mentioned in my Cellulite Story, my sister put on weight due to thyroid problems (a LOT of weight), but didn't develop cellulite. She is now smaller, the same size as me, still cellulite-free. Certainly, she was more self-confident about her body at her largest than I have been my whole adult life because of cellulite. I don't think that weight and cellulite go together, but is there an improvement seen with weight loss – or is it the healthy, active lifestyle – including lymph circulation – that makes the main difference?
Perhaps the reason a lot of women don't see improvement with cellulite after weight loss (or see it worsen) is because of how the weight loss is achieved. If you severely restrict calories to lose weight, that would be counterproductive for treating cellulite because your body isn't getting the nutrients it needs to carry out its normal detox functions. But the effect would be different if you lose weight by eating nutrient-dense food or getting your hormones in balance.
Society so often equates being thin with being healthy, we forget that you can lose weight and actually be LESS healthy than you were before. I'm all for weight loss, as long as it's a side effect of getting healthy and not self-starvation.
I can tell you that my "diet" is trying to be yogurt for breakfast (80 calories), soup for lunch (under 200 calories) and a regular dinner. I started last week, yes I have had snacks and made exceptions – but I've been trying to balance out. For example I had a piece of cake 1 day at work, but then I ate less that night and no dessert.
I've also tried to get more physical, which is a hard change to incorporate into my life. I'll post progress. I keep reminding myself that it took some time to gain the weight and it will take longer to work it off.
Thanks everyone
Yogurt and soup are two nutrient-dense foods, so those are good choices, especially if you are able to make the soup yourself from homemade chicken stock. This is a lot easier than it sounds, and homemade stock is full of minerals that we don't get enough of in our modern diet. It's also a wonderful digestive aid (and we know digestion is key when it comes to cellulite!). I'll write a post soon about how to make chicken stock. It only takes a few minutes to get it going and will last all week or more, depending on how much you make.
As for the yogurt, try not to focus on the calories. Did you catch the amazing info we uncovered last month when we read Eat Fat, Lose Fat? Our bodies need the essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins found in saturated fat. Every Cellulite Success story we've received so far was from a women who added traditional saturated fats back into her diet. So for the yogurt, full-fat from cows who graze on pasture is the best kind (I like Seven Stars, Brown Cow, and Nancy's. Stonyfield if you can't find any of the others). The fat in the yogurt will keep you satiated longer and you will be less likely to snack between meals.
Coconut oil is another great place to start. This post will tell you why and how:
Saturated Fat: Friend or For
Good luck! Keep us posted!